Bro. Jack's Blog

November 06

Satan's Mind Set

In any battle or conflict, it is always an advantage to know what the opposition is thinking. To know their traits and tendencies. Satan is more intelligent than I or you but he doesn't know everything and he is a creature of habit. Once we learn his mindset, his way of thinking, it helps us in our struggle against him. In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, he deal with a problem in the church. A man had been sleeping with his step mother. In the second letter, Paul encourages them to forgive this man that Paul had urged the church to discipline. Paul goes on to say, "I don't want Satan to outwit us, after all, we are not ignorant about Satan's scheming". The word for scheming is noēma and it means mental perception or evil purpose. The CEV translates the last line as "We all know what goes on in Satan's mind". Paul's purpose in dealing with this rebellious member was to restore him. The process for this was discipline. He wanted the church to take a firm stand on the man's unacceptable conduct but Paul was not encouraging legalism and he certainly did not want the Corinthians to become unforgiving which is exactly what happens when we become legalistic. I am not suggesting that you devote a lot of time to studying the tactics of Satan but it is good to know some basics. We have a lot of professing Christians today who talk about warfare and they go from book to book and bible study to bible study but they are like king Saul, they talk warfare but are afraid to engage the battle. For the David's out there, those who have the courage to engage the enemy, remember that the devil is a schemer and that his ultimate purpose is evil. [1] Remember the devil is a terrorist. He uses fear. This is one of his chief tactics. He is a playground bully, an intimidater. The only thing that you and I are to fear is God and sin. All other fears come from the devil. [2] Very close to fear is doubt. The devil does not want you to have assurance. Without assurance, you are on the side line and he knows it. A doubting Thomas does not engage the enemy. When the devil gets you doubting, it takes you out of the battle. [3] Discouragement: REMEMBER, Christ has no reason to want you to be discouraged. He will never discourage you. Those who serve HIM will not discourage you. Satan is a master at discouraging people and he uses ignorant people in the process. You better get this principle fixed in your mind or you will not last long. As a pastor, I listen to criticism to a point. I want to improve my skills and I know that I can and should do better but I guard my spirit. I listen to a point and then I stop listening. The moment that I realize that Satan is behind it, I stop listening. I know what he wants; and that is for me to quit, to resign, to take myself out of the battle. [4] Obviously, the devil loves to trip us up with pride. He will use flattery and other devices to set us up. This was the biggest problem at Corinth. The people had knowledge but it had puffed them up, inflated their ego. Satan trips up a lot of churches with pride. We study the bible so we can put it into practice and share it with those who don't know Christ. When our bible study becomes a mental exercise to increase our knowledge, it also encreases our pride. It is a subtle trap. Pride always leads to an unhealthy embalance. We go to seed on one thing and totally neglect something else which is just as important. We become like Judah, a pancake cooked on one side. There has to be a balance between Evangelism/Missions and Bible Study. If your bible study doesn't lead you to do evangelism and missions, you are out of wack and Satan has won a strategic battle in your life. Watch him, he is slick! Acknowlege Satan but keep your eyes on Jesus!

4:59 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

November 04

Update

Had a good visit with Steve yesterday. He is making a lot of progress. His left arm is probably up to 75%. He can't touch his face yet, but he can get within a few inches. His right arm is less mobile, but it is coming around. He can lift it straight up about 4 inches. He walks on the treadmill every day and he has been able to do some other necessary things by himself. He still uses the motorized wheelchair in the evenings when he is tired, but he uses the manual one in the morning. He is working hard and anxious to come home. He enjoys the cards and emails. To email him, just google SHEPHERD CENTER ATLANTA. They have a great web page...just click on CONTACT US and then Contact Patients. It is easy as pie. YOUTH REVIVAL is going great: 213 on Sun. nite, 245 on Mon. nite, 177 last night. Timothy Ray Keenum will be speaking tonight. Tommy Chamness, husband of one of our LCBS teachers Terri Chamness [teaches Lara and Lexi] has been very sick. He is at Decatur General. My brother-in-law is much better. He is in a room. Fuzz Dobbins is at home. I saw him at Ironman yesterday. He is doing much better and he got a good report from the surgery.

7:39 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

November 03

Sin

Lance preached from Psalm 51 last night and it got me thinking. In the first two verses of this Psalm David uses all three Hebrew words for sin. In the KJV and NASB they are translated as transgression [rebellion], iniquity [perversion] and sin [to miss the mark, less than perfect]. David prays "blot out my transgressions, wash me from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." As you can see, God has a solution to all our sin whether it is rebellion, perversion or just simply making stupid mistakes. The key is that David recognized his rebellion. He recognized that his sin was evil and that he was born with a sin loving nature. As Lance was preaching, God was speaking to me about my sin. It is so human for us to hate the sins of others, to see the evil in what they do but when it comes to our sin, we prefer to call it something other than evil. We like to think of our sin as a "weakness" or perhaps a "bad habit" but for us to call what we are doing evil, well, we just can't bring ourselves to do it. Is lust for young women evil? is gossip evil? Is spending your tithe on recreation or new cars evil? Is it evil to set in the sanctuary and watch other people when they are trying to worship? Is it evil to be judgmental and critical of your spiritual leaders? Is it evil to read your bible once a week? Is it evil to keep the gospel to yourself? Is it evil to be a source of discouragement to others or to be a stumbling block to the younger generation? Is it evil to watch filth on TV? Is it evil to forsake the assembly of the saints so you can ride around and sea the leaves? I know what just happened. When you read the list, you picked out what you really think is evil but when you came to the ones that expose your sin, well, those you do not see as evil. The problem is, we don't see sin as God sees it. To HIM, all sin is evil. There are no good sins. I always hated it when some one gave one of these testimonies where they make light of their sin. I've heard it a hundred times but I make so much fun of them that no one does it in my presence anymore. It goes something like this, "I'm not guilty of sins of commission, but I am guilty of sins of omission". I'm thinking, "you ignorant sap, you are guilty of more than you can imagine". If God were to reveal all their sins at one moment, it would probably kill them. Besides, what is so good about not doing what He has commanded us to do. I think the bible calls this "disobedience, transgression, rebellion" not omission. Wake up folks, sin is sin. It is all black and ugly. Gossip is evil just like lust. All sin is evil in His sight, we are just not seeing it as He sees it.

PS--I'm on my way to Atlanta...hope to get back in time for Revival Service tonight. Joe David is going to Huntsville and Decatur [hospital visitation]. I'm sure thankful that the Church hired him, the boy is a world of help to me. We had 244 last night. The young man sharing tonight is just a kid. This will be his first revival service. Pray that God will use him to stir our hearts. There was a lot of conviction last night, at least in me. I would have gotten under the pew if it were possible. God bless you and have a great day. Pray for our service tonight. Tracey is off and so you have probably found a lot of mispelled words but I trust you will understand the message.

6:25 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

November 02

The Trinity At Work

The Jews persecuted Jesus because He healed on the Sabbath. Jesus response was short and simple: "My Father is working right now and so am I." God is at work right now and so is His Son and His Spirit. I assure you, the holy trinity is at work. God works in many ways: He works overtly. The children of Israel stood on the banks of the Red Sea and watched God divide the sea and make a way for them to escape from Pharaoh. God works convertly. Joseph said to his brother "even though your plans were evil, God brought good out of it by saving many". God works mysteriously. In John 13:7 Jesus says, "You don't know now what I am doing but you will understand later". I can assure you that the disciples did not see God at work on the day that their beloved was crucified but He was. God moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform: He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. You may see Him at work in your life today; you may look back years from now and see how He was working as did Joseph and his brothers or you may not see it until we get to heaven but trust the word of Christ, God is working right now! Just keep in mind that He is unique and we can not predict or program His actions. He is a God of wondrous variety. He seldom does the exact same thing in the exact same way twice.

PS--Big day ahead we hope. We are going to try to make the Pastor's Conference, make some visits and support the YOUTH lead revival tonight. We had 213 last night. I would say that 80% were 25 and below. Lance Breedlove will be speaking tonight. We had 318 yesterday morning and our Lottie Moon was very close to $2,000.00. Folks, we need a miracle to reach our goal. Doug shared with our congregation about visiting the place where Lottie Moon worked. Eddie carried them on a tour. The money is available but our people need to be stirred to give. June and I are going to make every effort to give 10% of the remaining goal but we need some more of our richly blessed folks to help us. They will not respond by me asking and trust me I don't mind asking...God is going to have to stir them to give. My brother in law is much better. Shirley Reeves, Jeremy's mom is better. I am going to see Steve Tanner tomorrow, Lord willing. Have a great day. Allen, they dropped the Tide to #3 but that is OK. If we don't start playing better, it will not matter. I hope the rest will help us.

5:01 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

November 01

He Is Everywhere And I'm Not Talking Santa

God is omnipresent, David said in Psalm 139, "You are all around me--in front of me and in back of me... where can I go to get away from Your Spirit? Where can I run to get away from You? If I go to heaven, You are there. If I make a bed in in the place of the dead, You are there. If I climb upward on the rays of the morning sun or land on the most distant shore of the sea where the sun sets, even there Your hand would guide me and Your right hand would hold on to me." Have you ever heard of Nicholas Herman? Nicholas was born in Lorraine, France in 1605. He fought in the French army and was wounded seriously. His war injury made it difficult for him to walk but Nicholas was not to be discouraged. He had been a believer in Christ since age 18 and he always had a desire to grow spiritually but he got busy working for the French Government and the years went by rapidly. At age 50, Nicholas knew that he had to step out on faith or else forget his dream. He quit his job and joined a Carmelite Monastery in Paris. Hoping they would recognize his success and give him an important job, they assigned him to the kitchen and not as the chef, just a dish washer and potato peeler. It was a hot thankless job that no one coveted and Nicholas felt a tad of resentement welling up in his soul. Nicholas decided to fight the resentment and make the best of his situation. He came to realize that the Kitchen was holy ground and that God was as real there as He was in the sanctuary. He came to believe that any task is important if it is done for the glory of God. Nicholas walk with Christ was eventually noticed and one particular fellow. He was so impressed that he set up meetings with Nicholas to pick his brain. The two became friends and began writting to each other. Nicholas friend, a man in high position, kept all of Nicholas' letters. Later when the letters were put into print, they became known as "The Practice Of The Presence Of God". So now you know the rest of the story. Nicholas was the man that we know as Bro. Lawrence. The glory cloud in Exodus is a beautiful picture of the presence of Christ: He gives light to those who trust Him and darkness to those who reject. He comforts on the one hand and confounds on the other. He is Savior to one and Judge to the other. For His children, He is both Guard and Guide. He both precedes us and protects us. He is simultaneously our shield and our Shepherd. He is our Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the One who goes before us and the One goes behind as our rear guard picking up the debis of our failure and of our poor attempts to minister to others. [Italics is from Robert J. Morgan, the RED SEA RULES, page 71] I think it is a wonderful tribute to Jesus and I just wanted to pass it along to our readers.

PS-- My brother in law is much better Praise the Lord. He is talking and his kidneys are working. My sister is tickled pink. TRUNK-A-TREAT went well. We had around 25 venders and had about 250 Trunk-a-Treaters. It is no where close to a record, we had 678 a few years ago so we had to stop advertizing. Each year we have a few more venders to drop out. It is expensive, some of the venders spend $150 or more. It is a ministry but unfortunatly, we have many who want to be ministered to. I am sure it is that way in every church. The Baby Boomers, the "Me" generation doesn't respond very well but our young people do and I just hope they keep it up. Can you beleve it folks, it is November and Christmas is less than 2 months from today. June took down all her October decor last night. She couldn't rest until it was all down. In the next few days, she will transform our humble cottage into the North Pole. I hope you have a great day. Pray for our YOUTH Revival that begins tonight at 6:00 pm. Thank YOU JESUS for that extra hour of sleep last night, it came at the right time.

4:00 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

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