BE PREPARED

An excellent motto the Boy Scouts of America adopted, and one very appropriate for we who call ourselves  Christians as well.

BE PREPARED

A timely reminder is surely not out of line, as I watch and pray and wrestle against spiritual wickedness on high.  At times I even find myself needing to be sternly reminded what it is I am to be prepared for!

Let me use a story from our lives as an example of what I mean.

Jesus made it clear that the "work of the ministry"  is when you are reaching out in the love of Christ to one in need.  Sharing His precious words of life to encourage others.  Sharing tangible things like food, drink and clothing.  Praying for those in need is a wonderful and powerful action, but providing for those needs is what James was addressing in  James 2:16 when he told us

"If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food and one of you says to them 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled' but you do not give them the things that are needed for the body, what does it profit?"

What good is it to have good intentions but to take no useful action?  But even so, in taking useful action, are we PREPARED to follow through?  Which brings us to the story.....

We met a young man while out walking the dog.  (Even JackDog is useful in ministry!)  After greetings and salutations, we invited him to our Thursday evening Praise & Prayer service.  A couple of weeks later, he did come; and enjoyed himself.  As we were breaking up it became evident (once in a while we do manage to LISTEN when the Spirit speaks!) that this young man had no where to live.  Since the Lord put us in a house a year ago, our Missionary Mobile was parked, empty, in the back.

We insisted he stay in the RV while he looked for work and a place to live.

We clothed him, fed him, and met all his needs.

And the time dragged on.  Past a few days. Past a few weeks.  Past a few months.

He was indeed seeking work, but not finding any.  Turns out he had a disability that made his employment possibilities extremely limited coupled with already limited employment opportunities in this area.

As the time stretched out, we discovered that so was our patience and kindness feeling very stretched. (Quit gasping in disbelief and admit, we are all human and must deal with the reality of our "feelings"!)

And grapple with our feelings we did!  We kept reminding ourselves that nothing we had was ours, but all came from the Lord.

But we further discovered that as months passed and headed toward a year, even these reminders began to wear thin.  We prayed for strength and patience and the ability to be obedient to the Lord and gracious to this young man.  We made another discovery as a result.  In numerous ways, as often as we needed, God strengthened us.

For some people, this may not have posed any struggle to them at all.  Their personality and character make up might fit naturally with this up close and personal "giving" of oneself.  For others, like we found in ourselves, it became a struggle to "die daily" to ourselves and the infringement on our privacy. Daily, we had to choose to live for the Lord in this area, doing His will and not our own.  In its way, this became our suffering for Christ.  Dieing to our desire for privacy in this area produced far greater than our suffering.  It produced GLORY to the Lord, and that is the end product we strive for.  Glorifying the Lord our God, who is worthy of all praise and glory.

Talking about biblical principle and living out biblical principle are two very distinctly different animals.  You can talk all day.  You can preach til you are blue in the face.  Living it out, where the rubber meets the road, there is where you discover the truth found in Romans 12:1!  Actually living out your daily life as living sacrifices brings great blessing!  We discovered that as we gained our victory through Christ we also bore worthy FRUIT to the glory of God the Father.

It isn't easy or pleasant by any means, and it's never fun to admit that you aren't quite as loving and giving as you'd like to believe you are!  Daily life can be a real struggle and its much harder, I think, to pretend it isn't.  By admitting our need for the strength only the Spirit can provide and crying out to the Lord for the help we desperately need we become much more beneficial to the Body of Christ as we walk more fully by the Spirit and not by our sight or strength.  In ourselves, we really aren't PREPARED to see this Christian life through to the end, but through Christ, we can and will succeed!

Happy "daily self death" to all, and to all the JOY of the Lord be your strength!

p.s.
Thanks to my "little brother" for inspiring this post!

Successful Journeying

Do you know why the Dead Sea is called the Dead Sea?  And do you know why it's dead?

The short answer is that although it has water flowing into it, there is no outflow - it arrives, but it never goes anywhere.  It is STANDING STILL and therefore stagnates.  Which is to go stale.  LIFE does not live in stale, stagnant water.

What about you?  Are you going somewhere?  Are you living a life that is full of adventure and learning and growth?

I was reading about the Israelites the other day, and how it was in their hearts and lives as they journeyed from Egypt.  In their hearts, there were some who never really left Egypt.  They were so fearful of every new experience they never fully embraced the journey God was taking them on.  They allowed fear to control their every action and as a result, they were paralyzed.  In essence, they became like the Dead Sea.

Stale, stagnant and without LIFE.  They were going nowhere.  Sure, their bodies were moving with the rest of the crowd, but because they were paralyzed in their hearts they had no JOY.  They weren't truly living the journey God had called them to.

There was more!  God had called them not only to begin a journey, but He had a plan and a purpose and a destination for those who would obey Him.

It is the same with us.  The Lord God has a plan, purpose and a destination for the journey of our lives.  It begins when we, like the Israelites He delivered from Egypt, choose to obey Him and CROSSOVER the Jordan River to the Promised Land.  Trusting God.  Choosing to follow where He would lead them and experience the fullness of joy and learning and growing and abundant life that He was offering.

When we confess our sin and repent and ask forgiveness, and invite Jesus to live in our hearts and be our Lord and Savior, we too CROSSOVER into a promise.  The promise of LIFE MORE ABUNDANT now (John 10:10) and the promise of ETERNAL LIFE.

But there is more than the first step of this journey.  Once the Israelites crossed over the Jordan into the promised land they were to CONQUER the land.  Simply crossing the Jordan was but one step of the journey!  The promise was for a life that was abundant with the blessing and joy of the Lord with HOPE for the future.

We too are to CONQUER temptation and through obedience to Gods commands, be transformed into the new creations in Christ He planned for us to be and LIVE abundant lives that glorify His name.

As we CONTINUE in obedience on a daily, often moment by moment basis, we discover that in Christ Jesus our victory is complete and we not only are blessed, but we are now a BLESSING to others as well.

CROSSOVER from sin bondage to freedom in Christ.  CONQUER your fear and failings through the JOY of the Lord that is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) CONTINUE in obedience to the Lord your God and receive victory of abundant life now and eternally.

The bible is full of the instruction necessary to make your journey one of success.  In our Daily Reading right now the Proverbs are highlighted.  The wisdom contained in this section of Gods Word is an excellent place to learn and gain insight,  It really doesn't matter where you are when you start.  What matters is that you are on the journey, moving forward and growing in the Lord.

Also part of the Daily Reading at this time is Deuteronomy.  It is helpful to us to see how God instructed the Israelites in the Old Testament, to gain wisdom and understanding for the spiritual aspect of our journey.  Though we are no longer under the law, we gain insight as we see how the physical obedience translates to what we experience spiritually.

The third section of Daily Reading at this time is found in Corinthians.  Here we get a first hand view of how the First Century Church struggled to walk in obedience.  I pray it will encourage you as it encourages me, to be reminded that every believer must learn to overcome the flesh, submit to God and the process of growth that is our journey for this life.

We, being born again of Gods spirit, have HOPE for now and for the future.  We are not lost, for God Himself has provided guidance.  We are not wandering aimlessly without purpose, for the Lord has provided purpose and leads us to our ETERNAL destination.

Love and Kisses

DECEPTION

In the garden called Eden where God had placed the man and woman He had created, they enjoyed incredible FREEDOM.  Not simply the freedom to do as they chose to do; but a freedom from certain things.

•         They were free from worry
•         They were free from adversity
•         They were free from shame
•         They were free from strife
•         They were free from horror
•         They were free from tragedy
•         They were free from SIN and its cost of DEATH and                                 DESTRUCTION

Then along came a serpent.  A slithering, slimy snake bent on just that, both Death and Destruction.  With one action, that of deceiving the woman, which caused the man to join her, this serpent brought down every ounce of freedom the man and woman had enjoyed.  

Suddenly they found themselves confronted with their own nakedness, and with that discovery came worse.

•         They began to worry about being naked
•         They tensed with the idea of being confronted by God
•         They tried to hide from their shame
•         They realized too late the horror of the consequences of what              they had done
•         They understood the tragic loss of freedom they had suffered
•         SIN and its darkness entered their hearts, their minds and their         souls and as a direct result, their fellowship with God was                   destroyed and they suffered immediate spiritual death and                 eventual physical death

This same deceit occurs today with the same consequences of death and destruction still accompanying it everywhere it finds a soul who falls prey to its lie.

Ephesians 6:12

¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Satan has no need to wreak havoc in the lives of some.  He is content to leave them alone in the quietness of their own sad desperation.  Because they are no threat to him.  A great deceit has taken place and many are only too happy to accept it. 

It is the deceit that there is no enemy.   No devil, no hell and no spiritual wickedness existing on this earth preying on the hearts of men and women.  We have no need to guard our hearts against an adversary who we have been convinced does not exist. It isn't that we don't "believe in" God.

It is more that if there is no enemy, there is no need of a deliverer.  In this way then, many live in apathy toward the truth God has given us.  After all, if we have no devil, we have no need of a Savior.  This is one of the deceitful ways satan has kept many who live otherwise “good” and “decent” lives from receiving Christ and living the truly ABUNDANT lives of JOY and PEACE and RIGHTEOUSNESS that God actually intends for us.

What then are we to do? 

I can tell you truly that it is not Gods intention that we sit passively and complacently while He spoon feeds truth and deliverance to us.

We are to take action!  

FOLLOW AFTER

DILIGENTLY SEEK

ZEALOUSLY PURSUE

EARNESTLY DESIRE

1 Corinthians 6:9

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites...

2 Corinthians 11:3

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Consider this:  

If I am wrong, if the Bible is a book of fairy tales and there is no God, I've lost nothing by living as if every word is true and absolute.  I'll die when my time comes, and whatever there is, will be.  Meanwhile, I can tell you truthfully that my life has been filled with meaning and purpose beyond myself, and I have personally witnessed  and been the recipient of miraculous things that defy description.

If you who insist there is no truth, no God and no need of a Savior named Jesus; if you have been deceived and are wrong, you will die when your time comes, and you will face unspeakable regret that you did not receive the truth when it was presented to you.  Meanwhile, where do you turn when life is difficult?  Where do you find peace and comfort?  When this world has no answers and you NEED answers, where do you turn?  

God's greatest desire is that ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN HE CREATED will turn to Him, trust Him and receive the forgiveness of sin and deliverance he made available through the sacrificial death on a cross of His only begotten son, Jesus.

WHY?  That's an easy question to answer.

  

John 3:16:  for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever will believe on Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.

Isn't that what all the popular songs we sing tell us? 

THAT LOVE IS THE ANSWER!  :O) 

If you need help, there is a loving answer for your situation.  Please fill out the prayer request form in the upper left.  We'll pray.  You pray.  And watch God come to rescue the child He loves unconditionally!

*F*R*E*E*

Free
Freedom

Heady words that conjure all kinds of thoughts, feelings, images and ACTIONS.

Deceived.  Deceit.  Lied to.  Led astray.  SIN

Also words which conjure all kinds of thoughts, feelings, images and ACTIONS.

There was Eve, in the garden of Eden.  There was Jesus, in the wilderness.  There is ... me...you.  Having stumbled.  AGAIN.  Having fallen to lusts of the flesh.  AGAIN.  Thinking we were FREE we made choices which we are now very sorry for.  AGAIN.  We hurt people we love.  AGAIN.  We hurt those we care about.  AGAIN.  WE HURT OURSELVES AGAIN.

How does that happen, over and over?  One day we've got it all happening for us, everything in our favor, we can't seem to make a wrong move.  We are praising the Lord, we feel lighthearted and FREE.

Then out of nowhere it seems, we stumble, we trip, we say things we wish we hadn't.  We do things we can't even believe we did!

One thing brought you down every time.  Deceit.  You were deceived into thinking a certain way which then caused wrong actions resulting in sin.

One thing delivers you every time.  TRUTH.

"I am the Way, THE TRUTH and the Life."  "He whom the Son sets free is free indeed."  "Having been set free from sin..."  "The FREE GIFT which came from many offenses resulted in JUSTIFICATION." 

JOHN 8:32 ~  And you shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall make you FREE."

God offers true freedom.  No gimmicks, no tricks, no hidden agenda's, no cost. 

 HE PAID ~ YOU RECEIVE.

God bless you today in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Savior and deliver!

For want of a Needle...

John 16:13

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

To be lost, to realize you are in a strange, unknown place without knowledge of where you are or how to get back to a familiar place is an alarming experience.  I know this for a certainty because my inner compass lacks a needle, leaving me directionally dysfunctional and vulnerable to getting lost on a fairly regular basis.  No matter that it happens often, each time leaves me upset.  One missed turn when I am in a place I am not familiar with easily leads me astray and if I cannot return to familiar territory immediately can quickly escalate to all out panic.  I have experienced times when I am so turned around and hopelessly confused the sense of failure and frustration has left me in tears of fright and helplessness.  Such strong overwhelming emotions- evoked simply because I am lost following a road, where I can easily stop, ask directions and get back on track to where I want to go. 

A compass isn't much good when you don't even
know which direction you SHOULD be heading!

Those who have the innate sense of direction I lack won’t understand the scariness of what I feel, nor will they empathize with frightening helpless feelings of not knowing which direction to turn, because they have not experienced it themselves and cannot relate sufficiently to have true compassion for my plight.

Can you imagine how intensified this helpless, frightening and frustrating feeling must be for those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior?  Who are not born again and therefore are lacking the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit?  We call them “lost”, but do we truly recognize what this means for them?  Listen to just a few of the descriptions of the word LOST:

Gone astray

Missed the way

Not used to good purpose

Wasted opportunities

Being something that someone has failed to win

Failure to keep, maintain, preserve

Suffer defeat

To be without through theft or negligence

To wander away from and unable to return

Fail to sustain

Cause death or destruction

How much worse could it be?  What if you were eternally, hopelessly lost and you didn't even know it?  Wouldn't that be even worse?  Because if you don’t even know you are lost, you have even less hope, if such a thing is possible, then one who knows they are lost and are seeking the right way, seeking to get the most from opportunity, seeking victory, seeking to preserve, to sustain, to LIVE!  Jesus told us if we seek, we shall find, but if you don’t know you are lost what are the chances you’ll ever find truth? 

Slim to none, my friend if it weren't for the great unbounded grace of a loving God!

But thanks be to God (ICorinthians 15:57) who never leaves us wandering on our own, but offers us the missing needle for our compass that will point us in the righteous direction each and every time without fail.  The Holy Spirit is our guide, our needle in the compass, that brings us to truth every time we wander from it.

1 Corinthians 2:9-11

 But as it is written:

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.  For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

Our map is the theo-pneustos, the God breathed word we find in the Bible.  The Holy Spirit is our compass.  And our destination?

Eternal life with Christ Jesus the Lord. (Romans 5:21)

Reading the word of God everyday will keep you firmly on the path, grounded in the truth of God.  Then you will be able to direct others who are lost.  To lead them to the truth which will guide their way, not just now, but eternally.  

There is more, so very much more!  Once God is directing the needle in your compass,(as you daily read His word)  you will have the Joy of helping others move from LOST to FOUND!  Start with the first steps and the Holy Spirit will guide you into places you never thought you'd go.

Do you have questions about what you read in the Bible?  Use the prayer request at the top left of the website and send us your questions.  Or better - ask them in the comment section, which is monitored daily.  We welcome the opportunity to dialog about the truth of Gods word and how it works effectively in the lives of believers!  God bless you this week!  

We post a weekly reading schedule which when followed, results in reading through the entire Bible once every two years.  Join us today and begin the adventure of a lifetime!

Do you feel lost or distant from the Lord?  You are not alone!  God, who created you, loves you and has a plan for your life!  Through Jesus, His Son, you have access to Gods ear and heart - he hears you when you cry out to Him!  Tell Him all that's in your heart, ask for His forgiveness for your sins, and receive the cleansing and forgiveness He desires you to have!  All who call upon the name of the Lord WILL BE SAVED!  

Contact us, using the Prayer Request form, and we will gladly talk with you, answer questions, and pray with you. 

The Body of Christ

Adherence, or the imperfect human attempt to adhere to the principles found in the Bible are what separate Believers from unbelievers and the actual application in our thoughts and subsequently our actions on a consistent and deliberate basis is what brings about the maturity in Christ from remaining a babe, able to drink milk only, as Paul the Apostle so lovingly described it.

Simply put, there are several steps we can follow that lead us to maturity as a Christian:

          *   Read, know and understand Gods word to the very best of your ability

II Timothy 2:15  Study to show yourself approved unto God a workman who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth

          *   Choose to be obedient and think according to what you've studied 

Romans 12:2  and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

          *   Give all glory and praise to the one to Whom all Glory and Praise is due    

I Corinthians 1:31  That according as it is written he that glories, let him glory in the Lord

Notice in each of these and in the many others found in the Bible, the end result, the beginning reason and the "why" is NEVER about you and I, not about us "getting what we ask for" or our lives being made easy and blessed.  It always begins, is about and ends with the Lord.  We give a lot of lip service to "its all about Jesus" but our actions often show the lie that in our hearts it is really all about us!

When a disciple asked Jesus about the greatest commandment, that, too, was all about the only one worthy of honor - the Lord!

Matthew 22: 36 - 39

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him - You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it.  You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Jesus cut right to the heart of the matter, didn't He?  Every fiber of our being is created by God for His purpose precisely because HE IS THE CREATOR!  And the best use of all the "love" we have in us?  TO GIVE IT AWAY TO THOSE AROUND US.  

Jesus told His disciples that whoever would be first, would be last.  Whoever tried to "save" his own life would lose it.  This isn't a physical law, but a spiritual one.  To us, in our reasoning and logic it makes no sense at all.  But if you try it, you discover it works, perfectly, every time and in ways you can't even begin to imagine.  Take a moment, look up these verses and read the context of why Jesus spoke in this manner.  Next time, we'll take a look at them together, so be sure to send your questions and comments to turnthetideministry@live.com and join the discussion!

Verses to read:

Matthew 10:39; 16:25  Mark 8:35  Luke 9:24; 17:33  John 12:2

One Drop...One Ripple

We are but one drop in a vast ocean, how much affect can we truly have upon all the rest of the world?  It would seem extremely minimal at best as the ripple of our prayers and godly actions weakens as it widens.  But we can have great affect on the lives of those close to us, right?  Our prayers and our actions are direct, specific, engaged and powerful close up, aren't they?  Yes, and no.  Now I am fully aware that the bible teaches us to let your Yes be yes and no be no, and this might seem contradictory, but it isn't.  It's just more than what meets the immediate eye.

Acts 1:8 Jesus instructs His disciples (which we also are if He is our Lord) to be witnesses of Him in Judea (their immediate surroundings) Samaria (non-Jews, those slightly different than them in religious belief- like todays different denominations) and unto the UTTERMOST PARTS OF THE EARTH.  All of the disciples are to do this.  He wasn't simply talking about 1 or 2 of them, or just Paul when he would eventually join in or those "called to be missionaries" - EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE OF JESUS' DISCIPLES WAS EXPECTED TO FULFILL THIS MINISTRY CALL.

How could they possibly?  When we continue reading Acts, we discover that a great persecution took place and scattered most, but not all, of the disciples.  Many stayed right there in Jerusalem and were in complete obedience to Christ.  How?  By their prayers.  By the actions they took which affected others, which affected others, which affected others.......the ripple affect.  Yes, it did affect most directly those that were right there with them.  But no, those were not the only people affected.  And it wasn't JUST the evangelists/missionaries sent out that began to affect the whole earth!  Those prayers are powerful by the Spirit of the Living God and they go everywhere and into every heart He ordains them to.  Ephesians 2:10 tells us we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared BEFOREHAND that we should walk in them.  We can't be everywhere, but HE IS!  When He moves in your heart to pray - PRAY!  You are having extraordinary affect upon someone else's life through that prayer as powerful and direct and engaged as if they were right there praying with you!

So keep in mind at all times that the ripples are continuously moving outward and constantly having affect in some way upon all the earth while you bless and work with those closest to your heart and keep up your efforts to share the gift of salvation, the gift of Eternal Life through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.  One day the King will return for His people and what joy and rejoicing in the hearts of those who hear those coveted words "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"

There are too many instances, I believe, when we as individuals for whatever our reasons may be, look to someone else to direct us, someone else to validate us, someone else to tell us what is the right thing to do. And there are some very few times when that is exactly the right thing to do - seek counsel from others, and yet to not make our own choices, our own decisions gives us a false sense of freedom.  I say a false sense of freedom, because we ultimately have the idea that we are not accountable since we followed someone else's dictates and I say false, because we each will give an account of ourselves before the Lord one day and no matter where the decision came from we will be held accountable for our actions.

With that in mind, and since we must in fact live with the consequences of every decision and action we take, it makes far more sense to actually hold ourselves accountable to think through and then make as wise a decision in all instances as our hearts can manage.  Right or even if it turns out wrong, God will be pleased that we have held ourselves in account - AS LONG AS OUR INTENTION HAS NOT BEEN EVIL.

This is a hard thought and concept for most to grasp, for we cannot help but look at the actual behavior of the flesh.  Intentions are difficult to discern due to our own set of experiences and emotions and thoughts.  God looks on the heart, not the flesh.  God is the discerner of our hearts, and the bible tells us that even if our own hearts condemn us God is greater than our hearts!

For this very reason we are warned NOT TO JUDGE OTHERS.  The criteria which we utilize to judge is so flawed that any and all judgments we make will of course, be terribly flawed, especially as we judge according to the flesh and not the intentions of the heart.  FRUIT in a life we are to look at and consider, but not to judge the individual actions on their own merits because there is so much we do not know, so much we do not understand and so much more we are simply ignorant of!

We must each, however, judge our own hearts, examine them and assure ourselves that we are obedient to our Lord.  For this reason, the Apostle Paul exhorts us all in II Timothy 2:15 to "Study to show yourself approved before God, a workman who needs NOT be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth!"

Careful reading and study of Gods word for OURSELVES and not just accepting any and everything others say about Gods Word is an action we will be held accountable for, as our understanding of Gods word will influence all our decisions and actions.  Pick up that book of all books TODAY, ask God for wisdom and begin reading.  May I suggest beginning in the Book of Acts, as it so wonderfully portrays the First Century Church in all its glory prior to any interference of mans rules and religiosity?

Blessings as you walk your walk of Fellowship with the Heavenly Father this week.  Our prayer for each of you is that you will recognize how much God loves you and fulfill your role in the Body of Christ!

In the midst of EVERY storm, peace

Luke 24: 36-39  Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and said to them “Peace to you.”  But they were terrified and frightened and supposed they had seen a spirit.  And He said to them “Why are you troubled?  And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself.  Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have Flesh and bones as you see I have.”

Peace our Lord and Savior assures us, is ours, and yet we run through our lives frantic and terrorized by every circumstance as far from peace as it is possible to be.  Christians, my brothers and sisters, PEACE, not as the world gives but according the creator of peace, the source of peace belongs to us.  It has been freely given to us and quite frankly the only way to lose it is to be defeated by deceit – lied to and tricked into believing that chaos reigns and has control.  Jesus Himself stands as our advocate and declares to us PEACE.  Will we believe Him or allow the terror of our own hearts to steal His truth from us.

Why are we troubled when we see the mayhem in this world?  Why do doubts arise in our hearts?  Why are we so frightened when He has promised us that we will have such troubles in this world?  We will be persecuted, we will be hated, nation will rise against nation and kingdom will rise against kingdom.  False prophets will rise up and they will deceive many.  Lies will be held up as truth and truth will be denied as a lie.

Behold, has He not told us in advance that these things will come to pass?  Has He not made Himself known?  Hasn’t He shown Himself trustworthy?  Don’t be frightened and don’t let terror keep you from enjoying His peace, his Joy and the freedom He paid so dear a price to give to you.  Just as He did for the disciples, He has done for us.  He assures us that no matter what is going on around us, no matter the wicked state of the world, no matter what our eyes see or our hearts tell us, His truth remains and can be trusted and believed.

Peace to you.  The Son of redemption has declared it and it is so.  Blessings to you my brothers and sisters.  Do not doubt.  Do not fear.  Hold fast to faith for He is faithful who has promised.  Keep in mind always that our lives in Him are Eternal and they are sure.  Recognize the Lord Jesus your Savior and know you are not alone.  Lift up your eyes and hearts to the His truth, that you may know His peace and receive by grace His deliverance.  Keeping in mind always that this world is not our home, just a place we pass through on our way to Our Father.

A FULL TOMB - OUR HOPE!

BLESSED  HOPE  THAT  SUSTAINS  US,  BLESSED  HOPE  THAT  GROWS  OUR  FAITH!

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MALCHUS;  an  Easter  Miracle!

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Perspective, perception and REALITY

Prayer and faith go hand in hand.  Whether you have great faith or little faith, prayer will increase your faith as you exercise it.  You may start out tentatively calling out in doubt and even fear to the Lord, uncertain of being heard, and find yourself ending in strength of conviction that you are not only heard but will be answered.   Many of the Psalms David the King of Israel wrote express themselves in like manner.  You can hear David struggling with faith, crying out “why do my enemies appear to be prospering while I who worship God am suffering?”  As David relates the events occurring as he is experiencing them, another concept becomes obvious to the astute observer.  

In relating through prayer his experience of these events as he sees them through his own eyes, his vision begins to change so mightily that by the end of the prayer, though nothing has occurred in the physical world to warrant it,  David’s prayer has dramatically changed from his narrow perspective focused on himself to a broader sense of these events causing him to give glory and praise to God, who he can now recognize as working in the situations he has been praying about!  This is so beautifully illustrated in Psalm 78 that I often go there when I am in need of reminder that how I see things and how God sees things are very different.  I have learned to trust His viewpoint far more than my limited one.

Have you ever shared a memory with a sibling or friend and found your memories do not even appear related?  What you remember and what they remember sound like two completely separate memories entirely.  It is the same as when two people give their account of an accident.  Each heard and saw the same thing but may relate what they experienced so differently it doesn’t seem like they witnessed the same event at all.  Many have dismissed the Biblical accounts of Jesus’ ministry recorded in the four gospels precisely for the reason that they appear to contradict one another at certain points.  When in fact, those differences in the accounts actually prove that the events were witnessed by real people and are not simply stories being recited by memory. 

Perception is our reality, and how we perceive things to be will dictate our actions and our reactions to circumstances.  On our own, we haven’t really the capacity for TRUTH, since everything is filtered through our personal belief systems which are based on our history, our experiences and largely what we've been taught.  Through prayer we are brought into agreement with truth that is larger than our understanding which then changes our perspective, taking us out of our narrow viewpoint and opening our hearts to Gods viewpoint which is perfect and Eternal and all encompassing.  

With that changed perspective achieved it then changes our perception of all that surrounds and concerns us.  That change now has the power through the Holy Spirit to change our belief system.  What we believe is the catalyst to changing our hearts and out of the heart come the issues of LIFE.  In this manner God accomplishes great changes in our lives, now leading us by His spirit into TRUTH, guiding us out of narrow thinking that is focused on ourselves and leading us into His perspective of love and grace which we now by the power of that Spirit have the ability to bestow upon others, building up the Body of Christ in LOVE.

Practical application of biblical truth in action, which has the power of God to change our world!

Thank you for joining Tide Turning Tales!  Each week, we bring you stories of our travels as we share the Gospel of salvation through Christ Jesus, application of principles from the Bible we know will bless your life or just words of encouragement, which we all need on a regular basis to navigate the rough waters of this world.

We welcome your Prayer Requests and your comments!

The Purpose OF Church!

Come Sunday morning a lot of people will gather in buildings big and small, fancy and plain.  They'll greet one another, hug each other, smile and tell each other they are just fine and then they'll sit down in pews or individual seats, in some places the lights will dim to create "ambiance", in other places they won't.  In some places all attention will be riveted to a stage area where concert style lighting will create a mood, and music will begin to play.  Other places, just a few voices will be raised while in still others some canned music with or without accompanying video and or words will take place.  For a few moments.  Fifteen, twenty and in a few of these buildings up to 45 minutes or more of music and voices raised and hands waving and some will work up an emotional fever they'll call "the spirit" and then everyone will quiet down and listen to one person, a Pastor, deliver a sermon about the word of God, around the Word of God, concerning the Word of God and then every one will smile, and hug and go home.

Some version of this with a few minor variations and maybe an altar call directing folks to pray a certain prayer to ask Jesus into their hearts will take place this morning.  Because it is The Lords Day. The day of Worship. And we will be doing what everyone else is doing and has done for hundreds of years now, and then most will go home, have a nice dinner, get up on Monday morning and start the same cycle again.

As God stirred this message in my heart over the last several weeks and I began to try to put it in writing, I thought about how I might soften it, make it easier on others to read, and how putting the TRUTH out there in such a harsh manner would cause many to stop reading.  The truth can be very hard to swallow, but if we want to please God, it must be truth we swallow.  If you don't want to please God, more than likely you aren't reading this anyway.


Being convinced that we are indeed living in the "end time" Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24, we are DETERMINED to preach the Gospel without compromise, equip the saints and build the Body of Christ in love. We sense Gods hand moving mightily in us in this direction. Music, drama and preaching to share His glorious words of LIFE!


We see the "gathering together of saints" as being necessary, we just think the current method and style is wasteful! We've been asking God to share with us a BETTER way - His way! 

In reading Corinthians Apostle Paul is so clear that the gathering of believers is to specifically EQUIP THEM for ministry TO THE LOST AND UNSAVED, not to each other!   In the church, it seems believers serve each other and call that ministry.   As you dig deeper into the things of God a certain restlessness ought to accompany the acquisition of knowledge - a restlessness to GET OUT AND DO! 

Apostle Paul said it well - WE ARE TO GROW UP AND MATURE IN CHRIST AND THEN DIE TO OURSELVES AND BRING THE TRUTH TO THE LOST AND UNSAVED. I cannot find in Paul's teachings where we just close our doors and serve ourselves with feel good Ladies meetings and "pound our chests" Mens meetings!   We are to go out into the highways and byways and COMPEL others to JOIN US FOR THE FEAST TO COME!

To compel implies a certain forcefulness being applied.  

Here's the deal (that was for you Gary) - we who claim to be Christian are to be a peculiar people, separated unto God in HOLINESS for His purpose.  We are different from the world and they NEED to see that.  We don't "reach" them by acting like them and sounding like them.  We reach them with the TRUTH by practicing that truth in our own hearts and lives.  By preaching that TRUTH unvarnished and uncompromised. 

We are ALL sinners who have fallen short of Gods glory - but we don't remain there.  We change and grow.  My own testimony is one of a grave sinner God never gave up on.  His grace was sufficient for me and it is sufficient for you - but not to the end that He turns His head and ignores our continuing in sin because He is gracious.  We must repent of sin and begin to walk in HIS LIGHT.  We must preach His truth, understanding that in this life, we will suffer and be persecuted for His Names sake.  It is in ETERNITY that we will have everlasting Joy.  

The Power of the Holy Spirit is manifest in order to show the UNBELIEVERS the truth of God, not to put on a show for those who profess Christ so they can get the willies and feel good about themselves.  

The Power of the Holy Spirit is manifest in order to lead others to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, not to serve the selfish desire of a few privileged saints so they can pat themselves on their backs for their mighty spiritual prowess.

We, the saints of the Living God are His mighty warriors, equipped by Him to do battle in the Spirit in order that others who are lost and wandering aimlessly would come to a knowledge of THE TRUTH, Jesus, the only way, the truth and the life and to know the power of His resurrection in order that God would be glorified through us.

Saints, it is not for our selfish aims and desires but for the increase of Gods Kingdom and the building of His Body that He has given us the Holy Spirit as comforter, guide, counselor and deliverer.  As you gather with the Body this Lords Day, listen for, strive to understand and consider well His call concerning you personally, with all the talent and ability He has gifted you with to SERVE GODS PURPOSE AS HIS AMBASSADOR ON THIS EARTH.

Whatever you do; MAKE IT COUNT FOR CHRIST!

Our Amazing Lord!

Isn't it amazing how God works? When we get ourselves out of His way, set aside our own will and desire and truly allow His Spirit to lead and guide us we may end up in places we never even dreamed of doing things we hadn't ever thought about and yet they are just exactly the right place and the right things to do, bringing Glory and Honor to His name rather than our own. We are finding this truth applied over and over again in our journeying as Ambassadors for Christ.

You may be familiar with the parable Jesus shares in Luke 12:20 about the man who puts his hope in the physical riches of this world only to enjoy none of the fruits of his labor. His focus was on the temporary things of this world rather than obedience to the Lord. In short the story is a snapshot of his life. He is blessed with abundance of goods, but rather than giving thanks to God and seeking how he might honor the Lord for the abundance he's been granted, he makes his own selfish plans which are never realized as his life ends that very night.

The point or moral of the story is simply to give God the glory, to seek Gods way for our lives and not our own ways. To recognize the temporary nature of this life and keep our focus on the HOPE that is ours in Eternity, precisely so that we won't get fixated on the things of this world. This is an especially necessary reminder in this age of instant gratification. Cell phones keep us in instant constant contact and computers connect us to everything the world has to offer at the push of a button. We've grown so far and so fast, and yet the exhortation remains to WAIT UPON THE LORD. His timing, His will, His plan brought to completion in our lives.

We recently had a "plan" about where we were going and what we were going to do.  It was a good plan that included being a blessing to others, preaching the Word of God and leading people to a saving knowledge of Christ as Savior.  A good plan, but it was our plan, not Gods plan.  Thankfully, as we prayed and sought His way for us, He showed us His way.  It wasn't ours, not what we had thought but His is so much better!

One of the things we've had to guard against in our lives since answering the Lords call to live as Missionaries fully surrendered to Him is a tendency to define what we think "ministry"is or what it should look like based on how it's "always been done." We see it in the churches as well. This is what has worked in the past, so we simply continue in our flesh doing what has worked in the past. A few tweaks here or there to keep up with technology, maybe refresh the music ministry to reflect current tastes, but essentially we plod along doing what we've always done.

In the midst of his discourse to believers in the first century, wherein he touches upon many different subjects, the Apostle James makes this great observation that is timely to our lives today.  "Come now, you who say "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." James 4: 13-15

We are joyfully and even sometimes painfully discovering that MINISTRY as God defines it is very different from "what we've always done" and very different from what we thought it would be. When we insist on defining what His work is, we limit ourselves to our ability and our knowledge. WE BOX GOD IN. We don't stop His work from occurring, we simply stop ourselves from doing His work and begin doing our own. By putting aside our preconceived notions and truly seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will find ourselves doing things we never could have imagined, for He is infinitely CREATIVE, but they will be the things that bring about His glory, His will and have positive Eternal effect on others lives as well as our own.

Thank you for joining us today for an encouraging Word in the Lord!  Subscribe to Tide Turning Tales and get the Teachings and inspiring stories right to your inbox.  Leave a comment and tell us how the Lord is working in your life! We are one body in Christ.  Whatever we do, lets MAKE IT COUNT FOR CHRIST.

BALANCE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST

When the teeter totter is not resting upon a proper fulcrum it cannot be rightly balanced.  When we, the Body of Christ are not balanced on the ROCK which is Christ, having Him as our Head and His command as our foundation, the Body likewise cannot find proper balance.

In many of our American churches the work of ministry is resting on the Pastor as its fulcrum, not only in expectation that the Pastor will do the work of the ministry while the sheep of the pasture show up on Sunday to sit for an hour, but many times also resting solely on the Pastors whims, desires and personal dictates.  Why is this?  People have abdicated their responsibility to be accountable to one another. Pastor “power” is running amok precisely because the people God intended to be contributing members of the Body see themselves as less  in spirit or ability than those few considered anointed as clergy.

Failure to individually adhere to Apostle Pauls exhortation in II Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God a worker who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth”,  has left many ignorant and vulnerable to false teaching and the wolves in sheep’s clothing who devour them.  We sit passive in the face of the serious problems cropping up in our churches feeling helpless to stop it. Sin runs rampant and Christians are seen as powerless and ineffective to the very ones we are to example Christ before! 

Somewhere along the way we’ve lost sight of the truth that every born again believer who calls on the name of Jesus as Savior is to be a minister of the Gospel as set forth in Apostle Pauls second letter to the Corinthians 5:17-18 and 6:1 “we then as workers together...”  We have absented ourselves from our role in the Body of Christ and expect to be carried by arms that have no legs to support them!  Apostle Paul revealed clearly in First Corinthians 12:12 the importance of every member of the body doing his or her part. If we fail it is not just we but the whole Body who is failiing!

We turn Pastors, our fellow workers into some sort of celebrity figureheads and bow to them in worship as the foolish Israelites bowed to their own handmade golden calf in the wilderness rather than remain true to the Mighty God who delivered us from slavery to sin.  We place the full weight of ministry upon the imperfect shoulders of Pastors throughout our religious organizations and then we are angry with them at the imperfection that results. As quickly as we shoved them onto pedestals is just how quick  we are to join in the mocking of the world to knock them off with hardly a single prayer and replace them with more imperfect specimens. 

We’ve watered down our Lord Jesus' truth in a false effort to make it more palatable in order to appear we are tolerant and inclusive that the world in turn might find us more acceptable and agree to populate our church pews and include us in return. When that doesn't happen  we seem blind that how they do spitefully use us is really a screaming cry about how desperately in need they are for us to pray for them, to pray for their deliverance from the darkness that grips their souls!

Let me be clear in what I am saying here.  The world does not need Christians to include them, but they violently need us to recognize how lost they are and pray to Almighty God for their salvation.  Jesus sternly rebuked those who took the “work of ministry” to be treated as a light matter. He stressed this important point when He declared in Matthew 11:12 “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the VIOLENT take it by force.” 

Take what by force?  Take the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN by force!

The single most powerful force in the hands of a believer of Jesus Christ as Savior and God the Father as Creator is prayer.  Simple, powerful, zealous and energetic prayer laid as an offering upon the altar of Gods throne of grace.  Both in the physical realm and the spiritual realm prayer is our most powerful weapon, affecting both earth now and all Eternity in Heaven!

I do not point these things out from some lofty position of authority but on the contrary, from the position of lowly servant to the people of the Lord, a sinner saved by the gracious Savior. I cry out as the Holy Spirit of God that is in me reveals in order that we all might come together in unity. 

Church, our Head is calling us to obey Him more perfectly in the way of surrender that He might open a way to fuller understanding and intimate relationship with Him for all His sheep. We must continually strive to TURN TO HIM, JESUS, WHO IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY, in order to serve His purposes and not our own.

All Scripture is quoted from the New King James Version. 

Pastor Marie and her husband continue to travel the US, sharing the Gospel of Salvation through Christ alone and exhorting Unity in Christs Church across denominational lines.

You are welcome to comment on the opinion expressed here. 

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SURRENDER IS VICTORY!

Man did not create the true God for mans purposes, but the true God created man for His own purposes.

Hebrews 11:6 ….for he who comes to God must believe that He is…..

All the human race starts somewhere.   We have a beginning and we realize at some point in our life journey that we will most certainly have an end in this physical world.

If we haven’t already been introduced to the Creator of Heaven and earth it is certain that we will start thinking thoughts of this nature.  Once we do, we discover a choice must be made.  To believe or to reject.  How fearsome a thing is free will after all.  Rejection has its own consequence. 

This morning, let us consider the consequence of believing.

As we begin to learn and grow in understanding it is very possible and almost probable that we will find ourselves again in conflicts.  Conflicted between our new heart’s desire to please the Almighty God we’ve now chosen to abandon ourselves in obedience to and the old, fleshly desire of sin that continues to rear its ugly head and demand our attention.  Most of us might even come to agree that this is the hardest “fight” in the life journey of a believer.  When won, it is almost surely a long arduous battle which has left many scars.  We take courage in the knowledge that all believers face this fight.  We are enlivened to know we do not struggle in this alone, but our brothers and sisters in Christ struggle as well. 

But there is another battle.  One more subtle than the battle of flesh and spirit quarreling over our attention.  One deep in our heart we wrestle mightily with and are hard pressed to see anyone else’s struggle in order to be encouraged by it.  It is the struggle of FAITH, wrapped snugly around and intertwined with the struggle of understanding.  Being human, we want to SEE before we believe, but that is not an available option.  We form our thoughts and behaviors on our experiential history, but this struggle often defies that avenue of wisdom.

It is the struggle to reconcile ourselves to trust and believe and obey and surrender our complete and whole and total selves to a God we cannot see, hear, taste, touch or smell in the even harder circumstance of what appears to be contradictions.  He is a God of GRACE and MERCY, yet also a God of WRATH and RIGHTEOUSNESS.  He is kind and forgiving, while remaining completely HOLY and JUST.  He LOVES US, yet CHASTISES US in our disobedience sometimes quite severly.

And we are to TRUST HIM, not in spite of these seeming contradictions, but inside these very contradictions.  Brothers and Sisters, this is hard!  Hard to walk by faith, hard to live in obedience.  Yet this is the place of SURRENDER.  Not blind faith, not foolish faith.  Perhaps not even faith at all.  Simple SURRENDER, embracing the spiritual knowledge that when one comes to the Lord, one must believe that He is…..AND that He is a REWARDER of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

In the diligent seeking is where you will find, not easy to follow directions, but the strength and grace necessary to SURRENDER.  Consider the idea in this sentence deeply and well:

Man did not create the true God for mans purposes, but the true God created man for His own purposes. ~ Reverend Marie Krebs

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