Know Where You're Going

When her car broke down, a woman called out a local mechanic to repair it.
The mechanic lifted up the hood, looked in the engine, whacked something with a hammer and said: “try it now.” To her amazement, the car started straight away.
“That’s incredible,” she said. "You’ve been here less than a minute and you’ve already managed to fix it. I’m so grateful."
The man replied, "It's all part of the job, madam. That’ll be $250.00."
The smile vanished from the woman’s face as she asked, “How much?! How can you charge $250.00, when all you did was hit it with a hammer?"
The mechanic told her, "I can write you out an itemized bill if you like."
"Yes, please," she said firmly.
So he wrote out the bill and handed it to her; it read:
Hitting engine with hammer: $10.00.
Knowing where to hit it - $240.00.

In terms of travel, knowing where you’re going is key, wouldn't you agree? What do you do when you don't know how to get where you're going? No problem -- you simply pull out your GPS and type in the destination. Similarly, in your spiritual journey, you have a tool that will guide you along your path.

Whether your destination is Heaven or The New City, your spiritual GPS will get you there with no detours (that is if you don't leave the planned route!). It doesn’t wait until you get right up on the turn to let you know that it’s time to turn, instead, it lets you know in advance. And just in case you do accidentally leave the planned route, your spiritual GPS will give you an opportunity to “recalculate," and be redirected back on the right track!

Now, while we're getting back on the right road, we may encounter a bumpy road or two (sure to give us a serious headache). We might even have to take a side street or a different highway. That just means that it might take us a little longer to get back on the right road... ohhh, if only we had listened to the original directions from our spiritual GPS!

As you have surely figured out by now, the Word of God is our spiritual GPS. It's always updated to give us the most accurate directions around any hazardous signs or roads. Our spiritual GPS warns us about unexpected accidents and heavy traffic (trials and tribulations) so we don't have to worry about them. In fact, the Lord told us to be of good cheer for he has overcome the world.

Our spiritual GPS also alerts us to detours, where the Lord will recalculate and give us opportunity to turn back to him. He is so great in His love and mercy that He shows us where we are going AND tell us how to get there. So while our natural GPS might be good, our spiritual one is AMAZING!

With that said, let the Church say - amen and AMEN!

In His Presence

Presence -  The immediate area surrounding a person.

The Lord will show us the path of life; He will honor our requests and He will meet our needs -- if we would get in His immediate surroundings. Psalms 16:11 says: Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for ever more. That means that we don't have to be a rocket scientist, a lawyer, or a doctor to be blessed... we just need to be a humble servant in need of a blessing.

Hannah's husband had two wives - one had children, but Hannah did not because the Lord had shut up her womb. 1 Samuel 1:6 tell us how Peninnah provoked Hannah sore and tried to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb. And Hannah was bitter in her soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. She asked the Lord to look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember her, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child. As Hannah got in His presence, the Lord remembered Hannah and He gave her a male child.

The Lord sent Isaiah to tell Hezekiah to set his house in order: for he was to die, and not live. When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, and said, remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight, and Hezekiah wept sore. Before Isaiah could even got out of the courtyard, the Lord had told him to go back and tell Hezekiah that He heard his prayer and saw his tears, and He was going to add FIFTEEN years to his life. Hezekiah got in His presence. (Isaiah 38:1 - 5)

The Word tells us how Jesus and a great number of people were passing through Jericho and blind Bartimaeus was sitting by the highway begging and when he heard it was Jesus, he began to cry out, "Jesus, thy son of David, have mercy on me." The people around him told him to be quiet and to hold his peace, but the more they tried to quiet him, the more he cried out. That just goes to show you that you can't always listen to people, because it might cause you to miss out on your blessing. When Jesus heard Bartimaeus' cry, the Bible says that He stood still, called him over and asked him, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" Bartimaeus replied, "Lord, that I might receive my sight" and immediately he received his sight. Bartimaeus got in His presence.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.  To get in His presence; we must cry out and weep before the Lord.

The Immovable Rock!

Immovable: Not capable of moving or being moved

Let's focus on the rock of Gibraltar for a minute. Normally people look at it as a symbol of strength and power, but today we want to look at it as an immovable object - just as Jesus is our majestic rock of Gibraltar - our salvation, our love, power, and strength. He's immovable. The devil might try this thing or that thing, but if we are anchored in the immovable rock, he can't shake our foundation.

I know that you all have read  about the three Hebrew boys, but let me remind you of the story. Those three boys took a stand and were immovable. Daniel 3:10 tells us that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made an image of gold. He also made a decree that every man that shall hear the sound of all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image (verse 11) and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Pretty serious, right? This might be enough to shake some people's foundations, but not those of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, for they were anchored in the solid rock.

When the music played, the three Hebrew boys did not worship the golden image. When this was told to the king, he became furious and asked them, "is it true that ye did not serve my gods, nor worship the golden image that I set up?" The king also asked, "who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" In Daniel 3:17-18, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego told the king, "we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."

When he heard this, the king commanded that the boys be cast into the fiery furnace. As he watched, the king was astounded and rose up in haste and spake, "did not we cast three into the midst of the fire?" The king's men answered, "true, O king." The king responded saying, "lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

How awesome is our God? It's He that pushes us out, but it's also He that's right there to pick us up before we ever hit the ground - especially when He sees that His children are immovable for His name sake. Remember my friends, He's in the midst of our fiery furnace with us... oh how we need to take a stand for the rock.

With all that's said, let the Church say amen and... Amen!

Focused, Committed, and Connected

Focus: A point of concentration
Committed: To obligate or pledge oneself
Connected: Joined or linked together

In these last days we need to understand that perilous times will come and there will be great stress and trouble. This stress will be hard to deal with and the trouble will be hard to bear. For people will be lovers of self, self-centered, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; ungrateful, unholy, lovers of money and aroused by greedy desire for wealth, proud, arrogant, people will be without natural affection, trouble makers, haters of good, and uncontrolled -- from these things we must turn away.

We must stay focused on the positive things of the Lord; we must concentrate on His righteousness, His love, His mercy, His word, and on the fact that He gives us life everyday. He didn't/doesn't just stop there - John 3:16 tell us that for God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son - there is no selfishness or self centered-ness, nor arrogance, nor haters of good in that. It's imperative that we stay focused.

We must commit our way (i.e. walk) unto the Lord, and trust also in Him -- commit to worship and praise, because He's the one that orders our steps; commit our whole being unto Him, so that whatever weapon is formed against us will misfire every time. Additionally, when we obligate ourselves to the Lord, He will in turn obligate Himself to us.

We must stay connected. I know that you have heard the phrase "they are joined at the hip;" well, we must get joined at the hip, the heart, the head and wherever else we can to Jesus. We have to get connected to Him as He stays connected to the Father - that way He will lead, guide, keep and protect us.

Even though we are focused, committed, and connected to the Lord, there will still be times of trouble. People, circumstances, and situations will still test us, but stay with Jesus -- He has overcome the world and well able to keep you (and me!) from falling.

With all that said, let the Church say Amen...and Amen!