Personal Revival: The destructive power of pride

Pride can be a destructive force.  It can give us the confidence we need to do things we never thought possible and it can also lead us down a path of total destruction.

When I think about the destructive power of pride, I remembered the story of the Titanic.  Thought to be the greatest ship of its era.  The unsinkable ship.  Because of the that pride, they misunderstood the power of an iceberg.  The unsinkable ship now lies on the ocean floor.  That is the exact destructive power of pride.

God knows the destructive power of pride and does His best to communicate to us our need of His leadership in our lives.  He knows that we can choose to live our own lives with pride but He also knows that it will come to a terrible end. Or we can surrender our lives to Him, to His guidance and find what we need, to do the things we never thought possible.

Is pride getting in your way with your relationship with God?  If it is, it will end like the Titanic. 

Why not come to God in humility and submit your thoughts, words and actions to Him right now?

Read James 4:6-10 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+4%3A6-10&version=NIV)

Today is the day to humble your life before God and find what you need, in order to stay afloat in this life!

Personal Revival - Giving up the white hat!

Today is the day I gave up the white hat for good.  What does the white hat symbolize?  It symbolizes leadership.  When I worked with my dad during the summers of college years, the leaders wore white hats.  They were the authority over the orange hats.  The workers wore orange hard hats and that was my situation working with my dad.  I did whatever the white hats wanted me to do.  If I didn't follow the instructions of the white hats, I could've lost my job.  I knew my place and there was comfort in that.  In experiencing personal revival, what hat do you wear in your relationship with God? White or orange?

Unfortunately, I have struggled wearing the white hat in my walk with God.  I have tried to control the areas of my life that I subconsciously felt God couldn't handle.  I did what I wanted to do with money.  I did what I wanted to do with my temptations.  I did what I wanted to do with my family.  God allowed me to wear the white hat but it didn't get me anywhere.  I was more stressed, more impatient and less content.  So I quit.  I gave up the white hat and gave it to the One who can truly handle it.

I Peter 5:5-7 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+5%3A5-7&version=NIV) Peter encourages us to give up the white hat so to speak and humble ourselves under the mighty leadership of God. He will guide and provide for us what we need, when we need it.

Are you wearing the white hat in your relationship with God?  Surrender it today.  Commit to His instructions for living life and find peace, contentment and joy.

Personal Revival

The desert could be a beautiful place to visit.  The rock formations, all the sand and the big blue sky are worth a visit once in a while.  I wouldn't want to live there but I would mind a visit, especially during the winter months. 

But there is one thing that depresses me about the desert, it lacks the evidence of vitality and life.  It actually looks dead to me.  Not a place I would want to establish a farm, that's for sure.  Very little would grow in that environment.  So why would God want to take us to the desert?

Hosea 2:14 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hosea%202&version=NIV1984) says, "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her."

In the desert, we find that all the distractions are removed.  There is little internet connection,  little cell phone reception, no outlets to recharge laptops and Ipods, and miles of loneliness.  We are forced to slow down in the desert and actually listen to God.

What does God want to say to you right now?  Are there too many distractions that cause you to miss His whisper?   Get alone with your bible, away from the distractions and listen to God Word today.   

X-Ray: Sardis, Day 2

I love boats.  Weekends as a high schooler was devoted to the water with my friends and a speed boat.  We would ski, tube and just drive around enjoying the weather.

Something I've learned about the water is that you can easily drift without even knowing it.  One minute you are at one place and another you are 15 feet away from it.  This is where the anchor comes into to play.  The purpose of an achor is to keep one steady and in one place.

Because of the winds of society, we need to hold on to something that will keeps us steady and in one place.  That anchor is Jesus.

So, let me ask you, who are you anchored to, Society or Jesus?

Paul writes about this is 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1.  Read it or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+6%3A14-7%3A1&version=NIV (Click back arrow on web browser to return.)

Paul tells us that we need to be careful what we get connected to.  We have no benefit being anchored to the world but we have everything God has promised when we anchor our lives to Jesus Christ.

How do we know who we are anchored to?

First of all, if you are anchored to the world you will desire the things of this world and the personal pleasures it brings.  Or if you are anchored to Jesus, you will desire to please Him and do whatever it is He wants for your life.

Second of all, if you are anchored to the world you will find that your values are vastly different than the Biblical values presented in the Bible.  (i.e. money, sex, power, pleasure, work, etc.)

These are just a few ideas and thoughts to help us discover who we are connected to.

So, who are you anchored to? World? or Jesus?

As you close:  God knows how difficult it is to live in this world and be anchored to Him.  Ask Him for His guidance and strength to remain true to Him.

God Bless!

X-Ray: Sardis, Day 1

  I don't know if you realize this or not, but the battery in our cars are very important.  If you battery isn't working, you aren't going anywhere.

I have two vehicals that will need to have the batteries replaced pretty soon.  My van still has the original from 2004.  My truck still has its original and it's an 2007.  You can tell everytime I try to start them up that it takes a lot to turn over the engine.  My dad tells me that I'm running on borrowed time.

One day I went out to my vehical and it wouldn't start.  How frustrating is that.  I have places to be and people to see.  I don't have time for a dead battery.  Battery charger, here I come.  So why don't I just replace it?  Because I'm cheap!

There is something to be learned from this battery about the spiritual life.  It doesn't matter if you have a battery hooked up to the car, you still have to have the power the battery provides for the car to work.  Some people have dead batteries. 

There were many people in the church at Sardis who had the reputation of being alive, but they were dead on the inside.  Jesus saw that and pointed it out to them.  They need to wake up, return to Christ and follow Him.  This would be the battery charger they were in desperate need of. 

How do you know if your battery is dead spiritually? 

1.  If you don't care about God's leadership in your life, your battery is dead or dying.
2.  If you have a bible but don't care to read it and learn from it, your battery is dead or dying.
3.  If you think just being a nice person is all that you need to please God, your battery is dead or dying.

So how is your battery?

The Spirit is God desires to bring life to your battery.  Read about in Galatians 5:16-26 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+5%3A16-26&version=NIV (Click back arrow on web browser to return)

Live, led, keep in step with the Holy Spirit is your responsibility.

As you close:  Why not pray and ask God to help you to live by, be led by and to keep in step with the Spirit.  He will then begin to recharge your battery and you will see life begin again.

God Bless!

X-Ray: Pergamum, Day 2

Learning from yesterday, I decided to read a book last night.  What happened you say?  Well, I was speaking about being careful what influences us and I had a moment when I was not paying attention to what was influencing me.  Not this day.  So I started a book.  I thought, "I need to be careful what is influencing me, especially at night when I'm tired and my guard is down."  So last night I went to my personal library and looked through the titles.  I have some great books on my shelf but nothing was really sticking out for me.  Then I found it.  I remember wanting to read this book but everytime I thought about it, I was terribly busy and wouldn't be able to get to it yet.  Until now.

The book is called "Uprising."  I took this book off the shelf and began my journey through it.  So far, this book is focused on helping people experience the life that God intended them to experience.  We get used to the mundane and live there.  God has so much more for us and will we take Him up on the journey.

That reminds me of the time when Jesus invites the disciples on a journey.  He would be with them forever even though they wouldn't be able to see His face.  Read about it in Matthew 28:16-20 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+28%3A16-20&version=NIV (Click back arrow on web browser to return)

They were going on a journey to tell others about Jesus.  There will be some that will accept this good news and others who will reject.  Some will grow deep in their relationship with Christ and others will walk away.  And He will be with us the whole way.

But you have a choice to join Him on the journey or play it safe in the mundane.  So what will you choose to do?

That is the power of a good book.  This book has influenced me in one chapter. How will it impact me in chapter two.  But this couldn't have happened unless I cared about what was influencing me.

Do you care about the influences around you?  You should.  Take control and make sure a positive influence is on your shelf.

As you close:  Ask God to point out a book in the bible that He would want you to read and/or a book that would impact you in a specific area.  Ask Him.  He'll answer.

God Bless!

X-Ray: Pergamum, Day 1

Yesturday I had a Homer Simpson moment.  You know when he realizes he did something stupid and he says, "D'oh!!"  I was watching a show on Netflix and some language was being used that I find inapproapriate.  I let it go and my wife walked into the room and commented about it.  After a moment, I came to the conclusion, "Yeah. She's right.  Time to shut it off."

During church our pastor was talking about influence.  He was saying that we influence others by what we are influenced by.  That pastor is me.  I  remember what i said, but the problem was, I wasn't living it out. 

Do you ever catch yourself in moments like that?  I know I shouldn't be watching this or doing that or saying something inapproapriate.  It doesn't matter what you know.  What is matters is what you do with what you know.  Thank God for do overs.

The disciples had a moment like that.  They said something that Jesus did not like.  He even rebuked them for saying it.  Read about it in Luke 9:51-56 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+9%3A51-56&version=NIV (Click back arrow on web browser to return)

Really?  Call down fire on them?  What they were saying was, "They should be killed. Eliminated."  Jesus had been teaching them about love and mercy and this is what the disciples come away with.  This was the disciples "D'oh!!" moment.  Open mouth insert foot moment. 

But the good news it, they moved on.  Jesus gave them a second chance.  They would need a lot more when this journey was over and Jesus was full of fresh starts.

Be careful who is influencing you.  And when someone points out a dangerous influence, listen to them.  Think about it.  And start over fresh.

As you close:  Ask God if there is anything in your life that is bad influence.  We become blind to those influences and we need His help to discover them.

God Bless!