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Friday, February 23, 2007
You Can't Run from Your Problems Have you ever tried to run away from a problem? Have you ever been faced with a really bad situation and just didn't know how you were going to deal with it? After much thought and concentration, you just don't know what to do so your natural inclination is to flee? You tried to fight, but you got beat down? I have. The Bible talks about this in Isaiah 22. God sends a message to his people. He asks them why they are hiding from conflict. He says you were once happy, things were going great, you had good times but now you and all your leaders have run away. When conflict arose, the people who tried to run from the enemy without even standing strong were captured and killed without even putting up a fight. This passage is telling us that God expects us to stand up and face our challenges and problems. The wise person will not only face their problems but will look to the Lord for help in time of the storm. The book of James tells us that if we lack wisdom all we have to do is ask God and Hwill give us wisdom to face the challenge. God tells Joshua several times to be strong and courageous as he is about to face the challenge of conquering nations and taking their land. He also commends King David for his courage. God is straight forward with us and He tells us that the problems will come. In the book of Matthew, God talks about the storms coming and the waves crashing in, but He tells us to look to Him for our help and our strength. He wants to give us His courage and strength to deal with our problems. This is how He receives glory. Everyone encounters problems during the course of their life. This is a commonality that we all face. People are always looking for answers about how to deal with their problems and come out successful and victorious. Can you imagine the influence we will gain with people when they see us facing challenges head on and coming out unscathed time and time again? Think of the attention you can reflect to God in situations like this. It's cool to retreat sometimes in an effort to recharge and regroup. During these times we should seek God for help in our situations and trust that He is faithful and just to help us. Isaiah 30:18 tells us that "He longs to be gracious to us and He rises to show us his compassion". You need to realize that God wants to help you in every situation you face because He desires for you to reflect Him in everything you do in life. So, when the problems come, face them head on. Show people that you are not afraid and you will make it through victoriously. Not because of who you are, but because of whose you are. Because God gives you the strength and He walks with you when you walk with Him. So, walk with Him and face your problems instead of running away on your own. Can you dig it? Pasta' Alex posted by Pasta' Alex # 9:15 AM 1 Comments Links to this post   Friday, February 09, 2007 Blessed be Your Name Today I found out that my friend, Carroll Condellone died yesterday. For the last year and a half she has battled cancer and her fight finally came to an end last night. After months of pain and suffering, her time came to an end. Carroll was the nicest lady you would ever want to meet. Carroll and I became friends about 10 years ago when we worked together. Every day, Carroll would come to work with a positive attitude and a smile on her face. She was a hard worker and always was willing to work extra hours whenever needed. Carroll was nice and kind to everyone she encountered and made a lasting impression. Shortly after she was diagnosed with cancer, I had the privilege of sharing Christ with her and leading her in the sinners prayer. During her bout with cancer, there were several ladies from MCI and James River who would check on her and spend time each week meeting her needs. They were there with her when she passed. When I recieved the news, I was overcome with emotion. I cried. Then I worshiped the Lord. Right there in my office, through the tears for my friend Carroll, I sang a song of worship to the Lord. Blessed be Your name in the land that is plentiful Where Your streams of abundance flow Blessed be Your name And blessed be Your name when I'm found in the desert place Though I walk through the wilderness Blessed be Your name Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise And when the darkness closes in, Lord still I will say Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be your glorious name Blessed be Your name when the sun's shinning down on me When the world's "all as it should be" Blessed be Your name And blessed be your name on the road marked with suffering Though there's pain in the offering Blessed be Your name You give and take away You give and take away My heart will choose to say Lord, Blessed be Your name. - Matt Rebman You will be missed, Carroll. Word... Pasta Alex posted by Pasta' Alex # 1:39 AM 0 Comments Links to this post Thursday, February 01, 2007 Practical Prayer Happy Black History Month! February is my favorite month of the year. Not only do I have the opportunity to celebrate black heritage, but it's also the month I was born. It could also be considered the month of love, since Valentine's Day is this month. Some would consider it the month of football since the Super Bowl is played the first weekend, thus deciding who will be the champion of the NFL. There are a lot of claims to fame for the month of February. Why don't you personalize this month and make it a month of prayer? Make February 2007 the month you draw closer to the Lord than ever before. This can happen if you make February a month of prayer for you and your family. I have been a youth pastor for a few years and all along I have encouraged students to grow deeper in their walk with Christ. The simple fact of the matter is that this will not happen if students do not pray and read God's word. I tell people all the time, if you don't seek the Lord and develop the discipline of spending time with Him on a consistent basis, you can't expect to live the life of a committed Christian. E. M. Bounds said; "Prayer is what distinguishes the children of God from others. Prayer is the one infallible mark and test of being a Christian". These are strong words, so many of us claim to be Christians, yet we don't spend time on a consistent and regular basis in prayer with our Lord and Savior. How can this be? E. M. Bounds went on to say; "That man cannot possibly be called a Christian, who does not pray. By no possible pretext can he claim any right to the term if he does not pray." Are you a Christian? Do you pray? I have come to realize that the majority of people would pray more if they knew how. As a pastor, I am guilty of telling people to pray but not giving more direction as to how to do it. So, I offer the following advice about how to develop and maintain a consistent prayer life. We will start by first realizing that prayer is a simple conversation we have with God. We talk to him like we do any other friend and we give him the opportunity to speak by being silent during parts of the prayer. For people at he beginning stages of developing a prayer life, I would encourage you to start with 15-20 minutes of prayer a day using the ACTS model and accompany this with 10-15 minutes of Bible reading. The ACTS model is an acronym that stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. This model calls for spending 3-5 minutes doing each of these during the course of your prayer time. Spend the first 3-5 minutes of prayer in adoration of God, worshipping Him for who He is. Spend the next 3-5 minutes confessing the sin in your life and admitting things you have done wrong. Spend the next 3-5 minutes in thanksgiving, offering gratitude for the things He has done in your life and for the promises He has given us in His word. Lastly, spend 3-5 minutes in supplication; this is when you bring your needs before Him. Pick a consistent time that you spend each day in prayer and Bible reading. Put this on your calendar before you fill it up with other things. Treat this as your most important appointment of the day. You don't want to miss an appointment with the King! As you grow in your walk and mature in your relationship, increase the time you spend in each area. The goal should be to spend more and more time with Him and get to know Him on a more intimate level. Prayer helps us understand and acknowledge our dependence on God. He knows what we need before we even ask, but He wants us to pray so that we can recognize and acknowledge our dependence on Him. Make this month, and the rest of this year, your best year ever. And remember, if you pray, all things are possible. Word... Pasta' Alex posted by Pasta' Alex # 10:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post |
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