Under the Wings of God

He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

- Psalm 91:4

Have you ever pictured yourself under the wings of God? Have you come to take refuge under them? I love the picture of God covering us with his feathers and us taking refuge under his wings. It lets us know that God is ultimately in control. That we have security in Christ, that we can trust in him. The word refuge means a shelter or protection from danger or distress. In the hard times or in our struggles often times we run away from the wings of God. This could be for a number of reasons but many times we just don't trust God. We don't believe that he will protect us from danger or distress. It is in these times we need to run under the wings of God. We need to ask him to help us believe and trust in him and to know he is in control. John Piper in his book "Sweet & Bitter Providence" writes,

"When you believe in the sovereignty of God and that he loves to work mightily for those who trust him, it gives a freedom and courage that isn't abandoned in hard times."

Today I challenge you to picture yourself under the wings of an Almighty, Loving, Powerful God. A God who forgives sin and remembers them no more (Jeremiah 31:34). My prayer is that you will find refuge under the wings of God!

The Patience of Faith

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers is one of my favorite devotionals. If you don't have a copy of it you need to grab one. I want to share with you part of the devotional from May 8th.

"Faith is not a pathetic sentiment, but robust vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. You cannot see Him just now, you cannot understand what He is doing, but you know Him. Shipwreck occurs where there is not that mental poise which comes from being established on eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the heroic effort of your life; you fling yourself in reckless confidence on God.

God has ventured all in Jesus Christ to save us, now He wants us to venture our all in abandoned confidence in Him. There are spots where that faith has not worked in us as yet, places untouched by the life of God. There were none of those spots in Jesus Christ's life, and there are to be none in ours. "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee." The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we take this view, life becomes one great romance, a glorious opportunity for seeing marvelous things all the time. God is disciplining us to get us into this central place of power."

Are you established on eternal truth?

Do you walk with reckless confidence on God?

This may seem like it describes a radical Christian. You may think I know only a few people with that type of radical trust and faith. The question is do you want that type of radical faith and trust in God? Are you willing to ask God for it because he wants to give it to you. It may be radical but it is also Biblical. Today ask God for a robust, vigorous confidence in Him!

Reflections from Prayer & Fasting

Once a month the ministry has a prayer and fasting day. It is usually a Monday and we spend all morning and afternoon praying. We usually break the fast around 3:30 or 4:00pm. This past Monday we had an awesome time of seeking the Lord, praying for friends, community, the town of New Philadelphia, and just surrendering our lives and ministry to God. Here are some thoughts and verses that spoke to me this past Monday...

"For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things." - Psalm 107:9

"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised." - Psalm 113:3

"The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us..." - Psalm 118:27a

"...Your restoration is what we pray for." - 2nd Corinthians 13:9b

Restoration implies a bringing back to a position or relationship. The important thing to remember is that when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ we are redeemed. We are adopted as sons of God and have the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Eph. 1:13-14). At times our fellowship with God fades. We focus on ourselves and sin starts to creep in and distance our fellowship from Christ. It is a "Slow Fade" like the Casting Crowns song. As I was praying Monday God just reminded me to pray for restoration. To restore my fellowship with Him. To remove all the stuff I have placed in between us that is keeping me from Him. So today I pray for restoration in your life. I ask that you would draw near to God and you will enjoy the fullness of joy we have in Christ.

When Love Walks

Walk - to move about in visible form

Have you ever thought about the idea of love walking before? Think about love for a second. What comes to mind? Is it an emotion? Is it a feeling? Is it an action? What is your definition of love? Where did you get this definition? Did the world, media, or culture shape or define love for you? Has God's Word had anything to do with your connotation of the word love? What is the source of love? If you agree with me and say God then do you define love the way He defines it?

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. - 1 John 4:10

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. - 2 John 1:6

Love cannot be stagnant. The love of Christ, the love he showered upon us must be walked out. It must move to become visible. You may be asking yourself what that looks like. Check out 1 Corinthians 13 and you will see a pretty clear picture. Today ask God to give you love that walks. Love that is visible for others to see. A love that we cannot create or manufacture but love that comes from God Almighty.

Power, Passion, & Purpose

Do you walk with your head up or down? Do you walk around with power, passion, and purpose?

Often times I catch myself with my head down. Many times I forget.

I forget that if our God is for us who can be against us?

I forget that our God is stronger and higher than any other

I forget that our God is the healer and redeemer of the broken and the lost

I forget that he is the life changer

I forget that he is living water and the bread of life

I forget that our God is all powerful

I forget that our God loves us unconditionally

I forget that I am His.

Have you forgotten?

Over lunch today I was encouraged. I was listening to a guy who hasn't forgotten. He was walking in the power, passion, and purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was taking the attacks of Satan head on with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit. It wasn't easy but there was the power or Christ in his life. His passion and purpose proved it.

I don't usually write prayers but I want to leave you with one today. Don't let the enemy win the battles in your mind and in your life. Use the power and truth that God has given you.

"God, I am your child. You are my father. I thank you for that relationship. I pray that I realize this truth and embrace it. I pray that I would walk in your power today. That you would give me a passion for the name of Jesus Christ. As it talks about in Acts 4, I pray that people would take note that I have been with Jesus. That my life would reflect and lead people to you Lord. I thank you for the power over sin and death that the cross accomplished for me. Give me an eternal perspective and a passion to fulfill my purpose in Christ. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Restrained

Have you ever had to be restrained?

When it comes to living passionately for Jesus Christ one of the last words I think of is restraint. That is why it caught my eye as I was reading Exodus 36. As the people of God were constructing the Tabernacle, everyone whose hearts were stirred to do the work came. The people of Israel continued to bring contributions for the work of the Tabernacle. In verse 5 the workers approach Moses.

"and said to Moses, "The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do." So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, "Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more." - Exodus 36:5-7

I love the fact that they had to be restrained from giving. There is no way you would see that in today's culture. We are either holding on so tightly or when there is an abundance it is never enough. One of the prayers for the ministry is that God would provide all that we need to do what he has commanded us to do. Not more and not less, just enough. Every month God comes through. Every month we have enough to pay the bills. God continues to prove time and time again that we can trust him. I don't know where you are at but I do know God wants you to trust him.

I love to dream. I love to dream big. What if the people of God would desperately care for the work of the LORD? What if the people of God had an eternal perspective? Would their focus shift? Would the world look any different? What would it look like if pastors would have to tell their congregations to stop giving because of the abundance of their giving? What an awesome sight that would be!

The Sheep of Your Pasture

"But we your people, the sheep of your pasture,

will give thanks to you forever,

from generation to generation we will recount your praise."

- Psalm 79:13

Have you ever thought of yourself as a sheep in the Lord's pasture? To me that is a reassuring. It is a picture of God's love and guidance for our lives. As much as my prideful self hates to admit it this means that I am not in control. This means that I have to surrender control of my life to the shepherd. But thanks be to God that when the Lions, Wolves and Bears come we have our shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me."

- John 10:10-14

Abide

So recently I have not made time read. I have done my daily time in the Bible and have really studied it but my supplemental ready has really slacked the past month. In fact I haven't done any. Therefore this past week I made a commitment to pick up some good books. I began reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and What Jesus Demands from the World by John Piper. Let me just say that when you add to your Bible reading some great stuff by some great authors it grows you, strengthens you, and energizes you. If you are not a reader or have slacked recently I encourage you to pick up a good book and dive in. If you need some suggestions I have some on the side tab on my blog or feel free to ask me.

With that being said I wanted to share some thoughts I gleamed from a chapter from the Piper book...

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." John 15:9

Abide: to remain stable or in a fixed state

Did you know that Jesus demands that we abide in him? Did you know that he demands the engagement of our minds and hearts every day of our lives?

"Abiding in Jesus means staying vitally connected to the life-giving, power giving, fruit-producing branch, namely, Jesus." - Piper

Do you ever feel depleted? Spiritually tired? Exhausted?

Do you feel like you are in a desert wandering for water?

If you are feeling this way I hope you evaluate if you are abiding in Christ's love and in God's Word. Jesus Christ is the life giver, he is the source of everything good in us. Actually, apart from Christ we can do nothing of any value. When we try to operate on our own power we eventually dry up. We cannot sustain ourselves, that is why Christ demands that we abide in him. My heart for you today is that you would stay vitally connected to Jesus. That you would remain in his love, his truth, and his word. Take time today to savor the goodness of your savior.

"Believing in Jesus as our living water means drinking the water - savoring it and being satisfied with it." - Piper

At The Cross

We had an amazing weekend working with Polen Band to share Gospel of Jesus Christ and celebrate the release of their new cd, "Face to Face." My favorite song (right now, it seems to always change) is called "At the Cross." I just wanted to share it with you and let it minister to your hearts today.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" - Mark 15:37-39

AT THE CROSS
(words and music by Jeff Polen ©2005 Jeff Polen Music / ending words written by Eric Kaufman, Jeff Kaufman, and Maynard Miller ©2009)

You have asked me for everything
But You have given me more than I gave You
And I have found that when I’m nothing
I am everything in You

When I’m weak You make me strong
When I’m down You give me words to a song
And it picks me up again
And I lay my burdens down
At the cross again
And then it’s only You and me

I am a stranger in a strange land
You are still the same
And You are always right beside me
Every time I call Your name, Jesus

When I’m weak You make me strong
When I’m down You give me words to a song
And it picks me up again
And I lay my burdens down
At the cross again
And then it’s only You and me

credits

www.polenband.com

His Grace is Sufficient

So it has been awhile since my last blog. Life, ministry, and living with 7 other people can tend to make life a little crazy. So in the midst of taking on the weight of others, the burdens of those you care deeply about, and wrestling through extremely tough decisions I found myself a little stressed out today. Have you ever tried to be "Superman?" Usually I don't struggle with this and tend to give my cares and burdens over to the Lord but today for some reason they seemed to pile up on my shoulders. They started to block out my faith and trust in God and started to pour thoughts of worry, doubt, and inadequacy into my life. As we arrived at New Grounds Cafe to prepare for our weekly outreach called "RE-connect" I found myself starring blankly at my computer. Then in the background I heard "Your Grace is Enough" by Chris Tomlin. Immediately 2 Corinthians 12:9 came to me,

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

That truth resonated with me and assured me that I don't have to be "Superman." That in all actuality I can do nothing apart from the power of Christ. That I need to stop relying on Travis and start relying on Jesus Christ and the truth of His word. So today my prayer for you is that you would know that God's grace is sufficient and you would see his power made perfect in weakness.