Category: Strength for Today

Ecclesiastes 9:15
“Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.”

The story in the verse above is about a little city that was besieged by a mighty king. This little city had very few men in the city to defend it, but one thing this city had was a wise man who didn’t have much money. This city found itself in a terrible predicament because the king had built a wall around the outside of the city to keep anyone from coming in or going out. This king was trying to starve these people to death. Yet, this poor wise man devised a plan that delivered them from this tyrant king.

You would think that this poor wise man would be the hero of the city. You would think that a parade down Main Street would be conducted to honor this man. You would think that a day of vacation would be added to the calendar in this man’s name to honor how he was used to deliver the city.

Though these things should have happened, we see the opposite happened. This poor man was quickly forgotten. No one ever came by to thank this poor wise man for what he had done for them. This poor wise man sat lonely in a house without any gratitude given by those whom he delivered.

This reminds me of Dr. Lee Roberson, the man whom God used to build the great Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Several years after Dr. Roberson retired from the pastorate, I was with some young men in the Chattanooga area and we wanted to go by and visit him and see the work he built. We didn’t know if we would ever be able to get to see him, for he was the great Dr. Lee Roberson. To our dismay, we asked people around the building if they knew where Dr. Roberson was, and the only response we got was from a janitor who said, “You mean that old man who sits in an office across the street.” Those people employed by that church would not have a job had it not been for Dr. Lee Roberson. Yet, they forgot him and never gave him the gratitude he deserved.

Sadly, this story is played out over and over again. There are elderly people everywhere who sit lonely in their living rooms or nursing homes without one person stopping by to thank them for the wisdom they instilled in the lives of individuals. There are pastors who retired from their pulpit that are criticized and minimized by the new pastor so that he can receive the credit for something he did not do. There are people all around us who maybe gave one piece of advice to salvage someone’s life and they are never remembered or thanked for the influence they had on one’s life.

Instead, the new kid on the block is who everyone wants to be around. My question to you is this, what has the new kid on the block done for you more than those who got you where you are right now? I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be thankful for those presently influencing you, but don’t forget those who have given their life to give you what you presently have. Don’t let them sit thanklessly wondering if they wasted their years of service investing in you.

Let me challenge you today to remember those poor wise men in your life and thank them for their contributions to your life. It may be your parents, a former pastor, Sunday school teacher, bus worker or an older person who is all alone. Take the time to call them and thank them for their part in giving you what you have. Don’t let their work and wisdom go unnoticed. Make it a part of your weekly schedule to find someone who influenced you and thank them for their contribution in your life.

Ecclesiastes 5:7
“For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.”

The Book of Ecclesiastes is an old man looking back at his life and drawing a conclusion of what really matters in life. This is not a young man who has not experienced anything, but this is an old man who has traveled life’s road and has come to the end and realized what is truly important in life.

This old man is Solomon. Solomon started life with a heart for God. He had a heart that when God asked him what he wanted in life, he answered that the only thing he wanted was God’s wisdom to know what was right and wrong. Yet, somewhere in his life he lost his way and got wrapped up in materialism. The Book of Ecclesiastes shows the materialistic mind Solomon acquired and the result of that mind. In this conclusion, he talks about the seed of dreams. There are two seeds from where dreams come, and the results of those two seeds are very different.

The first seed of dreams is found in the verse above where he talks about dreams coming from “many words.” In other words, this person has many dreams that he talks about, but he does nothing to obtain those dreams. This person tells everyone about everything he would like to do, but truly never does anything to see those dreams come to reality. These dreams will never come to fruition and will leave a person empty because they are the result of talk and not production.

The second seed of dreams is found in verse 3 where the dreams come from a “multitude of business.” These dreams are come because someone is busy working. In other words, someone is busy working, and while they are working they see the potential of what can come from their work. These dreams are more than a dream, but they are the direction where this person is headed. This person will see their dreams come to reality because they are a result of hard work.

In both of these illustrations, you will find that there is nothing wrong with having a dream. There is nothing wrong with the pastor having a dream for his ministry. There is nothing wrong with the youth have a dream for their life. There is nothing wrong with a business person having a dream for their business. Dreams are the visions that should drive you to increase your potential.

Moreover, dreams will only be realized if you stop talking and start working. You can talk about your dreams, but if you do nothing to see them come to light then you will find your dreams are empty illusions. If you take your dreams and pursue them through hard work, then you can see your dreams become a reality. The fruit of your dreams are truly the result of the seed from whence they came. If they come through the multitude of words, then they will leave you empty. If they are a result of hard work, as long as you continue to work towards realizing them, you will see them come to reality.

The whole key comes down to the final phrase in the verse above, “…but fear thou God.” In other words, don’t allow your dreams to override your fear of God. Don’t allow dreams to pull you away from God. Dreams that cause you to stop fearing God will leave you empty. Friend, go ahead and pursue your dreams, but be sure that your dreams never take preeminence over God. As long as your dreams do not pull God off the throne of your life, then your dreams can be blessed by God. Go ahead and pursue your dreams, but never let your dreams keep you from what God’s will is for your life.

Job 24:15
“The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.”

Children sing the song, “O, be careful little eyes what you see…for the Father up above is looking down in love, O be careful little eyes what you see.” The eyes are the primary source from where your brain gets its information. If we are truly careful with our eyes then we can stop most sin, because the eyes is where sin starts.

The verse above says, “The eye of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight…” You will notice that adultery starts with the eyes. That means somewhere before a person commits adultery, they have seen something they should not have seen. Maybe it was a television program that caused them to see something they should not have seen. Maybe it was a picture in a magazine or on the internet that they should not have seen. Maybe they went to a place where people were dressed indecently. It all starts with the eyes. If you want to keep a pure mind, then you need to be protective of what you allow your eyes to see. Let me give a few thoughts about protecting your eyes.

First, make a commitment with your eyes that you will not look at anything indecent. Psalm 101:3 says, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.” You will never overcome any morality problem have until you make a promise with your eyes that you will not look at things you should not see. This sounds strange, but has there ever been a time when you promised your eyes before God that you would no longer look at wrong things? Friend, if you are truly serious about keeping yourself from doing wrong, then you must make promise your eyes that you will not look at the wrong things.

Second, don’t allow your eyes to be fixed. In other words, you must train your eyes to never stay on something. Most people get themselves in trouble when they look and get fixed on that which they see. You must be careful to keep your eyes moving. When you see something that triggers a lustful thought, keep your eyes moving. When your eyes stop is when the lust begins.

Third, ask God to lead your paths. God is more interested in holiness than you are. If you will ask Him to guide you away from situations that would cause your eyes to see something that would create lust, then you will be surprised how much you don’t see. When you have asked God to guide your paths, then you must be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guiding, even if it doesn’t make sense.

Fourth, realize the impact a lustful mind will make on your future. Your eyes are truly the window to your future. If you will control what you are looking at, then you can be sure that your future is filled with righteous thinking and not lustful thinking. Don’t let the immediate gratification of a lustful sight destroy your future. Adultery will never happen if you keep your eyes from seeing things that create a lustful mind.

God commands the Christian to be holy. If you are going to live a holy life, then you must control your eyes for they are where sin starts. If your eyes only look at that which God would approve, then you can keep your mind from having lustful thoughts which leads to adulterous actions. If you protect your eyes, then you will embark upon a journey to a pure mind.

Job 13:27
“Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet.”

No matter where you may look you see fingerprints. As I look at my desk, I can see my fingerprints on the places where I have worked. My fingerprint is found all over my phone because I’m use it. On my birth certificate, you will find my footprint and fingerprint. They are my identifying markers that are unique to me. They show where I’ve been and what I have done.

Job said about God, “…thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet.” This one little phrase should be an encouragement for every Christian. Job was saying that God left His print on us when He made us. That thought reminds me of several things.

First, your print should remind you that God thought about you. They say there is no one fingerprint or footprint alike. That means that God had to think about you when He made you. You didn’t just happen upon this Earth, but the Creator of the Universe took time to think about you when He made you.

Second, your print should remind you that you are unique to God. If no fingerprint or footprint is alike, then you are the only you. Friend, you are no uh-oh to God. You may look like one of your parents, but you are still unique. What society may consider a mistake is the fingerprint of God. A special needs person is not a mistake, but they have the fingerprint of God on their lives. No matter what you may feel is a physical flaw is truly the fingerprint of God on your life.

Third, your print should remind you that God put His mark on you. A fingerprint is an impression left behind on a surface. In other words, when you look at your fingerprint, you can be reminded that God left an impression upon you because you are His work. Never get the feeling that God doesn’t love you, because your fingerprint and footprint proves that He worked on you. Not only did God work on you, but He is still working on you. Your print is the mark of God on your life. That means that He wants to use you to do something for Him. Anywhere you find my fingerprint means that I wanted to use that object to do something. God’s print on your life means that He wants to do something with you.

Fourth, your print should remind you that you belong to God. Don’t ever forget that you are God’s. When you are considering running to a sinful lifestyle, always look at your print and remember that you belong to God. You are His work. You are unique to Him. He has invested in your life. Don’t steal the work of God and use it for the Devil, because you belong to God.

We have a simple reminder everyday when we wake up that God is with us and is working on us. Christian, you have no reason to be discourage because you have the print of God on your life. You don’t have to go through life thinking that nobody cares for you because your print proves that God cares for you. Take some time right now and look at your print and thank God for leaving His mark on your life, then go and use your life for the purpose for which he created you.

Esther 2:15
“Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.

Esther is one of the amazing characters in the Scriptures. She was orphaned as a young girl, and Mordecai, her uncle, took her as his own daughter and reared her. She could have easily rebelled against her uncle because he was not her real father, but she did not. She could have easily become bitter at God for not allowing her parents to live long enough to rear her, but she did not. From all accounts in the Scriptures, Esther accepted her plot in life and made the best of it.

So, what was the secret to her rise to power? She certainly was not given a silver spoon at birth. She did not come from an influential family in the country. She did not have the pedigree of a ruling family. She did not have anything that many people think a person must have to gain power. She was an orphan and poor, yet she still gained enough influence to rise to throne of the queen.

The secret is found in two separate verses. In verse 10 it says, “Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.” Then the verse above says about Esther, “…she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed.”

In both instances, she did not follow her own opinions, but she followed the opinions and advice of those who knew more than she. Mordecai was wiser than Esther about the feelings of the people towards the Jews, so he advised her not to tell her kindred. Hegai knew more of what appealed to the king than she, so she followed his advice. She easily could have done what the rest of the young ladies did by following their own whims of what they thought would make them appealing to the king, but she did not do this. In both cases, she simply followed the advice of those who knew what was right, and that led to her rise to queen.

The secret to Esther’s success was her willingness to follow the advice of those who knew more than she. You will never rise to any level of great authority or influence unless you learn to listen to the advisors God places in your life. The know-it-all attitude only harms your potential. You must realize that there are people whom God places in your life who know more than you, and you would be wise to not only listen to their advice but also follow it.

Are you the type of person who never listens to anyone because you think you have all the answers, or are you the type of person who acknowledges the advice of those who know more than you? The degree of your potential depends upon how teachable you are. The degree of your potential truly depends upon whether you are willing to listen to people who know more than you. If you will have a teachable spirit and are willing to listen to the advisors God places in your life, then you will find that by following their advice you will find greater success. I encourage you to humble yourself and listen to the advisors God places in your life. No matter what your age may be, always be humble enough to listen to the advisors God has placed in your life.

Nehemiah 13:7
“And I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.”

Nehemiah faced many obstacles in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, but one would never think that the greatest enemy he faced was his own people. After the wall was rebuilt, Nehemiah left Jerusalem to report to the king what all was completed. While he was gone, the people built Tobiah a chamber in which to live in the house of God.

Tobiah was one of the greatest enemies who did everything in his power to stop the rebuilding of the walls. This was totally ludicrous for him to even be allowed in the city, much less the house of God. Yet, when Nehemiah saw what was done, he cast him out of the house of God and rebuked the people.

Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” If you are saved, you don’t have a right to do whatever you want with your body because it is the abode of the Holy Ghost. Yet, like the people in the verse above, many Christians have prepared chambers in their heart for the enemy. Let me show you some of the areas where we have prepared chambers for the enemy.

First, we prepare chambers for the enemy when we listen to criticism. Tobiah was a critic of LORD’s work. Do you listen to the critics of the LORD’s work? There are some things you should never listen to and one of those things is criticism. Criticism plants a seed of doubt and destroys the work of faith. You must completely avoid those things that would sow doubt in your faith through criticism. Critics always have great stories and excuses for their criticism, but don’t let their criticism build a chamber for the enemy.

Second, we prepare chambers for the enemy when we associate with questionable people. Tobiah was an enemy of the LORD, yet the people of God were associating themselves with him. Friend, if you don’t want to build chambers for the enemy, then you must avoid associations with those who would destroy your faith in God. I have watched many good people leave the faith because of their associations with wrong people. Always be careful with whom you associate. You will be affected by them, and one wrong association is all it takes to build a chamber for the enemy.

Third, we prepare chambers for the enemy when we question our separatist positions. The people apparently had questioned Nehemiah’s standard of separation when they allowed Tobiah to have a chamber in which to live in the house of God. There are many people who struggle with separation from the world and separation from those whose position in scripturally wrong. Separation is a guard to keep you from building chambers for the enemy. You may not always like the standards of separation God has commanded in the Scriptures, but they are there to protect you from allowing the enemy to influence you away from God.

Are you building chambers for the enemy? Have you allowed these three things in your life? Friend, always take heed to yourself that you don’t allow chambers for the enemy to be built in your heart. If you see a chamber of the enemy in your heart, then immediately remove it so that its influence will not lure your away from obedience to God.

Ezra 8:21
“Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.”

In my teenage years, I had a great desire to know God’s will for my life. At thirteen years of age, I surrendered to be a preacher of the Gospel, and for the next several years I wondered in what area He would have me preach. It wasn’t until I was nineteen years of age that I knew God wanted me to be an evangelist. From thirteen years of age to nineteen years of age, I sought God’s will daily because I truly wanted to be in the center of God’s will for my entire life.

Since then, I have had several times when I needed to know God’s will. Just like Israel in the verse above, I sought God’s will to know the right way to go. As you can see from the verse above, there are times when you must take greater steps to know the will of God. I find in the Scriptures, there are three specific things you must do if you want to know the will of God.

First, live a righteous life. Psalm 5:8 says, “ Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.” Living a righteous life is more than staying away from sin. Living a righteous life is performing right acts. In other words, you must stay away from sin and also serve God. Don’t expect God to show you His will if you are not living your life according to the Scriptures. Sin will keep you from God’s will.

Moreover, God will not show you His will if you are not busy serving Him. God doesn’t show His will to those who sit and do nothing. You will find in the Scriptures that God revealed His will to individuals who were busy serving Him. If you truly want to know the will of God, then you would be wise to get involved in your local church. You will find as you serve Him that His will for your life will become very clear.

Second, seek God’s way in everything you do. Proverbs 3:6 says, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” This is one of the clearest verses on finding the will of God. The word “acknowledge” means to recognize the importance of God’s help in everything you do. God wants you to become completely dependent upon Him with everything you do. When you realize your incompetence and His ability to lead you in all you do, that is when your heart is tender enough for God to guide you. Notice, when you acknowledge God in everything that He will be sure you end up on the right pathway of life. When you spend your days in prayer seeking the face of God, He will be sure that you end up on the right pathway for your life.

Third, finding God’s will depends upon how bad you want it. In the verse above, they wanted to know the will of God to the point that they were willing to fast for several days until they knew it. Let me ask you, how bad do you want to know the will of God? Do you want to know it bad enough that you are willing to fast? Friend, there will be times in your life when you will need to take the drastic measure of fasting to find God’s will for your life.

Finding God’s will for your life should be the greatest desire of your life. God’s will is never discovered by running in the world, but it will only be found by staying close to God and serving Him. I have found that you can’t miss the will of God when you are walking by His side.

2 Chronicles 20:22
“And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.”

The story in the verse above is truly an amazing story. Jehoshaphat was king of Judah at the time. Judah was not a large country, but many knew they were a split from Israel. Yet, God was with Jehoshaphat and all that he did.

One day while Jehoshaphat was sitting in his palace, there came a small group of people to inform him that a large army from two countries were coming to take Judah. Fear gripped his heart, and his first response was to go to the sanctuary of the LORD and to beg God for help. After he was done pouring his complaint out to God, the Spirit of God fell upon a young man who was of the tribe of the Levites. God moved this man to tell Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah to not fear, because the LORD was going to fight the battle for them.

The amazing part of the story happens the next day when Jehoshaphat and the army of Judah gathered to go against these two great armies. Jehoshaphat told them not to be afraid as they headed for a part of the wilderness that would enclose them to the attack of the enemy. Before they arrived to the cliff of Ziz, Jehoshaphat organized singers to sing before the army as they marched towards this part of the wilderness where they would be enclosed by three mountains.

As they came close to the mountains that surrounded them and seemingly come to the place of their eminent death, the people began to sing. Can you imagine the two armies hearing the army of Judah singing as they were marching towards their death. But something happened. As they sang, God sent ambushments against these two armies. Many believe these ambushments were armies of angels that fought for Judah. It was the singing of the army of Judah that delivered them from their impending death.

Friend, maybe today you feel like you are surrounded by trials. Maybe today you look at what you face and you see no way out of your trials. You look on one side and you see a trial. You then look to the opposite side and see another trial. You look forwards and backwards and see that your trials have surrounded you and are trying to destroy you. Let me suggest in these times that you sing.

You will notice in the story that they prayed, but that was not the deliverance from their trial. They heard the Levite prophesy, but that was not the deliverance from their trial. They stepped out by faith the next day to go towards the armies to fight, but that did not deliver them. What caused God to step in was when He heard them singing as if none of these things were happening, and their singing was a sign to God that they were content with whatever God wanted for them.

Does this mean that praying in times of heartache does not help? Absolutely not! Does this mean that hearing preaching will not help you get through your trials? Definitely not! Does this mean that stepping out by faith is needless during your trials? Certainly not! These were all part of the story, but the singing of God’s people is what sprung the angels of God to action to fight for them.

Let me encourage you during your time of trial to sing. Singing calms the heart and shows God that you are secure in His will. You will find when you begin to sing that the trials won’t seem so big. You will find that singing has a way of defeating the greatest of trials. Let me encourage you today to let the songs of God become a great part of your daily life. They will calm your heart, make your trials not seem so great and they will spring God’s angels into action to help you face your daily battles.