When we’re disappointed or distraught–whether about health or money or prodigals or whatever–we need a biblical plan for recovering God’s peace. Perhaps you’re separated from someone you love, and the loneliness is intense. To love is to sometimes hurt. We need the peace that exceeds understanding, I pray that you spend the time in the Bible along with other God loving books that will help you have this understanding.

Many of you know that I often challenge the way we, myself included, believe and serve God, Christ Jesus. Well let me “Stimulate” your thinking for a minute.

In reading the Bible (the version is not of importance) we see that the Christ we read about ask us to give up everything we have to follow Him. Pretty simple in reading, hard to do in reality to say the least.  I have been reading the book “RADICAL” by David Platt, it has brought some realities to life that I feel we often over look when it comes to following Christ Jesus, the Christ that we read of in the Gospels.

I struggle with the fact we, speaking of American “Christians”, think that we over look the “REAL CHRIST” of the Bible and make Him be what fits us. If we were to do as Christ ask of us, what would that really look like?

I know that many here in the states don’t want a relationship with Christ like He ask of us, it’s too much work. We are a nation that wants for everything to be done for us. We don’t want to work and do, we want “OUR small groups ready for us so all we have to do is come in and be “FED”.

Let me ask this question. “If we were to come face to face with a dangerous reality of having to give up everything for God, would you?’

I don’t think so, I think we don’t want to believe that Christ really wants us to give up everything for Him, to serve Him. I think that almost everyone who claims Christ does not believe that Jesus literally means that we should give up or sell everything.  I believe that we, as David Platt states in his book, “have started re-defining Christianity.  We are giving into the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist Him into a version we are more comfortable with.  A nice middle class American Jesus, a Jesus Who doesn’t mind materialism and never calls us to give away anything we have”.

Which Christ do you follow??

In Christ,

Pastor  Ernie

Today coming back from Indiana on the same old issue on politics came up, which lead into the direction in which it seems that the world is headed. It always seems to go the same way ending at the same place. However I made the statement that if you read the bible, the future on this, is no mystery. Studying prophecy paints a real picture. Heck even Timothy’s 2^nd letter in chapter 3 spells it out clear as a bell. Then a man spoke up and said that he wished that the bible wasn’t so hard to understand. He thought that it was complicated. I could sense that frustration had shut him down. I said it is really not hard at all, and if you want to we can go to another channel and talk about it. Channel 19 on the CB is like the channel, so he said sure lets go to 25. (oh yea).. So we got on 25 and I share some simple techniques on Bible study. What happened next was So much God that I just, gosh was the word hear? I felt as if I was in the back seat just listening. He said I have a hard time understanding forgiveness! He then just went all into his Divorce and the hurt and his X wife and all she had done. I told him first that I could not possibly council on this there is too much I don’t know and we would never have the time. But let me share with you about forgiveness. We talked for 30-45 minutes. I share things like how forgiveness is for him not her that how it imprisons him. How it keeps him from true peace. I share that it is our nature to want to feel some sort of compensation. Maybe a little payback. But that this is not the way Jesus did it and it is not the way for us either. Our nature is sinful so what seems right can be so wrong. But when go to God and say to him that I need help on this and sincerely pray, the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit can began to transform our thinking. We talked on in depth some more, and then I close in prayer as he started getting harder to hear.

      This for me is living, better than anything I know!! Joining God at his work, humbling and just awesome. Wow what a day!!

Related bible verse The beatitudes Jn.6:32-33 also on forgiveness Matt.5:38-42

John 10:27 says: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me”

Hearing God’s voice is not always easy. Have you ever been praying for direction and felt as if you just can’t get it?  I have many times and often struggle with this. I think first, we have to develop our ears. Like a TV, some have rabbit ears for an antenna and some have cable.  Meaning that with rabbit ears on your TV, reception is not very good. However cable is clear and strong. A strong consistent Quite time is like installing cable. For a long time this was me, rabbit ears.

A steady consistency in God’s word is crucial as well as an understanding that God is God and we are not. Meaning, we can’t possibly always know what’s best. Also, I have found that often, we have too much noise around us all the time and have lost the art of quietness.

Remember in 1 Kings 19:11-12, where God tells Elijah to stand at the mount in Horeb? God’s voice was not in the strong winds or the earthquakes but in the gentle blowing. So in short, look and see if there is a sin problem you may have not repented of; or maybe you have a sin problem that you’re not wanting to repent of (repentance; a willingness to change). If not, then learn to be quiet.  What I mean is, at times turn everything off and meditate on the Greatness of God and who He is in your life, not just what He has done but Who He is.

Develop a daily time with God, if you don’t have one, then you have rabbit ears for an antenna, and be patient.

A verse a friend shared with me in this time is 1 Cor. 14:33 ” for God is not a God of confusion but of peace….” If you move while confused, then more than likely you are running a red light.