Come and Drink

On  my list of things I wish I’d learned earlier, this truth hovers near the top.  Grace came my way packaged in a church.  Congregations and their leaders changed me.  But then the churches struggled, even divided.  Mature men acted less than that.  The box ripped, the faucet clogged, and my heart, for a time, sank.

Not a moment too soon, I heard the invitation of the still-running fountain.  “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.“  God describes himself as “the fountain of living water.”  (John 7:37-38).

Thank him for the faucets, but don’t trust them to nourish you.  Thank him for the boxes in which his gifts come, but don’t fail to open them.  And most of all, don’t fail to read the note:

Dear child of mine.  Are you thirsty?  Come and drink.  I delight in you.  I will never fail or forsake you!

From: Come Thirsty

Surviving Sexual Infidelity

The Question
Can love be reborn after sexual infidelity?

The Answer
Nothing devastates marital intimacy more than sexual unfaithfulness. Sexual intercourse is a bonding experience. It unites two people in the deepest possible manner. All cultures have a public wedding ceremony and a private consummation of the marriage in sexual intercourse. Sex is designed to be the unique expression of our commitment to each other for a lifetime. When this commitment is broken, it is devastating to the marriage.

However, this does not mean that the marriage is destined for divorce. If the offending party is willing to break off the extramarital involvement and do the hard work of rebuilding the marriage, there can be genuine restoration. In my own counseling, I have seen scores of couples who have experienced healing after sexual infidelity. It involves not only breaking off the extramarital affair, but discovering what led to the affair. Success in restoration is a two-pronged approach. First, the offending party must be willing to explore their own personality, beliefs, and lifestyle that led them to the affair. There must be a willingness to change attitudes and behavior patterns. Second, the couple must be willing to take an honest look at the dynamics of their marriage and be open to replacing destructive patterns with positive patterns of integrity and sincerity. Both of these will normally require the help of a professional counselor.

Perfect Love

Dry mouth.  Moist palms.  Pulse pounding!  Eyes darting over your shoulder.  Heart in your throat.  You know the feeling…you know the moment.  You know exactly what it’s like.  Policemen have stirred more prayers than a thousand pulpits!

Upward prayers become backward thoughts.  What did I do?  How fast was I going?  Then, the policeman is standing at your door.  No one likes the thought of judgment.

I John 4:17 says, “Perfect love expels all fear.”  You need never fear God’s judgment.  Not today.  Not on Judgment Day.  With perfect knowledge of the past and perfect vision of the future, he loves you perfectly in spite of both.

Jesus is speaking on your behalf.  “That’s my friend,” he says.  And when he does, the door of heaven opens.

Trust God’s love.  His perfect love.  It can handle your fear of judgment.

And slower driving can handle your fear of policemen!

From: Come Thirsty

False Prophets, Foreign Charlatans and Global Deception

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Chris Oyakhilome, a popular African preacher with questionable credentials, is sparking international concern.

When I arrived in eastern Europe·a few days ago I learned that Romanian Christians have quite a spiritual battle on their hands. Believers here struggled for years under communism. But now that they are free, they face an equally sinister struggle against cults, New Age teachings and—worst of all—charlatans who claim to be powerful Christian prophets.

One of the most controversial figures in Romania today is Chris Oyakhilome, a Nigerian broadcaster and faith healer who lives in South Africa. Although this smooth-talking preacher has never been to Romania, his influence has grown through his TV programs and books. Meanwhile, some gullible Romanian church leaders have visited his ministry base in Johannesburg and then returned to impart his miracle power to their congregations.

“As much as I want to see healing miracles restored to the church today, I’m not willing to fling open the door to deception. The devil can fake miracles, and if we don’t apply discernment in this vulnerable hour, impostors will sneak into the church and unleash their doctrines—with deadly results.”

But Oyakhilome’s “power” is questionable—and it is spreading not only in eastern Europe but in many other parts of the world, including the United States.

A Good, Healthy Struggle

God is using your struggles to toughen you up!

It’s like viewing a movie after you’ve read the book.  When something bad happens, everyone else gasps at the crisis on the screen.  Not you.  Why?  You’ve read the book.  You know how the good guy gets out of the tight spot.

God views your life with the same confidence.  He’s not only read your story, he wrote it.  His perspective is different, and his purpose is clear.  One of God’s cures for weak faith?  A good, healthy struggle.

Consider it a gift when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  Under pressure, your faith-life is forced into open and shows its true colors.  Scripture says, let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. (James 1:2-3)

Join with the Old Testament prophet Isaiah who resolved, “I will trust in him and not be afraid!”  (Isaiah 12:2)

From: Come Thirsty

Pot-Bellied Pig

The sign said: “Found:  Pot-bellied Pig.”

Did I just read what I think I read?  I’d never seen such an announcement.  Similar ones, sure.  But “Found: Potbellied Pig?”  Who loses a pig?  The sign presupposes a curious moment.  Someone spots the pig lumbering down the sidewalk.  “Poor thing.  Climb in little piggy.  The street is no place for you.  I’ll take you home.”  I wouldn’t claim one.  But God did.

God did when he claimed us.  We assume God cares for the purebreds of the world.  The tidy-living.  But what about the rest of us?  Do we warrant his oversight?

Psalm 91:1-2 offers a rousing yes!  “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”  The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.  I will protect those who trust in my name!” 

From: Come Thirsty

Worry is an Option

Some of us have postgraduate degrees from the University of Anxiety.  We got to sleep worried that we won’t wake up.  We wake up worried that we didn’t sleep.  We worry that someone will discover that lettuce was fattening all along.

Wouldn’t you love to stop worrying?  Could you use a strong shelter from life’s harsh elements?  God offers you just that.  The possibility of a worry-free life.  Not just less worry–but no worry.

Philippians 4:7 says “His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Worry is an option, not an assignment.  Be quick to pray.  Rather than worry about anything, Scripture says, “pray about everything.”   Focus less on the problem ahead and more on the victories behind.  In everything–let your requests be made known to God!

Do your part, and God will do his.

From: Come Thirsty

Sunday Sermon - 24-June-2012 - Ps. Dr. Solomon Abraham

Speaker: Ps. Dr. Solomon Abraham
Grace Assembly, Petaling Jaya

http://www.mediafire.com/?8oj2895df3e72aa

Why am I always the "bad" parent?

The Question
I feel like I am always the one who has to discipline our children and my spouse comes out looking like the good parent. How can we come together to agree on this issue?

The Answer
Because we grew up in different homes, we often come to parenting with different perspectives. Nowhere is this demonstrated more than in patterns of discipline. Most parents will have conflicts over discipline of children. The answer lies in recognizing this reality and finding a plan to deal with the conflict.

One place to begin would be to share a book on discipline. Both of you would read the book, a chapter per week, and discuss the content. This will expose you to sound principles of discipline. You might try, Making Your Children Mind Without Losing Yours, by Kevin Leman, published by Fleming H. Revell Co.

Do You Trust Him?

The sky is dark.  Sudden waves of water tilt up our sailing vessel until we see nothing but sky and then downward until we see nothing but blue.  I learned this about sailing:  there is nothing swell about a swell!

Eyes turned first to the thunderclouds, then to the captain.  We looked to him. He was deliberate and decisive.  He told some of us where to sit, others what to do, and all of us to hang on.  And we did what he said.  Why?  We knew he knew best.

Such winds test our trust in the Captain.  Does God know what he’s doing?  Why did he allow the storm?  The conditions worsen, and his instructions perplex.  How do you respond?  Can you say about God what I said about our captain?

I know God knows what’s best.   I know I don’t.  I know he cares.  Do you trust him?

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10″

From: Come Thirsty

An Assuring Presence

Why anyone would pester Hannah Lake is beyond me.  If her sweet face doesn’t de-starch your shirt, her cherubic voice will.  But a grade school bully tried to stir some trouble.  Intimidation.  Pressure.  But Hannah didn’t fold.  In the end, it was her faith that pulled her through!

The older student warned Hannah, “Any day now I’m coming after you.”  Hannah didn’t flinch or cry.  She simply informed the perpetrator about the facts:  “Do whatever you need to do,” she explained.  “Just know this:  God is on my side.”  Last word has it that no more threats have been made!

Elementary school bullies don’t await you.  But job transfers and fair-weather friends do.  Challenges pockmark the pathway of your life.  Where do you find energy to face them?

God never promises the absence of distress.  But he does promise the assuring presence of his Holy Spirit.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  2 Corinthians 12:9″

From: Come Thirsty

The Stronghold of Religious Racism Is Falling

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

The election of a black leader for the Southern Baptist Convention is a huge step forward. But we still have a long way to go.

In the early 1960s, when I was too young to understand the turmoil of the Civil Rights era, some men in our Southern Baptist congregation in Montgomery, Ala., asked my dad to stand outside our church with a baseball bat on a Sunday morning in case blacks showed up to protest. Thankfully, my father refused.

Later, a Southern Baptist relative sat me down and tried to explain the turbulence. She said sternly: “Lee, the white people have their church and the black people have their church, and that’s the way the Lord wants it.”

“I’m dancing for joy over what happened in New Orleans this week. I just hope it is more than a momentary victory. I pray this breakthrough will inspire every one of us to bury all forms of religious segregation once and for all.”

I remember feeling an alarm bell go off inside me when I heard those words, even though I was too young to understand this grown-up subject of racism. Even a kindergartner knows God doesn't divide people. Maybe I learned that truth from a song we sang in my Baptist church. It said: “Jesus loves the little children/ All the children of the world/ Red and yellow, black and white/ They are precious in His sight.”

Fast-forward to June 19, 2012, when delegates at the Southern Baptist Convention’s meeting in New Orleans voted to end their racist past by electing their first black president. The choice of 55-year-old Fred Luter Jr., pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, was even more historic because it occurred on “Juneteenth,” the day some African-Americans celebrate the end of slavery in America. That was no coincidence.

Live in Peace

We used to have a backyard trampoline.  One afternoon all three of our girls were bouncing on it.  Like most siblings, they don’t always get along.   But for some reason, that afternoon they were one another’s biggest fans.  When one jumped, the other two applauded.  My chest swelled with pride.  After a few moments, you know what I did?  I joined them.  I couldn’t resist.  Their alliance pleased me.

Our alliance pleases Christ.  Jesus promised, “When two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”  (Matthew 18:20).

Do you desire power for your life?  Paul said in Romans 12:18, it will come as you “do your part to live in peace with everyone as much as possible.”

Work through your conflicts.  Forgive offenses.  Resolve disputes.  Scripture says, “Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit; bind yourselves together with peace. (Ephesians 4:3).

From: Come Thirsty

God’s Spirit

As a Christian you have all the power you need for all the problems you face.

The Bible says your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit who is in you.  The question is not  “How do I get more of the Spirit?”  but rather, “How can you, Holy Spirit, have more of me?”

We’d expect a Mother Teresa-size answer!  Build an orphanage.  Memorize Leviticus.  Bathe lepers.  Do this…and be filled, we think!

“Do this on your own and be tired,” God corrects!

Do you desire God’s Spirit?  Here’s what you do.  He says “everyone who asks will receive.  You know how to give good things to your children.  How much more your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.  Luke 11:13″

You can do all things through Christ, who gives you strength.  (Philippians 4:13)  So, welcome the Spirit into every part of your heart!

From: Come Thirsty

A Father's Day Poem

from here

Pastor John originally penned this poem when Noël’s father, George Henry, passed away. He would later dedicate it to his own father, William Piper, when he died. It is a standing reminder of the profound gift of a godly father’s legacy.

In Memory of George T. Henry and William S. H. Piper, Our Fathers

Reflections on Psalm 1 and Joshua 24:15

No tree however deep the roots,

However high and green the shoots,

However strong the trunk has stood,

Or firm the fibers of the wood,

No tree was ever meant to be

A never-ending shade for me

Or you. Save one: where Jesus died

With bleeding branches spread as wide

And far as faith, for sinful men.

Sunday Sermon - 17-June-2012 - Ps. Dave Van Den Berge

Speaker: Ps. Dave Van Den Berg
Missionary Pastor

http://www.mediafire.com/?ei3x9yph3inrjql

My Spouse Won't Help!

The Question
We are both working full time and when I get home, I start dinner but my husband comes in and sits on the couch. How do I encourage him to participate in household chores?

The Answer
Set fire to the couch! Then hand him the fire extinguisher. Do this every two days for one week. He will no longer sit on the couch. Well, that's one approach, but not one that I recommend. Nor do I recommend yelling at him and calling him a lazy slob.

All of us have patterns of behavior, which we have developed through the years. Some of these are helpful to the marriage (for example your starting dinner), and some are detrimental to the marriage. The problem is, we are not always aware of what these are until they are brought to our attention. But how you bring them to your spouse's attention is the important thing.

Joint Heirs

You’ve been claimed… adopted as God’s very own child!

Romans 8:29 says “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters.”

Abandon you to a fatherless world?  No way.  Before you knew you needed adopting, he’d already filed the papers and selected the wallpaper for your room.

Those who have access to God’s family Bible can read your name.  He wrote it there.  He covered the adoption fees.  We don’t finance our adoption, but we do accept it.  And the moment we accept his offer, we go from orphans to heirs!

Romans 18:7 says “we’re heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.”  No stepchildren or grandchildren.  You and Christ share the same will.  What he inherits, you inherit.

You are headed home!

From: Come Thirsty

Dread of Death

Dread of death ends when you know heaven is your true home!

In all my air travels I’ve never seen one passenger weep when the plane landed.  Never!  No one clings to the armrests and begs, “Don’t make me leave.  Let me stay and eat more peanuts!”  We’re willing to exit the plan because the plane has no permanent mailing address.

Nor does the world.  Philippians 3:20 says, “We are citizens of heaven where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.”

Why don’t you do this?  Give God your death. Imagine your last breath, envision your final moments.  And offer them to him.  Deliberately.  Regularly.

My personal prayer has become, “Lord, I receive your work on the cross and in your resurrection. I entrust you with my departure from earth.”

With Christ as your friend and heaven as your home, the day of death becomes sweeter than the day of birth!

From: Come Thirsty

Discipline, Dignity and the Creflo Dollar Scandal

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Don’t rush to judge Creflo Dollar. But don’t rush to judge his teenage daughter, either.

Did Atlanta megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar physically abuse his 15-year-old daughter last week, or was she just being sassy and disrespectful when she called 911 to ask for police protection?

None of us can make that judgment call. But it disturbs me that so many Christians are eager to rally around Dollar before hearing all sides of the story.

“Ministers in positions of leadership—as models to the saints—should never use vicious fighting, hateful language, painful violence or any form of abuse in the home, whether it is directed toward a spouse or a child.”

The embarrassing report hit the news last Friday, after Fayette County police arrested the 50-year-old preacher on charges of simple battery, cruelty to children and family violence. Police reports said Dollar’s daughter alleged that her father punched her and threatened to choke her during an argument. They also claimed there was a mark on her neck.

By Sunday, Dollar was out on bail and in the pulpit, announcing to a packed house at his World Changers Church International that “all is well in the Dollar household.” He said the whole situation was overblown, and that the mark on his daughter’s neck was a scar from a skin disorder.