The Judgement Oracle (Marriage Retreat, Session 3)

Following our split sessions we had a combined second session on Saturday morning.  Bro. Hughes read from Genesis 3:14-19.  This is "The Judgement Oracle" when Adam and Eve sinned and mankind was cursed.  Adam did not protect Eve when she spoke to the serpent and both their lives experienced chaos.

Genesis 3:16  says,"thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
Every woman that is born will try to control the man and he will dominate her.  The only hope of the curse being broken is the church.  The answer to the curse is changing our perception of each other.

Warnings to Ephesus
The church in Ephesus had a congregation of between 80,000-120,000 by 100 A.D.  There are five recorded warnings to Ephesus - The book of Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, meeting at the sea coast in Acts 20, and Revelation.
It is the only church that God said He would remove their candlestick - because they left their first love. The Greek definition of the word left is divorce.  The Ephesians quit loving people.
Love never gets lost, it gets divorced.

Be Not Drunk.
Ephesians 5:18 says, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit."  Facebook gives the same effect as heroin - it's an addiction.  The average person spends 2-3 hours a day on Facebook.  It numbs our lives.  Other things take the place of spending time together.

Bro. Hughes told of watching a group of young people at a restaurant after church.  On his way out, he asked why they all came.  They said it was to spend time together.  He said, "But you haven't talked to anyone."  They had been texting while sitting at the same table.  Texting is not the same as talking.  Thumbs don't talk!

When no one hears what you say, your behavior will become deviant.  Don't let things take the place of your mate.  The only way to prevent becoming deviant is to have no secrets.  Have each other's passwords.  I must be accountable where I'm at and who I'm with.

Phones are More Dangerous Than a Gun
Our most powerful instinct is to be safe.  Your brain is constantly checking.  The survival instinct never turns off, even while asleep.  Phones never trigger a defensive mechanism.  The brain cannot tell you are in danger.  Text messages that seem innocent have the power to destroy.
Smart phones numb life.  Be not drunk with social media, texting, Facebook.
People get hurt by media.  They aren't going to learn the gospel online, they must be in an environment where the Spirit can be felt.

How To Be Happy
Ephesians 5:19 says, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord."
Learn how to be happy.  Stand in the front of the mirror and practice your happy face.  Happiness is a choice.
Romans 14:17 says, " For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."
Three characteristics of happy people - righteousness, peace and joy.
Don't numb life.  Change your life by what you talk and sing about.  Take the two hours you spend on media and spend it with the ones you love.

Submission
Good relationships start with submitting ourselves one to another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:21)
Submission starts with who you are accountable to.  Your spouse has a right to know where you are.
Grow up and act like an adult.  We don't need any help acting like a jerk.
Accountability is the most important thing you can have in your marriage.
Lose accountability and you will become evil in no time.
Submitting yourselves = accountability.
Man's responsibility is to make sure she's protected.
Woman's responsibility is to submit.
Men love their wives.  Wives honor her husband.
Men don't need to be hugged, they need to be respected.

The Power of Words
The power of life and death is in the tongue.
Research shows that words can damage DNA and words can heal DNA.  Who ever said, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," was wrong!  Words scar for life.

The Conclusion of Ephesians 5:18-21:
Don't numb life
Create happiness in the home
Submit to one another
Love her, respect him
All the chaos goes away.

Marriage is Like a Symphony (Marriage Retreat, Session 2)

Our Saturday morning started with split sessions.  Sis. Hughes spoke to the ladies while Bro. Hughes spoke to the men.  Sis. Hughes was so good, she was also funny as she talked about her husband "stealing" all her notes!  Bro. Hughes covered some of the things she had in her notes on Friday night.  I felt the lessons were completely different and thoroughly enjoyed what Sis. Hughes had to say.

The title for her lesson was "Marriage is Like a Symphony."  Is your marriage in harmony or is it a clamoring sound?  Her text was Matthew 19:6, "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."

One Flesh
We become one flesh when we are married, but not one person.  Don't lose your identity.

Can You Imagine Growing Old Together?
This is a question Sis. Hughes asked her husband many years ago.  In order to do that, you must work at your marriage.  You have to learn day by day.  Every day is a new opportunity to strengthen your marriage.  Learn to enjoy every day.

Opposites Attract
There are very few marriages where the couples have the same personalities.

Communication is the Foundation of a Good Marriage.
There are steps in communication as we get to know someone.
1.  Casual, this is when we are just starting to know someone.  It progresses to
2.  Sharing information
3.  Sharing our fears
4.  Sharing our feelings
5.  Sharing our secrets
This can be a stumbling block in marriages.
You should not have a close male friend if you are married.  The only man you should be sharing your fears, feelings and secrets with is your husband.

God Wants Your Marriage to be Harmonious.
We must have an open exchange of emotions, desires and beliefs.

Key to Communication 
Explain what you're thinking.
Words are like toothpaste - once out, they can never be put back.
Rough times can and will change how you communicate.
Fight through the tough times to strengthen your marriage.  When a couple says, "we don't communicate" they mean "we don't communicate effectively."
There is more to communication than words.  You don't have to say a word to get your point across.  Communication is verbal and non verbal.

"Rights" in Marriage
"I have a right to hold on to anger."  That kind of thinking destroys marriages.

Symphony of Sounds
First there is the warm up.
Ladies are like the violins.  Men are the tubas. 
When they don't play from the same page, the music is clamorous.

Beethoven's 5th Symphony
This is the most famous symphony.  It was written during a time of great distress in Beethoven's life - he was slowly losing his hearing.  He wanted to hear every instrument.  The symphony has harsh tones and smooth melodies.  Our marriages are like that.  We need to make communication in our marriage a peaceful sound.   

Women Thrive on Relationships
Women love to do things in groups. 
What might have happened in the garden - Eve tried to talk to Adam and he wouldn't listen, so she talked to the snake.

I Married My Best Friend
Don't treat your husband like your girlfriend.  Your relationship is unique with him.  Best friends make life better.  They hang tough when times get tough.
Social media makes everyone's life look perfect.  No one has a perfect life.  Your marriage is normal.  (I wrote about why I don't blog about my bad days here.) 

You Husband Needs to Feel Needed
He wants to be your hero.

We Need a Good Listening Partner (and we need to be one)
Marriage is a beautiful symphony if God is the conductor.

Stages in Marriage
1.  Newly married.  See each other for who you are, don't try to change your husband.  Disengage from how your parents did it.
2.  New parents.  When children come everything changes.  Often the husband is on the back burner.  Take time for your husband.
3.  Empty nest.  Couples must redefine their relationship with each other.
4.  Retirement.  Couples are together 24/7.  Often taking care of aging parents.  This can be a battlefield.
Figure out how to take care of each other in every stage.
Emotional needs become more important as we get older.  We need to be more attentive of each other.

People in Happy Marriages Live Longer.
The average marriage lasts seven years.

Marriage is the Greatest Thing God Ever Created
In marriage we must be open with each other.  We must be comfortable expressing ourselves to each other.

Mindanao Leadership Training Seminar

The main focus of our trip to the Philippines was the Mindanao Leadership Training Seminar.  This was for all pastors, ministers, and leaders, along with their wives.  We had a very busy schedule, but we also had a tremendous time in the Holy Ghost.

Confession time:  I did not take notes during the preaching.  We were in back to back to back services and as I write this, many of the messages blur together.  I don't remember everything I ate last week either, but I was definitely fed both spiritually and physically!

Bishop White on the first night with our amazing translator Pastor Balmas

We also heard good singing by the young men who are attending A.C.T.S. Bible School.

Our schedule went like this:

Wednesday 6:00 p.m. - Pastor John Collins

Pastor Collins

Thursday
5:30 a.m. - Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. - Missionary Nathan Weidner
9:50 a.m. - Split sessions:  Men - Pastor Johnny Burgess/Women - Sis. Kathy McElhaney
10:30 a.m. - Break
11:00 a.m. - Split sessions:  Men - Bro. Les McElhaney/Women - Sis. Annette Carrier
11:50 a.m. - Missionary Nathan Carrier
6:00 p.m. - Bro. Everett Messner (Dedication of the Messner Building)

Sis. Carrier with her translator, Sis. Michelle

During my session on Thursday, I taught a modified version of Lessons from the Peloton (you can read both parts here and here.)  None of the ladies had ever ridden a bicycle before and only one brave soul was willing to give it a try!

Friday
5:30 a.m. - Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. - Missionary Nathan Carrier
9:50 a.m. - Split sessions:  Men - Pastor John Collins/Women - Sis. Lindsy Weidner
10:30 a.m. - Break
11:00 a.m. - Split sessions:  Men - Bro. Les McElhaney/ Women - Ma'am White
11:50 a.m. - Missionary Nathan Weidner
6:00 p.m.- Pastor Johnny Burgess

Some of the sessions went longer than planned.  Even when the speaker finished in his allotted time, we had a time of prayer between sessions.  On Friday, our ladies sessions finished before the men had their break so we got to hear Les.  He did an outstanding job preaching, "One Link in the Chain of the Good Fight of Faith."  Many have gone before us, paving the way for revival, and we want to keep that chain strong and see revival continue!

Ma'am White told us before we went on the trip, that it is a tradition for ministers to give their tie to their translator after the service.  Pastor Balmas translated for Les three different times, so he scored!  This picture was on Friday as Les presented Pastor Balmas with a tie he bought when we were in Italy in 2011.  Pastor Balmas makes a note on each tie he receives - who the minister was and what he preached.
 

It was a wonderful time and I pray that the result will be even greater growth and revival in the months and years ahead!

P.S.  This link will take you to the entire photo album, there are just too many pictures to put in a few posts!  Go right HERE!

A Long Awaited Return

Les and I are headed on our next adventure this Saturday.  We are going to the Philippines!!!  Pastor White has been overseeing the Apostolic Missions to Asia for quite a few years now and I have been wanting to go so much!  Thirty five years ago I took a missions trip to the Philippines (I wrote about it here and here) and all the pictures on this post are from that trip.  It's taken us a few years to finally get this trip on our schedule, but now we are ready to go.

We fly out of LAX on Saturday night and arrive in Manila at 4:30 a.m. Monday morning.  Yes, it's a long flight, but we also cross the international date line and lose a day in the process.  We are then flying to Cagayan De Oro on the island of Mindanao.  We will be participating in the Mindanao Leadership Training.  Les and I are both teaching, so please pray for us!

We leave Mindanao on Saturday and have about a day and a half in Manila before flying home.  We leave Sunday night at 9:00 and get into Los Angeles Sunday night at 7:30, getting our lost day back in the process.

I will be sharing photos using Google Photos.   Hopefully this link will work!  Of course I'll do lots of blogging when we get home.

We appreciate all your prayers for safe travels, but most of all that God will use us to bless the Filipino people!

Soaring in Praise and Worship

As soon as Sis. Gallimore asked me to speak about Soaring in Praise and Worship, I started thinking and praying about what I wanted to say.  We arrived in Hawaii on Sunday, August 4th.  That Tuesday morning I went out for a run and came back with inspiration! 

My spot on Saturday morning as I prayed and reviewed my notes.

I decided to use the word SOAR as an acronym and teach from that.  This isn't my complete lesson, but here are my four main points:

S = Sacrifice

This means as a slaughter, the flesh of an animal.  In the Old Testament sacrifice always involved death.  In the New Testament Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.

Romans 12:1 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

Albert Barnes commentary said this, “A sacrifice is an offering made to God as an atonement for sin; or any offering made to him and his service as an expression of thanksgiving. It implies that he who offers it presents it entirely, releases all claim or right to it, and leaves it to be disposed of for the honor of God. In the case of an animal, it was slain, and the blood offered; in the case of any other offering, as the first-fruits, etc., it was set apart to the service of God; and he who offered it released all claim on it, and submitted it to God, to be disposed of at his will.  We must devote ourselves to God, as if we no longer had any claim on ourselves; to be disposed of by him; to suffer and bear all that he might appoint; and to promote his honor in any way which he might command.”

O = Oblation

This is not a word we use these days.  It is only found in the Old Testament, but the concept of an oblation is very interesting.  It means something brought near the altar.  It denotes any offering that is not a “bloody” sacrifice - a thank-offering; an offering of incense, flour, grain, etc.

In Numbers chapter 31, the children of Israel went to battle against the Midianites.  Twelve thousand men of Israel went to battle.  All the men of Midian were killed, but not a single Israelite was lost.

Numbers 31:49-50 says, "And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.   We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD."

This was a freewill offering, out of the spoil, over and above what was expected.  If we really want to soar in praise and worship we need to go over and above our reasonable service of sacrifice and bring an oblation.

A = Adoration

The words adore and adoration are not found in the Bible, although one of the definitions of worship is adore.

From Webster’s dictionary:

to worship or honor as a deity or as divine

to regard with loving admiration and devotion.

to be very fond of 

Mathew 8:2 says, "And behold, there came to him a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean."  The leper worshipped before the need was met

Mathew 14:33 says, "And they that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God."   Those in the ship worshipped after Jesus calmed the storm

It doesn't matter if you're in a storm or just coming out of a storm, it's always the right time to adore Him!

R = Rejoice

To brighten up, be gleesome, joyful, exceeding gladness, to shout for joy, to spin around

Full of cheer, calmly happy

I thought calmly happy was a very interesting definition.  It's not what we normally think of when we think "rejoice," it seems deeper than an outward demonstration.

1Samuel 2:1-2 says, "And Hannah prayed, and said: My heart exulteth in Jehovah; My horn is exalted in Jehovah; My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; Because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as Jehovah; For there is none besides thee, Neither is there any rock like our God."

Mathew 2:10 says, "And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."  The definition of this word rejoice is calmly happy.

Conclusion:

To SOAR in worship and praise we must:

Bring the sacrifice of our lives,

Bring an oblation that is beyond what is expected

Adore Him because He’s worthy

Rejoice for all He’s done!

2016 Hawaii District Marriage Retreat, Part II

After a short morning break on Saturday morning we split into two sessions and Sis. Hughes spoke to the ladies.  She talked about "Storms in Your Marriage."  This was another really great session that I didn't take a lot of notes on...

There was a hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas in 1900.  Approximately 8,000 people, or 20% of the population, was killed.  It still remains the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history.  There were stories of people holding on to driftwood through the night as they tried to survive.  Everyone experienced the storm, but not everyone survived the storm.

Storms ARE going to come.  We must have a strong foundation in order to survive.  There may be times when we are just holding on to driftwood, but we can find protection IN the trouble, not from trouble.

Matthew 7:24-27 tells the story of the wise man who built his house on the rock and the foolish man who built on sand.  The storm beat on both houses but Jesus said of the one built on the sand, without a firm foundation, great was the fall.

One of the ways to weather storms is to stockpile forgiveness in your home.

I was reminded again of four years ago when Les and I were going through a storm - my Dad was hospitalized, Les lost his job and our house was broken into all during a five week span.  Things were tough for several months, but I'm so thankful that during that storm (and others were have faced) our marriage stayed strong.  We held on to God and each other.

This picture has nothing to do with the retreat, I just needed to put something here to break up the post ;)
Hawaii sure is beautiful!

We enjoyed a great meal on Saturday evening - Hawaiian Ohana (family) style.  Kalua pork and cabbage, chicken, rice, purple sweet potatoes and more!  Once our stomachs were full, we feasted one more time on the teaching of Dr. Hughes:

How Will You Handle Offense?

Luke 17:1-10 was the text.  In verse one Jesus said, "It is impossible but that offences will come."  There's no way around it, it's going to happen.  God does not give us the right to settle a score.  Confrontation does not solve problems.

Our most powerful need is revenge.  You can't transfer pain through revenge.  You have to deal with it.  

How can I forgive when I can't forget?  Forgive and choose to manage the memory.

The Greek word "rebuke" in Luke 17:3 is epitimaō.  It is a compound word.  "Epi" means position.  "Timaō" means to prize, that is, fix a valuation upon; by implication to revere: - honor, value.  That's quite a bit different meaning than what I think when I hear the word "rebuke."  Jesus was saying "when your brother offends you, I expect you to honor him."  

Matthew 18:22-35 tells the parable of the servant who owed a great deal of money.  His lord commanded that he and his family be put in prison.  The servant pleaded for mercy and received it.  But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants and showed no mercy.  When the other servants heard this, they told the king.  "Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?" (verses 32-33)  When you don't forgive, you bring your own sins out from under the blood.

We closed out the retreat with each couple standing, holding hands, and praying for each other.  It was such a sacred time.  Of all the people who pray for me, Les holds the greatest influence.  It's a privilege to pray for my husband.  I'm not sure I can describe how beautiful it was as we stood there praying and I felt Les' tears falling on me.  It seemed everyone in the room was experiencing the same thing as we just quietly stood holding our spouses. Words weren't necessary.  There was a sweet presence of God in the place.

Final Thoughts:

Les and I talked so much during this retreat.  We had a 20-30 minute drive each way.  There were so many points that Dr. Hughes talked about that couples struggle with.  Les and I kept saying, "Do you feel that way about me?"  Over and over we marveled at how peaceful our marriage is.  We are two individuals, humans with faults and failures, but we really get along so well.  What you read on this blog is not a cover up for a tumultuous home life.  We really are happy. 

I enjoyed this retreat so much and I am so thankful for my best friend, my wonderful husband!

2016 Hawaii District Marriage Retreat, Part I

Last Friday night kicked off an incredible marriage retreat for the Hawaii District.  We started off with dinner, then an ice breaker. Each table was asked to finish the sentence "I love you..."  I had my entire table cracking up when I said, "I love you more than chocolate!"

Dr. and Mrs. James Hughes were amazing. Dr. Hughes has been counseling couples for over 30 years and he had such practical advice for all of us. I did not have a notepad with me on Friday night, but as soon as I got home I wrote down a few points:

Strong Families build Strong Churches, not the other way around.  We need to stop relying on the church to train our children and grow our marriages.  It's up to us.  The work happens at home.

Dr. Hughes said there are many meanings of the word "Fine" - if I can't see you, I don't know what you mean.  We have become so dependent on our phones/social media, that we have stopped having face to face conversations.  This leads to so many misunderstandings.

We must be adults, not children, in our marriages.

Saturday morning I remembered my notepad but my notes aren't super detailed because I was so engrossed in listening!  Dr. Hughes started the session with Proverbs 24:3-4, "Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:  And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches."

Marriage is Valuable.
You can't abuse anything until you make it worthless.  You build a vault around what is valuable.  If your spouse is valuable, you will build a wall of safety around them.

Healthy families don't cover up.  They allow people to make mistakes.  There's a reason that there is an eraser on the end of a pencil.  We all make mistakes.

Dr. Hughes pointed out that in Genesis chapter 3, Adam was probably standing right there as the serpent spoke to Eve and as she partook of the fruit (verse 6 says "she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her.") Something had happened that caused Adam to be willing for Eve to die.  We have blamed Eve for the fall of man, but Adam could have stopped her.  {I had never noticed this before!  Several commentaries agreed that Adam was there but did nothing to stop Eve from hearing the serpent or partaking of the fruit.}  Adam did not value Eve as he should have.

Part of the curse in Genesis was to Eve, "thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."  This literally means the woman will try to control her husband, but he will dominate her.  The New Testament church changed that - husbands are now to love their wives.

Submission is a two way street.  Submission keeps me from becoming evil.

Every time Jesus talked about forgiveness it was in regards to the family.

There are nine things every human needs.  Number one on the list is safety.  When we feel unsafe we have two responses - fight or flight.  We should feel safe in our families.

The first emotion that is developed in us is anger.  It is fully developed at age 6.  When we get angry, we behave like a 6 year old.  Fear is fully developed by age 12.  So when we become fearful we revert to acting like a 12 year old.  {That paints a pretty clear picture, doesn't it?}

I'll have Part II tomorrow!

Breaking Out of the Doldrums

Pastor McGriffin taught a two part lesson on "Breaking Out of the Doldrums" the past two Tuesday nights.  His text was Deuteronomy 2:1-3  "Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the Lord spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.  And the Lord spake unto me, saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward."

The doldrums is a part of the ocean near the equator abounding in calms, squalls, and light shifting winds.  It can be very dangerous if a ship gets caught without provision.  It was often called a "long sleeper."  A time of no direction, when nothing is happening.  It can be difficult to get out of the doldrums.

The doldrums happen in life as well.  Someone in the doldrums is stuck in their present position, listless, with no forward motion in their life.  Everybody goes there.  The questions to ask:  What causes me to go there? and how long do I stay?

We see the prophet Elijah in the doldrums in 1 Kings 19:4, "But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers."

There are three things that can cause the doldrums:

1.  Physical Issues:  Long term illness affects the emotional balance of a person.  When you are physically unable to do all things you use to, you feel stuck.

2.  Emotional Issues:  We are emotional beings.  When we magnify the negative and minimize the positive, we find ourselves in the doldrums.  We need to have our thought patterns examined by the Lord.  We can't let our feelings affect our behavior.

3.  Spiritual Causes:  You can't break out of the doldrums until you choose to do what is Biblically right.  If the source of the problem is spiritual, you will not break out of the doldrums until you break into obedience.  Submit to the will of God.  Satan would like nothing more than to halt your progress.

We must remember that we are walking with God over the long haul.  It is a journey that must be maintained.  Our "status" in the body doesn't matter.  The only thing that matters is that we are justified by God, that is the status He sees. 

We must run like a champion - train for it.  We are in a race that requires our commitment and energy.  We must make up our minds we are going forward at all times, not becoming stagnant.  There will be slowdowns, but don't get stuck in the doldrums.

When God brought them out of Egypt, the children of Israel hadn't moved in 430 years.  After they were delivered, they were disobedient and had to wander for 40 years.  Finally, in Deuteronomy chapter 2 the Lord said, "You've been here long enough!"

Don't walk about the mountain forever.  Walk on to the promise land.  Don't move blindly - go northward.  If you camp out too long on one plateau of growth you will end up feeling burned out.  You'll start saying this isn't worth it.  Stay in the doldrums too long and you'll start thinking about going back to Egypt.

The first step to break out of the doldrums is to obtain new direction from God.  Nothing external can help - it must happen from the inside.  You need:

1.  Someone/something to challenge you.  Challenges come from godly people, Bible study, prayer time.
2.  A goal.  Embrace the challenge and set the goal. You're never too old to set goals in your life.
3.  Direction.  Get up from where you are and start moving.  You've got to be moving toward heaven.  You don't need to sprint, just make progress.

Doldrums can also happen when you're in a strange place.  A new situation can intimidate you.  Don't let your geographical location or situation steal your song. If you're in a strange place spiritually, stand tall, hold onto your joy, resolve to sing praises no matter where you are or how strange your circumstances may be.

Romans 13:11 says, "knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep..." It's dangerous to fall asleep spiritually.  Wake up!  Run and don't faint.

To break out of the doldrums you can't wait for something to happen to you, something must happen in you.  Tell yourself, "I've passed by this mountain for the last time."  Sing the songs, read the Word, break out of the doldrums.

Wordless

Last night Pastor McGriffin concluded his series on the Battle of the Mind. I have many pages of notes, but my damaged hands make typing a little difficult so those will have to wait. I just wanted to share one funny example he gave:

In talking about the battle of the mind, we also must talk about what comes out of our mouths. The old rule still applies, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."  Then Pastor McGriffin quipped, "Some people would become mute!"

Ouch!  The truth hurts sometimes!

The Ultimate Battle

I enjoyed the holidays, but I sure did miss mid-week Bible Study!  We had a special New Years service on Saturday night, but hadn't had our Tuesday night service in a few weeks.  Pastor McGriffin started a new series about The Ultimate Battle - The Battle of the Mind.

Philippians 2:3-8 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

To win the battle of the mind we need to develop and maintain the mind of Christ.  We are bombarded daily - it's a territorial battle that is never ending.  Developing the mind of Christ will allow us to have a daily God consciousness.  God won't force you down the right path.  He will nudge you, and when you're thinking is like His you will follow His path.

Whoever controls the mind, controls the body.  The fiery darts (Ephesians 6:16) are not targeted at your feet, they are targeted at your mind.  Satan is a master at making himself sound good.  No truth comes out of Satan's mouth.

How can you tell the difference between truth and a lie?  Know what the Book says!  Be a student of the Word. If all you get is what comes from the pulpit, you will not win the battle of the mind.  You have to get into the Word for yourself.

The mind of Christ will never deviate from His Word.  If your thought process does not line up to the Word, that means your thoughts are being controlled by the enemy.  When your thoughts are controlled by Satan, you will be led in the wrong direction, away from God.  God will always take you to a higher place.  The devil never leads you up - he always brings you down.  Any path away from God is a path downward.

You have to be on guard. Guard your mind.  Put up signs, build a fence around your mind, don't let the devil influence your thinking.  2 Peter 1:13 says, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind."

God does not intend for you to be happy and victorious only at church.  It's easy to shout and smile when everyone else is.  God wants you to be full of peace, full of love, full of joy - all the time!  God wants us to enjoy our salvation, to rejoice in the Lord always!

Too many Christians who don't have a clue how to enjoy Jesus.  Many live with a "dos and don'ts" mentality, always looking for a list of what to do and not do.  There are clear principles in God's Word, when they are in your heart you will have true joy.   Jesus in Matthew 11:30 said "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." When you live for God hard, it is easy.  When you live for God easy, it is hard.

When the battle of the mind is on, and you're losing, you must go back to what you use to be.  When you're losing the battle your spiritual perceptiveness is not what is use to be.  When you give up the battle of the mind it is called backsliding.

When you are walking with Christ daily and you start slipping, you will know it.  When the old man is resurrected you need to re-gird your mind. When the children of Israel were told to gird themselves, that meant they secured their clothing so they would be ready to escape or move quickly.  Clothes left ungirded hindered movement and were dangerous.

If your mind is scattered, not under control, you cannot move swiftly in the Spirit.  To gird up is to take control of your mind.  You can gird up your mind.  You have to learn to control your thought life.  The enemy is committed to telling you things that tear down your mind.  He wants to sow seeds of doubt.  He tried it with Jesus, he will try it with you.

The way to gird your mind is to understand what causes it to be un-girded.

1. Pleasure Seeking.  Only living from one experience to the next.  You will never find enough fun.
2. Worldly Entertainment.
3. Aimless and Frivolous Reading.
4. Bad Associations - A person who has lost their fear of judgment and God will do everything in their power to make sin look good.  They have no conviction.  Find someone who is spiritually edifying to associate with.
5. Neglected Bibles - the Bible is God's thoughts on paper.  When you read God's Word, you are going to think about what God wants you to think about.  When the Word of God loses its appeal, you are putting yourself in a position for the enemy to play with your mind.
6. Neglected Prayer Life.  If you're not a praying person, you shouldn't be making any major decisions.  A neglected prayer life is an open door to the mind.
7. Careless Church Attendance - coming to church puts you in a better position to win the battle of the mind.

How to gird your mind:

1. Have a High and Determined Purpose in Life.  Know where you're going and concentrate on that goal.
2. Quick Decisions to do the Right Thing - lingering in decisions is a sign of an un-girded mind.
3. Love for the Truth - we will sleep better when we go to sleep with God's thoughts.
4. Have a Prayer Life - we cannot do it on our own.  Through God's Spirit we can pull down thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) and gird up the loins of our minds.

I do have the ability - through Christ - to win the battle for the mind!

Thinking for a Change

Pastor McGriffin taught a wonderful Bible study on Tuesday night.  His title was "Think for a Change" and his text was Acts 2:38-39.  Huh?  Isn't that the passage that tells us about salvation?  Yes it is, but Acts 2:38-39 also talks about changing your thinking... but I'll get back to that.

We can look at the title two different ways - A parent my say to their teenager, "I wish you would think for a change!"  But the lesson revolved around the long term effect thinking has on us - we need to "Think for a Change."

We are heading into a new year.  Many will make new year's resolutions that are forgotten by February.  But 2014 can be a year for change.  It's never too late to change.  Some things to know about change:

1.  You don't have the ability to change someone else.
2.  You can only change yourself.

You can make the choice to pray more, read the Bible more, fast more, be faithful to church.  Choose to think in such a way to go deeper in Christ.  While you can't change anyone, when you change, those closest to you may change as well.

I Peter 3:1-2 "Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear."

Women whose husbands are not in the church - the direct and demanding approach doesn't work.  Be more like Christ - your husband is watching you.  The husband is changed when the wife is changed.  It is a powerful principle! 

Feelings should not drive your life choices or your thought life.  Think first.  Right thinking will produce positive change in your life.

The book of Acts is a record of triumph.  The primary message is showing obstacles of the early church.  The biggest obstacle was how they thought.  An example of that is found in Acts chapter 10 when Peter is sent to Cornelius.  He had to completely change his thinking!  When Peter said in Acts 2:39, "to all that are afar off," he wasn't thinking about Gentiles!  He thought that salvation was only to the Jews, including Jews who were afar off.  Jewish thinking of that time didn't let him think a Gentile could be born again.

God's greatest challenge is the way we think.

Every Apostolic can quote Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." This is the basis for the new birth experience.  The first step is repent.  To repent is to change your mind, in the Greek it is to think differently.

Godly sorrow is a sign of conviction, not repentance.  Being sorry for being caught is not repentance.  Shedding tears of sorrow at the altar is not repentance.  Making a decision to turn from sinful conduct is repentance.  We must have a change of mind, heart, and direction.  We must turn from sin to the righteousness of God.  We cannot be saved until we truly repent.

Change your thinking and you'll change your life. Think for a Change. 

Making Wise Decisions

Last Tuesday night Pastor McGriffin started teaching a series about "Making Wise Decisions."  Last night was part 2.  Unfortunately I did not have a pen with me last night, but here are some notes from last week along with things I remember from last night.

What Does It Take to Make Wise Decisions?

God needs to be the focal point of every major decision.  Bring it to your pastor for counsel, not AFTER you've made the decision.  Most decisions don't carry long term consequences, but major decisions need godly wisdom.

Good decisions don't make headlines, but for every bad decision there is a story. You make the decisions, but you can't choose your consequences.  Galatians 6:7 gives us the law of sewing and reaping, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

Sow a thought and you reap an action; 
sow an act and you reap a habit; 
sow a habit and you reap a character; 
sow a character and you reap a destiny. 
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Biblical principles must underlie every major decision. Ephesians 2:19-21 says, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;   In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:"  We have a reference point that never changes!  God is not concerned about our feelings.  We must follow His principles.  Wishy washy people have wishy washy principles.

People whose lives end in disaster are those who make bad decisions over and over.  We have learned to be self sufficient, but Biblical principles must always be the final authority in our lives.  Nothing overrules God's word.

Build your life on Biblical principles and your life will never get off track.  Prayer plus Biblical principles equals a set up for victory.

How does my purpose in life relate to wise decisions?  My number one purpose is to the serve the Lord and bring Him pleasure through how I conduct my life.

Everyone has a purpose and ministry.  Ministry is more than pulpit ministry.  Prayer warriors, Sunday school teachers, musicians, everyone in God's kingdom is called.  Every child of God has a mission - find your mission and you will find peace and fulfillment.  God didn't call you just to make it to heaven.

There are five key areas that S.H.A.P.E. the ministry that is uniquely yours.
S - Spiritual Gifts
H - Heart for God
A - Abilities
P - Personality
E - Experiences

These five areas shape your ministry.  When you are making decisions, ask yourself, "Does this add to my ministry or will it take away?" Don't spend your life in detours, making decisions that take you away from your calling.

A "no" from God is not a bad thing.  He has a better yes down the road!  In Genesis chapter 26 there was a famine in the land.  God told Isaac NOT to go down into Egypt.  Verse 6 says, "And Isaac dwelt in Gerar."  Verse 12 says, "Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him."  This happened because Isaac did not try to make his own decision and go his own way.  He listened to and obeyed the voice of God.  (I want an hundredfold in my life, don't you?!)

Repeatedly during these lessons, Pastor McGriffin has talked about seeking godly counsel.  When you do that you will not get off track, your life will be blessed.  Sitting in these lessons, I couldn't help but be thankful that Les does not try to make decisions on his own.  We've had some biggies in the past 22 years, and prayer, with godly counsel, has led us down the right paths.

The Power of Parental Convictions

We have been having special services this week with Pastor Steve Kelly from Kamiah, Idaho.  He preached a powerful message last night called "The Power of Parental Convictions."  I don't know if I've ever heard a better message to parents, future parents and grandparents about their responsibilities in raising children.

Genesis 18:19 says, "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him."  The Lord is speaking about Abraham, before Isaac is born.  He knew that Abraham would raise godly seed.  Following God's laws was in Abraham's heart.

Bro. Kelly talked about each of his four children, decisions that were made in guiding them.  Times when he had to say "no" about who they spent time with.  He talked about one of his daughters who was still single at 28.  When he intervened in a situation, she listened and God has blessed her since.  All four of their children are living for God because the Kellys followed the laws of God when raising them.

I thought about times in my life when I was told "no."  Mom was very consistent.  When she said "no" she meant it.  I remember a Saturday night when we had a special service.  I wanted to go out with friends afterwards.  She said, "That's fine, you can go tonight or tomorrow night, but not both."  We always went out on Sunday nights after church.  I had to choose one or the other.  My friends said, "Just beg her, she'll change her mind."  My response was, "No, if I try that she may not let me go out either time."  I knew she wasn't going to change her mind.  But I was safe in that.

There was more than one time that my pastor said "no" about someone I was dating.  I remember many tears as I listened and obeyed.  It was hard, but he did it because he loved me.  He prayed for me and wanted God's best.  I'm so glad I listened!  If I had gone my own way, I would have missed out on Les and the great blessings God has brought in our life.

I know it's not easy raising children and teenagers.  Being the "bad guy" at times must be so hard and discouraging.  But I'm thankful for the many times a stop sign was held up in my life, it kept me from falling off a cliff that would have led to destruction.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."  Proverbs 22:6