Wednesday Morning Devotional

Price Tag

Which of you does not first sit down and count the cost? — Luke 14:28

What has it cost you to follow Jesus? Stop and really think about that before you read on. How did your life change when you decided to follow Him. What do you do now that you didn’t do before? What do you not do now that you did do before? What was the price tag for you to ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and come into your heart?

My wife has my favorite answer so far. She got saved when she was really young. She says she gave up the acceptance of the popular in-crowd to follow Jesus. I recently went with her to her 50^th high school reunion (just kidding baby), and it was clear to me that had she wanted the acceptance of the popular crowd, she could have made a few compromises and been completely accepted. She chose the God-life over the good life in high school.

Me on the other hand, it didn’t cost me anything. I “accepted” the Lord, then continued to do everything I wanted to do. It didn’t cause me to live pure, didn’t cause me to pursue holiness, and if my crowd had found out what I actually believed in my heart, they would have been surprised because my life didn’t reflect it one bit. I don’t want you to think I was awful, but I was a compromiser…a hypocrite. I was a chameleon that could turn in to a church person, then turn into a party person at will.

On January 23^rd, 1998 I finally looked at the price tag. The only reason I know this is because I wrote it down in a journal. It is very clear that I knew then that I had not counted the cost. I had to make some changes in my life. I told God I was sorry for living life on my own terms, I was ready to live life on His. I finally began to pay the price.

I have been through the school of “God gives you salvation and you can do what you want.” That school leaves you so empty. It’s like the athletes and lottery winners that are given millions of dollars…they are broke in 5 to 10 years because they don’t appreciate it. Many Christians today have “received” salvation, but like my old self, they have no idea how to treasure it…to treat it as valuable.

I have also been through the school of “God demands perfection from you.” That school leaves you frustrated and hopeless. I can’t stand to see garbage like “oh, you went to THAT concert…good thing Jesus didn’t come back!” Or, “you mean you went THERE and did THAT? You are going to Hell! You are supposed to be saved!” Pharisees said that kind of stuff to Jesus all the time.

Both of these schools are really dangerous. The first produces a bunch of people who say they are Christians, but still live like hell. The second produces a bunch of Pharisees who cause the rest of the world to run from Christianity like the plague.

I believe that every person who is a Christian or wants to be a Christian should sit down and really evaluate what it costs to follow Jesus. In view of His mercy, we should offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him…this is our spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1)

For a Christian, sex outside of marriage is sin…are you willing to deny yourself?

For a Christian, lying is a sin…are you willing to tell the truth!

For a Christian, laziness is a sin…if a man does not work, he should not eat! (2 Corinthians 3:10) Are you willing to work?

Now, does God forgive these things? I sure hope so because I’ve done them all! But, there also must be a point in time where that junk stops! There must be a point where “old things pass away, and all things become new.“ (2 Corinthians 5:17) We must come to a place in our lives where we say “I do not care what the world says or thinks about me, I am going to love the Lord my God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength. Every rule He has made for me is for my own good.” Then, and only then, will you begin to experience the abundant life. You will appreciate and value it. You will soon find the best thing of all…

Your life before Christ wasn’t really life at all.

Later

Adam

Lunch Line

He who has not the Son is condemned already. — John 3:18

He who has not their identification card must go to the back of the lunch line! — T-S school rules.

Every Tuesday I have lunch duty. I also have it on the occasional Friday. I don’t really mind it that much…all of us lowly teachers just take our turn when our number shows up on the rotation (I’m number 2).

Lately, I have been doing “line duty.” This pretty much consists of making sure the students are in a line, that they do not “crowd” the inside of the lunchroom, and most importantly…make sure they have their id cards. You see, if they have their cards, the ladies can scan the students very quickly with very little hold-up. If they do not, they have to manually enter their numbers, sometimes even having to look them up, and it holds up the line. Thus the rule is simple…those who do not have their id’s must go to the back of the line and wait on those who do. Every kid that brings their card thinks the rule is perfectly fair. The kids that do not bring it (usually the same ones)…hate the rule.

Now, I shouldn’t admit this, but some of the kids that don’t have their id’s I am glad to send to the back of the line. They give me a hard time in class…I get to enforce the rule and pay ‘em back a little bit! You know…what comes around goes around! Other kids, really good kids sometimes don’t have their id’s. They look all sweet and try to sweet talk their way through the line. I hate it for them…I really do, but they go to the back of the line.

The last time I did lunch duty, I thought of John 3:18. I believe the Lord was trying to tell me that this is how it will be when we stand before Him. I don’t know if we’ll all be in a line or not, but only one thing will matter. He will ask in some form or another “did you, or did you not love my Son, the Lord Jesus Christ?” I’m sure there are several who spit in His face their entire lives, let Him know they didn’t want anything to do with following Him, and lived accordingly. It’s not even a question…you treated Him poorly, therefore He says “depart from me, I never knew you.”

It’s easy for us to condemn the rapists, pedophiles, druggies, and others we consider a menace to society. But what about the people we would consider good? The Bible just goes ahead and tells us that there are no good people (see Romans 3:10, 3:23, and Mark 10:18) But, at least to us, there are people that we really like and genuinely think of as really good people. The only question that matters is this “Do they have the Son?” If they do not, they are already condemned! There are no second chances on the day of Judgment.

So now, I look at the lunch line a little differently. Just as many of them don’t carry their id’s…many in this world are walking around trying to live without the Son of God in their hearts. Many, many people carry Him to church for an hour before lunch on Sunday, but other than that…they don’t carry Him at all.

Suppose you are next in line…

Do you have the Son?

Later

Adam

Three Things

I often get asked about the things that I do for the Lord. People ask for a great reason. They see God on my life and want Him on theirs. Many people want to copy the things that I do so they will be blessed like I am. Writing that statements feels awful to me. I know it sounds like I’m saying “be like me,” I promise that’s a bad idea. But, I have to admit that God is on my life. I also have to admit that I’m blessed way beyond what any man should be blessed. I can’t help but believe that it is because I turned my heart towards Him. If there was a real Jesus, I wanted to know Him. The more I sought Him, the more I learned about Him. The more I learned about Him, the more I wanted to do for Him.

The very fact that someone would ask me about the things that I do means to me that they have begun that heart turn towards the Lord. In fact, I would say that if you actually care enough to take the time to read this WMD then your heart either has turned, or is turning towards Him. If your heart has turned toward Him, then I believe there are three things that you need to begin to do. I wish as a beginning Christian that I would have done these things every day from the very beginning of my walk with the Lord.

The first and most important thing you have to do if you want God is spend time with Him. Some might call it “seeking” Him. We live in the coolest day and age to spend time with Him. You can listen to Christian radio, watch videos like the “Lifehouse Everything skit” or “Cardboard Testimonies” on YouTube. You have access to the best Bible communicators (in my opinion) on the planet like Andy Stanley, Kevin Myers, and Jentezen Franklin simply by going to iTunes and typing in their names. You have awesome books written to help you like Francis Chan’s “Erasing Hell” and John Eldridge’s “Beautiful Outlaw.” (You do want to be careful here…there’s some crazy “wolf in sheep’s clothing” stuff out there too!) There are awesome starter Bibles that will give you the coolest pictures and give you the basic chronology of events since time began. My absolute favorite is the “Action Bible.” I read that thing in like one week…it was that good. Once I read that, the real Bible came so much more alive to me. We have unbelievable praise and worship like Hillsong, Jeremy Camp, and Kutless. I could go on and on. But the thing you have to do is block off some part of your day, at LEAST 10 minutes and deliberately fill your mind with something of God and talk to Him. Tell Him absolutely everything. Be completely honest.

The second thing you have to do is work “as unto the Lord.” You have to pour your heart into whatever it is that you have to do that day. If it is school, work at it with all your heart. If it is work, work with all your heart. I used to think this meant we had to grind it out and “do our best,” but you end up pretty frustrated when you do that. You simply have to put your heart into whatever needs to be done that day. If I’m teaching, I teach for Him. If I’m mowing grass, I do it for Him. Thirty minutes from now I will be playing in a Scrabble tournament. I will pour my heart into it while I’m there and be ever so mindful of honoring the Lord while I’m trying to “Bingo.” Figure out what work needs to be done today, then do it with all your heart like you are working for the Lord. One time I heard a student tell another student how to make all A‘s…“Just do it for Him!”

The final thing that you need to do is have a conversation with someone about God. You will find that this is the hardest of the three things. Mainly because you have an enemy who has one and only one mission…contain you. Satan can absolutely do nothing about your salvation, but he can do a whole lot about your salvation spreading to others. His mission is to keep you from seeking Him, keep you from working for Him (he loves bad attitudes at work), and REALLY keep you from telling others. When you pray, you must pray for opportunities. It may be that you get to tell someone the gospel…it has happened to me many times. But mostly it comes in the form of me and my wife talking about Him. It might come in the form of a student telling me about their weekend church service. It might come in the form of you and your best Christian friend encouraging each other by letting each other know what the Lord has been doing in your lives.

In the past 3 months, I have heard person after person tell me they have begun to do these three things and can already tell a BIG difference in their lives. In many of them, I can already see the difference.

This is the plan that I believe God has developed within me. It’s what I believe I’m supposed to do. Is it the only way? You know better than that. But I truly believe that a person who does these three things has no choice but to become more Christ-like.

Who wouldn’t want that?

Later

Adam

Experiencing Jesus

After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel wrapped around him. — John 13:5

Can you imagine what that clean water that was poured into that basin probably looked like when Jesus was finished washing those feet? I wonder what the towel looked like. The clean water became dirty. The perfectly white towel probably had slightly dark stains by the time he was done. When Jesus was finished, the disciples were clean…Jesus was dirty.

Thus was the picture of what He was about to do for us on the cross. The perfectly clear water went up on the cross. The clean white towel hung there naked for you and me. At noon on Good Friday, Jesus started cleaning feet and power-washing souls. He made himself dirty to make me clean. He took on every person’s sin…made a way for us to be reconciled to himself. He did this until it was accomplished at 3:00. Then He died…he made the payment for all that sin.

Here is what is interesting to me; Peter resisted the foot washing (John 13:6). Maybe Peter thought that he was being “reverent.” Maybe Peter was saying “I am nothing in your presence, Lord…I don’t deserve to have you wash my feet!” To me, this actually sounds like a pretty good reason. To me, it actually sounds like Peter is doing better than the other disciples who just sat there and let Jesus wash their nasty feet.

Or, was Peter robbing himself of a blessing and a chance to experience Jesus in a new and profound way? Maybe each of those other disciples fell in love with the Lord even more that day! Maybe they went a little deeper in their walk with Jesus because they said in their hearts “if my Lord will do this for me…I will devote the rest of my life to him! There is no God like my God!” Maybe Peter’s “religious” thinking that God could never operate in this manner robbed him of something beautiful that the other disciples got to experience.

I am trying my best to let God out of my box. I have been to just about every denomination of church that exists. Every denomination seems to have their set way that God is to be “experienced.” One church has basically decided he can only be experienced through communion. Another has decided he can only be experienced through piano and singing out of hymnbooks. Another has decided he can only be experienced through loud rock music and lights. Some have decided God must be “revered” and there should be only sitting up straight and silence in church (definitely none of that clapping). One denomination says “you must only worship on Saturday, for it is the true Sabbath Day.“ Another says, “no, we must give God the first day of the week…Sunday!“ Some say we must only show up to church in our “Sunday best.” Others have said “come just as you are, Jesus doesn’t care if you wear flip flops, shorts and a t-shirt.” Some say baptism is the key. Others say being “filled with the Holy Ghost” is the key. Some believe we experience him through the life-long process of sanctification. Others believe sanctification is a one-time deal that can happen in an instant. Whew! There’s a lot of different schools of thought out there!

Check out the denominations within the twelve disciples at this point in time. Had they separated right then, Peter would have had his own denomination. At the other churches, there would have been feet being washed and humility being preached when the disciples talked about the day the Lord Jesus Christ washed their feet. At Peter’s church, the message would go “we could NEVER allow Jesus to do something like that. He is holy…we aren’t. We must never allow a Holy Jesus to come down to our level like that…we are simply not worthy!”

But, isn’t that the point? Jesus came down to our level and made himself like us so that he could reconcile us to himself. All he really wants is relationship with us! He did all this different stuff to let us know that he loves us and simply wants us to love him back. As much as he hated religious rituals, shouldn’t we at least be open to the fact that he might work in a way that makes us uncomfortable? Peter was uncomfortable…but I guarantee you he reached a point in his life where that foot washing experience was really special to him. After all, Jesus said “If I don’t wash your feet…you have no part with me!“(John 13:8) I guarantee you later in Peter’s life he understood that experience just like Jesus said he would in verse 7. It opened up the door for Peter to love Jesus even more.

I believe we have a modern day example in the Joe Nelms “Nascar prayer.” If you type in “Joe Nelms Nascar prayer” on YouTube, it will come right up. The first time I saw it I thought “how inappropriate!” Then, I read comments by people who did not know God, nor claim to know God. Many of them said things like “If church was more like THAT…I’d go!” Others said “THAT is what gives ‘Christianity’ a bad name!” One said “now THAT’s how you pray!” Another said “Joe Nelms just took the name of the Lord in vain!”

I closed my heart off so quickly to his prayer. I was in the “that was irreverent” group…God could NEVER be experience in THAT! But, after reading that some people enjoyed it…I listened again. This time, I just put myself in that Nascar crowd as unbeliever who thought God was really impersonal and really far away. I’ve been to Talladega before…I know that those people LIVE for that stuff! Then, I heard the genuine excitement in Joe’s voice. He was sincerely fired up…somewhere in the middle of that prayer, I felt God! I realized that God was all over that prayer. Almost 3 million people have heard that prayer…what if 100,000 of those people come to faith because Pastor Joe Nelms actually made God accessible to that crowd? What if it was just one? What if they had their feet washed and experienced Jesus while others said “you’ll NEVER wash MY feet!”

I guess what I’m trying to say is this: If God wants to pour out his love, and pour that love out on ME, why should I only allow him to do it at certain times and in certain ways? What if I’ve missed out on blessing after blessing because I thought that Jesus would “never do it that way?” Looking back…I’ve limited him. I’ve put him in a box and let religious people convince me that he only does certain things in certain ways.

Lord, help me break free from all the religion I‘ve been taught in many, many different churches. I only want to know you…the REAL you!

Boogity, boogity, boogity…Amen!

Adam

Praisers and Complainers

Exodus 12:37

John 1:29

John 6:66

In the book of Exodus, we read the story of how God’s people were slaves. They were slaves to the Egyptians for over 400 years. But in verse 37 of Exodus chapter 12, over 600,000 men got “saved.” To include their families, you could at least multiply that number by 3. This meant they were no longer in bondage, but were free. They were free because God made a way. It was by the blood of the Lamb on their door posts that death Passed Over them. The Blood saved them.

Fast Forward….John the Baptist lays eyes on Jesus and says “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus came and actually taught us how to live. He demonstrated it. Jesus is not a “do as I say, not as I do” parent. He simply says “follow me, I’ll never lead you astray!”

Fast Forward…People are still talking about these events today! The Passover lambs were slain approximately 3,500 years ago, and the people were saved. Jesus, the Lamb of God, gave His life as the ultimate sacrifice for us 2,000 years ago. If you have EVER told Him ”Jesus, I believe you gave your life for ME, I want you reside in me and have complete control of my life…SAVE ME” If you have ever turned your heart toward Him, and meant it, you are saved. Just as those Israelites walked out of slavery into a new life of freedom…so did you!

Now, here is the problem. The rest of the book of Exodus shows the majority of the people, that were saved (don’t forget that), complaining, murmuring, whining, and rarely acting like God did something mighty and awesome for them. Every time things got tough, most of those people actually thought that it would be better to just go back and be slaves to the Egyptians (Read Exodus 14:11).

Unfortunately, things haven’t changed much. Even though many of us have been SAVED through His mighty work on the cross at Calvary, as soon as things get tough, we focus on our problems and unleash the “Why ME’s!” I’ve done it, you’ve done it…we’ve ALL done it!

As you read the scriptures, God always tests those who choose to follow Him. There is no other way to determine those who are “the real deal” and those who give “lip service only.” If you read John chapter 6 you’ll find something interesting. When you get to verse 66, you find that many people, when they found out following Christ was going to actually cost them something, the Bible says “many turned away and followed him no more.” It is kind of interesting that we associate 666 with the Devil, or “Anti-Christ.” Lucifer was the first quitter. He flat out quit serving God to serve himself. John 6:66 talks about many people who quit serving Him as well. My question to you is: Have you Quit? Are you serving Him right now? If not, get back in the game…start serving Him again…like today!

Here is what I know: Those that stick with God, those that praise Him though being tried, those that just worship anyway regardless of their circumstances come out unbelievably better in the end than those who quit. Remember, our God is a “rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). To be diligent means to be steady, earnest, and actually put an energetic effort into your relationship with Him. Do you claim to know Him? If yes, are you being diligent in your relationship with Him? Are you putting forth the effort to spend time with Him and Pray? Of COURSE you don’t feel like it every day…I don’t either! But, we better learn to read, pray and praise through those feelings…He’s worth it!

Today, read the Word, talk to Him, praise Him, love Him, tell Him “THANK YOU”, ask Him for discipline, discipline to consistently do the things that please Him…that you may stand and not fall! Tell Him you NEVER want to go back to Egypt…NEVER want to go back to the life He brought you out of. In this way, we honor Him…we actually show Him honor. In this way, we point others to Him.

Praisers are attractive and extremely rare. Complainers are repulsive and a dime a dozen.

Which one are you?

Later

Adam

Well, I made it through my 21 days of fasting. However, before I break it, I know God wants me to sit down and write this WMD. I wish I wasn’t so hesitant to talk about fasting and what it has done for me and what it can certainly do for you. For some reason, my mind goes to Matthew 6:18 where Jesus says to “fast in secret, that your Father may reward you openly.” I always feel like a heathen for letting someone know that I am fasting. The Lord has showed me that by this same logic, we could conclude that prayer could never be done in public since it is to be done “in the closet” (Matthew 6:16) He also showed me that by that logic we could never let anyone see us put anything in the offering plate since we are to give our alms “in secret” (Matthew 6:4). I guess the point is that we can never make a show out of these three things simply to gain the admiration of people. If we do, that and only that, will be our reward.

That being said, the Lord has shown me many things over the last three weeks. When I fast, I am usually very sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I feel Him like crazy and get all tore up over the simplest things. This time that was not the case. I feel like this time was about getting rid of some impurities. Just as the impurities and toxins left my physical body, God wanted some impurities out of my heart as well.

I really felt the inconvenience of this fast. I was always aware of my “normal” foods that I could eat that would make me feel “normal.” I found my impatience kicking in…I was wishing the 21 days away. It was like I just wanted God to give me “credit” (whatever that means) for the fast. So many nights I missed what God was trying to do in me. He repeatedly woke me up at 2:30 a.m. I knew He wanted me to get up and spend time with Him in His Word. But, I had to work the next day. I had to get my rest. After all, I wasn‘t going to get my energy from food like “normal.” I told Him I’d get up at 5 and spend time with Him like I “normally” do…and I did.

The main thing He taught me was to refuse “normal.” In Luke 14:15-23 Jesus tells the parable of the great banquet. The king tells the people that He has prepared a great banquet for them…a feast. Instead of being excited about going, they made excuses. Now, here is the thing that got me, their excuses weren’t bad things. It wasn’t like they said “sorry God, but we’d much rather participate in satan’s feast…his is better.” They chose “normal” things over the feast of the King. One said in verse 18 “I just bought a field, and I must go see it.” I told Him “I bought a nice bed with an electric blanket…I can’t come to the feast because I must sleep in it a while longer.” Another said “I just bought 5 yoke of oxen, I’m on my way to try them out.” You probably guessed it…he had to go to work. That was exactly my excuse for not getting up. “Still another said, ’I just got married, so I can’t come.’” This one just made me VERY grateful for a wife that wants to fast, pray, and serve God side by side with me. Essentially they all said the same thing “God, you and your feast aren’t worth my time. I‘ve got better and more rewarding things to do.”

The point is, this is all “normal” stuff that we all feel. No human in the world would rip us apart for using any of these excuses. But, in verse 21, it says it made the King angry. I don’t want to make the King angry by choosing what the world calls “normal.” In fact, I don’t want to make Him angry at all! It is so easy to make an excuse…in fact, the devil will make sure that you have one.

To make a long story short, here I am at 4:09 a.m. typing this WMD. He woke me up one more time on this 21^st day at 2:30. This time…I got up. This time He broke me. This time He filled me up with His Spirit. I just had to repent for my awful attitude…for all the time I spent wishing the fast to be over. I had to say I was sorry for not seeking Him like I should have been all along. I had to apologize for just going through the motions of a fast and whining through my “inconvenience.” Then, I had to thank Him for letting me feel His awesome Presence one more time. I realized that the only person who really missed out by not getting up and spending time with Him…was me.

Through it all, I learned this: Christianity is a feast. It isn’t “boring” like the devil has convinced the majority of the people in this world. The world can have what they call “normal.”

I want the feast!

Lord, thank you for fasting. Just as silver needs to be melted down so the impurities can rise, that is certainly what you did to me. Help me always choose the feast…Your feast! I love you and could never thank you enough for what you did for me on the cross at Calvary. Help me be more than a conqueror for the rest of 2012.

Amen!

Adam

Saving Faith

“…whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” — John 3:16

I have recently discovered that the word “believe” means entirely different things to different people. I get to have many spiritual conversations with many different people. Nearly every person I talk to believes there is a Heaven and a Hell. If I can, I try to steer the conversation into which one of those two places that they believe they are headed. Just about every person I talk to believes that they are headed for Heaven. Here is my favorite question to ask them when we finally arrive at this point: “Why are you going to Heaven?” Take just a few moments to answer that question in your own heart and mind before you read on.

You can absolutely know everything that you need to know based on the answer to this question. Let me tell you some of the wrong answers: “Because I’m a good person.” “Because I try to help people.” “Because I grew up in church.” “Because I got baptized.” All of these answers are performance based. There is an answer that gets close and may or may not be correct…it depends on the person’s definition of believe. The answer is…”because I believe in Jesus.”

As far as Christianity is concerned, there are two types of believing. The first is the surface level of believing “in” or believing “that.” One might say “I believe that Jesus died for my sins.” Another might say “I believe in the fact that Jesus came to Earth and gave His life for me.” This is the exact same kind of belief that demons hold. James 2:19 says “You believe that there is one God, Good for you! Even the demons believe that–and shudder.” This is really scary to me. Especially in light of the fact that I thought for years I was good to go because I had said the “sinner’s prayer” and believed that God sent Jesus to die for me.

The second type of believing is believing “on.” This is where one places their entire life on the truth of Jesus and His Word. This is where you start to do crazy things like “deny yourself, pick up a cross, and follow Jesus.” (Luke 9:23) This is where you begin to follow His way because He says “I am the way.” You begin to live by the truth of His Word because He says “I am the truth.” You begin to live the life He wants you to live because He says “I am the life.” You begin to forsake all other ways because Jesus says “no one comes to the Father…except through me.” (John 14:6)

Think about it, the teenage boy that says “I believe in God,” but then has sex with his girlfriend on the weekend is correct. They believe that God exists, but they are not believing “on” Him and His Word. I can pick on this teenage boy because I WAS him! This goes the same for someone who will steal from another. I don’t care if it is money or answers from a test…if you steal, you may believe “in” God (that He exists), but you are not believing “on” Him. You have not put your complete trust in Him. I am not condemning you to Hell. If anybody has experienced the extended grace and unbelievable patience of God, it is me. I am just saying that true saving faith makes a difference in how you behave, how you act, and how you live. It is a continual process of cleansing and growing. I just don’t want you to be deceived. If you have been “saved” for years and you are still flirting around on your spouse, cheating people out of money, looking at pornography, having sex outside of marriage with no guilt or remorse, and you rarely, if ever read His Word to seek His will for your life…you need to really evaluate whether or not you’ve had a true conversion experience that will actually save you from Hell! The Word “believe” means to believe “on”…not believe “in” or believe “that.” (If you are feeling exceptionally nerdy, google the Greek work “pisteuo”)

I heard a preacher tell a story one time about a tightrope walker who was about to walk across Niagara Falls. He asked the audience “do you believe I can do it?” They all screamed and hollered “YES!” He then pulled out a backpack harness where someone could sit on his back while he did it. Then he asked “who is willing to let me carry them across?” Nobody was willing.

Jesus is the tightrope walker. He, and He alone can carry you safely to Heaven. If you are like me, you couldn’t even balance yourself on that tightrope…you would most assuredly fall to your death if you tried to cross on your own. Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about it. I just strap myself on to Him and put my complete trust in Him.

Your answer to the question in the first paragraph is VERY important. Your answer has GOT to be “because Jesus made the way by giving His life for me on the cross. I have surrendered my life to Him. He died for me, so I live for Him.”

That…is saving faith!

Later

Adam

The Lord is My Shepherd

Psalm 23:1

I remember memorizing psalm 23. I was just getting into Bible study about 12 or 13 years ago. I knew John 3:16 and I knew Genesis 1:1…that was pretty much it. I asked my mom if she had any Bible verses committed to memory. She rattled off some verses but then said “I know all of psalm 23. I learned it at Bible school when I was little.” She then began to quote psalm 23. I thought it was one of the coolest things I had ever heard. I immediately went to Psalm 23 in my Bible and read it over and over again. In about a week, I had committed it to my own memory.

It was years after I memorized Psalm 23 before I realized that to call the Lord “my Shepherd” was to call myself a sheep. I learned that sheep are possibly the dumbest animals in the world. I read of a shepherd in Canada that lost over 100 sheep when he went away and hired a substitute who didn’t watch after the flock like he would have himself. A sheep had wandered too close to the edge of a cliff and fell to its own death. Other sheep became curious as to what happened to the sheep, went to the edge of the cliff themselves, and fell to their own deaths. This happened to over 100 sheep before the substitute shepherd realized what was happening.

What a picture of my life…especially as a young Christian. I wanted to follow the Lord, I just didn’t want to deny myself and stay close to the Shepherd. I wanted to do the things that I wanted to do and wanted all the benefits of a person that followed the Lord with his whole heart. When you do that, or at least when I did, it made me quite miserable. I had too much of the world in me to be happy in God, and I had too much God in me to be happy in the world. I feel sometimes like I was that 120^th or whatever number sheep that was about to walk over the cliff. Fortunately, for me, the Good Shepherd made it just in time to keep me from walking over that cliff. He saved me. He loved me too much to let me destroy myself.

When I realized I was a half-way in Christian, I knew it was time to choose who I was going to serve. I could not continue to walk towards the cliff on Monday thorough Saturday, then walk toward the Shepherd on Sunday. It was after I went to a revival meeting on a Sunday through Thursday that it all truly began to turn around. I still feel God when I think of the song that the choir sang when I walked in the door. I‘ll never forget it:

Here I am

Here I am

I’m the one the Shepherd left His fold and found

There were ninety and nine

But He left the fold to find

One little lost lamb and here I am

I still have to thank the Lord for that moment. I have never in my life felt such great love. I knew He loved me and only wanted the best for me and my life. Why in the world was I continually rejecting Him? I went from being a rebellious believer to being a committed follower. All I could do was pray the prayer that would come 2 chapters later in Psalm 25: 4 – 7:

“Show me your ways, O Lord,

teach me your paths;

guide me in truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

Remember not the sins of my youth

and my rebellious ways;

according to your love remember me,

for you are good, O Lord.”

Man, He is awesome!

Later

Adam

Fasting

But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction — Job 36:15

I don’t think there is anything more unappealing than fasting. I also can’t think of anything that is more rewarding than to complete a fast. Several years ago I did my first fast. It was what is known today as a Daniel fast. It is derived from verse 2 of Daniel chapter 10. Tonya and I had had two miscarriages. When she was pregnant for the third time, I stumbled across Matthew 17:21: “this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” I needed something big from God…for Him to let this third child live. I had prayed, but that “and fasting” stood out to me big time. I just decided to go for it. I fasted and prayed for 21 days in January. In July, we had our first child…Caroline.

In Daniel chapter 10 verse 1, Daniel received a vision concerning a great war. I don’t know if you realize it or not, but we are in a great war. Satan and the forces of evil are after anyone and everyone that wants to consecrate themselves to the Lord. To activate those forces, one only needs to go after the Lord with all of his or her heart, soul, and mind. I could not even count the number of times that I have been told this story: “I really tried to live for the Lord, but it seems like all Hell broke loose in my life, and I just quit.” Welcome to the great war!

Once Daniel realized this, the Bible says that he “mourned for three weeks.” This is where I got the idea to fast for 21 days. In Daniel 10:3 he says “I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.” This is where I believe that you have to personalize your fast*. What is “choice food” for you? For me, it means no bread, no meat, no sweets, and only drink water. Basically, just eat fruits and vegetables. I don’t drink alcohol or use lotions anyway…so those are no problem.

I’m going to go ahead and warn you, for the majority of people the first few days are really difficult. The headache from caffeine withdrawal is just about ridiculous. It is flat out, self-induced suffering. I have known a few people that have used the period of fasting to break addictions of smoking or dipping. Many have told me that the withdrawals were almost unbearable.

So, why do all this? There is no way I could list all the cool stuff He has done in me and through me through fasting. But, the coolest benefit is this…you receive a heightened sense of His Presence. You don’t just change your diet for 21 days, you change your habits. Instead of watching television, you read the Word. Instead of listening to secular radio, you listen to Christian radio. Instead of playing on the computer, you get your family together and discuss Bible stories and pray. Instead of talking on your cell phone, you pray. Instead of reading Twilight for the 8^th time, you read your Bible. All I can tell you is that the combination of the change in diet and the steady flow of the Word of God does something to you. It brings you closer to Him and you truly begin to fall in love with Him. When you are fasting, you are in a constant state of brokenness (well, after the headache and vomiting is over…usually in 1 to 3 days) Best of all, you have a constant awareness of how He is right there with you. There is nothing like it.

Maybe you need something big from God. Maybe prayer AND fasting is what you need to do. Maybe you just want a blessed year and “safe passage” for you and your family (see Ezra 8:21). Maybe you just want to fall more in love with the Savior who gave His life for you. I believe fasting is a key that can open these doors for you.

All who will, find 21 consecutive days in January and proclaim a fast. I suggest that you start on a Friday so that you can be miserable at home for the weekend. Let’s give God the first part of our year so that He may bless the rest of the year more than He ever has before. May He do a work in us like never before. May He use us to lead many to Him.

Yes, suffering stinks, but the Lord uses it to produce something wonderful. I can only imagine how He suffered for me. It was ONLY through His suffering that my salvation was even possible. He did it for me…I can do it for Him! “But those who suffer He delivers in their suffering; He speaks to them in their affliction.” — Job 36:15

Later

Adam

* The fast I am talking about here is a partial fast. A real deal fast is simply doing without food for a period of time…MUCH harder (especially for food junkies like myself!) If you have never done a fast before, you definitely want to start with a partial fast. For most people, especially teenagers, just drinking water for 21 days and ditching the soft drinks, energy drinks, coffee and tea would be pretty hardcore.

Staying in Love

Revelation 2:5 Nevertheless, I have this against you; you have forsaken your first love.

Read the first seven verses of Revelation chapter 2. Look at all the stuff they were doing for God. If you were looking for a church, the church at Ephesus seemed to be perfect. They appeared to have it going on and Jesus Himself praises them like crazy…until verse 5. He basically tells them “you are doing some great stuff…but you’re not in love with me.” He even goes on to tell them they USED to be in love with Him, but they are not anymore.

I wonder how Jesus would evaluate me right now. What would He say I’m doing right? What would be His “yet I have this against you” to me? “Adam, you read your Bible in the mornings. You go to church every Sunday. You help people out. You try to be a ‘good‘ person.” Before I read Revelation 2, I probably would have thought it would have been wonderful if He had told me that. Now…I simply want Him to tell me that He knows that I love Him.

John 14:15 has become one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It says “if you love me, you will obey what I command.” He tells us that if we are in love with Him, obedience is just second nature. Much like when a kid falls in love with a video game, that’s what they spend all their time doing. They don’t have to think about it. When a person falls in love, they don’t have to decide if they are going to spend hours and hours on the telephone talking to their new boyfriend or girlfriend. In the same way, Jesus wants us to fall in love with Him so much that we just can’t get our minds off of Him. He wants us to love Him so much that we can’t help but read the Word and pray simply because we just have to be around Him.

Unfortunately, falling in love is easy, but staying in love is hard. I would challenge that kid who is in love with his game to be in love with that game 30 years from now. After the new systems come out, and after technology gets better, he won’t be in love anymore with what he is now. I would challenge the boyfriend/girlfriend to stay in love…we all know how the majority of those relationships end. We even know that half of all the people who get married end up divorced. And these are people who stood before God and their family and friends and said they would remain in love until death separated them…what happens? Well, falling in love is easy…staying in love is hard.

Jesus does not want us to simply do stuff for Him…He wants our hearts. He wants us to realize how much He loves us, and He wants us to love Him back…not because we feel obligated and feel like we HAVE to, but because we WANT to. If you find yourself not as close to Him as you once were, He gives us the solution: “Consider how you have fallen. Repent, and do the things you did at first.” Remember what it was like to just be in His Presence. Never forget what it is like for the Holy Ghost to just give you goose bumps and make the hair on your arms stand up. How long has it been since you’ve had a touch from the Lord? If you can’t remember, repent, and do the things you used to do. Listen to the things you used to listen to. Visit the church you used to go to when the fire fell. Whatever it was, and wherever it was…go back to it. Re-ignite that fire!

What do you do if you lose the fire of God that was once inside of you?

Go find it! Do whatever you have to do to get it back!

Later

Adam