Conformed or Transformed?

I have been reading a book called The Prayer Life by Andrew Murray. This book was written after a ministerial conference in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 1912. The ministers at the conference realized that one of the deepest roots of evil is the sin of prayerlessness. Andrew Murray writes about what they talked about to be victorious in this area. It was interesting to me that the reasons they struggled with not praying back in the late 1800's and early 1900's are the same reasons we give today: distractions, busyness, sin, ect.... It is not that we don't have time to pray, as we make time for friends to come over when they call. It's a matter of choice. Just as a doctor takes our pulse, our level of prayer is the pulse of our spiritual life. Prayer is a weapon that can destroy in a fight. We can conquer EVERYTHING by prayer. "Is it any wonder taht Satan does his utmost to snatch that weapon fromn the Christian or to hinder him from the use of it." ...

It is so hard to wait. We can get impatient. We can get down right mad at having to wait. We have gotten so used to instant gratification that I think we have lost the art of waiting. The "art of waiting"? What does that mean? There was a time when people prayed until they saw God moved. There was a time when people pleaded with God and stayed all day, all night, whatever it took to see God move. There was a time when people fasted and gave up everything just to wait on God. There was a time.....when was the last time for you? Has there been a time? I am convicted in my own spirit by this. So, what will I do about it? I find there are some things I have been praying about and I am waiting. Trying to be patient. Trying to be faithful. Trying to keep my face on the ground and not give up. Trying. Trying. Trying.....and yet....what are we supposed to do "in the waiting"? Here are some things God spoke to my heart about this morning: - Fast and keep a...

Yesterday was a great day to be in the house of the Lord! There's some "junk" going on, but as I told my Senior Pastor, that means something good is going on here. So, let's keep pressin' on. We covet your prayers for us as we try to handle these situations. I preached on "Attempting the Impossible" based on Matthew 14, where Jesus fed the 5000 and where Jesus and Peter walked on water. It was a good message for me, as there are situations in my life that seem impossible and without God, I can't make it. The thing that God spoke to my heart most was this: We need to keep our eyes on the Savior and not the situations. It's easy for me to get frustrated with the situations of life, but my job is to have a good relationship with God and seek His heart for what I am to be doing....and then keep my eyes focused on the Savior and let the situations fall to the side. Jesus told Peter to come out on to the lake in Matthew 14 and His focus was tot...

What a great day! It started out so rocky that I knew that Satan was busy at work trying to thwart the good that was about to happen. I offer to take any of the men and women in our transition/shelter to church every Sunday. Anyone who wants to go, I will pick up that morning. I had a gentlemen who just got out of prison and said that he would not ever go to church. He has been a member of the white supremacy group before he went to prison and he wanted nothing to do with church. I told him that I offer it up to everyone and there's no pressure, but if he wanted to go, he was welcome. As we were driving down the road, he said "Hey, about that church thing, I think I'll go, if it's still ok." I was grinning from ear to ear on the inside. I didn't know if he would change his mind before Sunday came, but this morning...he was ready to go. And I found it funny that he came with the Korean man that we have in our house. So, backing up a bit....Brian was g...

Isaiah 40:29-31 says "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Psalm 16:11 says "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 says "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." I am so thankful that my emotions are not truth. Only God's Word is truth and doesn't change. When I am weary, God has all the strength I need to make it. When I am confused, God has the map and is there to gui...

This is a great prayer by Charles Stanley: Good morning, Lord! Thank you for assuring me victory today if I will but follow Your battle plan. So by faith, I claim victory over: ______________________________________. To prepare myself for the battle ahead, by faith I put on the Belt of Truth. The truth about You, Lord, that You are our Sovereign God who knows everything about me, both my strengths and weaknesses. Lord, You know my breaking point and have promised not to allow me to be tempted beyond what I am able to bear. The truth about me, Lord, is that I am a new creation in Christ and have been set free from the power of sin. I am indwelt with the Holy Spirit who will guide me and warn me when danger is near. I am Your child and nothing can separate me from Your love. The truth is that You have a purpose for me this day, someone to encourage, someone to share with, someone to love. Next, Lord, I want to, by faith, but on the Breastplate of Righteousness . Through this, I guard my...