Month: May 2013

Make a Fashion Statement

Luke 9:29
“And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.”

The world is constantly trying to make a fashion statement. There are several fashion statements that I can remember. I remember when someone made a fashion statement with a mohawk. I remember the first time someone colored their hair a weird color and how ridiculous it looked. We could go on with all the fashion statements that the world has made. All these fashion statements were made to get people’s attention.

When Jesus lived on this Earth, He made a fashion statement. No, it was not a fashion statement of clothing styles, but His fashion statement was the changing of His countenance. It says in the verse above, “And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered,…” Jesus didn’t try to make a fashion statement, but prayer caused Him to make a fashion statement. Prayer was the thing that altered His countenance.

I find that this world needs Christians who will make a fashion statement. No, we don’t need a fashion statement of clothing, but we need the type of fashion statement that many have had in the Scriptures. This fashion statement that I am talking about is nothing that you make, but what Christ makes through you.

It would be good if you would make a fashion statement with your countenance. Just like the countenance of Jesus changed when He prayed, it would be good if you would spend time with the LORD so He can change your countenance. Too many Christians have an angry countenance when they need to have a countenance the shines the brightness of God’s glory in their life. You may have an unhappy countenance, but God wants you to make a fashion statement and have a happy countenance.

Moses made a fashion statement when he came down from Mount Sinai. No, he did not try to make a fashion statement, but by spending time with God for forty days and nights his countenance was changed. He didn’t have to try and get people to look at him, but they noticed the change when he came down from the mount. It would be good if you would make the same fashion statement with your life that people would know that you have spent time with Jesus.

The three Hebrew children made a fashion statement when they went into the fiery furnace. Their statement was not to allow the world’s fire to touch them. How did they do this? They took a stand for right and spent time with Jesus in the fire, and the world’s bindings and fire could not touch them. You need to make such a fashion statement to the world. Don’t let the smell of the world’s fire get upon you. Make a fashion statement by doing right and spending time with the LORD and your statement will be made.

You will notice that these who made a fashion statement all had one thing in common; prayer! You will never make the right fashion statement you need to make without spending time in prayer. God is the One Who will make the fashion statement for you. Stop trying to be noticed, and spend time with God. You will find that if you will simply spend time with God that He will make a fashion statement through you. You will find the fashion statement will be God shining through you.

Prepared and Straight

Mark 1:3
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

I was talking to a friend of mine who trains horses, and he and I were comparing the similarities of training horses and dogs. It’s interesting that in each case the commands you give are to be simple for the animal to understand. You are to be clear with what you want them to do. There is to be no question in the animals mind what you want. When you make it simple, they will obey.

The verse above says that John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord and made His paths straight. John the Baptist wasn’t trying to impress the presbytery when he preached; instead, he was trying to make the preaching simple so those who heard would get saved. He understood that the simpler the preaching, the more people would walk away without a question of what they needed to do.

I find in his simple sermon two necessities of leadership. First, preparation is a key to successful leadership. Preparing what you are going to do is vital to a leader painting a clear picture of what he wants his followers to do. A failure to plan is a plan to fail. Second, clear and simple instructions are important for followers to know what they can and cannot do. One of the greatest reasons followers fail leadership is because leadership gives complex instructions. The simpler leadership makes their instructions, the easier it is for followers to know what is expected of them.

A church that is going to be successful in reaching people must be a church where preparation is made weekly for those who attend. The sermon preached needs to be simple for those who listen to understand. This is not insulting their intelligence, it is simply making the path straight. Preachers should be plain about what is sin and how Christians should live. Preachers should not preach in generalities, but they should preach in specifics. When a preacher or church leader has a vision for people, and then teaches them in the specifics of the Christian life, you will find more people will be successful in serving the LORD.

Parents need to be careful to have simple instructions for their children. Stop giving a dialogue when you tell your children what to do. Make it simple! Tell them what you want done and when you want it done. When they ask whether they can do something, simply answer with a “Yes” or “No.” Clear and simple guidelines make it easy for children to obey. When parents teach their children how they are going to live, and make their instructions clear, then children will more than likely follow.

These principles can be applied to every area of leadership. It is the leader’s responsibility to be prepared and show their followers where they are going. It is also the leader’s responsibility to make things as simple as they can so followers know what is expected of them. In the areas where you lead, I challenge you to be prepared and give simple and clear instructions. You will find this type of leadership will create an atmosphere of less stress between leaders and followers.

Turning Shortages Into Overages

Matthew 15:33
“And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?”

The disciples faced a problem in that Jesus told them to get some food to feed the crowd. When they went through this large crowd, they found that all they had to feed this multitude was seven loaves of bread and a few little fishes. They certainly had a shortage of resources. They couldn’t run to the nearest fast food restaurant to get more food. They couldn’t call the closest pizza establishment to feed this crowd. Somehow they had to stretch the loaves of bread and fish to feed this great multitude.

This shortage that they faced seemed impossible to overcome. The good thing for the disciples was that they had the person of Jesus Christ in their presence, and when He is present shortages can become overages. When the disciples realized they were powerless, that was when Jesus could do His work. Jesus took the bread and fish and multiplied it to feed this great multitude. A shortage with man was an opportunity to reveal the power of God.

When you step out by faith to serve the LORD, you are going to find that there will be times when it seems you have a shortage or resources. The shortage could come in the form of finances, manpower or materials, but you must realize that your shortage is not a shortage with God. When you face shortages in life, there are some things you need to do to turn them into overages.

First, don’t quit. You will notice that Jesus didn’t run from the problem, but he took what He had and decided to make it work. Imagine if Jesus or the disciples would have given up, there would be no story like this to talk about today. When you are faced with a shortage in your life or ministry, don’t take that as a cue to give up. Take it as an opportunity to find a way to make it work.

Second, organize what you have so it can be used it to it’s greatest capacity. Jesus didn’t want to have waste, so the best way to keep from wasting what He had was to organize the crowds. Much of our shortages in life come from a lack of organizing what we have. Organizing your finances will keep you from wasting money. Organizing manpower will help you to use the manpower you have to its greatest capacity.

Third, pray! This is the most important part of turning a shortage into an overage. You can work yourself into the grave, or you can pray it down from Heaven. God is looking for an opportunity to show His power. When shortages come, don’t forget to pray. When you don’t know what to do, don’t forget to pray. Prayer is the resource that turns shortages into overages. Prayer is what allows you to tap into the resources of Heaven. George Müller would often have shortages of food to feed his orphans, but he prayed and God turned the shortages into overages.

I don’t know what your shortage is today, but if you are saved you have the resource of prayer to turn it into an overage. Stop fretting and start praying. Trust God and let Him show you His ability to turn a shortage into an overage. God is very capable to help you with your shortage, but you must go to Him in prayer and ask for His help. Your shortage is simply a prayer shortage.

What’s Your Excuse?

Matthew 10:32
“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”

My mother would often say, “Excuses are the skin of the truth, packed with a lie.” This is so true! It is amazing how people come up with excuses as to why they can’t serve the LORD. In Mathew 10, Jesus shows the excuses people use for not serving Him. Though people may use these excuses, the fact is their excuse is simply a lie. Let me show you some of the common excuses people use for not serving the LORD.

First, the fear of man has caused many not to serve the LORD. Jesus said in verse 28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” It’s amazing that we fear those who can truly do nothing to our soul. The fear of man has caused many people to compromise. The fear of man has caused many to never step out by faith and serve the LORD. You cannot be afraid of what man will say about you if your are going to be successful in serving the LORD. If you are going to successfully serve the LORD, then you are going to have to have thick skin and not let man’s words or actions cause you to step back from serving Him.

Second, the desire for peace has caused many not to serve the LORD. Verse 34 teaches us that if you serve the LORD, you will fight battles. You cannot let the battle cause you to run from serving the LORD. Too many Christians are so interested in getting along with everyone that they won’t give their all to God. If you succeed in serving the LORD, then you will have to face battles.

Third, the desire to be with family has caused many to not serve the LORD. This one amazes me because I’ve heard many people teach that you should go wherever God wants, but when it comes down to leaving family they won’t go. There is nothing wrong with desiring to be near your children or parents, but most of the time I have seen that God calls people away from family. Jesus says that if you are not willing to leave your family to serve Him, then you are not worthy of Him.

Fourth, hardships cause people not to serve the LORD. Jesus talks about taking up your cross and serving Him. Many have stopped serving the LORD because of a cross they had to bear. If Jesus can bear a cross for you, then you should be willing to bear your cross and serve Him.

Fifth, sacrificing personal dreams has caused many to not serve the LORD. Jesus says that if you are going to serve Him, then you must be willing to lose your life. He is teaching that your dreams must be sacrificed if you are going to serve Him. Sadly, personal dreams have kept many from serving the LORD. They don’t want to give up their dreams for the cause of Christ.

Let me ask you, what is your excuse? Which one of these things is keeping you from serving the LORD? I will testify that none of these things will satisfy like Jesus. Whatever is keeping you from serving the LORD, I challenge you to lay it aside for the cause of Christ. There is no excuse that should keep you from serving the LORD. Lay your excuses aside and fulfill the will of God to confess Him before men.

The Key to Right Influences

Psalm 101:6
“Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.”

Having the right influences is so vital to your future. We often tell young people to make sure they have the right influences, but it is just as important for adults to have the right influences as well. One of my common conversations I have with people about whether they should attend a certain church is to determine who is influencing the pastor of the church. My reasoning for this is because if a person is being influenced by someone, then they will eventually become like them.

Psalm 101 shows us the key to having the right influences. The psalmist starts the psalm out by talking about singing to the LORD. The reason a person can sing to the LORD is because they are doing the right things. But, the psalmist then shows us the keys to keeping your influences right so you will have a right attitude towards God.

First, do right in private. Verse 2 says, “…I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” Many people allow things to influence them in the privacy of their home that they won’t allow to influence them in public. Your home life will eventually become your public life. It is important that you keep the right influences in your home. If there is something in your home that you would not want your preacher to see, then I would imagine it would be worth you removing its influence from your life.

Second, guard what you see. Verse 3 says, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes:…” What you see will eventually become what you do. What you watch on television will eventually become what you live in your home. What you look at on the internet or in magazines is eventually what you will do in your private life. Your eyes affect your heart, and your heart affects your actions. Don’t allow yourself to watch things on television that will influence you in the wrong way. Only allow your eyes to see the things that you would not be ashamed to show to Christ.

Third, keep right friendships. Verse 4 says, “…I will not know a wicked person.” Many people have changed because of wrong friends. You should only have one set of friends. Those friends should be people with whom you serve the LORD. I have found that my friends will influence me for good or bad. You should be very choosy about whom you allow to be your friends. If someone is of questionable character, then you would be wise to not allow them to influence you.

Your influences are important, for they will determine where you will eventually end up. I encourage you to examine your influences and make sure they are the types of influences that will pull you closer to Christ. All it takes in one wrong influence to hurt you. Make sure that every influence in your life is a positive influence of spirituality.

The Power of One Generation

Zephaniah 1:1
“The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.”

You should never underestimate the power of one generation. It is amazing how much one generation will affect several generations. I look at my own life and how much previous generations have affected my future. I am a sixth generation preacher. What if one of these men decided to rebel against God and not preach His Word? It could have hurt those whom God has allowed me to influence through my ministry. The power of one generation will never be known until we get to Heaven.

In the verse above, God gives us a glimpse of the power of one generation. Zephaniah was the fourth generation after Hezekiah. The decisions that Hezekiah made to do right affected people to the fourth generation. Yet, it wasn’t just a fourth generation that Hezekiah’s decision influenced, but when you read the end of the verse, you will realize that Zephaniah was a contemporary to Josiah. Josiah was the second king in Judah’s history who influenced a revival in his rule. Zephaniah’s preaching was an influence in this revival. So, the power of Hezekiah’s decision to do right literally influenced a second revival four generations later.

You will never know the power of one generation. You may think your actions and decisions will only affect you, but when you look through the prism of history you will always see that one generation affects several generations.

I think of Joseph, the step-father of Jesus. His one decision not to have Mary killed when he found out she was pregnant literally influenced the eternity of the world. If Joseph would have responded in the flesh and had her killed, everyone would die and go to Hell because there would be no Saviour. His one decision didn’t just influence his life, but continues to influence generations to this day.

Abraham made one decision to have an adulterous affair with Hagar. He never thought that the affair would go any further than his own family. What he didn’t realize is that affair would cause enmity between Isaac and Ishmael to this day. His decision not to trust the LORD and act on his fleshly whims will influence generations to the end of the world.

Friend, I can never stress enough how much you will affect future generations. Your actions will either affect generations positively or adversely. This is why there is no small decision. Every decision you make will influence generations to come. Likewise, there is no insignificant action. You will never know how much one right or wrong action will influence future generations.

I challenge you to consider the ramifications of every decision and action. Never take any decision or action lightly. Always keep in mind that your decisions and actions will influence future generations. The question you need to ask yourself is, will it affect them for good or bad? Strive to be like Hezekiah who influenced future generations for good because of a decision to follow the LORD. Let every decision and action be tempered with how it will influence the generations who will follow.

That Great City

Jonah 1:1-2
“Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”

This story has a special place in my heart as it was a sermon from this passage of Scripture that caused me to surrender to be a preacher of the Gospel. Bro. James Holder was preaching a missions conference, and he preached about the need of Nineveh. That night God showed me the need of a nation and I surrendered to preach.

The need has not changed since that night. Nineveh was a great metropolitan city that needed a man of God. Yet, when God wanted to send a man of God to that city, Jonah ran from God and wanted nothing to do with it. Friend, it is sad that the need of Nineveh still represents the need of many great cities. No, a city is not a great city because it has a large population, but it is a great city because God called someone to go there. That is what we miss! We think it was a great city because of the population, but it was a great city because God called Jonah to go there. Do you realize that there is a great city for you to reach? In fact, most who read this devotional are already living in their great city. There are some who read this  devotional who need to heed the call of God and go to a city where God has called them. In any case, there are great cities all over this world whom God has already called someone to go to, and just like Jonah they are avoiding the call. Let me show you why so many great cities are dying and going to Hell.

First, great cities are not being reached because people are running from the call of God. Jonah ran from God’s call instead of running towards it. There are many people who want nothing to do with the call of God because of what they will have to give up to obey it. Some are running from the call of God because they are too wrapped up in making money. Some are running from the call of God because they are too wrapped up in being successful in their career. Some are running from the call of God because it doesn’t fit into their own dreams. While you run from the call of God, people are dying and going to Hell.

Second, great cities are not being reached because people are sleeping on the call of God. Jonah went to the bottom of the ship and went to sleep because he didn’t want to think about God’s call. Sadly, there are many today sleeping on the call of God to reach their great city. All around you are people who need Christ. Let me ask you, when is the last time you witnessed to someone and showed them how they can go to Heaven? Are you asleep on the call to reach your great city? Are you blinded and can’t see the thousands of people whom you pass by every day?

Third, great cities are not being reached because people are fighting the call of God. Jonah fought God about his calling for three days in the belly of the whale before finally surrendering his will. Too many want nothing to do with the call of God, and they are willing to face God’s chastening hand to avoid it. Don’t let that be you. While people fight the call of God, the great cities they are supposed to reach are slipping out into a Christless eternity.

Are you reaching your great city? I certainly understand that everyone isn’t called to be a preacher, but everyone is called to reach their great city. Your great city is where you currently live. It may be a metropolitan city or it could be an urban community, but it is a great city because God called you to be there and reach those people. I challenge you today to do your part in reaching your great city. All it takes is one individual to get serious and obey God for Him to reach a great city. Whatever you do, don’t let your great city slip out into Hell.