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This page is dedicated to bringing encouragement and insight to God's people and reaching the lost for Christ.
I have a favorite Old Testament verse that many will probably find odd: "Man that is born of woman is of a few days full of trouble. Job 14:1 The reason it is my favorite is because it helps to explain why there is so much suffering in my life and in the world. It can be my favorite bible verse because of my favorite New Testament verse: " In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 Be certain that troubles will continue. But we can be more certain that when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus, we are able to overcome the troubles and trials and tribulations of this life.
2024
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2023 Use the above links to access articles from previous months 2022
From a heart of love and compassion share the gospel
From a heart of love and compassion share the gospel
Your Christian life may be the only Gospel they will know
Pray and put the results of your sharing in God's hands
Pray and put the results of your sharing in God's hands
As the wind blows we cannot see where it goes, so is the working of the Spirit of the Living God
Have you ever wanted to memorize scriptures to lead a soul to Christ? Let me share this 8 Steps to Commitment to Christ
“I said, I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.”
Generational Plan Article 2
Generational Plan Article 2
What is Your Generational Plan?
May 19, 2024
As I begin this next article on Generational Plans, I need to purposely break it up as I am finding that the Lord is adding new thoughts to the original message that was delivered to Loving Souls Christian Church
This essay is adapted from a message shared with Loving Souls Christian Church in Front Royal Virginia.
I have a great friend who is also the Senior Pastor at Loving Souls. I know that Al has a Generational Plan. God gave it to him very early in his walk with the Lord. From the time I first met him I have always been inspired by his ability to represent Christ to anyone. His entire being expressed a desire that everybody that he can reach, he wants to reach for Christ. For Al it was not a job or a vocation it was his life’s purpose.
Al’s purposeful desire to reach the lost for Christ and encourage believers to do the same puts me in mind of the declaration of Jeremiah in chapter 20 verse 9, when he proclaimed, … “I said, I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.” (Jeremiah 20:9 NKJV)
When I think of a Generational Plan I think of a mindset. It is a determination that I want to be used by God to ensure that the next generation of believers know the Lord and his wonderful works. We know that throughout the scriptures the people of God have experienced great times of revival and fervent worship of the one true God. But then within one or two generations the scriptures tell us that another generation would arise and not know him. The book of Judges is filled with turbulent times, of great moves of God in the lives of the people of Israel followed by great misery and despair because the people had abandoned the worship of the one true God.
One of the saddest commentaries on the children of Israel is written in Judges 2:8-10. Specifically verse 10 “And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.”
Why did They Not Know Him?
These words (they did not know him) are an indictment against the previous generation. The previous generation might not have forgotten the great works and tremendous debt they owed. They did not adequately provide the next generation with reason and conviction to enable the next generation to continue to venerate the God who loves them.
Somewhere in the process of living and dying, the people of God did not adequately prepare the next generation to Know the Lord. The intimacy and reality of a Day-to-Day walk with the Lord was missing. Knowledge of the hand of God to deliver was not carried forward.
How important it is to be involved in preparing the next generation to know and serve the Lord.
God himself admonishes his people to be diligent in just this purpose.
Deuteronomy 6:7 “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ”
The practice of talking with our children throughout their day to remind them of the works of God in your life will prepare them for recognizing the hand of God working in their own lives. It is their God-awareness that will build in them a firm foundation that cannot be shaken. In Benson’s Commentary on Proverbs 22:6 he writes, “The impressions made in his childish years will remain, unless some extraordinary cause occurs to erase them.” Barnes makes a more specific explanation of the phrase “in the way he should go’, writing, we train a child based on that “child's temperament and the adaptation of "his way of life." The effect being we are supporting in our children the firm foundation that is in tune with their own passions, desires, attitudes, so that they all direct him toward a Godliness or a God-awareness. There is another phrase that I am reminded of here: They can’t be what they cannot see.
You can't be what you can't see
You can't be what you can't see
I plan to look into that phrase a lot more closely in the near future. But the import of this statement is that we must model for our children God-awareness and appreciation. If we do not, who will. Will you leave it to the local church? The local Sunday School? The school system?
What ever happened to the city of Ephesus?
Generational Plan Article 2 continued
Generational Plan Article 2 continued
I am so grateful to the Lord when I hear of Revivals ...
I am so grateful to the Lord when I hear of the revivals taking place on the various college campuses and communities. It is God’s work and I for one am thankful: That God sees these young people and knows their hearts and the longing for something more fulfilling in their lives. Many of these no doubt are products of church-going families who became sidetracked, drawn away from the path that they were once on. Some may even have experienced the deep foundation building that could not be completely eroded away by the cares of this life and life’s many attractions/distractions.
Each of us has a responsibility for our own souls. We must do all in our power to hold fast to the faith that God grants us early in life.
Joining a church is not going to keep you in the church. Being a tithing member of a church will not keep you in the church.
Being involved with the Lord is the only way to abide in him. Be involved in preparing the next generation to know and serve the Lord. Selah
The book of Ephesians is one of my favorite books in the New Testament. I especially appreciate the real life guidance that Apostle Paul writes to the church in Ephesus.
Ephesus played a vital role in the spread of the Christianity. Starting in the first century A.D. It was a leader in commerce and trade for centuries.
It was the city from which the Gospel of Jesus was carried to the rest of the world. The Apostle Paul and John the Beloved Disciple won many Christian converts there. There are many references throughout the New Testament about Ephesus.
So, what ever happened to the city of Ephesus?
In 262 A.D., the Goths destroyed Ephesus, including the Temple of Artemis. The city was sacked and left in ruins.
Some restoration of the city took place, but it never regained its former splendor.
What about the church?
Pure and simple: there is no Christian church in Ephesus any longer.
What happened?
We get an idea of what happened as we read in Revelation 2:1-7. Jesus had praise for the church, and he had a warning for the church. Revelation 2:1-4 “Unto the angel of the church in Ephesus write, these things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast labored, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.”
The church was still working, they were still faithfully attending church. They were patient in the midst of their trials and struggles. They were attending to the preaching of the pastors and teachers. But something was missing in their church activities.
It is not enough to attend church. To just show up. We must be involved. We must be an active participant in the work of the ministry. We must be committed to be involved in the work of the ministry.
We are not born again to adorn the pews. James 1:25 tells us, “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
If you read this and you can identify with the description of a believer who is not wholly committed to the work of the Lord. Jesus’ warning to the Church of Ephesus applies to you.
We need revival. We need to be awakened anew.
Generational Plan Article 2 continued
Generational Plan Article 2 continued
There is only one remedy for the church that is not doing the work of ministry.
There is only one source or remedy for the church that is not doing the work of ministry that the church has been “commissioned” to do.
We need revival.
We need to be awakened anew.
If you examine yourself and you know that something is missing from your walk of faith before God, you need revival.
If you are not doing the work of the church, you need revival.
If you are not intentionally sharing your faith with others now you need revival.
You need to be jolted anew to revive that first love. The first love that motivated you to do anything you could to let Jesus know how grateful you were for his unspeakable gift.
If you do not have a Generational Plan for reaching the lost, now is the time to call upon the name of the Lord for a revival in your own personal walk of faith.
Hear once again the sobering words of Jesus to the church in Ephesus.:
Revelation 2:5 “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”
How important it is that you and I recognize our part, our place in the plan of God to reach the world. We have pastors and teachers to instruct us in the word of God but it is part of our life purpose to make the world know that God is and that he is a “rewarder of those who diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6) It is our life purpose to share our faith with those who are within our spheres of influence. If you are lacking in the works of Christ Jesus; if you know that you are not following the will of the Lord of your Life; if you know that you are not interested in seeing the word of the Lord being fulfilled in your life; if you know that you are not ready for reaching souls for Christ, it is way past time that you turn again and pray for a new awakening in your life.
There are too many in the body of ‘Christ who do not recognize that they are only serving God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him.
If you do not have a Generational Plan; if you are not working out your Generational Plan, join with me today lets, commit ourselves to having and executing a Generational Plan with God’s guidance and with direction of the Holy Spirit.
In the name of Jesus.
Father once again I come before you to ask for revival. Almighty God we your people do not have the strength in ourselves to awaken from the complacency or apathy that makes us unable to help others know you. Revive us O God. Renew a sense of your awesomeness. Work through us your will. Awaken a passion in us for your Will, for your Word, for your Works and for the Souls of men. In the name of Jesus I pray.
If you are not a believer already but this message makes you know that God loves you and gave his life on the cross of Calvary for you. You too can be a part of this wonderful plan of salvation that God offers to as many as would hear and accept his word.
The Plan of Salvation is that you recognize that you are a sinner. The scriptures tell us that all have come short of the glory of God (Rom:3:23). There is none righteous, no not one (Rom 3:10). But God willing to show his love even when were sinners gave his son for us (Rom 5:8). To be born into the family of God. We must acknowledge our sinful condition. We make a verbal confession that we are sinners and are in need of the Savior. We acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins John 1:12). The bible says, if we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouth God himself accepts us as his child. We become new creatures in Christ Jesus.
If you believe that Jesus is the son of God and has died for your sins just pray believing that God hears you when you pray:
Holy Father, I am a sinner. I know that I have not lived up to what you created me for. Forgive me. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and he died that I might become a child of God too. I believe your promise in your word to be true. And today I believe you are my Savior and my God in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Beloved, do not keep this great news to yourself. Proclaim the goodness of God and what he has done for you. Begin today your own Generational Plan to reach others with the good news of God great Plan of Salvation.
My Psalm 78 is a part of my Generational Plan so I am extending the time that it will be promoted through the remainder of May.
April 7, 2024
My Psalm 78
Sunday January 14, 2024 begun
I read Psalm 78 this morning during my morning devotional. As I read verses 5 and 6, I was inspired to write my own Psalm 78.
Psalm 78 was written by a man named Asaph. Asaph was a Levite who was assigned by King David to be a worship leader. “According to 1 Chronicles 6:31–32. Asaph was one of these men (1 Chronicles 6:39). Asaph’s duties are described in detail in 1 Chronicles 16. According to 2 Chronicles 29:30, both Asaph and David were skilled singers and poets. Asaph is also mentioned as a “seer” or prophet. The “sons of Asaph” are mentioned in 1 Chronicles 25:1, 2 Chronicles 20:14, and Ezra 2:41.”
(excerpt from https://www.gotquestions.org/who-was-Asaph.html)
As a worship leader it was Asaph’s responsibility to encourage the people to see the awesomeness of God. He, among other Levites, was responsible for leading the people in worship, praise and thanksgiving.
Asaph was also called a seer: A man to whom the people would turn when they wanted to know the word of God. A man whom God would use to express his message to his people.
Asaph (verses 1-7) calls the people to hear him. He calls the people to receive his message. He reminds the people that God has worked gloriously in their past. He stressed that it was his generations’ responsibility to ensure that the deeds of the Lord are not forgotten.
“We will not conceal them from their children but tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.” Psalm 78:4
For Asaph the ultimate purpose of this Psalm is that the next generation should put their trust in God and not forget his works and his commands.
“That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they may arise and tell them to their children, 7That they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments”. Psalm 78:6,7
I was struck that I should write my own Psalm 78 to share with my sons and the next generation the work of God in my life: To encourage my children to remember the works and commands of God themselves to pass on to the next generation after them.
It is my greatest desire that my words encourage my children and the next generation. This is what motivated me to write My Psalm 78.
As a believer I have seen such a dramatic change in my life over the past 50 plus years. My walk with the Lord began during a time of a great move of the Holy Spirit.
During the late 60s and into the mid-70s we experienced a wonderful move of God in our community. God sent a preacher who had a new compelling way of ministering the Word of God. He preached with an anointing that stirred the soul. His preaching was accompanied by God working in the lives of folk in the church and in the community.
Sunday worship was not just a feel-good time it was a rejuvenating time. It was a time of deep introspection for veteran believers as well as novices.
Prayer meetings became opportunities for the spirit of God to minister to the soul needs of the congregation.
God began working in remarkable ways. We experienced young people who were struggling with health issues healed. Through their healing the parents were drawn to the church to know the God who had worked so dramatically in their child’s life.
Families were drawn into our congregation in greater numbers. Even those that did not stay in our congregation long were used by God in other congregations.
People were so moved by the Spirit of God they sometimes lingered in his presence hours after church service was concluded.
Folk volunteered to take turns to be in the church throughout the day so that anyone coming in off the streets would be able to hear the gospel or be prayed for or fed a small meal.
For a brief time, the doors of the church were never locked. God was moving in the hearts of the community. People could not wait for the next service to begin. The sick were healed. In the hospitals folk were miraculously healed. Folk that the doctors had done all they could were raised from their death beds.
My Psalm 78
My Psalm 78
Prayer meetings were held in various homes. The church was relevant: Relevant to the lives of the members of our congregation and relevant to our community as a source of power to address the needs in our community.
I had dreams of becoming a great evangelist. I had plans for buying a huge tent and travel wherever the Lord would send me to preach the Gospel. Over time those dreams faded as reality of living set in.
Early in my walk with the Lord, he gave me opportunities to sing, preach, and teach his word. I had dear friends in the ministry who encouraged me. They would give me the opportunity to sing and preach in their congregations.
As a senior in high school, I was invited to sing with a gospel quartet. The Sons of The Cross was an extremely gifted group of guys. I learned a lot from singing with these young men and from our leader/mentor Rev. George Smith.
The Sons of The Cross did not sing long. After about a year the group quietly disbanded. Although there was great talent in the group, I now realize that not all hearts were not dedicated to God nor to ministering.
I then began singing with the Carter Gospel Singers in the fall of 1971.
It was during this time that the Lord really began to develop my abilities as a speaker and singer. I am so often amazed at where the Lord has brought me since those early days with the Sons of The Cross.
God used the Carter Gospel Singers to carry his word and his works throughout the DMV and beyond.
From the members of the Carter Gospel Singers God chose many to go and preach his word. Folk who loved the Lord and recognized what he has done for us continued to grow in the Lord. Pastors, Evangelists, Bishops, grew out of the group.
It would be a fairytale to describe my formative years as being idyllic. Rather there were some difficult times intermixed with great joy as God helped me navigate the pitfalls of this life.
The word of God says, God will “keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isa. 26:3 New King James
My Psalm 78
My Psalm 78
Saturday February 17, 2024
As long as my heart and mind were faithful to the Lord, he kept his word. But there were times in my youth when I made choices that were not in my best interest as a believer and not in God’s will for my life. Those were difficult times.
As I consider this time of my walk with the Lord, I realize that I had begun to lose the (healthy) fear of the Lord. There was more focus on the Love of the Lord, the grace of God, the forgiveness of sin; that the fear of the Lord was no longer the deterrent that it had been. To say that I grew callous is not quite correct. Perhaps a better way to explain is that human nature can always find a loophole to allow what it desires. I still recall the desperate cries for forgiveness when it was clear to me that I had crossed the line in serving my own foolish desires.
Our heart and our soul know when we are away from the path of righteous living. We do not need someone to clue us in. We do, however, need someone who will speak truth to us in the Love of the Lord to win us back to the right path. I was very blessed to have such people who were deeply invested in my life. Invested enough to speak truth to me. Selah
One of the lowest points of my life was when I realized that my actions had caused a person who had been watching my life to become disillusioned with church folk. I could not repent enough. I could not make this situation right. Each time I had opportunity to converse with the individual all I wanted to do was convince them to not judge God for my behaviors.
Unrighteousness does not merely impact your walk with God it has much farther reach beyond to those who are watching your testimony.
God is full of grace. In spite of my failures, God won their heart to himself.
Shortly after I was married (1983), I was invited by a good friend and mentor to preach a week-long revival in his church. That was probably the highlight of my walk with the Lord.
The joy and exhilaration of being used by God in such an undertaking cannot be fully expressed with words. As powerful as the inspiring effect of being used by God in such a life changing way, there was also a very sobering message that accompanied the joy and exhilaration.
I realized that when people respond to your ministry, they also develop an attachment or at least a connection to you. They listen to what you say. They look to you for wise counsel. Folk look to you for comfort and reassurance. You become an important point of reference for them to God.
My friend and many other pastors had attempted to encourage me into the ministry as a pastor.
I think my realization of the responsibilities of a pastor has always been so high that I never felt I could live up to the requirement.
I would not even entertain the thought that God might be drawing me to become a pastor.
I saw my inadequacies and they overwhelmed me.
Now as I look back on this time, I am not certain but that might have been a pivotal moment in my life.
It was not until 50 years later that I realized that my rejecting the possibility that God may want to use me as a pastor because of my inadequacies said more about my faith in God than it did about my abilities or lack of abilities.
I was like Moses, saying to the God who created me, ‘I can’t do this’. Unfortunately for me God did not rebuke me as he did Moses. And send me anyway.
My walk of faith before the Lord has not been anything to shout from the roof top. I do not say this with a false modesty but rather with certainty. I will never know what God could have done in my life and with my life if I had been willing to step out of my comfortable life of faith and challenge myself to do whatever the Lord wanted from and for me.
My Psalm 78
My Psalm 78
God is Gracious.
He is a God of second chances. He has allowed me to be an integral part of a very small congregation that loves the Lord.
I have been of late attempting to be more proactive in seeking the will of God. I have opened myself to the possibilities of God using me in different ways and that includes this Website.
You may think to yourself what is so challenging about writing a website of things that you have experienced.
If you were me, you would know how difficult it is to shut out the ‘who am I’ question that continually arises when I sit to write or prepare a message.
“Who am I” is a constant struggle. But one thing I have learned over these last 50 plus years of walking with the Lord. God can do all things well. That includes using me.
Only God himself knows the impact of what I allow him to do through me will have.
Psalm 48:1 says, God is “great and greatly to be praised”. I can testify to his greatness in my life. And daily I give him praise for what he is doing. I know the changes he has brought into my life.
Psalm 92:15 says, God is “upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Focusing on these attributes of God inspires me to live in a manner that people will see the same in my life. You may not see my inner struggles, but I want you to see my striving to honor our God.
Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible”. Mark 10:27 Selah
There are those in this life who scoff at the idea that God is intimately involved in the lives of human beings. They look at the condition of the world in which we live, and they wonder aloud, “if there is a God why is there so much death, destruction and suffering”?
There are former believers in Christ, who have come to the conclusion that the Word of God cannot be true because of the overwhelming evidence that God does not care about all of the suffering. They are troubled by the many inconsistencies and perceived contradictions that are in real life and in the bible.
There are those who argue that there are many beliefs in the world and as long as you are faithful in whatever belief you have chosen it should not make a difference.
There are some who see God as a capricious being who delights to make promises and dash the faith and hopes of those whom he does not love. They see God as having favorites.
And of course, there are those who do not believe there is a God. They cannot see him. They cannot touch him. They cannot hear him. So, he does not exist.
My Psalm 78
My Psalm 78
February 17, 2024
God is upright. There is no unrighteousness in him. He will not always delay his judgements.
There are those who know that God is, but they do not fear him. They acknowledge that he is God, but they have made him in their own image. They do not recognize him as the righteous sovereign ruler of all that is. For these people God is good, and he understands that we are human, and we make mistakes. God will forgive our indiscretions.
It is only when we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is, and he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him that we will be on the right path to knowing who he is and experiencing the relationship with God that he initiated with Abraham, Noah, and Adam.
God is upright. There is no unrighteousness in him. He will not always delay his judgements.
When we recognize that He alone created all things and therefore has the ability to destroy all things, then we will begin to have that healthy fear of the Lord. When we recognize that God who holds the power of life and death chose to send his son to clear the sin-debt that brought death into the world, then we will be able to experience the intimate relationship with God that is expressed in “so loved the World, that he gave his only son” (John 3:16)
We are here in this life for a short time and the scriptures tell us that our time in this life will be “full of trouble” (Job 14:1) But Jesus reminds us, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 The intimation being that because Jesus has overcome; he is able to cause us to overcome as well.
We also need to keep in mind that our time in this life is a preparation for our eternal life in God’s presence. Let nothing hinder you from growing in righteousness and decreasing in unrighteousness.
Be involved in the body of Christ as true believers. We must remember daily to be more than just hearers of the word of God. As James 1: 22 reminds us, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
We cannot impact the lives of those around us for eternal good without being faithful to obey the word and will of God for our lives. Selah
If you have questions about the message or about being saved or need further understanding of the plan of salvation that Christ Jesus offers please send your questions or requests through the Review Page of this website.
If you have been encouraged by this message please share the website with others. Use the review page to share your thoughts
Father, I thank you for the timelessness of your Word and your Promises. I pray you will use these words to encourage your children as they grow in their relationship with you. I pray that you will work in the heart of every person who does not know you as Lord to bring them to yourself, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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