Service To The Lord

Luke 17:7- 8 “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’

The North American Church unlike other countries seems to have twisted the meaning behind this scripture. Many Christians today go to church to be feed a great message that lifts them up to make it from Sunday to Sunday. Often times if there isn't a meaty message, people will move on down the road going from church to church until they find a message that feeds their spirit. Church is not for feeding our spirits and our wants and desires and it was never designed for that purpose.

Jesus said in Matthew 21:13 "It is written," he said to them, “My house will be called a house of prayer. Church has always been known as a house of worship." When we are there, we are there for one purpose. We are there to give thanks and praise for all that the Lord has done and continues to do in our lives. We give Him glory. The idea that we are going to go to church and come out all filled up is wrong. We might come out with our spirits filled up because something the pastor said in his message put us in a positive space, but that was not the sole purpose. We feel good mostly from the overflow from our praises to God.

Our receiving comes from our giving. I don't mean money. I mean praise and thanks. When we honor the Lord, we prove worthy before him. He loves when we praise, when we show faith, when we give to him or to others in need. The good feeling we are all looking for should come from our giving of ourselves. Having our hearts and minds in the right place and focusing on the things of God. That is where the great feelings come from.

The Pastor is not there to make us feel good. Preaching is all about getting us right with God. The pastor leads us through the dark areas of life and into the light, using the word of God, drawing us closer to that place where we are in communion with the Lord. The pastor's message should draw us closer to God. It should convict our spirit of anything we have done wrong in thought or in action, so that we can repent for that thought or action and become able to be forgiven and washed white as snow by the blood of Jesus.

I long for the day when the fire of the Holy Spirit flows through the hearts all of us, so that we can really see what God can do. There are many churches in the United States, but unfortunately many of them will never actually see God move. So many churches just go through the motions of a service or mass and they stick to a structured routine. There is nothing structured about God, belief, faith, praise, or miracles. I can’t endure sitting through that type of service anymore and I cringe whenever I have to go to a church that is like that, I thank God that those occasions are rare. If you are in a church like that and you’re content with it, you couldn’t have experienced a move of God. Anyone that has seen something happen that absolutely no question had to be a supernatural move of God could not be content to do church like that once they had.

I actually refer to those kind congregations as “churches” and the places where the spirit of the Lord resides as “houses of worship”. The difference is like night and day. It is just a whole lot more fun to give praise, worship and glory to the Lord in great abundance. If prayer is the thing that moves God, then “Houses of worship” are the place to be, because there is nothing like seeing the result of God performing a miracle or healing someone or giving favor to someone. My heart skips a beat every time I see something that God has done. I love just hearing the testimonies from people that have received a blessing from God.

So be joyous in all of your giving. Serve the Father the way he deserves to be served, with all of your heart, soul, mind and spirit. With everything you have serve Him. In everything you do serve Him. Spending our entire lives from the womb to the tomb serving God wouldn’t be enough. We owe him for everything we have.

1 Peter 2:21-22 (The Message) This is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step. He never did one thing wrong, Not once said anything amiss. They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you're named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.

I invite you to pray this with me

Father God, I thank you for all that you do for us. We are not worthy of your grace, and forgiveness, but you do it anyway. If only we could show you the unconditional love that you show to us God. You deserve our best, your word teaches us how to live and how to serve you. Help us God to be better servants to you. I ask you to take control and guide us all into the place you desire for each of us. Lord Jesus come. Come upon us and fill our hearts, help us to be better at giving away the love, compassion, and blessings that you bestow upon each of us. Teach us how to do your will better so that we get into the place where we can see you performing miracles as an everyday occurance.

I ask this in your most Holy name

Amen

God Bless You All

“The Sharpshooter”

The Priority Of Seeking God's Face

2 Chronicles 7:14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Psalm 27:8 My heart says of you "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.

Psalm 105:4 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

The instruction is given to us many times in the Bible,” Seek His face." It is supposed to be the face and the heart of God that we seek for there in his heart is his love for us. In his face is his relationship with us. Spending time with the Lord should be our primary focus. We should be seeking the Lord just because we want to spend time with him, whether that means being in prayer, reading the bible, meditating on His word or having conversations about him. In all of these instances we are spending time, giving praise, acknowledging His many works and when we are speaking about him to others we are giving testimony of what God has done in our lives. The power of our testimony should never be underestimated. When we tell someone what the Lord has done for us, we are creating an environment for God to move in. Our testimony creates an environment for the supernatural to happen.

Instead of seeking His face though, many people just seek the Lord's hand. They don't want a relationship; they only want what’s in it for them. It becomes all about them instead of being all about God. These people very rarely receive a blessing unless God feels that a sign or blessing from him will be the thing that moves them into a place where they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Usually though people that just seek the Lord for his hand, don't get much. They end up saying "See, there is no God" or "God doesn't love me." Oh, if they only understood what they were saying, but they don't and that's where we as Christians have to shine the light of God into the lives of these people in order that they would see the errors of their ways and get on the path of righteousness.

Christians need to be the light of the world that pierces the darkness in people’s lives. It can be a monumental challenge to do this on a consistent basis no doubt but it’s what we are supposed to be. If we fight negative with negative, there is no victory, there is no hope, and there is no light. Jesus said in John 8:12 "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

When we stop seeking God's hand and we begin to seek relationship with Him, we will begin to see change almost immediately. God wants to bless us abundantly, but until we can be trusted with His relationship, we won't be trusted with His blessings. Then when we are worthy of His blessings, they will start small until we can be trusted with those. When we get to the point of receiving God's blessings, we are not to keep them for ourselves. They were not given to us for our own benefit like a reward. We are to take our blessings and bless others with them.

We are God's representatives to others and when we bless someone else and give from the heart (not from obligation) God will bless the giver in return. The more we are entrusted with though, the more responsibility we have. Luke 12:48 When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

We need to understand that everything we have was given to us by the God. No matter what it is, whether it is a job, a family, finances, health, without His approval we’d have nothing. That said we need to stop complaining and murmuring about our circumstances and situations and give Him praise through it all. When you complain about your job, that you're not being paid enough, think of this. Maybe God hired you for that job because he needed light in that place. He didn't hire you to provide you with money. If God wants to provide us with finances, he could do it in any way he pleases. Money could fall from the sky or come from a rock. God is God and we are not. When God is ready to provide you finances, he could have an enemy of yours come right up to you and write you check. Psalm 34:10 “those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.”

I invite you to pray this with me.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for providing for us and being the light that pierces the darkness in our lives, so that we can spread that light into the lives of others. You always lead by example Father and show us the way to live. Give us the strength Lord God, to endure the trials and difficulties that we encounter in bringing your word to others that need it. Help us God to persevere and to never take for granted the things you do for us, the things you provide for us and mostly for the Love that you give to us.

In Jesus Name I Pray.

Amen

God Bless You All








“The Sharpshooter”

Faith By Hearing.

Romans 10:13-17 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

For a person to be saved, they must call on the Lord in faith and turn from their sin. But the immediate question that is addressed through Paul is asking how anyone can call on God if they do not believe God and His Word. There is also the question that they cannot believe God if they have not even heard of Him. So it is clear that there needs to be a preacher to proclaim the truth to them so that they might know Who God is and what is required of them to be reconciled to Him.

We have to understand that this is not speaking of a preacher in the sense of a pastor or evangelist or an "official" church position. It is speaking of the role that we all have to be proclaiming the gospel to those around us. So it is not necessarily preaching from a pulpit, but any declaration of the gospel from those who know it to those who need to hear it. Paul say’s that the preacher must be sent. While we understand the call of God on the lives of those serving as pastors and missionaries, we must not forget that it is the responsibility of each one of us to preach the gospel to the world.

Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. We are all to be sowing the seed, because if we do not tell people about God and about their need for salvation, then how can they call out to Him and be saved? God us as the means to call sinners to salvation.

People must hear the Word of God in order to know the truth and believe it. Faith comes by hearing the gospel, not just listening to it, but hearing and understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ. and hearing comes by the Word of God. God uses His word to open ears and eyes to hear and see the truth. Without Him we are dead, blind, and deaf, but when He uses His Word to open our ears and eyes, we can hear and see and believe and call out with our mouths, and "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." This teaches us that the power of the Word of God is alive, active, powerful, and has unlimited power.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. It is living and powerful. It cuts right to the heart of the matter. It is a two-edged sword. It reveals the true intentions of the human heart and exposes our every thought.

James 1:23-25 if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. The Word of God is a mirror. It reflects to us the truth, unvarnished. And the way we respond says much about our faith and maturity in the Lord.

The Word of God ALWAYS accomplishes the purpose that He means for it to accomplish. The Word is never sent out to return with no results. We make the mistake sometimes of forgetting that the Word can bring more than one result because often we are seeking one primary result, the salvation of a soul and when people don’t get saved we think that either we have failed in our witnessing or that the Word of God failed and did not bring forth fruit.

God's word not only brings salvation, it also brings healing, it convicts our spirits, it sanctifies us, and breaks us. This should give us great freedom in preaching the Word to those who need to hear it because the results of our preaching are not dependant on us, but on God's Word and the Word never fails!

Let us pray:

Father God, I thank you Lord that your word is as alive today as it was in the beginning of time. I thank you God that your gift of salvation is available to every soul because your son Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross and shed his blood for the forgiveness of our sins. Father guide us is our preaching. Give us the right words for this season that people would receive you God. I pray for every lost soul Lord. That we would have time enough to reach out to them and offer them your free gift of salvation, before it’s too late.

In Jesus Name I Pray

Amen

God Bless You All








“The Sharpshooter”

When you cry out to God, are you crying out for Him and Him alone or are you calling on Him out of personal need? Many times when we do this we don't even know it until it is an afterthought. Our Father is there for us twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. He never sleeps or takes a break. The people that are in right communication with the Father are the ones who spend time in His presence daily. These people spend time meditating on His word and they put what they've read to use in their daily lives. They spend time with the Lord just to spend time with him. They're not calling on him just because they need something. By spending time with no personal motives, we establish a relationship filled with knowledge and understanding. There is daily fellowship with the Father and those that spend that kind of time know him best.

There is no room for negativity in our lives when the Lord is a part of our daily routine. Negativity can not be where God is. When we spend time with the Lord as we are supposed to, it is unlikely that we'll experience things like bitterness, oppression, hatred and selfishness. because we are so full of the word and God is guiding our every step. Our faith is high, our hearts are full and there is no room for these negative things to come in to our lives, no matter how hard satan tries. Negativity can not be where God is.

When we start to feel negativity creeping in, it is because we have allowed room for it. We have not spent time with God on a personal level. We may have gone to church and heard a great sermon, but that is nowhere near the same as spending personal devotional time with the Father. When we go to God with a problem or a need, is it fair to expect an answer or a blessing when the only reason we're calling on Him is because everything else we tried has failed? Not at all. I would never expect God to move on anything in my life unless I have a relationship with him based on love for Him all that he does.

If someone came to you only when they wanted something from you, would you respond in a favorable way all the time? Most likely no, but if a person has a relationship with you just because of the person you are, it's very likely that your going to move mountains for that person. Why then should our relationship with God be any different. Seek God just for God. Spend time with Him because you love Him, not because you feel your supposed to. He wants us to come to Him because we want to, not because we have to. He'll never force us, but if we miss out on what the Father has for our lives, it's entirely because of the choices we made.

Being in right standing with God is the key element and deciding factor of how your day, week and life will be. We can choose to spend time with God and become very strong in Him, which will in turn produce great things or we can choose to call on him just when we need something and pray for his mercy. God is merciful and he gave us free will, so he will answer both the prayer warrior and the one lost in the wilderness of life, but wouldn’t you rather have the comfort of knowing that you have a great relationship with God instead of hoping he’ll help out of mercy?

Like anything else in life the more you do something the better you get at it. Nobody can just pick up an instrument for the first time and sound like a great musician, nor can we expect our first efforts with our prayer life or devotional time to be life changing. We are a work in progress always. Our prayer time and devotional time will improve with use and the more time we spend, the better we'll get at it. The result will be a great two way relationship with Our Father in Heaven. He so wants to have this time with each and every one of us. He will never force us to come to him, but he is there waiting for you to pick a time in your day to spend with him. He loves you and he wants to bless you. The question is do you want Him the way He wants you? I pray that your answer is a resounding yes!

I invite you to pray this with me.

Father your mercy is often more than we deserve. I pray Father that you would help us all to always be faithful in our devotional time with you. To always spend time with you just to be with you and no other reason. I pray for that person who is coming to you only as a last resort Father. I pray that you will forgive them Father and be merciful to their need, because they don't know you. The power of your blessing can make them see that you are who you say you are, you are God almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth. Guide us in our daily lives Lord God, help us to seek out the lost and give them the opportunity to know and understand you and have that relationship with you that they need and you want for them.

I ask this in Jesus name.

Amen.

God Bless You All



“The Sharpshooter”

A Change of Pace

Many of us have heard the term “God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow”. Well, that goes for Heaven as well. In an effort to think more in line with what things are like in Heaven, I took notice of many things. I’m here to tell you, our lives here can be a whole lot better than they are now, no matter how well we think we’re doing

In Heaven there is no stress or anxiety. Time itself I would imagine is not a big deal, as eternity is a very long time. This life we are living now in these bodies on this planet should be lived following the Bible which is the owners manual for humanity. Have you ever noticed that the people living their lives by the word of God are living much different than those that are not living by the word of God?

Faith is important to the people that are referring to the owners manual (The Bible) but faith is not important to those not living by the Bible. There are many manuals for us to refer to when problems arise, but only one holds the answers to anything we could ever have a problem with or a question about and that manual is the Bible.

A good example of what I mean is the out of control pace that we live at today. Life here on earth is not the same yesterday today and tomorrow as it is in Heaven. Do you think that this was part of God’s plan regarding having life and having it in abundance? I don’t. Over the past fifty years or more, the pace of life has gotten increasingly faster. With that speed comes the expectation for us to maintain that speed and still have the same quality that people had back in a simpler time. That goes for life at work or at home, whether you’re making your bed or making a major corporate decision. Anxiety becomes a problem because our minds and bodies were never meant to go at breakneck speed all of the time.

So today we live in the most medicated society ever. Medications for stress, anxiety and depression issues have become such common place that the lay person knows as much about these medications as the doctors do. The world shoves this information in our faces and many of us buy right into it. Take this pill you’ll feel better! This is an extremely temporary remedy and it’s the farthest thing from a solution. This all goes into something I wrote about a while ago regarding childhood. That was a simple time too but because we wanted to be older and get the drivers license and even become legal age to drink alcohol, we asked for it and we got it, but in rushing to get there we lost our child like thinking.

In the same way, through the years we have wanted to improve things to make them easier and faster.. There is a price for that and I don’t think that was ever considered. The great deceiver satan, the great illusionist made everything appear as though all of these improvements would be free. They are far from free and now we’re paying the price. There are people ending their lives today by suicide because they can’t take the stress. In that respect satan accomplished what he set out to do. He wants to kill, steal and destroy us. We have the power to take back what is ours and that’s our peace and sanity.

The solution is that we need to make a conscious effort to take time to breathe, literally stop and smell the roses. We may not be able to go back to 1940 but we sure can make the effort to live at that pace. Put aside the microwave oven and cook a real meal. Put away the remote control and get off the sofa to change the channel of the television. Go for a walk to the mailbox, don’t drive one block. Take the time to spend with God every day. He’s there waiting for you and He’s the great problem solver and the great physician, all we have to do is make the time and go to him and ask Him for help. Let go of this frantic way of living and let God guide your every step.

Please Pray this with me.

Father I thank you for this message and for the wisdom and insight into the way’s we should be doing things. You want the best for us and your word tells us this many times over. Lord God I pray for your guidance. I pray that you would open our eyes to see the deception going on around us being promoted by satan. Help us to get back to a simpler way of living. We are in a time when we can’t even appreciate what we have because we’ve taken efficiency to far. We’ve made things more difficult by trying to make life easier. You meant for us to live life, not rush through it. Bring us out of the darkness Father and into your light where we will live in your perfect peace forever.

In Jesus name I pray

Amen.

God Bless You All








“The Sharpshooter”

Father Knows Best

You know those times in life when you want something so bad that you can’t think of anything else? Recently that happened to me and a lesson learned long ago, was not only proven but reinforced. There have been many times in life when I have wanted something and went against reason at times to get what I wanted only to find out in the end that it either wasn’t worth it or it wasn’t meant to be. This happens to everyone from time to time but I have a recent event that might be able to teach something.

As a child I always wanted a dog and every time I asked for one, my parents said no. So I ended up with a goldfish that didn’t really satisfy the desire for a dog, but it was something to love and it helped, but I was always mad at my parents thinking they were just terrible parents. I don’t know many people that haven’t been there and done that.

Looking back I can’t put my finger on the reason why I wanted a dog, I just did. I ended up getting my first one when I was 18 years old. The dog was a Pug and I named it Penni. She had been found by an animal control officer abandoned by its owner and she had just had pups, so it was evident they just used Penni to get a litter of puppies to make money on. I loved that dog and spent every moment I could with her, she even slept in my bed.

God was in control and I had no idea at the time because I did not have any form of relationship with him. I had no idea know God was in control. You see, originally I had purchased a Chihuahua from a kennel and while waiting for it to be old enough to take, something went wrong and I couldn’t buy it... So I asked what else they had for dogs and the girl asked me to wait a second. Out came Penni from the back room. I had never seen a Pug. My first thought was she is so ugly she’s cute. I ended up with a dog that needed me as much as needed her and she gave back the love she received two fold. So God provided for both me and the dog.

During the time I had Penni I found my way to the Lord and asked Jesus into my heart. When I did that I asked him to guide every step in my life and take over. “More of you God and less of me” was my cry. Well I got what I asked for and I am so thankful for that, but there are still times where my own desires get in the way of God’s will being done. His way will win out but sometimes you have to go through the process of doing it the hard way to see that...

Every month this year, there have been discussions between myself and Rosalie about getting a dog, partly for the children and partly for me. Rosalie didn’t want a dog and all of the responsibilities that went with it but I did. I kept selling the idea to her like a like a used car salesman and being the wonderful wife that she is, she didn’t give in, but she did to put her feelings aside so that we could get a dog. I didn’t realize even then what a sacrifice she was making for me. I do now though.

We went through a breeder and knew exactly what we wanted and got it. This past Saturday we brought home a Chocolate Labrador Retriever. She was a beautiful seven week old puppy. The pup had never been separated from the litter until we took her home. Neither of us ever thought for a second that this dog would keep the entire house awake while it cried and barked all night long. The poor thing was inconsolable. On Sunday I knew that this puppy was much more than we could handle and we had to return it. Of course this was a very emotional time and even Rosalie who hadn’t wanted a dog was sad to see the dog go, but she knew it was the right thing.

I am convinced that God gave me this experience so that I would see his will through it. I know that we did the best thing for that puppy and for ourselves. After a stress filled week of preparing for a dog and then getting one and having to return it, I have learned a valuable lesson. I need to be a better husband and father. My own desires got the best of me and to some extent blinded my sensibilities. I was no longer Mr. Commonsense, I was using little sense. Had I listened to my wife more and respected that she didn’t really want a dog, this hard lesson could have been avoided, but I didn’t listen and even through my ignorance, God is glorified. I had prayed about getting a dog, asking for provision, and guidance, but when I didn’t get answer to that prayer I got impatient. Again because of my own desires.

Here is what the Lord did and what I learned. He allowed me to get the dog in order to find out for myself that I had made a mistake and He left opportunity for me to return the pup and suffer minimal loss but enough to sting a bit. I had caused my family unnecessary stress do to arguing about getting a dog. The day after returning the dog, God has restored peace in my home and other areas of my life that were suffering. I think in the end it has made Rosalie and me even closer because I have a different respect for her today than just a few days’ ago. God is in the business of healing hearts, minds, bodies and spirits. He has done that for me and my family, but I had to learn the hard way. If I had only listened to all of the warning signs and been obedient, I would have ended up in the same place with the same peace but without the pain I had to go through to get here.

Thank You God for seeing past my faults and forgiving me. You do know best and we all need to cry out, “More of You God and less of us”.

I invite you to pray this with me.

Father God, you are so faithful. You see past our arrogance and ignorance and you even step aside to let us have our way even when it’s wrong. You know best Lord God and you show us through your gentleness and forgiveness when we completely mess things up, that you are there and that you care. You take bad situations and make them turn out ok so that we can see that our way does not work and we have to live a life of “Your will be done”. Lord God, I pray that would give me the ability to sacrifice the way you want me to and the way my wife did. Show us the way God.

I ask this in Jesus name

God Bless You All








“The Sharpshooter”

The Healing Powers Of Laughter

Whenever an opportunity presents itself for you to bring light into someone else's life, don't ever pass that opportunity up. It is one of the most important things that a Christian can do. It is also a very fulfilling experience. It edifies the spirit of both giver and receiver. You can't ask for much more than that. When I think of bringing light into someone else's life, I use light two ways. I use light to bring positive messages to people that need to hear them and I also use lite. Lite to me is humor. For me one of the greatest gifts the lord has given to me is the ability to laugh and to make others laugh whether it is at me or with me, as long as they laugh.

We've all heard that laughter is great medicine and it's very true. Research has shown that after exposure to humor, there is a general increase in activity within the immune system, including: An increase in the number and activity level of natural killer cells that attack viral infected cells and some types of cancer and tumor cells. Laughter Decreases "Stress" Hormones that constrict blood vessels and suppress immune activity.

The ability to laugh at a situation or problem gives us a feeling of superiority and power over it. Humor and laughter can foster a positive and hopeful attitude. We are less likely to succumb to feelings of depression and helplessness if we are able to laugh at what is troubling us. Humor gives us a sense of perspective on our problems. Laughter provides an opportunity for the release of those uncomfortable emotions which, if held inside, may create biochemical changes that are harmful to the body. The emotions and moods we experience directly affect our immune system. A sense of humor allows us to perceive and appreciate the ridiculousness of life and provides moments of joy and delight. These positive emotions can create neurochemical changes that will buffer the immunosuppressive effects of diseases and stress.

It's been proven that the power contained in a laugh can have a healing effect on people. I pray constantly "Lord use me to bring laughter into somebody's life and let it heal their hurts or illnesses in Jesus name." I have seen what laughter can do. It's natural Novocain. Have you ever noticed that even if you have a broken bone that when you laugh, for that time that you’re laughing, you have zero pain. The endorphins that are released when we laugh totally erase that pain. Imagine how much of a healing effect it can have on illness and disease.

Sickness comes from the devil! There are many Bible texts that denote the connection between illnesses and the satanic world. A mute possessed person was brought in the presence of the Messiah. Jesus drove the evil spirits out and Matthew 9:33 "when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke." Who was responsible for this sickness? The devil himself! This is why we are told to seek out the elders of the church when we are sick and let them pray over us. It's a spiritual thing. So when we are sick in any way and we are able to laugh, that's huge. I believe God heals through laughter and here's an example. Most of us have heard of "Holy Laughter", not everyone receives Holy Laughter but those that do; I believe get some form of healing from it.

Laughter is a healing balm in the body of Christ. If you cannot occasionally laugh together with a friend, spouse or coworker, you will find it hard to stay together with those people. In the same way, because of the stress and the many things involved in doing God's work, we need that healing balm to come upon our lives on a regular basis.

This is a wonderful time for you to stop and think about how much life has maybe stopped you from laughing. The fact that we can laugh is a blessing, and we need to treat our laughter as a blessing and remember to use it as often as we can. When you do, it does something to your joy. It kind of brings the child out in you again.

Somebody gave me a statistic that is hard to believe: Adults laugh 15 times a day; children, 400 times a day. Isn’t that outrageous? I heard recently about a little boy who was standing at an escalator in the mall, just watching it as it went around. One concerned lady in the mall walked over and said, "Son, are you lost?" He said, "No ma'am." Never took his eyes off the handrail. "You're not lost?" "No, ma'am, I'm just waiting for my gum to come back." Isn't that a great line? The boy didn’t have a care in the world

But it isn't just young kids that have a joyful attitude. I meet older people that have a joyful attitude. My mother’s side of the family has a great sense of humor. My aunt’s have the greatest laughs. Just hearing them laughing gets me started and I don’t even know why I’m laughing. You know your having a great day when that happens. Your guard is totally down and your heart is open and full of joy. My grandmother had a great sense of humor. Her name was Lulu, so I guess having a sense of humor was a requirement. The big joke in the family is that her maiden name was Mann, so we say that nana was a man until she got married. Isn’t that great? How can you not laugh at something like that? I thank them for my sense of humor and my ability to look at life and laugh it off when some others might scream.

We need to keep the child alive within us. You feel so much better when you do. Proverbs 17:22 say’s that "A joyful heart is good medicine". Is laughter coming into your home? Are you the source of the laughter that comes around you, or does it take somebody else to bring it? Laughter is the best medicine. Better than pain relievers, Doctors, Chiropractors and mom’s chicken soup. Laugh hard and live long. It will cure whatever ails you.

Please pray this with me.

Father I thank you for the gift of laughter. Your word say’s that a joyful heart is good medicine and I pray God that you would restore the laughter in the lives of those who seem to have lost their ability to laugh. In this broken world it is so easy to misplace our smile or worse yet, let someone else take it from us. Show us how to guard the joy in our hearts God in such a way that nobody could ever steal it from us again. Flood us with your Holy Laughter Lord God and through laughter help us to understand even further its healing properties. I pray that our laughter would become contagious and though laughter we could change this world one heart at a time.

In Jesus name I pray.

Amen

God Bless You All








“The Sharpshooter”

The Faith Of A Child

Recently my daughter Linda sprained her right ankle really bad. It was visibly swollen to about twice the size of her other ankle and she was in quite a bit of pain. I treated it as anyone would, I put an ice pack on it for a few minutes then coated her ankle and foot with Icy-Hot and wrapped it with ace bandage. I tell you that to tell you this. What happened next was absolutely amazing and beyond that. I placed my hand on the ankle and prayed. I knew something was taking place and I kept on getting this feeling that the Lord was fixing her ankle. When asked how it felt she said it didn't hurt as much. I explained that faith sometimes needs an action for us to get our healing. What this means is to try and do what you couldn't do. We can say all day long how strong our faith is, but unless we take a step in it, it's just words and that will not get the job done.

So she stood up and did a few different things like stand on her tip toes, which she couldn't do and as she did this the pain went away more. I asked her then to walk around her room. She did and in less then five minutes, her limp was entirely gone and she was running the length of the house, Praise God. On this very night Linda received a miracle. It was by her stepping out in faith that she received her healing. God honors our faith but especially so when we walk in it instead of just talking about it. Our words without actions to demonstrate them are just words.

This is where the enemy will try to put up emotional stumbling blocks all over the place. He knows that if he can stop us from stepping out in faith because of fear, stress, or doubt he can block us from getting our victory. The sure fire way to defeat the enemy is to be so familiar with God's word and His promises, that there is no room for doubt in our minds. The enemy can only win when our guard is down which occurs as soon as we begin to become lax in our prayer life, and study of Gods word.

I've heard others say it and I've said it myself at times "having faith is so hard". Well, I have learned some things since saying that. The most important of those things I've learned is that we make having faith hard. Jesus said in Mark 10:15 (Amplified Bible) Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive and accept and welcome the kingdom of God like a little child [does] positively shall not enter it at all. So having the belief and faith of a young child is what we’re supposed to have. This is why having faith, seeing miracles and healings is so uncommon in our lives.

We don’t have childlike faith. Adults are always trying to figure it all out. How did that person get healed? How did that storm miss my house? Why didn't I get that job? These are frequently heard questions and the answer is the same for all of them. We’re not supposed to understand how it all works. God is a mystery, how he does things is beyond our understanding, and I personally have come to accept that and be ok with it. Maybe we’ll get the answers when we go to Heaven, but I realize that I don’t need to know how the master does his work.

The end result of being able to accept not knowing how God works is this. I can think more like an eight year old now than when I was actually eight years old. Most of us were forced to grow up to soon. Everybody wanted to be older than they were until they hit thirty, and then they all want to go backwards and we can’t.

My thinking is that the devil knew that if he could get us to desire things that older people had, like cars, money, independence and even alcohol, we would lose interest in being children. Right at that moment we lost our childlike perception and our childlike faith. Is it any surprise that that the majority of Playstations, Xbox’s and Gamecube’s are owned by people in their forties? They’re trying to live out the childhood that they missed out on the first time around.

We need to ask Our Father to restore our ability to think like children. Not to act like children, just think like them. When we do, our ability to have faith in the portions that we should have will grow faster than we can comprehend. Our ability to see healings and miracles will also grow exceedingly fast. Then events that seem uncommon now will become commonplace in our lives. The impossibilities of God won’t be so impossible anymore. Thank You Jesus!

Please pray this with me.

Father God, you created us in your image and you call us your children. Before we can be great men and women of God, we must first be great children of God. So Father I pray that you would restore the childlike thinking to all of mankind. Bring us to that place God, where we can take the words Born Again to a whole new level. We want to see your miracles as everyday occurrences God and we need to see from a place of faith only available to a childlike heart and eyes. Father I pray for the future generations that they would be able to overcome the deceit of the enemy and not grow up too soon. A healthy childhood becomes a healthy adulthood and I know your will is for us to have health in every way.

This and all things I ask in the precious name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

May God Bless You All








“The Sharpshooter”

Communication Breakdown

You know those times in life when you lose communication with a friend or a family member? When this happens we'll usually think of the person occasionally but not call for whatever reason (usually it just feels awkward). Sometimes it takes a long time for us to put our egos, pride and other obstacles aside. Once we've done that we're able to get back in contact with the person we fell out of contact with. The strange thing about this is that very seldom do we actually know why we fell out of contact in the first place. We don't just do this we people. This happens between us and God and I'll go right ahead and place all of the blame on us humans, because God is perfect and none of us are.

When this communication breakdown occurs between us and God, it can happen for many different reasons. Sometimes we get ashamed at something we've done and we don't feel worthy of a relationship with God. Other times we might be mad at God for not answering prayer when WE wanted it done. Someone may have lost a loved one in an accident. Another reason is laziness and this one is probably the most common. Once we've lost communication with God many things change. Everything in our lives is drastically affected by our separation from "Our Heavenly Father". We leave the door open for satan to come in to our lives and really make a mess of things.

As Christians, we can't afford to be lazy with anything especially our relationships with God. Without him we are lost. When this communication does breakdown we need to realize it right away and pray for restoration of the relationship. If we fail to do this, time marches on and marches faster than we think. The longer we wait to fix the broken relationship with our Father, the harder it becomes to push yourself to do it. The problem at that point is on us again. All we have to do is ask for forgiveness and restoration and God will provide it, however we have the hardest time asking sometimes.

The human race is strange like that. We’ll stay in broken dysfunctional relationships that might even be abusive with other people. That’s unbelievable to me and we’ll come up with every reason imaginable for our staying in that situation. Our relationships with God and with Jesus are the healthiest relationships we have, but we take so long to fix them when something goes wrong. It’s like eating. Many people won’t touch food that has the word health associated with it, but you’ll find the same person in the local waffle house having their daily dosage of trans-fats. We don't always do whats best for ourselves.

The point here is this. At times our thinking is backwards. We will invest time in things that aren’t worth it and the things that require and deserve our utmost attention don’t always get it. We need to fix that and quickly. Whether we are ready or not Jesus Christ is coming back and soon. I know in my own heart that this is so. I don’t need someone with the gift of prophecy to tell me that one. Find your Bible, blow the dust off of it and see how much it lines up with events in the world today. I’ve asked this before and I’ll ask it again now because it IS that important.

If Jesus comes back tomorrow, are you ready. Is your soul clean? Would he know you or would he deny you? To those of you that are currently experiencing a breakdown in communication with our Lord God. Take a moment and fix things now. Ask the Lord for his forgiveness and to guide every step you take from this moment on. Then you will know that you are safe. Then once you’ve been forgiven. Tell someone else that you know needs to get right with the Lord. Save a life, Jesus saved yours.

Let us Pray.

Oh Lord God you are awesome. The grace you hand out to us is beyond our understanding. Father I thank you that you never leave us, even when we pull away from you. Lord God you could easily reward our stubbornness with punishment, but instead you say “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. Father I pray that you would forgive us for allowing our communion with you to break down. Guide our every step Lord God from this day forth. Come into our hearts and fill us anew. Father God, I pray for those that have lost contact with you, that you would send your Holy Spirit to be with them and to heal their hearts Father. May we never ever forget that our salvation is a gift from you and not something we can earn by works?

I ask this in Jesus name

Amen

God Bless You All








“The Sharpshooter”

When the word of God is spoken.

When the word of God is spoken, power is released into the area that the speaker is in. In a church setting, when the word is being preached the atmosphere in the church changes. Attitudes change, panic relaxes, peace comes upon us. In an outdoor setting the same thing happens. In fact no matter where the word of God is spoken there is change. That change causes preparation in our hearts, for us to repent and receive what God has and wants for us.

The power that is contained in God’s word is what causes these changes. Everybody has there favorite translation of the Bible and each of us likes a certain Evangelist on television or a Pastor in a church. We all have our preferences of how we want to here God’s word. That in itself is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. We need to listen closely whenever the word of God is spoken, regardless of who the speaker is, because it’s God’s word we’re listening to, not the person speaking them. The speaker that we don’t care for may be the one that has a profound word for us.
God is not going to conform to the ways of this world for anyone. We are to conform to Him and Him alone. The fact that we even want to dictate who ministers to us and how, tells me that there is too much of us in the picture and not enough desire for God which means we are not doing as we are supposed to. Here is an example of what I’m talking about.

There are people who will listen to Joel Osteen but these same people won’t listen to Benny Hinn. There are people that will listen to Joyce Meyer but not John Hagee. This is like saying that you will listen to Peter but not Paul. This is not what we are supposed to be doing. We are to listen when the word of God is spoken regardless of who the speaker is. If you have found a preacher that you connect with really well, that’s a wonderful thing, but don’t discard others just to listen to that one. Each time I hear God’s word being spoken, I listen really close, because I don’t want to miss what may come forth.

Everyone speaks and thinks differently, so that means that if you had 100 people explain the same verse in the Bible you’d get very different explanations of that one verse. That’s not to say that any one of those would be wrong. They’d just be different, and out of hearing all of those different interpretations, we may get a clearer understanding of that verse than we first had. This is why it is so important to listen to whoever is speaking the word of God.

We need to be as full of God as we can be and the only way to do that is to become well rounded Christians. The next time you’re watching your favorite Christian television station, watch one of the Evangelists that you wouldn’t ordinarily watch. You may be pleasantly surprised by what you hear and how you hear it. God will use every single one of us to bring forth His word, His message, His promises and His truth. So don’t play favorites. Listen to “The Word” not the speaker, because the speaker has no way of changing you at all, God does.

Please pray this with me.

Father God, I thank you for your word. I thank you for the fact that no matter who you use to deliver your word, it remains the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Lord God help us to recognize those times when we start dictating how we want your word to be delivered. It’s all about you God, not us and we need to decrease so that you can increase in each of our lives. We are just walking aimlessly in a fog until we do that. Father instill in each of us a renewed hunger for you that we would stop at nothing to get as much of your word as we can. To much of you is never enough.

I ask this in Jesus name.

Amen

God Bless You All








“The Sharpshooter”

Fruitful Prayer

John 15:7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.

The first part of this verse (the condition) is the most important part of this verse because it gives the conditions that must be met in order to get to the promise. However many of us just see the second part of this verse. There have been many times when I've heard people quote this verse and not even include the first piece. It's made to sound like regardless of what we are doing, good, bad or indifferent, that we can ask God for whatever we wish and it will be given to us, or done for us. There are many that ask the Lord for something but they are in a place spiritually where they can't receive because they are not in Christ and His words are not in them.

We cannot get what the Lord has for us if we are disconnected from him in any way. In today's terms lets look at using a cell phone. If your cell phone cuts out, you’re disconnected from the person you were talking to. Now you can keep on talking and ask them anything, but they're not going to answer you because the connection broke down. Staying connected to God through prayer, Bible Reading, Bible Study, and meditating on what you've learned is the only way to stay connected. The Lord will honor that because we've abided in Him, so He is in us.

If we are expecting consistent answers to prayer, the words of Jesus must abide in us. That is, Jesus himself must abide in us speaking. We do not just stock ourselves with dead ideas that he spoke a long time ago, but we believe and remember and meditate on the truths that he spoke once and is speaking now as he abides in us. I want to focus on the (result) of this verse, "ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." If the words of Jesus abide in us, then the result will be that you pray with power and effectiveness.

Prayer is for fruit bearing. God designed prayer to give believers the joy of bearing fruit while God himself gets the glory. We can see this in the connection between verses 7 and 8 and then in verse 16. 7If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. "By this is my Father glorified". What that means is, by us asking God for things and His giving them to us. He gets glory as the one who is rich and good enough to answer prayer. But also, "By this is my Father glorified". That is, that we bear much fruit. The implication is that God gets glory when we bear much fruit because we have prayed and God has answered. This gives us a testimony by which he gets all of the glory. Therefore the primary point of prayer is fruit-bearing.

This is confirmed explicitly in John 15:16. Jesus says to his disciples, "You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he may give to you." The connections between the two parts of this verse are tremendously important. Jesus says that he chose and appointed his disciples that they should go and bear fruit that remains, so "that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you."

The point is that prayer malfunctions when it is not used for fruit-bearing. Therefore, because prayer is for fruit-bearing, if you are not devoted to fruit-bearing you have no warrant for expecting answers to prayer.

Prayer is not for gratifying natural desires. I know that Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us this day, our daily bread." What's more natural than wanting to eat? I know that there are dozens of instances in the Bible of people praying for desires as natural as the desire for protection, success and healing. I'm not implying that those desires are wrong. What I'm saying is that they should always be subordinate to spiritual desires, kingdom desires, fruit bearing desires, gospel spreading God centered desires. When our natural desires are felt as a means to these greater desires then they become the proper subject of prayer.

Just before Jesus said to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," he said, make it your heart's desire that God would hallow his name and that the kingdom would come and that the will of God would be done on earth as it is in Heaven. When your heart is caught up with those great desires, then having something to eat is not merely a natural desire, but a means to some great God centered end, and then it is the proper subject of prayer.

Prayer is for God's kingdom and God's will, it is for fruit bearing in all those great things. If our protection, eating, and possessions leads to those great God centered ends, (the kingdom of God and will of God) then that’s Fruitful Prayer.

Please pray with me

Father you are so good to us. You do give us the things we ask for when we are abiding in you.
My prayer God is that you would show each of us the times when we are not abiding in you as much as we should be, because there are times when we will think we're in that right place but we miss the mark. That with your help and guidance God, we would be more obedient to the urgings of your Holy Spirit to be in that right place to receive the blessings you have for us and that through this we would each have more testimonies to give that bring all glory and honor to you and the kingdom of Heaven.

I ask this in Jesus name

Amen

God Bless You All








“The Sharpshooter”

Understanding Healing & Wisdom

As believers, when we need a healing we call on the God to heal us of an injury or illness. Many of us also call on him for every ache and pain and I think that this is an area where we set ourselves up for disappointment, because we're asking God to do something that he doesn't need to do. God will no doubt heal things that need to be healed by him. He loves to do miracles, signs & wonders. However the things that he doesn't need to heal he'll advise us on and we need to be listening or we'll keep on suffering until we finally do listen. For example if there is something we need to be doing differently than we are currently doing it. That will be the solution he gives us and when we follow the instructions he gives us, we will in fact find relief which is a healing of sorts. I'll use myself as an example.

For the last three months I have suffered daily with intense pain in my left leg and I've prayed and prayed for God to heal it. Pastors and friends laid hands and prayed for this healing, but the healing never came, at least not the way I expected it to. This is where many begin to question God's will or flat out blame God for not healing them and become offended with God. We must understand that God didn't give us the condition we have and he can't because he doesn't have it and you can't give something you haven't got. God is all good, he waits for us to go to him with our problems and when we give them over to him he gives the solutions. Sometimes that will be a physical or mental healing, and sometimes it will be only guidance, because that may be all you need.

I was awakened on Monday morning at 2:30 AM screaming in pain. Later that morning I went to the Emergency Room under the advisement of my doctor to be checked for blood clots, because the pain was mostly behind the knee and that's where the pain would be if a clot had formed. After five hours in the Emergency Room, they found no blood clots but they also found no clear cut reason for me to be in such pain. While I was in the E.R, I finally tuned in to what God was saying and it was then that I realized the pain I was in was muscular not joint related. I got an idea that I normally wouldn't think of. This idea was to see a Massage Therapist. I called on a friend who is in that line of work and made and appointment for Monday afternoon. The moment the therapist felt the muscles in my leg, he told me where the pain was before I had the chance to explain it fully. The muscles were tight as could be and were like iron to press against. There was just no give. It took over thirty minutes but he finally got the muscles to relax and with that came almost instant relief.

He explained that the larger muscles in the leg got stressed and tight and they in turn affected the smaller muscle groups causing the muscles to literally pull on the bones and joints which caused this tremendous pain. Today I am in far less pain and am able to walk normally but there's a catch. I have to change what I'm doing. I was told that I need to spend twenty minutes a day just stretching. If I do that I will keep this problem under control and even relieve it entirely. If I don't stretch, I will go right back to suffering. See it wasn't a healing the God needed to perform. I didn't need a miracle or a healing. I needed to get educated about my problem and change what I was doing. Most of all I had to listen to what God was saying. There's no doubt in my mind that He's been trying to tell me what to do about this for a couple of months. Had I been listening better and spending more time with Him one on one, I could have saved myself months of agony and putting extra burdens and stress on my family. So God gave me his wisdom instead of a healing, but I got the same result. He gave me what I needed and not what I wanted. So be sure that you’re always listening for what God is saying. Your victory could be only moments away.

Please pray this with me.

Thank you Lord God for the wisdom you provided me with as a solution to pain I was in. Father you always come through and you always provide for us in the way you see fit which is always the best way. Father I pray that you would help us to help ourselves by being more intimate with you God, by spending more time in prayer one on one with you and spending time in your word. We need to decrease so that you can increase in our lives. Help those of us that don’t need a healing but your wisdom instead, to listen more closely for your voice Father, so that we could remedy our situations and circumstances as fast as you provide the solutions.

I ask this in Jesus name

Amen

God Bless You All








“The Sharpshooter”

Valuing Family & Friends

These day's life has become so stressful and difficult that we often times in our frustration, take our problems out on the people that mean the most to us. Most of us have a very supportive cast of characters that make us shine. Our spouses, family, friends, and pastors are all there to support us, but do we realize the full value these people have? In the past, I personally have made the mistake at times of not valuing the people closest to me and that is absolutely the last thing I or anyone else should want to do.

Imagine for a moment what your life would be like without your husband or wife? How would life be without your close friends being there for you? What would you do if you had no counsel with someone such as your pastor? I know that for me personally, if I did not have these people in my life, I would not be the person that I am today. I would be a lonely, depressed and misguided individual. We need to pay special attention to the people in our lives that we could not do without and appreciate them always. Giving them special honor from time to time, maybe take a moment and write them a note thanking them for the things they do that add to your life. Maybe even surprise them with flowers or take them to lunch, just because.

In valuing our family's and friendships, we are sowing and reaping. These wonderful people have sown seed in us by adding to our lives, by building us up, by supporting us and loving us. We in turn are sowing seed by honoring them and as we do, they are reaping the benefits of what they have sown. What a wonderful circle that creates. If we don't honor those that support us and make us shine, we break that circle and invite in all sorts of problems. People will feel disrespected, dishonored and worst of all like they wasted their time on us. Satan will take any opportunity we give him. If we break that circle we have created an opportunity for him to come in and wreak havoc on relationships. So to avoid this, we must always show those who have invested in us, that it was both beneficial and appreciated.

Unfortunately sometimes trouble or tragedy has to hit our lives before we realize what is really important. Times of trouble teach us about our priorities regarding our relationship with God, and our families. We need to constantly be asking ourselves if we have our priorities straight? Do we have God first, then our spouse, family, and Christian and community service? Proverbs 3:6 says, "Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track." Make a new or renewed commitment today to put God first in your life. Spend time with Him everyday in prayer and Bible reading. If you're not already an active member of a Bible-teaching church, find one today, attend regularly, and get involved. Seek to honor God in your relationships, your time, and your material resources.

Have we spent quality time building our relationships with our spouse and with our children? 1 John 3:18 says "Let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions." What are some practical ways that we can show our spouses and children (or extended family and friends, if single) that you really love them? How can you use this time now to build family relationships?

If we teach our children the proper way to treat others and how to value friends and family, we are ensuring that the circle of sowing and reaping will stay intact. God intended the home to be the seedbed of truth, the place where children and their parents were to learn, appreciate and practice the real values of life; values which can only be learned in the company of others. These values are Love and affection, Honesty, Kindness, Fairness, Sacrifice - that greatest of spiritual investments, Discipline, Thrift, Teamwork, A sense of responsibility towards others, How to live under and how to exercise authority and Good communications. These and many other values are best learned in the family circle; and God has designed it so in order that we may know how to behave towards the whole Family of Mankind of which He is the Everlasting Father. Isaiah 54:13 tells us that. "All your children will have God for their teacher, what a mentor for your children!"

Here is a great opportunity for us to affect change in our own market places. By teaching our children the values of life, how to communicate well and the value of people in their lives, we are equipping them to change the landscape around us by creating good habits. These ways of life will be normal to them and they will be so secure in themselves that when they encounter someone who is not living correctly and these people try to be a negative influence, our children will be secure enough in their knowledge that they will not sway from the truth and they will have a great opportunity to create positive change in that persons life.

Please pray this with me.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the people that you have put in our lives that build us up and strengthen and support us. Second only to you God they are very important to us being successful in our daily lives. Help us to never mistreat them and if we should make the mistake of taking our frustrations out on them, help us to be quick to apologize for our offense. I pray that our appreciation and valuing of these people would never wane. Father your word say's in 2 Corinthians 9:6 that he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows generously will also reap generously and with blessings. Help us to never allow that circle to break God. I ask for your guidance in raising our children so that they are equipped to be not just the leaders of tomorrow but leaders of lost souls.

In Jesus Name I Pray

Amen

God Bless You All








“The Sharpshooter”