Month: July 2013

2 Chronicles 29:3
“He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them.”

What a sad statement! “He…opened the doors of the house of the LORD,…” That means somebody had to shut those doors. Somebody didn’t want God in their lives. Somebody shut the doors to the LORD, and their action caused many to miss an eternity in Heaven. Yet, the action of one didn’t stop Hezekiah from doing what was right. He understood that He needed those doors open, not just for others, but mainly for himself. He didn’t wait to open the doors of the house of the LORD until he was older, but in the first year of his reign he opened the door of the house of the LORD.

I look at this verse and several thoughts come to mind. Yes, the sinner needs to open the door of their heart and let Jesus come in and be their Saviour, but the Christian needs to open the door of their heart and let the LORD do His work in their heart. Sadly, many Christians today have shut the door of their heart to the LORD. It’s no wonder that churches are cold and indifferent when many Christians have shut the doors of their heart to the LORD. Let me ask you, will you open the door of your heart today and let the LORD do a work in your life?

Young person, open the door of your heart and let the LORD do a work in your heart. Hezekiah didn’t wait till he was older to open his heart to the LORD, but he did it while he was young. Young person, I understand there are many things that knock on the door of your heart. Fame, money, career, dreams, illicit lifestyle, friends and doing your own thing are all knocking on the door of your heart. Yet, there is one distinct knock for which you must open the door of your heart, and that knock is the knock of the LORD wanting to guide you through life. Don’t wait until you are older to open your heart to Him. Open the door and let Him guide you through life.

Christian, open the door of your heart and let the LORD repair your life. Hezekiah could not have repaired the temple from years of devastation caused by sin if he had not opened the doors. Likewise, the LORD can’t repair your life from sin’s damage until you allow Him in to do that work. You can keep the door shut and try to work it all out yourself, but you will never be able to repair what sin has caused. The guilt, bad thoughts, coldness and worldliness that sin has caused can only be repaired by the LORD. You must open the door of your heart to Him and let Him repair your life.

Furthermore, open the door of your heart and let the LORD in on your future. When Hezekiah opened the doors of the temple, he was literally letting God influence his future. Christian, God wants to guide your future, but He can’t when you have closed the door to that area of your heart because you have your own future planned out. God has a future planned for you that you could never imagine. He can’t guide you through that plan for your future until you open the door of your heart.

Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” The LORD knocks on your heart’s door every morning. Do you open the door and spend time with Him in the Scriptures and prayer? Every day you must open your heart to the LORD. Don’t let sin close the door on the LORD. Don’t let your desires and plans close the door on the LORD. Daily yield yourself to the LORD to do whatever He commands and wants you to do. Let God in on the intimate thoughts of your heart and mind. You can trust the LORD with your heart. He will not hurt it! Every day tell the LORD that you want Him in your life. Tell the LORD you will listen to anything He tells you to do, and when He tells you to do something, do it.

2 Chronicles 24:1-2
“Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Zibiah of Beersheba. And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.”

Jehoiada’s influence on Joash’s life was great. Joash grew up in a home with a wicked mother. It is simply amazing that he did anything right for the LORD. His father followed Ahab’s life and lived wickedly. His mother was a contributor to her husband’s lifestyle. In fact, when her husband was killed, she tried to kill all of her children because she wanted the power of the throne of Israel. Simply put, she was a wicked woman.

Yet, Jehoiada, the priest, saved the life of Joash. His influence on this young man’s life caused him to do right. In spite of the home in which he was reared, and in spite of his wicked parents, the influence of a man of God on a young man’s life caused him to turn out right.

Influence is very important. Whoever gains the influence in someone’s life will determine what that person becomes. I look in my life and I can remember several people who had an influence in who I became. Of course, my parents had a great influence in giving me proper character traits. Dr. Jack Hyles had great influence in what type of preacher I became. A layperson, Jack Compton, had a great influence in my work habits. Pastor Rick Flanders had an influence in placing a fire in my heart to travel. A school teacher, Bernadine Fenters, placed a belief in me that God had something for me. These are just a few people who had an influence in my life. If one of them would have abused their influence, I may not be here today, and those whom God has used me to help would not have been helped.

Christian, you should never underestimate the power of influence you have in someone’s life. I promise you, some of these names I mentioned above had no idea how much influence they had in my life. There is someone whom God has placed in your life with whom you have influence. It doesn’t matter how much influence you have, it’s the fact that you have some influence that can change the course of their life.

Moreover, because you have influence in someone’s life, you need to be careful to live right. It would be sad if the one whom you influence saw you doing wrong. It would be sad if the moment you did wrong they saw it, and they deemed it okay to do the same wrong because they saw you do it. You must do right all the time because you don’t want to be guilty of influencing someone the wrong way.

Furthermore, don’t abuse your influence. When you know you have influence in someone’s life, you need to be sure that you use that influence for good. God entrusted you to have influence over someone’s life, and He will hold you accountable for how you used it.

Influence is a privilege to have, but with this privilege come great responsibility not to lead a person in the wrong way or to cause them to become disillusioned. I encourage you to look at your life and see if there is something you need to change that would cause those with whom you have influence to do wrong. Always live your life as if someone is watching you, because there is someone watching you, and what you do will either cause someone to do right or wrong. Live your life to cause others to do right.

2 Chronicles 7:14
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Revival is certainly needed in our day. You look at society and realize that we are in desperate need of revival. When marriage is under attack by supporters of sodomite marriages; we need a revival. When alcohol flows through the streets of our country like water and is encouraged by the president, sports leagues and liberal preachers alike; we need revival. When the life of a baby in the womb of her mother is of less value than animal life; we need revival. When the morality thermometer is at the bottom and society is not disturbed; we need revival. We could go on and on about the need of revival, and I seriously believe most understand that we need revival.

However, the need for revival doesn’t seem to stir God’s people to do what it takes to achieve it. According to the verse above, revival is not based upon whether the world does right, it is based upon whether God’s people do right. Notice, “If my people,…” It didn’t say if the heathen, it said God’s people. Revival is totally dependent upon God’s people doing what it takes to have revival.

Moreover, the key to the verse above is the word, “humble.” God says the spark that starts revival is if God’s people will “humble themselves.” It takes humility for a person to realize they can’t send revival, but revival only comes through the name of Christ. It takes humility for a person to swallow their pride and fall on their face and pray. It takes humility for a person to forsake every other idea that they’ve learned from books and college to seek the face of God. It takes humility to leave your wicked ways and acknowledge that God’s ways are right. Humility is the spark that starts revival.

We say we want to have our prayers answered from Heaven, but we won’t humble ourselves. We say we want our sins to be forgiven, but we won’t humble ourselves. We say we want our land to be healed, but we won’t humble ourselves. We can talk about revival until we are blue in the face, but when you look at the altars of our churches you realize that when they are empty we truly don’t want revival. When you look at the prayer closets and see they are empty, you realize it is because we don’t honestly want revival. When you look at Christians redefining sin instead of taking God’s definition, you quickly realize we don’t truly want revival.

Friend, most would say, “Amen” to everything I’ve written, but you must realize it starts with YOU! You must be the one to humble yourself and do what it takes to spark a revival. You must get rid of your sin to spark the embers of revival. You must be the one who daily prays to spark God to answer prayers. It all starts with personal responsibility.

Revival starts when every individual takes personal responsibility to humble themselves and do what God says is necessary to have revival. Too often we say we want revival, but we look at everyone else and say they need to make these changes. It starts with you today! Do you want revival? Will you humble yourself and forsake your sins? Friend, each one of us needs to look at ourselves honestly, and realize that it doesn’t matter what everyone else does, it only matters what we personally do with this verse. If you will honestly humble yourself before God and realize you of yourself cannot send revival, and that your sins have hindered revival and prayerlessness has impeded revival, then your action will be the spark to start revival. I challenge you to be that spark of revival in your world and humble yourself before God.

1 Chronicles 19:5
“Then there went certain, and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them: for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.”

The story from the verse above is about some men whom David sent to show kindness to the king of Ammon. David heard that Hanun’s father had passed away, and as is the customary courtesy, he sent some messengers to pay his respects to the former leader. When David’s servants came to Hanun, he foolishly listened to his advisors who told him that David’s purpose in sending them was to spy out the land. Hanun responded by cutting their garments off to show their nakedness and shaving their beards. When David heard what happened to his servants, he told them to stay in Jericho until their beards be grown.

It is interesting that David told them to stay until their beards were grown. These men had succumb to the enemy, and David didn’t want them to come back until they regrew their beards. He was not upset with them, he simply wanted them to keep their dignity when they returned.

Every Christian fights sin on a daily basis. Not only does every Christian fight sin, but every Christian will fail at times. Yet, we would be amiss to say that some sin doesn’t carry greater punishments. Whether or not we like it, there are some sins that are more public than others. When a person succumbs to the enemy’s tactics, we are to be careful about using them until their beards are regrown. When the spiritual beard has regrown from sin’s humiliation, then that person can be used again. Let me give you some thoughts from this story on how you should treat people who have fallen.

First, everyone can be used again. We must be careful about casting the fallen away and never using them again. If we don’t use them, then the enemy has won. One of the greatest differences between God and the world is that God rebuilds lives and uses His servants again. If God has not taken the fallen to Heaven, then He is not done using them; therefore, the fallen can be used again once they are restored.

Second, there is a proving time. It took time for these men’s beards to regrow. God is teaching us that once a person gets right, then they should go through a proving time to show they are restored. This proving time is not only for you, but it’s also for them. It helps them to regain their confidence.

Third, everyone should fight for the dignity of the fallen. Just because they are fallen doesn’t mean they can’t keep their dignity. It’s interesting that David gathered all the troops to help these men regain their dignity. Everyone is to do their part in making sure the fallen keep their dignity. Let me encourage you to stay out of the forums that constantly gossip and tear down the fallen and get into God’s Word so you can help bring the fallen back to usefulness.

Fourth, let sin’s payment end. When the spiritual beards have regrown, then don’t bring up their past. I understand that one of sin’s consequences is that you forfeit rights to do certain things, but that doesn’t mean you have to constantly remind the fallen of their past. You need to move on and stop bringing up the past. Let the payment of sin be over when they have proven with a restored life that they are not going back to the mud hole of sin.

Christian, always remember that sin will humiliate you and those who succumb to it. When someone has fallen, don’t join the enemy and keep shaving their beard by throwing their past back at them; instead, be a part of the spiritual crowd who allows their beards to regrow and to be used again by God.

1 Chronicles 10:11-12
“And when all Jabeshgilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”

Saul had just been killed. Israel was in a state of shock. Their leader was gone, and they didn’t know what they were going to do. Their enemies had taken the head of Saul and his armor and set them up in the temple of Dagon, their god. Israel had certainly been shamed. It wasn’t anything they had done, but it was a result of the sins of Saul.

Yet, there was a group of men from Jabeshgilead who heard what the Philistines had done to Saul’s body. They knew what this meant to Jehovah God. They knew how these people would disgrace their fallen leader, and they were determined not to allow this to happen. So, they risked their own lives to go into land of the Philistines, and into a guarded temple to retrieve the bodies of Saul and his sons so they could have a proper burial, and so that the name of God would not be blasphemed.

Nobody knew that these men would be heroes. In fact, they probably didn’t know that they would be heroes. It was just who they were. When tragedy hit and someone needed to stand, they did what everyone should have done and retrieved those bodies.

It seems that every time there is a tragedy that heroes are discovered. What is amazing about many heroes is that they really don’t want the attention given to them. Many times these heroes would slip out unnoticed if they had their way. Yet, it is in serious times that these heroes are discovered. Whenever you talk to a hero you always hear how they didn’t think about what they were doing, they simply saw that there was a need, and they jumped in to fill that need.

If there is ever a day when we need to discover some heroes, it is today. Our nation is in disarray, and many seem to be careless about its direction. God’s name is being dishonored, and very few seem to take a stand. I look at a nation where many Christians just don’t want to get involved. Too many people just want to go on with their life as if nothing is happening, but what we need to understand is that something is happening. While many Christians sit idly by and do nothing, our nation seems to be slipping further away from what it should be.

So, you wonder what you can do? First, see the need. You need to see that there is a desperate need for your nation. You need to take the blinders off and see what is truly happening.

Second, you need to pray for God to help your nation. You can cover your eyes and never pray, but that will only hurt your nation. A nation will never be saved without prayer.

Third, you need to get involved in trying to bring your world back to Christ. You may not be able to reach your whole nation, but you can reach your world. God has placed you in your world so you can reach it. You can be a hero to your world if you will try to reach them for Christ.

Will you be a hero to your world? As you go throughout your day, look and see the spiritual needs of people and do what you can to reach them. Be that hero who simply jumps in and tries to meet the needs of those who need help. Real help is Jesus Christ, and you can bring them to Him.

2 Kings 16:20
“And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.”

One of the common excuses I hear of why children do wrong is their background. I am not going to sit here and say that background doesn’t influence a person’s decisions, but I am going to say that everyone has a choice of what they become. Anyone can do right if they choose to do so.

I grew up in a preacher’s home. In my travels I often hear of preacher’s children who have gone the wrong way in life. The excuses I hear as to why they did wrong are amazing. Every time I talk to someone who grew up in a preacher’s home and listen to their excuses, I tell them everything I went through, and then ask them if they really want to use excuses. I believe it’s not because their father was a pastor that they turned out wrong, I believe it’s because they chose to turn out wrong.

On the other hand, I am amazed when I hear about the upbringing of people who turned out right. Often I hear of people whose home life was not good. They tell me their stories, and I sit in amazement that they are serving the LORD. Yet, I watch adults who grew up in a Christian home whose lives are anything but Christian. What’s the difference? The difference is in the choices they made.

Hezekiah did not grow up in a good Christian home. His father was anything but a Christian. Hezekiah’s father followed the practices of the heathen. He made his children pass through the fire. He lived a heathenistic lifestyle. He practiced idolatry. He even burnt sacrifices to the heathen gods. Yet, Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings who sat on the throne of Israel. Hezekiah had every excuse not to do right because of his home life. Yet, he did right!

What was the secret that made Hezekiah turn out right? The secret was whom he chose to model his life after. 2 Kings 18:3 says about Hezekiah, “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.” Notice, he chose to model his life after David, and not after his heathen father. Hezekiah was wise enough to understand that though he did not have a choice in which home he was reared in, he did have a choice in choosing a right role model to follow. His parents certainly tried to force him to do wrong, but they couldn’t force him not to choose the right role model.

This is the greatest secret in doing right. It doesn’t matter what your background is, in which neighborhood you grew up, or who your parents are, what matters is the role models you choose to copy. If you choose the right role models, you have a better chance of doing right. Just because everyone around you may have the wrong role models doesn’t mean you can’t choose the right ones. Doing right is a choice, and part of that choice is having the right role models.

Let me ask you, who are your role models? Are your role models pointing you in the right direction? Does their life magnify Christ? Your role models will determine what you become. You must be wise in whom you choose to follow.

Furthermore, parents, you need to be a good role model for their children. Help them to have a easier time in choosing the right role models by doing right at home. You should also point your children to the right role models. Your influence on their life is great, and showing them who the right role models are will greatly influence their future.

Always remember you can do right. No matter how you were reared and what has happened to you, you can do right. The greatest influence in doing right is your role models, so choose them wisely!

2 Kings 4:40
“So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.”

Recently my daughter and I were in the car going to pick up our dog from the veterinarian, when I looked to my left and saw a man fall to the ground. Immediately, I made a u-turn and went to the parking lot where the man fell so I could help. As I got to the gentleman, I was amazed how people were standing around him doing nothing as he was bleeding. I quickly got down and started helping him until the paramedics could get there. What amazed me was how people didn’t know what to do in a crisis situation.

In the verse above, Elisha faced a crisis situation. The preacher boys had prepared a meal to feed the crowd, only to realize after they served it that there was poison in the pot. The preacher boys were in a panic, but Elisha calmly took the situation and handled it correctly. His handling of the situation kept people from losing their lives.

How you handle crisis situations can literally be life and death. Certainly at times it can be a literal life and death situation, but it could also be a life and death situation for a person’s future. Because in the Christian life we deal with people, every situation we handle is a life and death situation. When a crisis comes, you must learn how to handle them properly so you can save those whom you influence from destruction. Let me give you some suggestions on handling crisis situations.

First, don’t panic! One of the worst things you can do is panic. The preacher boys were in panic mode when they discovered the poison in the pot. Panic only makes a situation worse. When a crisis happens, you must learn to stay calm.

Second, plan ahead. I have learned that planning will help you avoid more crisis situations. Planning ahead allows you to give your full attention to the crisis at hand because you’ve already taken care of situations that you knew would happen. Don’t live in crisis mode. Learn to plan ahead so that the crisis is not magnified by poor planning.

Third, ask God for wisdom. Of course, this should be the first thing you do, but sadly most of the time it doesn’t cross our mind. If you’re not in a panic, you will have the clarity of mind to stop and ask God to give you wisdom on how to handle the situation.

Fourth, assess the situation and take control. Elisha simply looked at what the problem was, and then he took control and fixed it. When a crisis happens, you must step back and look over the situation to come up with a plan on how to handle it.

Finally, work with a controlled and calm spirit. When you are calm in a crisis situation, your calm spirit will calm others. When everybody is calm, then you have a greater chance of settling the crisis.

Everybody will have crisis situations come up from time to time. Always remember that God knew they were going to come. Remember that God is never in a panic mode and that it is going be okay if you will work through the crisis in a methodical way. You will find that when you handle crisis situations right that your influence to help others will increase because they will gain confidence in how you handle these situations.