Bicycles

Satan, the deceiver, the vain one, wants us to believe that we have no control over our habitual sins. He wants us to believe that when the urge to act in a certain way comes over us we have no choice but to give into those same urges. This is a lie! Galatians 5:1 says "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free." However, when we agree with Satan, we give him authority over us.

As Christians we have a choice! We either choose to believe the thoughts and obey the subtle promptings of the Serpent or we choose to believe and stand firm in the promises of Almighty God. Understand, however, that whom ever we choose to believe and obey, they are our true master and lord.

Have hope! Because God loves us and wants us to succeed, He will give use many opportunities to get it right; to believe and to stand firm in Him. How many chances do we have? More than we could ever hope.

God loves us. He is not waiting for us to fail. No! He is waiting expectantly for us to get it right. When we do, God says "Look! That's my son whom I love. I am very pleased and proud of him!" (Matt. 3:17 - paraphrased) Now because of what Jesus did on the cross, all the praise and blessings that belong to the Son, completely transfer and belong to us when we accept the gift Jesus gave to us.

Think of God as a father teaching his son, that's us, to ride a bicycle. He stands by our side and encourages us. He'll hold us up for awhile, but in his wisdom, lets go so that we can learn how to ride. And when we fall, for it is no surprise to God when we do because he knows we will fall before we do, He is there to pick us up, encourage us and put us back on the right path.

God does not get angry when we fall. His patience is perfect. And when we get it right, God shares in our victory.

"If it's God will then..."

"What's God's will for my life?"
(True Freedom in Christ)

Most people I've meet go through life not understanding what it is exactly God expects from us. They feel condemned or guilty because they are not meeting a standard which they feel that God has set. For example, "I don't read my bible enough because as a Christian I should read it more often." Or how about, "I need to allot more time in my day so I can stop everything I'm doing, find a quite place to get on my knees and pray about a whole lot of things which I need and hope God finds me worthy enough to listen." Well, you get the idea.

I've got good news! God does not have any expectations of you. He does not have a list of things he'd like you to complete. God does not expect you to be more than you are. God does not expect you to change yourself to become a better or holier person. He does not expect you to read your bible fifteen minutes a day. So what does God want? God wants to have a relationship with you. That's it!

When you are in relationship with the Lord, he will change you. He will help get rid of your bad habits. He will instruct you and teach you. He will let you know when you need to pray and read your bible. He will make your life rich and full. But the key to this life is a true and real relationship, which includes conversation, with God. It is only in relationship that we have absolute and true freedom.

There is one very vital aspect to this relationship with God, however, that you must learn. That is to listen for and to hear the voice of God so that he can teach and instruct you in his ways. And I can promise you that this is not easy. It takes practice!

Because we have spent most of our lives not listening for God's "still, quiet voice" and doing things our own way, you will probably find it difficult at first to share a dynamic and fulfilling conversation with the Lord.

How do I know it's God and not me? This is where the bible comes in. God is an unchanging God. So if what you believe God has put on your heart does not align itself with the principles found in God's word, then it's probably not of God.

Real relationship brings real freedom. Freedom to accept who we are, and that God is well pleased with us at all times.

Relationship

I woke up this morning with the word "relationship" on my heart. So I asked God, my Father, what he wanted me to do with this word. He instructed me to write about having a true relationship with him; not a prayer life of ask God for help, bring him all your troubles and hope for the best.

A few years back, I went on my first prayer and fasting retreat. Having grown up in a church where church was the the reason for church, I had learned nothing of fasting. My new church, however, encouraged it for a healthy spiritual life. So I went.

The Holy Spirit's presence came upon me that first night. He brought to light a sin in my heart that I wasn't even aware was there; it hurt to have this exposed. However, because God is good and loves us so much, he healed the wound. I spent the rest of the night sleeping in his presence.

The next morning I awoke feeling more refreshed than I had in a very long time. I got dressed and went out side to where two horses were grazing in a field. I did so because I like horses. Not wanting to scare them off and hoping I would be able to pet one, I approached the horses in a rather timid manner. As I would try to get within petting distance of the closest horse, the horse would move away from me; just out of reach. I tried this several times with no success. I was going to try one more time when the Lord spoke to me; instructing me to approach the horse boldly.

I did so, and to my surprise, the horse didn't move. Then the Lord told me that I was to come to him with boldness when I pray. (Heb. 4:16) I then tried the same thing with the other horse and he fled. Then the Lord spoke to my spirit saying "Boldly stand up to Satan and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

This was the beginning of a walk with the Lord which, I later learned, most Christians don't enjoy. This type of relationship is supposed to be the usual, not the unusual, for Christians. It is only through this type of relationship that we can experience lasting joy and freedom. God wants to be an intimate part of our lives; instructing us and using us for His glory.

For more on this kind of relationship read "Walking With God" by John Eldredge.

Promises

How many blessings do we not receive, how much authority do we not have because we don't know the promises of God? Psalm 91 gives us a promise of protection from spiritual attack, disease, natural disaster and violence. However, like most of God's promises, there are conditions for receiving them; "If you make the Most High you dwelling ... then no harm will befall you." If we are to receive this promise we are to live in the Lord's presence. I, however, have some good news!  If you are a born again then you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you.  And because of this, you are always dwelling in the presence of the all mighty!

God of Power

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."

1 Corinthians 4:20

I was about 19 years old, living at home with my parents who felt that I needed some direction for my life.

My father, who had recently attended a retreat sponsored by our church, decided that the young adult version of that same retreat would be just the thing I needed.

The retreat took place over a weekend. It was supposed to allow the attendees an opportunity to connect with God in a very deep way. I went and I had a nice time, although I completely missed the point of the weekend. I, however, didn't grasp this concept until later.

Because God is good, he gave me another opportunity. About one month later, I received a phone call from the gentleman leading the next upcoming retreat. He asked me if I would be willing to serve as part of the leadership team and give a message to the students in attendance. This was a bit strange, because I hadn't put my name down as wanting to serve.

Six months later, the weekend of the retreat arrived. I was nervous because my speech still was not ready. To be honest, I only had some vague outline as to what I had planned to say. I was toast.

Saturday night had been set aside as a time of prayer with the Lord. All attendees were taken into the chapel. As I was sitting there the Lord convicted my spirit of a secret sin which I was holding onto: pornography. I fell to my knees and confessed. I was feeling so guilty and condemned. Now, I give glory to God because He set me free by forgiving my sin and restoring me to Him. That night, I slept well. I wish I could report that during the night God had given me a vision about what I was to say in my speech, but I can't.

I was the final speaker on Sunday. Like every speaker before me, I was taken into a room where other leaders prayed over me prior to my message. As they prayed, I felt completely at peace and wonderfully alive.

I was then taken by one of the leaders to the hall just outside of the room where I would be giving my message when a third person passed by. The man who walked by us said to me, "Good luck, God's with you." To which I replied, "Thank you." At this point, the man who was escorting me turned. Wondering about what had just been said, he asked if we were speaking some sort of code. At first, the notion struck me as odd; however, I soon realized that we had not made the exchange in English!

Because of God, the message turned out well. Because of the Holy Spirit, my words had a far greater impact than they would have on their own. To this day, I have no idea what I said; however, I received many compliments on the message. Years later, I would learn that I had been filled and baptized by the Holy Spirit. Looking back, I know that my spirit was on fire! Does the Holy Spirit still operate in believers’ lives as He did in the first century church? Absolutely!

John Eldredge wrote, "Why would God give you a book of exceptions? This is how I used to relate to my people, but I don't do that anymore. What good would a book of exceptions do you? That's like giving you the owner's manual for a Dodge even though you drive a Mitsubishi. No, the Bible is a book of examples of what it looks like to walk with God."