Devotions for Teens

[Soldier4Christ]

  Where is Your Heart?

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt 6:21) NIV.

How many of us collect baseball cards, or comic books? I used to love anything with a dollar sign in front of it. Especially when you hear stories all the time about someone selling an old Mickey Mantle card and buying a new Dodge Viper or selling a stack of old comic books so they can finally get that brand new bike they have always wanted.

When we think of treasures maybe a dark dungeon deep with in the earth comes to mind, or a dragon that will put his life on the line to guard his most valuable possessions from the medieval knights who came to make a name of themselves. Whether a 1,000 years ago or today this verse still makes sense. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Sit back and look at what you have and what you value most in your life. Right now I really treasure my truck, computer, and girlfriend. So needless to say, that is where you can find my heart. This verse is so true, so easy, but yet so deadly and costly. When we get to heaven there will be no need to drive around a '96 Ford Ranger, there will be no need to go on-line, and definitely no need for a girlfriend. Because there will be only one need, and that is to be in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

This week, along with myself, look over what you cherish the most. What do you find hard to live without. Girls, how long can you live without phone privileges? Guys how long can you live without the TV? When we look over things it's easy to see why this verse is so powerful. Now just think of what it would mean if you put Jesus as the most treasured possession you owned. May peace be with you.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Getting Below The Surface

“. .. but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.  The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”  I Corinthians 2:10

I don’t know about you, but I’m always getting the emails that say, “Pass this along to at least 10 friends.”  Unfortunately, I have a few friends on my email list who actually feel an inner compulsion to do this.  I’ve read the amazing stories of the actors of The Little Rascals, heard how to write things on pieces of paper and put them in special places and whatever I wrote down will come true (which it won’t, by the way) and I’ve read more than my shares of bogus stories of tragedy to be passed along for prayer.  Sometimes I really get tired of all these silly messages clogging up my inbox . . . until today that is.  Today I got a good one.

It turns out that these people were down by the lake and saw a ball bouncing in the water.  When they looked closer they discovered that a really big catfish had tried to swallow a kids’ basketball and it was stuck in the fish’s mouth.  The fish kept trying to dive so that it could breathe, but the ball, filled with air, was keeping it on the surface.  The fish was visibly tired, weak and about dead.  The people were able to puncture the basketball, letting out the air and take it out of the fish’s mouth.  The fish immediately dove underwater to get a really big breath of water. 

The reason I really liked this story is that first, it has pictures verifying it wasn’t some sort of fish tale and two, it’s a great illustration of most of us in our Christian walk.  I’m sure that fish saw that ball and thought it would be great fun and maybe it was for a while.  But in the end, he just choked on it and it kept him from getting below the surface. 

Our walk with God is meant to be lived below the surface in the deep things of God.  But many times the sin we think we just have to have or be a part of chokes us and keeps us on the surface.  Just like that fish we need someone to puncture our sin and take it’s power away.  God does that in His forgiveness.  Just ask Him and He will allow you to return to the depths with Him.  My prayer is that you would know the deep things of God and not live on the surface of the Christian life.  And maybe, too, that people would quit sending me junk, but that may be too much to ask for.  Dive on deep!

[Soldier4Christ]

  Life is Tough

And I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including all the soldiers in the palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, many of the Christians here have gained confidence and become more bold in telling others about Christ. (Philippians 1:12-14) NLT

Life is tough. Sometimes it is beyond tough. I know that some of you reading this e-mail have been hurt beyond belief—broken, neglected, betrayed, abused, violated. I know that some of you have done some things you majorly regret—drugs, alcohol, sex, abortions, cruelty. And I know some of you have hurt yourself because you ran out of options—cutting, burning, smoking, stopping eating, purging. If so, this is from my heart to yours.

I understand pain. If there is anything in this world I know fully, it is pain. Every time I turned around as a child and young adult someone else was hurting me deeply. Every time I acted in love, I was faced with cruelty and another blow to my fragile, tattered heart. So many times I came close to giving up. I had tried everything else, even hurting myself, and always ended up back where I started—desperate.

I’m not going to tell you that life at some point magically got better. Life doesn’t work that way. I’m not going to pretend for a moment that I didn’t HURT unbelievably…or that you don’t as well. But, I’m not going to leave you in that place of darkness either. I want to offer you a truth that consistently blows me away.

You see, as much as I know depth of pain, I also know depth of love. I have spent countless hours working through my past and searching for healing. God is working it in me. But, that isn’t the point. It’s just a bonus. What all of this has shown me is that GOD IS GOOD. I know…threw you for a curve didn’t I? But, just look. Really look. All those hours you spent in tears, God cried with you. And had I known about your hurt, I would have been honored to sit and hold you through it. Our God is good.

“He didn’t stop it,” we scream. You’re right. He didn’t. And I am forever grateful. Yes, it hurt unimaginably. But, look at the good it has produced. What? You don’t see it? Look harder. Look at your strength, your wisdom, your love. Look at those around you who can see in you a light that glows with the glory of God in your heart. YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL MASTERPIECE OF GOD. And it took those heartaches to get you here. So, as you sit tattered, torn, and tired, don’t lose sight of hope…for these very moments are making you even more beautiful. Truly, my friend, our God is good. I see His goodness within your precious soul.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Be Ready

Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. Jude 22

Now more than ever, we are surrounded by a doubting world.  People are thrown in all directions and don't know the truth.   Satan is working so hard to confuse the thinking of all people and to lead us away from the truth.  Jude, the brother of Jesus is writing to us to tell us how important it is to show others the truth.

There is nothing new under the sun, Satan keeps using the same few tricks that he has always used.   The reason he doesn't have to get too creative is because we as humans keep falling to the same old things.  In the New Testament, there were a bunch of false religions and false teachings on Christianity going around.   Today in 2006, we have teachings like the Di Vinci code that is leading many from the true path of Christianity.  Jude makes it very clear here that people who follow these false doctrines are in the fire already.   Another place in the bible describes these people as being dead while they walk.  Meaning they are spiritually dead even though they are physically alive.

As Christians, I want to call you guys to begin to know what you believe.  As the release of the Di Vinci Code comes out, many people are going to be asking questions.   Many people are going to want to know how close to the truth it is.  Many Christians in churches are going to ask themselves if it is the truth and question what they really believe.   We need to be ready for this, we need to know the truth of the bible and know how to talk to these people.  We need to do it will mercy and love without losing sight that these people are in the fire.

The Di Vinci Code is based on a Gnostic gospel, a false teaching.  This Gnostic gospels were around in biblical days too.   As a matter of fact a lot of the New Testament was written to combat these gospels.  While the stories sound really good, they are neither true nor inspired by God.   There is just enough of the truth to make it seem valid, then the great story writing inspires our imagination to run wild.  If we are not careful, we will fall prey to Satan too.   What do you believe?  Do you know the bible is true?  What makes the bible any more true than this Gnostic gospel?   How are they different?  What do you believe?  What makes you think one book is more correct than another book?   Could the church be holding out on everyone?  Could the church be lying to people?  These are a few of the questions you are going to be facing if you are not already.   I don't want you to be taken off guard.

We are in a time of major spiritual unrest and we need to see that.   We need to dig in to prayer and we need to have the Holy Spirit leading our bible study more than ever.  You can rest assured that the bible is 100% true and that it is inspired by God.  I will be writing devotionals over the next few weeks to answer some of these questions and help you to see and know that Christianity is true and that we can trust in the bible and that Jesus is who the bible says He is.   We can trust what we know as the truth.  Pray for God's guidance, pray for Him to show you the truth.  We are in a spiritual war and as Christians, we are part of God's army.  Let's fight for what we know is right.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Faith as a Grain of a Mustard Seed

Truly I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move hence to yonder place' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible to you. (Matt. 17:20)

How big is your faith? In reality can faith be measured by size, or only by quality? Jesus must have startled His hearers ---- all people of limited faith ---- when He declared to them: "Oh ye of little faith, if you would say to this mountain, be removed, it would be removed and cast into the sea." How can we believe that? First, let us consider what kind of mountain it was which the disciples had failed to remove, hard as they had tried. That mountain, we find, was a severe case of epilepsy, which Christ readily 'removed' through His great love, triggered by His dauntless faith ---- a profound trust in God. But the startling thing is that He assures us that if we have a mustard seed kind of faith we can go and do likewise!

The most ominous mountains we face seem to be our pride and prejudices, our resentments and worries, our fears and fantasies. Christ showed His genius when He indicated that it takes faith like a grain of mustard seed to remove these obstacles. For the mustard seed has a whole world of potentialities hidden within it. Next note what Jesus said concerning His kingdom in relation to all this: ''The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all (then known) seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.'' (Matt. 13:31-32)

But notice that the farmer has sense enough to sow or plant the seed in his field. For, with all its tremendous potential, the seed remains dormant until it is planted, and thus exposed to the warmth of the sun's rays, plus the moisture and nurturing elements in the soil. Isn't this saying to us that we must not only have this quality of faith, but that we must also put it to work and let it grow, before it demonstrates its marvels?

Why then do we often pray, asking God to do something in our lives and then, when he actually answers our prayer, act shocked that he actually did it? When we pray, we must have faith that God will hear and answer our prayer according to his perfect will and in his perfect timing. The answer may not always be an answer we would like to receive but we must offer up our prayers with faith, even as small as a grain of mustard seed.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Do The Right Thing

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Matthew 3:13-17 (NIV)

When you start talking about the way a Christian needs to be living and the difference between right and wrong, the evil one instantly accuses you of misunderstanding grace.  But it's time we started living like Christians and it's time we started expecting others to live like Christians too, not because it will help us earn our way in to heaven (that is strictly a gift from God), not to impress other people, but because it's the right thing to do.  The heart of Christ desires to do what is right, if we truly have the heart of Christ we will desire to do what is right too.

It's so tempting to say or think something like "It doesn't matter what I do, I'm saved by God's grace."  We are saved only by the grace of God, but an attempt to try to explain away our sinful actions like this is a severe abuse of that grace.  When we accept Jesus as our Lord and savior, we enter in to a covenant with God.  A covenant is not like a contract, there is no escape clause and there are no loop holes.  A covenant is permanent and lasting; even if we change our minds later down the road.  It's still lasting even on the days we don't feel like following it.  Part of our accepting Jesus as our savior means that we also accept Him as our Lord.  It means that we give Him the right to tell us what to do and how to live, that is exactly what the "Lord" part means.  If we allow someone to be a lord over us, we give them the right to tell us how to live.  When we accept Jesus in to our lives that is exactly what we are doing. 

While it is by His grace we are saved, there is a standard that Jesus calls us to strive for.  He calls us to reach for it at all costs, even if it costs us our life.  When we are baptized and receive the Holy Spirit, we are made a new creation.  God gives us the heart of Christ and the bible tells us how to grow up in that.  The doctrine of grace has been severely perverted by the evil one and he will force that on us as long as we let him.  Our sinful nature craves selfish desires and the more we feed it, the stronger it becomes.  It's time we stand up against the evil one and start truly walking the walk.  Jesus not only came to die as our sacrifice, but He also came to model hardcore Christian living while He was walking the earth.  He is the perfect example for us to try to follow.  Check out what He says in the above scripture, He says that He needs to be baptized because it was "proper", or to put it our language "because it's the right thing to do." When we follow Christ we will desire to do things simply because they are right, it's called integrity.

Jesus lived a perfect life and didn't need to be baptized at all, He was already going to make it in to heaven because of His perfect life, but He chose to be baptized because of the mission set before Him, He chose to be baptized because it was the right thing to do.  We are covered by the blood of Christ and are going to make it to heaven because of His sacrifice, but we need to follow the new heart given to us by not only craving to do what is right, but also doing it.  The more we try, the more blessings we receive, the more peace of mind we get, and the more God helps us (yes you read that right, I meant to say the more God helps us).  We aren't perfect, we all fall and we all fail but that doesn't mean we should just roll over and let Satan win.  The heart of Jesus strives to do the right thing, the heart of Jesus teaches us how to live the way we are told, and more importantly, it teaches us how to fight the hardest battles we could ever face.  Jesus gives us the heart of a warrior, just like He has.  The only way to live hardcore is to follow the way of Jesus.  It's time we stop making excuses and start making the right decisions, you'll be glad you did, the bible guarantees it.  If you haven't started yet, right now is would be a great time to start.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Fullness of Joy

"In Your presence there is fullness of joy" Psalms 16:11

What does joy mean to you?

We talked about it in devotions today and just how much difference an attitude of joy can make on a person's life. What difference does it make in yours?

"Happiness is a feeling, joyfulness is a lifestyle" How true this statement really is. Happiness can come and go, maybe with a gift from a friend, or a death of a loved one. But to be joyful - you really have to work at it. It takes practice and determination. My mom posed the question, how can you be joyful in a situation where there is nothing to be thankful for, no good side, you've looked and you can't find anything; how can you be joyful?

The answer lies in this verse - in Your presence. We've got to get into the presence of God, worshiping Him, praising Him, loving Him, and in that we will find true joy.

Ever heard the saying "they will know we are Christians by our love"? Maybe a few thousand times. But more then love I believe the world will know we are Christians by our joy. Because if full joy is attained in God's presence - how many unbelievers do you think have experienced it? Oh they may have joy - but, FULLNESS OF JOY?!!

But how many Christians have actually taken the time to get in God's presence and experience it? Taken the time to practice it in every aspect of their life? I find myself so guilty of that. All that potential is there, just waiting for me to take it - so what stops me? A few words come to mind like laziness and stupidity; I could name a few more.

I challenge you today to stop whatever you're doing, go somewhere quiet and just sit before God. Ask Him to fill you with HIS joy, and see what He does.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Take My Yoke

“Gentle and Humble "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls," (Matthew 11:29).

Ever found yourself being too critical? Ever said something with good intentions to a person, only to find out they were too sensitive as yet to hear your comments, or that maybe you should've just stayed quiet - and the ensuing argument left you both walking away confused or hurt? If someone has a problem, at what point do you keep your mouth shut, or at what point do you speak on it? Need God's wisdom to know when to practice silence with love?

A few days ago I met a person who had a lot of bitterness from their past. I immediately sensed it and felt for them. I decided I should tell them how noticeable their anger was, and that they could be freed from it. The person acknowledged their bitterness, but immediately became defensive and directed their anger to me. I made some comments in response to that, which probably didn't use the judgment I should've, and the argument described above happened. When it was over, this person had me pegged as the type of guy who gives Christians a bad name. Instead of seeing me as attempting to be an earnest and helpful brother, they viewed me as dissecting them and being over-critical. Whoever was in the right, I felt there was definitely a better way I could've handled myself. If by any chance that person gets this devotional, I want them to know I am very sorry, and th! at I would've wrote them and explained myself with more detail and gentleness, had I known how to contact them. I hope they will forgive me, and take me simply as a brother whose intentions are only good - and also know that I am praying for them, and praying to become more gentle and Christ-like in my relationships with people.


All of us believers have on occasion to speak to a person like I did, and we always want to help. Maybe we see something about that person that we think we should point out. Nobody I know would intentionally say something hurtful to a person unless they felt the issue needed to be addressed - and our intentions are always good. The only problem is that you never know where a person is in their own lives - whether they are aware of and working on their issues, how sensitive they can be, where they are spiritually, or even if they have an unknown psychological issue that could throw a monkey-wrench in the whole conversation. Back in my angry, depressed days, anybody who tried to help me address my faults, no matter what their approach, became an enemy and a hypocrite, condescending - and anything they said was an insult.


Number one, we should learn not to be critical or judgmental. We should look at the plank in our own eye before we try to take the speck out of our brother's eye. But of course, if we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, we can't just ignore our brother or sister's problems and pretend they don't exist. Our responsibility to each other is to always try to lift each other up and help each other out. So how do we know how or when to act and when to be silent and let God work it out? We have to do what we were so eager to do when we first became Christians, and that's take Jesus' yoke on ourselves. He said he is gentle and humble in heart, and that's how we need to be. We can ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do?"

But we need the grace of God and the Holy Spirit that was in Jesus to give us the answer and equip us with power to be like Him. I don't know whether the person I mentioned above was in such bitterness that anything I said would've been seen as an insult, or whether my main mistake was continuing the argument when I saw the conversation becoming fruitless. The main thing I walked away with was a sense of how, as Christians, we can run rough-shod over people without noticing it. Whether right or wrong, I had a profound burden to become more like Jesus in my dealings with people. Remember, as a Christian, you are going to attract people whose problems go beyond the day-to-day life you may know. People who come to you may be depressives, rape victims, schizophrenics, or just people who have absolutely no faith in people - even Christians - so be good to them. And since all believers are called to be ministers of the gospel to those they come into contact with, we'd better know ! how to be like Jesus - gentle, humble, sensitive, and most of all, loving - in our dealings with people.

If there is something you feel you need to say to a person, even if it may be hurtful, make sure you are led by God first, and have a record of love and Christ-like gentleness towards that person to back up what you say. So even if your words hurt, because of your conduct, they will trust your good intentions. We've dealt before with seeking the Holy Spirit, and how important it is. This is just more confirmation of that, and more reason to pray for it. If you have asked for it and feel you haven't received it, keep asking! There are times when asking over and over for the same thing is not appropriate, but when it comes to the Spirit, Jesus himself said to be persistent. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is literally having Jesus living on the inside. What better way can you think of to take his yoke upon yourself than that? Pray for it, and wait expectantly. In the meantime, before you speak - pray! Ask yourself what Jesus would say or do in this situation, and whatever yo! u do - do it in love.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Meet With Me

Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen." (Exodus 33:18-23) NIV


This is something I learned in a message on Monday night. There is an awesome song that goes with it too. It is called "Meet with me." The chorus goes like
this:

"I will run to the cleft in the mountain and wait for you, will you come and meet with me, I will wait in the cleft of the mountain for you to pass by, will you come and meet with me."

Moses wanted nothing more than to see God. He longed for that time when He would walk by. Even if only for a glimpse, if only the back side, just to cast his eyes on his King would be worth any price. As the verse tells us, God instructed Moses to go to the top of the mountain. Then God chose to reveal himself to Moses in all of His glory.

How much do we desire to see God?  Are we willing to be like Moses and go to the cleft in the mountain and wait for God to pass by us? Or are we satisfied with where we are now? Are we willing to let God reveal Himself to us? Are we willing to climb the mountain that God has told us to so that we can see Him?

Moses saw God and when he did he was changed. He came down from the mountain and the people saw his face shining from being in the presence of God. When we meet with God we too will be changed. Is that your desire today? All it takes is a glimpse at our Savior, a moment when nothing else matters. When we cast our cares and our worries aside and focus on Jesus Christ. When we do that, we too will be changed. Forever.

[Soldier4Christ]

  The Believer's Freedom

Everything is permissible-but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible-but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.   1 Corinthians 10:23,24

“You have an admirer”, a voice whispered to me. I looked over to see a little girl in a purple dress gazing at me. What was she thinking about as she looked at me, I wondered.

That thought ran through my head since my sister was little. What kinds of things was I doing in my own life that if my sister saw, she might make a habit in her own life? That question posed a quick realization that I needed to stop living in a way that pleased just me. Some of the changes that I needed to make in my life style weren’t completely obvious at first. But as I started looking at my young, and impressionable sister I started to notice every little choice that brought a disruption to the kind of character I was influencing on her. These disruptions are what Paul is talking about not being beneficial or constructive.

As the movie “The Da Vinci Code” was preparing to release, Christians were preparing their skills of knowledge for the case of Christ. But as some of the movie dialogue was shared on radio waves that Christians are the reason for the problems in this world, I started to realize something to the tune of the song “If We Are The Body”. I wondered if God had a different reason for allowing the release of this film beyond Christians merely gaining historical knowledge of the Bible to combat the movies claims. Could it be that He needed to wake us up?

Yes, we do have the freedom to do what we want, and to do what makes us happy, but we have a peering audience. On the other hand it’s not enough to just “act” like a Christian. What it means to be a Christian isn’t to “act” like a follower of Christ-- it’s to be a follower of Christ. So go out and just live for God---in every area of your life. You never know when a little girl in a purple dress might be watching every move you make.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Watch Out for the Boogie Man

“You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”  Matthew 5:14

As a kid I was like everybody else – scared of the dark.  Oh, I know a lot of kids said they weren’t but we know better.  The dark is scary. One night a few years ago, I found myself walking through a very dark jungle in the middle of Africa.  It was just a short walk, but it was so dark.  Each step was made possible by your local neighborhood Wal-mart.

That’s right, before leaving for Africa, I had traveled to Wal-mart and bought a $2 flashlight.  I thought it might come in handy.  Wow, what a purchase!  I think I reloaded it with batteries three times on that trip.  As I walked through the dark, my little flashlight showed me where my next step would land.  It didn’t light up the whole night, but it did show me the way.  When the batteries would get dim, my travel would slow to a crawl until I finally broke down and put in new batteries. 

Light is awesome!  Its greatest effect is seen in the darkness.  You see before I bought that little flashlight, I stood in Wal-mart and tested one that already had batteries in it.  I thought this little thing sure doesn’t put out much light.  But of course I was standing in the middle of a well-lit Wal-mart.  When I arrived in Africa, I found out how strong that little flashlight really was. 

How bright is your light?  You may wonder why so many people around you have no interest in God or why even those in your family are not interested.  But remember you are the light of the world.  Through you, God wants to show the way to Him.  He wants your little light to shine in the darkness that surrounds all of us.  Maybe what you really need is to replace your batteries.  The secret to powering up our light is to spend time in His Word.  By studying and meditating on God’s Word, we power up our light and shine so much brighter.  Keep shining!  You never know who is finding their way in the dark because of you.

[Soldier4Christ]

  The Potter's Hands

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Jeremiah 18:1-4

Have you ever seen a potter? He uses his hands to shape the clay and turn it in to what ever he wants. If the shape is not perfect he keeps working until he makes it perfect. Jeremiah says that when he sees the potter.

But what is not in this passage is that once the clay is the right shape the potter puts it through the fire. The fire is very hot, so that it can dry up the clay.

We as God's children are the potter's clay and God is our potter. Everyday He carefully molds us into what He wants us to be. If we are not perfect the first time through the fire He takes us out and changes us and puts us back in the fire again. But sometimes He puts us in the fire and we don't even feel it. All we see is the change that God is making in our hearts.

If we want our potter to make us perfect we need to let Him do His work the way He wants to. When we become like soft clay with our hearts open to God, He is then free to shape the clay any way He sees fit. But if we become like hard clay and hard hearts, it is almost impossible to mold the clay into a perfect masterpiece of art. There was a time when I was hard and I didn't see God working in my life. But when I finally gave complete control over to God, it was then that He was able to mold me.

If you are open to God you will be amazed at what He can do to and through you. I know I am. But the process is long and sometimes hard, but in the end it is worth it.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Forest Fires

James 3:5-7 "Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."

How many of you remember that popular slogan from the National Park Service and Smoky the Bear, "Only YOU can prevent forest fires"? Living in the south, during the dry summer months, forest fires were always a real threat. When I was growing up, most cars didn't have air conditioning and most people who smoked threw their butts out the window when they were threw with them. Often those cigarette butts were still lit when thrown from the window of a moving car and the dry grass on the side of the road was a perfect fire starter. One tiny spark from a cigarette butt could soon set a wildfire blazing.

Our tongues are like that. We're warned in the book of James to control our tongues. Have you ever said something quickly without thinking only to wish a few seconds later that you could recall those uncaring, hurtful words? I have. James tells us that a wise man masters his tongue.

Be careful! Only YOU can prevent forest fires! By guarding your mind and your tongue, you can bring forth words of kindness and love. Don't let a little spark of anger set off a giant forest fire, always be on guard and keep a close eye on your tongue.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Where Are We?

“Surely the sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.”  Amos 3:7

It’s a control thing, really!  I just have to know!  When I set out on a trip, I always want to know the way.  It doesn’t matter if I’m driving or just riding along as a passenger.  It just feels so much better to know a little bit about where we’re going and how we’re going to get there.

A few years ago, I worked as a chauffeur.  It was a crazy experience.  One of the most difficult things was going to pick someone up at the airport and not knowing where to take them.  I remember my boss saying, “They know where they live!’  Yeah, but it sure is a lot more fun if I know that information too. 

So where are you going?  Is that a question anyone has ever asked you?  Did you have an answer?  I’m amazed at how many people really don’t know where they’re going.  I’m not talking about heaven or hell, most people have a least a decent idea of that.  But I’m talking about your life.  Where is it going?  Nowhere?  Check out the promise in the Scripture at the top.  That’s right, it’s a promise!  God promises that before He works, moves, makes something happen, that He will share that with His servants.  If you are a child of God – THAT’S YOU!!!   So what is God telling you?  Nothing?  Really?  Go back to the archives and check out March 31 – Just Listen!

God has an incredible plan for your life.  He’s just waiting for you to live it.  But He reveals it to you through a relationship.  If you can’t hear Him, move in closer!  That’s better, a little closer.  Now spend some time worshipping Him and telling Him how great He is.  “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”  James 4:8

[Soldier4Christ]

  God's Royal Timing

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. Geneses 2:1-2

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he heard therefore that [Lazarus] was sick, He abode two days still in the same place where He was. John 11:5-6

Are you in the midst of trouble, waiting on a move from God? Has his delay caused you to doubt or grow frustrated? Remember that God takes his time.

When Lazarus was sick, did Jesus go immediately to heal him? Did he speak a word from where he was, as he could’ve doubtlessly done, and heal Lazarus from a distance? But no, he delayed his response by two days, and the bible says he delayed not out of apathy, but his hesitance was because he loved Mary and Martha and Lazarus. By his delay he worked an even greater miracle for them, thereby displaying his love.

Look back to the creation of the world. God could’ve spoken everything into existence with one word, in one instant. Instead, he chose to speak several different times over six days, finally perfecting his work and resting on the seventh day. The bible says that at the end of each day, God saw that his work was “good.” But on the sixth day, God saw his work was “very good.” Though he could’ve created perfection in an instant, he spread his work out over time to make it even more thoroughly excellent.

So we see that God doesn’t only delay his work in our affairs; he takes his time even when it comes to his own interests. It is simply part of his character to do everything in such a way that the utmost perfection will be had from it. When we don’t get what we want, when the answers don’t come quickly, or things are not perfectly as we would have them, we have to remember that God did not even satisfy his own desires (in creating the earth) all at once.

Are you in a desperate situation? Do you feel helpless to change yourself or your afflictions? God’s delay in righting your problems is only so that when his answer does come, it will work even more to your good. If you believe that He is God, you must believe that He can fix all of your problems with one word. But if you believe that He is good, you must trust that his delay only means He loves you, and He is taking His time in order to do an even greater work in your life.