July 14 2007 -- Young Lions and Young Guns II   I heard the Lord tell me, "young lions" this morning. I love when He does this because He wants me to go find it, to search Him out, to hear His heart on the matter. I thought that I remembered the verse, but I did a search and found this one in particular....Psalm 34: 10 "The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing." The world is full of young lions. They are the top of the food chain. They fear nothing and nobody. You don't just go pick a fight with a lion...period. But, you are especially foolish to pick a fight with a young, strong, well-equipped and fearless youth. You'd be flat out stupid. But, David tackled the job. You probably remember when Saul was facing Goliath....oh, wait...it was David who took on the GIANT Philistine. David discards Saul's armor and weaponry. He tells Saul that he was a man who had fought for his lambs before. He killed a bear and a LION with his hands...not something I learned in Scouts. But, God never sends us into battle for any lamb without bringing us smaller fights first. If you cannot believe God when they take your car, how can you believe him when Satan tries to take one of your children, or your wife....or your very life? You cannot. So, God trains us. After all, you don't just hand a loaded .38 to a second-grader. Right!? He brings us young lions...one at a time at first. Yes, even the lions are under God's watchful eye. The world around us roars....they are told to be the biggest and the baddest....the most successful lion wins....right?! It's called "survival of the fittest." Well, speaking of which, I saw a special on lions on the Discovery Channel. One lioness sneaks up on the gazelles and waits. Then, all the other lions gather at one point in the grass. Once they're in place, the lead lioness blows her cover and runs at the group of gazelles. In their panic, she drives them right into the heart of the waiting pride. Gotcha! The enemy got you on the run? Got you panicked that you're gonna get fired or lose a friend? Perhaps she's even charging straight at you today. Hold your ground. It's a trap. Hungry lions roar loudest when they're hungry...but even they are dependent upon the God who made them. But, they that wait on the Lord God of heaven are sheltered from the baddest CAT on the block. And, ultimately, though a thousand fall around us, we will rise up without even the smell of smoke on our clothing. Why, because they that wait (ABIDE) in God shall NOT lack any good, beneficial or excellent thing. In Psalm 27:13-14, David reminds us, "What would have become of me had I not believed that I would see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living!? Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord." Be brave little lamb....even if you hear the lion's roar in your ear. Pick up a few smooth stones (Bible verses), stand on your front porch and yell defiantly into the woods, "here, kitty kitty!"

July 13 2007 -- Why the Long Face?   What is the challenge you are facing today? Did you believe God to deliver you or heal you or bring you out of something and into some blessing? Well, here's a little warning. You have an enemy who wants you dead in the water. You want proof? Check out Mark 4:17 "And they have no real root in themselves, and so they endure for a little while; then when trouble or persecution arises ON ACCOUNT OF the Word, they immediately are offended (become displeased, indignant, resentful) and they stumble and fall away." It is NOT a coincidence that you heard God tell you to pray for that guy at work and the next day he spits on your car. It is not happenstance that you lose your wallet when you are believing God to turn your finances around. 2 Corinthians 10 tells us very plainly that we are not "wrestling against flesh and blood". It's not the guy at work or the jerk who took your wallet. They are pawns in a larger scheme....a scheme. You are in a fight for the harvest of what was sown into your heart, because if you'll hang on...press through, thank God for the outcome HE promised and never let go, you will reap. Here's what to do instead of giving up: 1. Watch your words. Don't let the circumstances get your mouth out of joint with what God says. Say what God says. Yes, be upset. You lost your dog. It's okay to cry. But, don't talk your way out of your blessings. 2. Get some support. Don't talk to people around you, even close friends, who are going to tell you LIES. "Well, perhaps you should be more careful," I had a friend say to me once. He meant well, but that wasn't the point. I was in a battle for my life and he was unbuckling my armor. 3. If you have to go down. Go down fighting. I was watching the movie, "Catch Me If You Can." The Dad tells a story about two mice who were stuck in a bucket of milk. The first mouse drown, but the other mouse kept struggling and fighting for his life. Eventually, he churned the milk into butter and walked out. I know. I have a lot of spare time these days. But consider this...when are you really, really, really out of options?! When you're dead...maybe. Until then, believe God and never, ever quit. "Today I have become that second mouse." - Frank Abignale, Sr.

July 12 2007 -- They Took Our Car This Morning Funny how easy it is to serve the Lord....to praise Him when you're employed, buying a vente Starbucks every morning and you're the popular kid at Church. But, today they took our car. They were very nice about it....and that was nice. So, they must've come early this a.m., because when I went out to get in the car, it was not in the driveway. We are behind on payments, and a lot of people are giving us advice. Well-meaning people trying to cheer us up by offering us a job or paying our enrollment fee to get into Amway. I have done the same thing for others. I look at them and try to figure out why they're in the position in the first place. My brain works through all the reasons that it's probably their fault. I want to offer advice because it's NOT happening to me. I love giving advice from a position of strength. When you're the one in it....it's more irritating than anything. And life still goes on...as they walk away shaking their heads as they go. But, why do we stop there? "Well, God is mysterious," they'll add. "Yes," I'll try to smile at them as they stare blankly at me, "but He's not mean or impotent." And then I'm struck by the fact that so many of these well-meaning people are being used to plant a thought that is anything but godly. I told a friend of mine that we were having "Rief", my new-born son, at home. He said, "Oh, my....well, you know 'rief' comes from something something in Hebrew that means 'death'...have a nice day. Click." If you don't believe that the enemy uses good people to do his dirty work, you're fooling yourself. And you don't have to put up with it. Jesus spoke right in Peter's face when He said, "Get behind me, you satan". Yikes. I thought of David's plight. He was anointed KING over Israel. He should've been eating peeled grapes from the navel of his lovely wife Abigail, but that's not how it came down. In 1 Samuel 30, it says: "NOW WHEN David and his men came home to Ziklag on the third day, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid on the South (the Negeb) and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire, And had taken the women and all who were there, both great and small, captive. They killed no one, but carried them off and went on their way. So David and his men came to the town, and behold, it was burned, and their wives and sons and daughters were taken captive. Then David and the men with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. David's two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God. The fact is that we have an enemy. He didn't kill anyone in this story. He "stole them" away. But, it looks bad for David and his leadership ability. It looks even worse for God, because He didn't swoop down and prevent the whole thing from happening. But, "the fat lady hadn't sung quite yet," as they say in Venice. David took his entire deal to God. He comforted himself, the Bible says, by throwing all of his cares, reliance and options upon the God who created all nations for His own purposes....and savings and loans for that matter. What will happen? We don't know exactly, but we aren't going to bow down to fear or panic and we certainly aren't out of options....since we're in God's hands. We will do all....and then we will stand. And we'll bring you all a good report very, very soon. Guarantees aren't necessary when you have Father who supersedes