Simple Thoughts

Transition. Transition can be difficult. Christian Heritage, a church that has been around for a century has not been without transitions. One of these transitions was when I was in youth group. In a short amount of time, our senior pastor left, our youth pastor became interim senior pastor, and then before we knew it our interim youth pastor left and we got another youth pastor. Needless to say... THAT was transition. As difficult and rocky as it felt, they were good transitions and I'm glad Pastor Todd came in as that final "new" youth pastor. Sometimes we have no idea why God does things. It feels like God is taking friends and relationships from us. But our thoughts aren't His thoughts and we must rest assured that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). We can also rest assured that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). We love Cody, Clint and Cayden and will miss ...

Rev 13:15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. We’ve been studying Daniel in Sunday morning discipleship. Daniel 3 tells what happened to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Because they would not bow to a statue of the king, they were thrown into a furnace. Look at what they told the king when they were faced with bowing and breaking their allegiance to God or standing true to God and possible death… Dan 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." When fac...

Excerpt from Leonard Ravenhill’s sermon: A city wide crusade can cost two million dollars. Revival doesn't cost a red cent, except broken hearts. You can stage your revival; you can stage a city wide crusade; you can not stage Revival. Revival is a mysterious divine intervention. I think one of the most awesome tasks given to man was given to John Baptist, when God said, "Prepare YE the way of the Lord." You know, you talk about revival in this country and everybody has got tunnel vision. They think revival must come like Finney had it. We are not living in Finney's days. It would be nice to have him around, for sure, but we are not living in Finney's day. It is a new day. Iniquity has never swaggered like it swaggers now. You know what has happened in the last twenty three years in England? In the last twenty three years in England the Muslims have built 300 mosques and at the same time they were building their 300 mosques the Church of England has close...

I was putting the chickens up one night, (Yes, I have chickens) and something occurred to me. Our chickens had started at one point digging at the fence wanting to get out of their cage. The problem was that there were animals digging on the other side who wanted to eat the chickens and their eggs. Before you know it, there was a big hole underneath the fence in one place that allowed the predator to enter the cage and begin harming our chickens. Application. We are placed in boundaries. These boundaries are meant to keep us safe. There are rules set in place to protect us from the enemy, Satan. If there is a rule that you don’t watch an PG-13 or R-rated movies, it is because there is something in that PG-13 or R-rated movie that could be harmful to your spirit and mind. If there is a rule set in place not to text/talk to a member of the opposite sex after midnight, that is because this could open you up to temptation and vulnerability. Those are boundaries – and they are protecti...

There are questions I have been pondering if you know the answer to. And I just have to ask: - Do you know what sin is? Do you have a good understanding of the things that God calls sin in His Word? If I said, name 10-15 sins that God mentions in the Bible, could you? - Do you know what repentance is? Do you understand what it means to turn from sin and not go back? Do you understand that sin without repentance brings judgment? Could you explain this to me? - Do you know what it means to live holy? Do you know what consecration and holiness is? Do you know what it means to purpose in your heart not to defile yourself? If you cannot answer these questions, I challenge you to search out the Word of God. If you can’t find the answers on your own, ask a leader or someone you trust that would know these answers. SEARCH IT OUT. DO YOU KNOW HIS WORD? If you can answer these questions, this is my challenge to you. DO YOU LIVE IT? It means nothing if you do not act on it in obedienc...

1) CHOOSE. Choose who you will serve. God or Satan. Flesh or Spirit. Do not ride the fence. Make up your mind and follow God. Do not be lukewarm. God hates straddling the fence. Go all out. Sold out. Abandoned. Holding nothing back. 1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word. Revelation 3:16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 2) GET RID OF THE JUNK. Let go of the things holding you back. The things that are holding you back. The chains. The habits. The sins. Choose to start fresh. Choose that He is far better than the junk from your old life. Clean house. Start now. Start today. 2 Timothy 2:4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. Hebrews 12:1 Therefore w...

Check out these verses. Leviticus 10:8-11 Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying: "Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. [It shall be] a statute forever throughout your generations, that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.” God was speaking to Aaron telling him for the priests not to be drinking wine or alcohol when they were ministering to the Lord. To distinguish between the holy and unholy, clean and unclean… and to be able to teach. So if we are ALL priests..... 1Peter 2:9 But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; Then we have to be able to distinguish between holy an...

On Monday, July 6, 2009, my mom took the 6 boys to Lake Ella. It was getting dark like a storm was approaching and it was extremely windy. As they were sitting at a picnic table eating McDonalds “happy meals,” Joel (age 6) randomly exclaimed, “We need to pray!” My mom was slightly amused, but said okay and had all the boys close their eyes. Joel squinted his eyes very tightly and said, “God… Why are you angry? I want to play in the pool today. And please protect my sister on the airplane. Amen.” My mom thought that maybe he was joking around, but when she peeked her eyes open, she realized he was very intense and serious with his eyes squinting tightly shut. When my mom told me this story, we all chuckled at how cute it was, and my first thought in my mind was to ask my mom if she told him that God wasn’t angry. But then I realized something. How did I know God wasn’t angry? If He was, why was he angry? That is a part of God’s heart we often shy away from. Why on earth would I tell ...

Isa 59:15b - …Then the LORD saw [it], and it displeased Him That [there was] no justice. Isa 59:16 - He saw that [there was] no man, And wondered that [there was] no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him. Isa 59:19 - So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. I stood watching during the altar time of our Wednesday night service. Russ and the praise team sang, “Make us a generation that will change our nation.” Up at the front were kids who had come down to pray and worship. They were there either because they were called down or because they wanted to. Once parents began coming in, and kids saw they were dismissed, the number up front began to dwindle. I looked up and realized the kids up front were in a straight line in front of the stage, for the length of...

From the journal of Michelle Polston (Voran) in 2001 Ya know, sitting in my room, by my window, I’m watching the rain. I hear the rain. I could even stick my head out and feel the rain to a degree. But I don’t think I’ve actually experienced the rain unless I went downstairs, went outside, and stood and danced in the rain to become fully saturated with the wetness that rain can bring. I have this overwhelming urge right now to go play in the rain. As a matter of fact, I could cry I want to go play in the rain so much. I’m just staring out the window. From time to time, I hear thunder rolling in the distance or I see a lightning flash. I think so many people, whether it be with Praise & Worship or even with experiencing God… some are content just being a spectator, seeing it happen behind a closed window. Other people also enjoy just listening and watching. Others are willing to stick their heads out and get partially wet, to feel a little bit, and to be able to say th...

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"...

Contentment: A Thought Now Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:6-11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content; Philippians 4:11 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty not riches – Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal...

Some thing they are spiritually hungry when they have a newly awakened interest in the things of God. But awakened interest is not yet hunger. Buying a book on a Kingdom topic is good, but it is not yet hunger. Hunger is when we cannot live without more, when we make radical alterations to our lifestyle in order to pursue God. A good way to measure the reality of our hunger is to measure the extent to which we rearrange our lives, our time, our money and our comforts to pursue that for which we hunger. -Dana Candler “The Rewards of Fasting” http://ihop.org/Group/Group.aspx?ID=1000036187 (Free e-book online) You say you are hungry. You say you are desperate. Really? Are you? Is it just a feeling that goes away? Or is it a deep inner longing that says you cannot go on with life as normal? You must have more. You must have Him. Mark 5 describes a woman who was truly desperate. She had a flow of blood for twelve years. She had spent all she had on doctors and they didn’t make h...