Wednesday Morning Devotional

Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as we see the Day approaching.  – Hebrews 10:25

I know that the Church is not a building, but it is the place where we American Christians assemble for the most part.  When we think of church, we think of one of the 10 or so places that we drive by on our way to work.  In some countries, church means a secret assembly that might get you killed if you get caught. 

For Americans, there are a plethora of reasons that people (and I mean the ones who say they are Christians) do not attend.  I just read a Facebook post where a person was trashing the church (or maybe it was just a church) because it wasn’t to his or her liking.  Not enough Holy stuff and basically just too much fluff.  Some have told me that Sunday is their day to rest.  Many have just plain told me it was boring and they just didn’t get a lot out of it.  I guess if one really doesn’t want to do something, he or she will find a reason to not do it.

I have been through all of these stages.  I’ve not gone to church to play golf, go to the lake, make money, and sleep in.  I’ve not gone to church because someone hurt my feelings.  I even had this “holier than thou” phase where I criticized everything and everybody.  That actually was kind of miserable. 

I say all that to say this:  This past Sunday, something shifted where I go to church.  I have been preaching that church is not a place to come and feel good, but a place to come and be equipped with Christ growing inside of you.  If you have Him, your appetites change, your desires change, and you want what He wants.  Much like a woman’s cravings change when a child is growing inside of her.

I have been asking the members to do a weekly devotional at home with their family.  There hasn’t been a whole lot of response to doing that . . . until this past week.  I actually didn’t do our family devotion this past week, but at least 5 hands were raised when asked if they did their family devotion this week and prayed for another family in the church.  I asked them whom they prayed for.  As they said the names of the family they prayed for, I saw them just light up.  It was amazing.   We ended the service huddling our families and praying for our own family and one other family.

I have never in all the years I’ve attended church felt more of a sense of family.  I really felt for a moment that we were a group of people who looked after one another and cared for one another. 

I think I got a glimpse of what it is all supposed to be.  

Lord, thank you for molding Lifeline Community Church and many other wonderful churches in our county and country.  I pray that you will be the center of it all.  I pray that we will become real church families who really look after each other in prayer and in providing for needs.  If the unbelieving world saw a true picture of how you really are, they would not be able to resist the assembly of the church.  Help us be more like you and a whole lot less like the world.  Amen.

Later

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Adam

Today’s WMD was written by my friend, Mickey Cox.
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“I am Sam. I am Sam. Sam-I-Am.
That Sam-I-Am! That Sam-I-Am! I do not like that Sam-I-Am!
Do you like green eggs and ham?
I do not like them, Sam-I-Am.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
Would you like them here or there?
I would not like them here or there.
I would not like them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-Am…”

Pretty much this excerpt from Dr. Seuss’ book Green Eggs and Ham describes my feelings toward cancer and radiation treatments. It’s been difficult to have an attitude and spirit of thankfulness. How does one be thankful for cancer? It sounds pretty crazy to me! It’s not “normal.” Let’s take a look at Corrie Ten Boom and how she developed an attitude of thankfulness during a very hard time in her life. The following story can be found at:

https://www.khouse.org/enews_article/2009/1544/print/

“In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom tells of a time she discovered that God was working even in the most horrific circumstances.
Corrie and her sister Betsie had been imprisoned by the Nazis for hiding Jews behind the wall of their Holland home, and Nazi prison conditions pretty well unbearable.

Corrie writes:

“Barracks 8 was in the quarantine compound. Next to us–perhaps as a deliberate warning to newcomers–were located the punishment barracks. From there, all day long and often into the night, came the sounds of hell itself. They were not the sounds of anger, or of any human emotion, but of a cruelty altogether detached: blows landing in regular rhythm, screams keeping pace. We would stand in our ten-deep ranks with our hands trembling at our sides, longing to jam them against our ears, to make the sounds stop.

“It grew harder and harder. Even within these four walls there was too much misery, too much seemingly pointless suffering. Every day something else failed to make sense, something else grew too heavy.”

Yet, in the midst of the suffering, the women prisoners around Corrie and Betsie found comfort in the little Bible studies they held in the barracks. Corrie writes they gathered around the Bible “like waifs clustered around a blazing fire…The blacker the night around us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the Word of God.”
When they were moved to Barracks 28, Corrie was horrified by the fact that their reeking, straw-bed platforms swarmed with fleas. How could they live in such a place?

It was Betsie who discovered God’s answer:

“‘”Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.” That’s it, Corrie! That’s His answer. “Give thanks in all circumstances!” That’s what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!’

“I stared at her; then around me at the dark, foul-aired room…”

They thanked God for the fact they were together. They thanked God they had a Bible. They even thanked God for the horrible crowds of prisoners, that more people would be able to hear God’s Word. And then, Betsie thanked God for the fleas.
“The fleas! This was too much. ‘Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.’

“‘”Give thanks in all circumstances,”‘ she quoted. ‘It doesn’t say, “in pleasant circumstances.” Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.’

“And so we stood between tiers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.”

It turned out that Betsie was not wrong; the fleas were a nuisance, but a blessing after all. The women were able to have Bible studies in the barracks with a great deal of freedom, never bothered by supervisors coming in and harassing them. They finally discovered that it was the fleas that kept those supervisors out.

Through those fleas, God protected the women from abuse and harassment. Dozens of desperate women were free to hear the comforting, hope-giving Word of God. Through those fleas, God protected the women from much worse things and made sure they had their deepest, truest needs met.

We all have “fleas” in our lives. We all have those things that we can see no use for, things that are obviously horrible, unpleasant, painful things that we want gone. No life is free of “fleas”, but if Corrie and Betsie can be our examples, God can use even these nasty insects for our protection and blessing. Let’s thank God for His constant care and provision, and for His hidden blessings that come in ways we can easily overlook.”

So…..has Mickey thanked God for cancer and radiation treatments? Yes I have and I know that because God is faithful and His Word and promises are true that ” … all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

I’m eagerly anticipating to see how God will use this for my good and for His Glory!

Developing Thankfulness,

Mickey

Among Thorns

The seed falling among thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the word, making it unfruitful.  – Matthew 13:22

I am now the pastor of a church.  For some reason, after three years, I am still coming to grips with this.  Anyway, I’ve always said that if I ever did become the pastor of a church, I’d want to be the pastor of a real one.   What I mean is a group of people (I don’t care if it is 50 or 5,000) who really do Christianity.  I’m talking about people who are disciples of Jesus Christ.  I’m talking about people who would risk their reputations, their jobs, and even their lives for His Name’s sake. 

Yet, the majority of the people sitting in churches calling themselves Christians refuse to deny themselves sexual pleasure outside of marriage.  The majority of American Christians would choose a million dollar scratch-off ticket over Him any day of the week.  Most Americans who call themselves Christians have zero control over their anger and even less control over the cuss words flying out of our mouths.  (These last two things you are to remove yourself, God doesn’t wave a magic wand and take them away . . . see Colossians 3:8)  Denial of one’s self is absolutely fundamental to following Christ.

The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

So what is choking out the fruit? 

Well, Jesus says it is the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth.  I know for too many years as a Christian, the cares of this life killed my fruit.  I cared about everything more than Him.  Sports, girlfriends, television, video games, movies, and just about every other form of entertainment kept me from God.  For five years after becoming a Christian, I said I didn’t have time to read the Bible.  Yet, I can quote from probably 50 movies that came out during that time period and sing word for word countless secular songs.  

Now, unlike Eddie Money (or Billy Satellite), I don’t wanna go back and do it all over.  I’m glad everything led me to where I am right now at this moment in time.  I love the Lord.  I’ve never felt closer to Him.  But, I see so many caught in the same trap that I was.  Many of you reading this may be in that trap.  My prayer is that this WMD helps you recognize it and it wakes you up.  You do have time to spend with God.  In fact, by NOT spending time with Him, you are choking out the fruit He wants to produce in you.  If you aren’t producing fruit, nobody will want the Jesus you claim to have.

Figure out your weeds and pull them. 

It is purity that produces power to make a real difference in this world.

Later

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Adam 

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  – Matthew 5: 5

I heard a great definition of meekness:  Absolute power under perfect control.  I see it or hear about it every once in a while and it reminds me of how I am to be.  I get to read about it and see perfectly what it looks like every time I read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.

I recently had a great conversation with a man who told me how he could have absolutely annihilated another man physically and/or verbally because of something this man was saying and doing.  Instead of “putting him in his place,” the man I talked to chose the high road and simply walked away.  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to inflict harm; he just really believed that Jesus was changing his heart because he is absolutely sure that he would have been incapable of walking away from that fight just a few short years ago.  Of course, there was an audience that witnessed the exchange, so other men quickly uttered their disbelief and let him know exactly and in detail what they would have done.  I get a front row seat to witness this type of physical, alpha male posturing every day with students.  It is so sad that for most, that junk never goes away.

I thought for a long while after our conversation and Matthew 5:5 came to mind.  Ultimately, it is people like this man who will inherit and rule the earth.  It seemed impossible 2000 years ago, and it sure seems impossible right now.  The current reigning beatitude is “temporarily satisfied are the prideful, for they shall use any means necessary to get their way.”  I can only imagine a world full of people who are the opposite, people with a mild temper, who are gentle, and not so easily provoked.

According to this teaching of Jesus, the new heaven and the new earth will be populated with meek people who have learned to let stuff go in light of Christ and in light of eternity.  Unfortunately, idolatry is rampant in America and each person has become his or her own idol.  America has to currently be an unprecedented society of narcissists.    Everyone seems to have such staunch opinions and even has their own shrine via social media to express them.  When someone speaks ill of our idol, we get mad, lash out, and then make sure everyone knows that we got offended.

You and I, because we know the Lord Jesus Christ, are not to be this way . . . at least not if we want to be blessed.

The meek shall inherit the earth.

Lord, help me show everyone I come in contact with today what this looks like.

Later

Adam

“A new commandment I give you:  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so also you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:34-35

The word of God says some crazy stuff.  When I really dwell on these two verses, I think, “Is that even possible?”  How could I possibly love someone as Christ has loved me?  And to top it all off, this love that we have for each other is how everyone else will know for sure that we are His?  So much for simply putting “Christian” beside “religious views.”

I can see that I have grown in this love, but it’s like growing inches when the measuring stick is the light year.  When I started this Christian walk, there couldn’t have been anyone more selfish than me.  I only looked after myself, I only bought stuff that would make myself happy, and every relationship I had outside of family was simply made up of people who could benefit me.  Slowly, little by little, I have had experiences where God has given me opportunities to show His love.  To my shame, I haven’t always wanted to do it.  In fact, many times I only did it because I honestly believed that He was asking me to.

One door He opened that I walked through is my current job at the alternative school.  When I look at these students, I see what Jesus calls “the least of these” in Matthew 25.  Many of them are simply unwanted in so many ways.  The stories I’ve heard them tell me are absolutely heartbreaking.  Many of these students go to school and care nothing about it.  The primary adults in their lives didn’t or don’t care about them, so why should these teachers?  It is a logical projection.  Therefore, they do no schoolwork; it is all “boring.”  They misbehave, so teachers have loads of trouble managing an entire class with them present.  The easiest thing to do with them is send them over to us at the alternative school.

Now, I’m not knocking our system.  I’ve been on both sides of this.  I’ve had the kid that I wanted out of my regular classroom, and I’ve had the kid come in that others wanted out.  It just is what it is.

Here’s the thing:  Most of the time, I feel like I show them God’s love.  Other times, especially when I’m exhausted, I know I don’t.  Even when I do, I feel too often that it is some sort of a manufactured love.  I am praying today that God will place in me an ability to show His love regardless of what I feel like.  I feel like only God can give me that pure heart that loves purely.

Here is the other thing:  There is another teacher at my school that actually does love them without even having to try; and loves how I believe Christ would have me love them.  It is amazing and glorious to watch.  It’s like God shows me a picture every single day of what I should do and the way I should be and says, “Go and do likewise.”

One more thing:  This teacher makes no claim to be a Christian.

So, here I am, the supposed preacher-teacher, the Christian, the man of God, and I pale in comparison.

May all of us evaluate the love that we have for the people that surround us consistently on a daily basis.  Our lives are vapors that appear for a little while and then vanish away.  What could possibly be more important than sharing and showing God’s love inside of you?  It is, after all, the way that this world will know that we really belong to Him.

Lord, create in me a clean heart.  Renew a right spirit in me.  Help me to love as you love.  Help me to allow others thousands of fresh starts and do overs, just as you have allowed me.  When others see the way that I love, may they know that I love you and that your Holy Spirit lives in me.  Thank you for strategically placing me exactly where I need to be placed in order to learn how to truly follow you and love as you love.

Amen

Adam

Therefore, to him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. – James 4:17

Sin has one purpose, to separate you and me from God. As an immature Christian, I spent years indulging in my favorite sins. I would ask for forgiveness and just hope to God that if I drew my last breath, I would get to go to Heaven. My afterlife was pretty much all I cared about. Years later, I realized that I should have been focused on this life. That is the danger with deception, when you are deceived you are completely unaware of it.

Right now, the biggest sin in my life is not living moment by moment. If I had heard someone say that to me 10 years ago, I would have thought, “there is no way that is a big deal to God.” I would not have been able to imagine the consequences of not living moment by moment. However, this morning it has become very clear to me.

Just like yours, my life can quickly become overwhelming. I am a husband to my wife, a dad to my two children, a teacher at the alternative school, and a preacher at Lifeline Community Church. If I think collectively of all they require for success, I get so quickly overwhelmed, almost to the point of despair. Just before typing this WMD, I have laid all of this down at the foot of the cross. I feel so light again.

Jesus flat out tells us that His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). So, if you and I are overwhelmed, it definitely didn’t come from Him. The truth is, I overwhelm myself by thinking of things way too far in advance. When I do this, there is one thing that I am not thinking about, and that is walking with God and enjoying His Presence. Knowing Him and feeling Him throughout the day is the greatest joy of my life. But, as soon as I start thinking about when this week I’m going to date my wife, spend time with my kids, write my next WMD, write my next sermon, meet with so and so . . . I cease to enjoy Him and pick up a heavy burden that I was never meant to carry.

I know to live moment by moment. When I don’t, I sin. I know I sin because I go way too long completely unaware of God and His Presence. This particular sin separates me from Him.

So, this morning I renew afresh my commitment to live day-by-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute, and moment-by-moment. All I have to do is enjoy finishing up this WMD, then enjoy getting ready for work, then enjoy getting the kids ready, then enjoy my drive to work, and then enjoy my job (some days are easier than others). Sometimes in thinking too far ahead and picking up some worry along the way, I miss the in-between moments where God so often reveals Himself to me.

What could I possibly have going on today, tomorrow, or this week that is worth trading my joy in the Lord?

Absolutely nothing.

Later

Adam

For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.  – Philippians 1:29

I have been studying about suffering for about a month now.  Paul’s letter to the Philippians along with Acts chapter 16 has been my focal points.  I have read these five chapters over and over and every time I see something different that just blows me away.

Not that I am an expert on suffering.  Keep in mind, here I am, sitting in my favorite winter spot next to the gas fire logs typing this WMD on my MacBook Pro.  I guess my only slight difficulty right now is my job, which has gotten considerably more difficult due to a recent influx of new students.  My teaching partner and I are scrambling like crazy to try and get these students back on the right track.

But, you know what?  I do have a job, and not just any job.  I have a job where I honestly feel like I honor God most by simply keeping a great attitude while I’m doing it.  I don’t get to act overwhelmed, I don’t get to complain, and I certainly don’t get to act as if I don’t want to be at work.  Sometimes I want to, but when I meditate on this Bible verse and think about Paul writing the entire letter from a prison cell, how can I possibly complain?

Americans for the most part are spoiled.  The American Dream is basically to have a nice suffer-free life where you always know great health, great wealth, and never have any problems or any unmet needs.  Forget suffering.  As soon as we are even slightly inconvenienced, everyone, especially those we tell on Facebook, knows it.  We publicly let everyone know exactly who or what caused a problem for us and make sure the world knows we are angry about it.  God used to record the bad stuff we did in His books, but now we do it for Him and He can just take screenshots. (Joking . . . Kind of)

I’m not saying I’m above any of this, because I’m not.  I am saying that God is seriously dealing with my thought life.  I can become such a crybaby as soon as I get stuck in traffic, have to wait in a long line, or am eating my favorite meal at a nice restaurant with an empty tea glass.  It isn’t that I’m about to go off or anything, it’s just that Christ lives inside of me.  If Philippians 1:29 says I have been given the grace to suffer for Him, then surely I can graduate to “beginner” status and be inconvenienced for Him.

Instead of whining about the traffic, how about I play my favorite praise and worship playlist and then listen to one of my favorite preachers via Podcast on my really expensive iPhone?  I could have a church service alone with Him in my car that I might not have had otherwise.  Instead of complaining about the long line, how about I ask the person in front or behind me how I can pray for them?  I bet that line would seem pretty quick if I did.  Instead of letting a manager know that my tea glass has remained empty, how about I pray for my waiter or waitress because they might be going through something way worse than my empty glass?

I guess I say all of that to say this:  Christian persecution is coming to America.  The current majority of American Christians is not and will not be prepared for it.  Way too many people who say they are Christians are acting like we can somehow relax now simply because we have a new President.   Our favorite idol is this worry-free; “my way right away” lifestyle that just does not fit with the word “Christian,” or often times even the word “adult.”  Jesus Christ did everything perfectly and ended up being crucified on a cross.  He told his disciples beforehand, “In this world, you will have trouble.”  Believe it or not, that still applies today to you and me.

It has been granted to us “not only to believe in Him, but to suffer for His sake.  We love the believing part.  We love getting to go to Heaven by saying a prayer and saying we believe in God, but Paul says in this letter it doesn’t stop there.  He says we also have been granted the ability to stand up for Him regardless of what it costs us.  Here in America, it probably won’t cost us our lives (yet), but it could certainly cost us our jobs, our dollars, our pride, our friends, our reputation, and certainly our right to be offended.

Really think about this.

What has it really cost you to follow Christ?

Would you suffer for Him?

Christ has granted you that ability if you love Him.

Later

Adam

P.S.  My attempt at writing about this is pitiful.  If you really want to dive deep into what it looks like to follow Christ regardless of the cost, read anything by Richard Wurmbrand.  I haven’t read all of his stuff, but “Tortured for Christ” changed my entire perspective.

Give to everyone what you owe them:  If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.  – Romans 13:7

Here is something that is very difficult for me and I would imagine quite a few church leaders and leaders in general:  receiving honor.  As a preacher, worship leader, or church musician, sometimes you will receive praise, which I consider a form of giving honor.  The truth is, people like acknowledging other people in whom God just revealed Himself by saying, “that really spoke to me,” “great job,” etc.

Now, what I have done because I have seen others do it in the past is give some sort of “humble” answer, “All glory goes to God!”  The only problem I now have with this is how sometimes it comes off as condescending to the person who just wanted to thank you for being obedient.  Sometimes, the person who was just honored by the other is now kind of chastising that person for what they have deemed an incorrect and inappropriate response.  Sometimes, when I hear a preacher, leader or musician give an answer like this, it comes off to me as a false humility.  It makes me wonder if they want even more praise and adulation for now being so humble.  It also makes me wonder if the person who just simply gave a compliment now feels like they were corrected.  It definitely makes me wonder exactly how I should or should not respond.

With that being said, and whether I am right or wrong about this, I am wondering what to do with honor that people give to me.  The verse I used clearly says if honor is due; then give it.  And it doesn’t say “to God,” so it suggests that there will be times when it will be appropriate to give honor to another person who is not God.  In fact, the immediate context of this verse is the government, so be very careful what you say about our governing officials; especially the ones you don’t like, and especially if you call yourself a Christian.

“They lay down their crowns before the throne . . . “ Revelation 4:10

Here is what I’m going to do from now on.  If someone honors me because of a song that was played, a lesson that was taught, a sermon that was preached, or whatever it is they are showing honor for, I’m going to say . . . wait for it . . .

“Thank you.”

Then, when I get alone with God, I’m going to say, “Lord, someone gave me something today that belongs to you.  Without You, I would never have received this.”

Later

Adam

To obey is better than sacrifice. – 1 Samuel 15:22

I just want to document what happened this past Sunday at Lifeline Community Church. There are church services, then there are CHURCH services . . . I’m talking when the presence of God is very thick. I think I am finally at the point where it takes two hands to count the ones that I’ve experienced. Anyway, this last one was just amazing.

I had just completed a 21-day fast. I wasn’t planning on eating regularly again until after the service. The band played wonderfully. When they played the song “Open up the Heavens,” something just shifted. It was like God opened up the Heavens. Our welcome/announcement guy had just spoken from Isaiah 58 about true fasting and our motives for doing it. In the three years I’ve been at Lifeline, he hadn’t done anything like that before. The service continued and it was just an uncommon atmosphere. People were very much in tune with the Holy Spirit.

I preached my sermon on “The Grace to Suffer.” Then I opened up the altar. So many people came. I turned and answered my own altar call. It was there that I heard from God. The first words out of my mouth were, “God, if we can have this, I’ll fast for another 21 days.” His response blew me away, “Adam, you think you are experiencing this because of something YOU did?” Immediately, I knew that I was so capable of doing what so many have done before me . . . trying to manipulate the Presence of God by following some systematic formula. I repented and asked God to simply help me stay in love with Him.

I got up and prayed for as many families as I could before they left the altar. Right before I prayed to dismiss everyone, I prayed in my mind, “Lord, I need some sort of sign that you have released me from fasting.” (As if getting on to me earlier wasn’t enough) Right after church, a lady brought me a homemade loaf of bread. She said at first that she felt bad for bringing it because she knew I was fasting. Then, she was delighted because it just so happened that she was the evidence that God had released me.

Amazing.

Lord, may every person who reads this experience you this year more than any year in the past. You are the Creator. Create in each individual a desire to honor you in absolutely everything we do. Create in our churches an atmosphere of Presence and praise that is absolutely irresistible.

Amen

Adam

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. – 2 Chronicles 7:14

The second step that Christians must take in the process of healing our land is to pray and seek God’s face.  Humble people know how far away they are from God’s Holiness.  Therefore, they enter what I like to call “process.”  I mean the process of actually growing in the faith.  It does not happen magically, which today’s American Christians despise.  I hate the fact that I waited so many years to get serious about praying and seeking God.  I know now that I did not pray and seek Him because I wasn’t humble.  I compared myself to other Christians and figured I wasn’t that bad.  I thought other people were the problem.  Had I looked at my reflection in the light of God’s Word, I would have known.

In general, you can spot a fake Christian by how much time they spend pointing out the faults of others as compared to their own faults.  They are so aware of the specks in other people’s eyes that they don’t really concern themselves with the plank in their own (Matthew 7:3).  I’m not saying we should never point them out, but there is certainly a right and wrong way to do it.

On the other hand, you can spot a real Christian by their humility and their desire to build on that humility.  Do they pray and seek God’s face?  You never have to ask them . . . You just know. 

The solution to healing our land is not legislation, lest we really think that any man or woman in the Oval Office will heal our land.  The solution is for people who call themselves Christians humbling themselves and turning from their wicked ways.  To me, this is the best part:  NOT EVERYONE HAS TO DO IT!  “If my people,” not “if all people.”  We don’t have to spend ANY time bashing non-believers who don’t live like us.  We simply have to go through the process of praying and seeking God’s face.  It is not enough to know about Him, we must know Him.

You know how much time that you spend alone with God and praying to Him.  You know how much effort you put into reading, learning, and memorizing His Word.  You know if you are growing in His likeness.  You know.  And, if it is very little or none at all, it is not that you do not have time, it is that you really don’t think you are the problem.  You think everyone else is the problem. 

Humble yourself.

Pray and seek His face.

Believe it or not, He does not hear the prayers spoken by prideful Americans who say they are Christians, but if brutally honest, make no time for Him or have any real need for Him.  If you don’t believe me, just read the verse.  It is conditional.

“If my people will . . . then I will hear.”

Later

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