Nameless

We don’t even know his name. We know the name of the gate at which he sat. It was called Beautiful. But the man? Well, he remains nameless. We know that he was lame from birth and that he was carried to the gate daily to ask for alms. He was alive during the time that Jesus walked the earth and yet he didn’t encounter Him. He remained lame.

When Peter and John walked to the Gate Beautiful at the opening of Acts 3, that nameless man looked at them. He was expecting something. A coin. A coat. A piece of bread. But when Peter reached out his hand toward the man, it was empty. However, Peter’s words were full of faith. “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have…” What Peter had to share had no monetary value. Yet a miracle was about to take place.

Did the nameless man hesitate when Peter took his hand?  The Bible doesn’t say.  But if he had, could you blame him?  He had been lame from birth and Peter was telling him to get up and walk! Peter didn’t hesitate. He declared the miracle and pulled the man to his feet. And the man walked into a new life.

I don’t know why the Bible doesn’t mention the man’s name. I think maybe it’s possible Jesus was trying to tell us something: He cares about us, even if we feel nameless.

Sometimes it’s easy to feel nameless when troubles come. We wonder if anyone really cares. We wonder if God even remembers our name. And in low moments, it’s easy to become resigned to the fact that these troubles are permanent. Even when Jesus is near.

The nameless man had been lame from birth. Healing? He expected nothing more than a handout. What is your dilemma? Loneliness? Depression? Fear? Worry? Divorce? Bankruptcy? Does it have you feeling nameless? Raise your expectations. Today could be the day you miraculously walk into a new life. Jesus knows where you're at, and He knows your name. 

by Brandi Burton 

Why Did They Stay?

Acts 16:25-27

25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

Paul was a unique character, indeed.  He was devout.  He called himself a “...Pharisee as concerns the law,” and he proved constantly that he was sincere and earnest in pursuit of acceptance under the law.  He was also steadfast in his faith.  When others sometimes wavered in faith, Paul never did.  Paul was tenacious.  Even with a “thorn in his flesh” he continued the work of the Lord.  There was no room for quit in his ministry, and he had no patience with quitters in his churches.  Beyond these, Paul was also genuine and passionate toward the work of God.  In Galatians 2 he recounts the story of withstanding Peter, to his face, for being what we would consider today as fake.  It was his integrity, and genuine passion, that carried him through sickness, hunger, strife, persecution, suffering, prison, and his eventual death.  He remained constant throughout it all.

So, Paul was devout, steadfast, tenacious, genuine, and passionate about the God he served and the work he committed to God.  These are all good and healthy attributes for someone striving to be Christian, however, many of those attributes can also become crutches for not obtaining a higher calling.  See, Paul used those attributes to become Christian, as compared to assuming those attributes somehow made him Christian.  There is a difference.

We all know the goal of Jesus Christ. To seek and to save that which was lost.  Sis. Gwen Porche’ told me something very interesting regarding that scripture.  She said it was not “those who” were lost, but “that which” was lost.  What was lost in the garden was relationship between God and man.  Jesus came to restore that relationship, which was lost. 

If we are not active in restoration of relationship, then, we are not becoming Christian.  If our attributes of devotion, tenacity, and passion are not putting us in the practice of helping others find a lost relationship, then they are merely crutches that we use to excuse ourselves from actually being Christians. If our main goal is to argue and debate about rules and regulations, or show our devotion by tearing down brothers and sisters who do not, in our opinion, make the grade; then we are letting positive, Godly attributes excuse us from fulfilling the purpose of our existence.  Perhaps we are assuming our attributes make us Christian.  They don't.

Paul proved this in prison.  With all of the suffering he had already endured, and all the devotion and tenacity that his ministry rightly represented, he still ended up in prison.  But, he prayed.  When he and Silas began to pray, the chains were removed, and they were free to leave.  However, something greater than freedom was beckoning, and Paul was listening.  Verse 27 tells us that the guard would have killed himself, “...supposing that the prisoners had been fled,” but Paul and Silas stayed put.

Because they stayed, Acts 16:29-34 tells the story of the guard, and his entire household, being saved.  Paul and Silas were not so consumed with their Godly attributes that they forgot their Godly purpose.  They were not so set in deserving freedom, that they forgot the purpose of prison.  Before they demanded liberty for their good, faithful behavior, they took a look around and determined the value and cost of that freedom.  Their freedom, in their assessment, was not worth a single lost soul.  And, as a result, they saw an entire family come to God. 

So, would you, would I, stay in prison to save a guard?  Our Christianity depends upon it.

by J. Fields Trahan

Handcuffed to a Curse

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

From the beginning of time, God designed a ‘perfect’ will for all of us.  For Adam and Eve, it was to multiply and harvest.  It is the same for the church, right?  But, we all know the story well enough:  the serpent, the fruit, the fall, and the banishment from the garden.  This is where sin takes us away from the atmosphere in which God’s will is comfortable.  As a result of sin, curses were distributed.

In Genesis 3:16, God multiplied the sorrow and pain in conception.  Notice that this is a direct tie to God’s will, as the command from Genesis 1 was to “...Be fruitful and multiply...”  Likewise, in Genesis 3:17-19, the ground was cursed, and the man was now forced to sweat and toil in order to make provision for himself and his family.  This was also directly tied to God’s original command when He said, “...replenish the earth, and subdue it.”

So, sin did not change God’s will for our lives, but it changed our nature and our atmosphere.  Now, instead of God’s will being associated with comfort and glee, it is often associated with pain and toil.  This is not because God is unkind or cruel, rather it is because His will is unchanging, regardless of our state of being.  To fulfill God’s will in my life, I must be prepared to encounter some sorrow, some pain, some sweat, and some tears. 

This is where our enemy talks his way into our thinking, though.  He would suggest, as would most simple human thinking, that, if something is painful, it must be incorrect.   So, his suggestion, and his only power is suggestion, is to stop whatever is causing us pain.  But, this is advice that comes from an entity that knows no end to his current scenario.  See, his curse, in Genesis 3:14-15, is forever.  There is no relief for him.  From that point of view, he cannot understand how we would continue in pain.  So, he constantly suggests we quit. 

Our point of view, however, must be vastly different.  In God’s incredible grace, even the curse is temporal.  In childbirth, there is pain, and sorrow, and tears, but, oh, the joy a new baby brings.  And, in the work of the harvest, there is sweat, and blood, and suffering, but, oh, the strength that fruit brings.  This is what we must remember.  Our curse is temporal, Satan’s is eternal.  We cannot allow his suggestions to become our behavior.

Consider the story of the ostrich in Job 39:

13 Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? 14 Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, 15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. 16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear; 17 Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding. 18 What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.

This is the sad example of how Satan can handcuff us to his curse.  The mother ostrich leaves her eggs, and forgets about them “...as though they aren’t even hers.”  She becomes hardened against her very own children, and her labour is in vain.  Is that where some of us are?  Yes, God’s will in our life is laborious, but we can’t just walk away from it like it doesn’t exist.  We cannot ignore the responsibility of what God intends to birth in us simply because we don’t like the pain and suffering of the work.  The work is the curse, but the joy is only on the other side of the curse. 

Verse 18 tells us that, when the ostrich decides to, she can scorn the horse and rider.  She lives below her potential because she lacks the wisdom and understanding of what curse belongs to her and what curse belongs to Satan.  We don’t lack that understanding.  It is his curse, not ours that is eternal.  There is no tie between the two.  In order to be successful, our enemy must access our mind.  He must make us believe that our fate is somehow tied to his fate, and allow for that to motivate our behavior. 

My prayer, today, is that I can accept the “fellowship of suffering” because I know the harvest is coming, and joy is coming with it.

by J. Fields Trahan

The Writing in the Sand

John 8:6-8 KJV
6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

In this familiar passage of scripture Jesus has been confronted by the religious leaders with a woman caught in the very act of adultery. While being questioned by these self-righteous men, Jesus does what he so often does. He stoops down farther than He ever needs to. This is a great characteristic of God, He is willing to stoop as far down as He can in order to reach a sinner. 

While He stoops down, He begins to write in the dust on the ground. Over the years I have heard preachers speculate at what He might have written down that day. What could it have been that along with His words caused the accusers to drop the stones they had in their hands and walk away?

I hate to let you down, but I have no idea. All I know is whatever He wrote that day is no longer there. Just like the sins of the woman who laid on the ground not far from our savior on that day. Maybe God is trying to show us just how easy it is for Him to wipe away our sins. Maybe He wrote the word adultery and then brushed it away.

Here is what I know, if we will let Jesus get His hands involved in our lives, then our sins will only become a temporary condition. Satan doesn't want us to know this. He wants us to think that our sin is permanent, that we have no hope, and whoever we are before we come to Jesus is who we are destined to be. 

Satan's condition is permanent. He has no hope of avoiding hell and will end up there one day. As far as you and I are concerned, as long as we have breath in our lungs, then we have a chance to overcome the sin that is in our lives. 

Sin is something we must all deal with, but God has given us an opportunity to overcome it through His blood. As my former pastor used to say, the only sin God won't forgive is the one you won't repent over. Sin only becomes permanent when we bring it with us to the afterlife. 

1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

It really is that simple, we have to take our sins to Jesus if we are going to have them forgiven. When you make a mistake, just remember, it is just as easy for Jesus to forgive you of your sins as it is to write something in the dust and then wipe it away.

Don't let your sin become permanent. Take it to Jesus and let Him wipe your sins away.

By Brett Clark

What's the Difference?

As a spiritual leader, there's one question I'm often asked: "What's the key to success?" Though this question can’t be narrowed down to a single answer, there is definitely one principle that everyone must know if they plan to succeed. One of the key differences between successful people and unsuccessful people is the art of listening.

Against the Law
The Bible is the ultimate leadership book, but it is distinct from all other leadership books, in that, it holds timeless truths that when violated, bring catastrophic penalties and setbacks. The Bible does not contain suggestions or opinions, but, instead, commandments, statutes, precepts and Laws. The Laws of the Bible are not equivalent to violating the speed limit. If you violate the statutes of the Scripture you won’t be able to show up in court and plead “not guilty” because you didn’t see the speed limit sign. Yes, grace may afford us the opportunity to pay the fine (repentance), but you won’t be able to just throw the moral violation slip in the glove box and hope the government forgets what you did. This is where the listening test is applied.

Open Your Ears
The word “hear” and its variations are mentioned 1248 times in the Bible. When God speaks, He doesn’t arbitrarily throw His words out to the wind. More often than not, He admonishes man to hear what He is saying. One of the most noted examples is in Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One Lord.” He didn’t just make the declaration in case they wanted to ponder it. God was saying, “You must hear what I am about to say.” It’s not enough to have God’s Word at our fingertips. Nor is it enough to read it daily. If we own a Bible and read it but do not hear and apply its precepts, it will have no affect on our earthly life and certainly not our eternal destination.

The High Cost

For 120 years, Noah preached the same message. There were no long dissertations, scientific formulas, mathematical computations or complicated riddles that he used to get the message out. Noah simply told his generation that a flood was coming and if they would use his escape venue, everything would be fine. In modern vernacular his message was clear: “Hey folks, you have never seen rain like you are going to see. Repent, and get in this boat.” Pretty simple instructions. The result: No one listened. Everyone died.

What’s the Difference?
As I said in the beginning, there are many things that play into the success of a person; but it starts with listening. Here are a few tips that many successful people I know live by:  

• First, make sure your life is completely submitted to God. Don’t use God as your fix-it-all when everything is falling apart, but refuse to obey when it hits too close to home. 
• Second, make sure you have a pastor. No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you need at least one person that you trust completely that can give encouragement AND correction. And you need to listen to them.  
• Third, surround yourself with peers who care enough for you to be honest with you in important situations. 
• Fourth, read consistently. Don’t waste your time reading random material. Make your first resource the Word of God and after that make sure the books and material that you read come highly recommended by credible people who have been where you are headed. 

There is a difference between gathering opinions and information, and following credible and proven counsel and principles. One of the stark differences between successful and unsuccessful people is the willingness to listen. 

Hearing wise and Godly instruction will save you much disappointment and build a wall of defense against destructive stubbornness. If you want to be successful, be teachable. Don’t waste the powerful ability of your ears to hear. 

by Bishop J. Todd Nichols

#Forward14

Proverbs 4:25 (NLT) “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.”

“Look here!” “Pay attention!” “Look where you are going!” All of these phrases are used quite frequently. Ever wonder why that is? Our society is filled with people headed in all different directions, many of which seem to be quite unaware of the path they are taking. It is so imperative to our walk with God that we look straight ahead. Too often, we misuse life’s rear-view mirror. If you stare into it too long, you’ll hit the car in front of you. Rear-view mirrors are for glancing; you can see your past experiences, where you've been, and how far you’ve come.  Take a deeper stare and you'll lose perspective of where you are now and where you are headed. A rear-view mirror can also be used to look at yourself. We cannot allow ourselves to gaze too deeply at our own reflection. At first, we may like what we see, but very quickly our view will shift and we'll begin to observe our faults, failures, and flaws. The disappointment in our own shortcomings will consume us from the inside out.

Lot's wife’s inability to ignore the rear-view mirror as she was being led out of Sodom and Gomorrah cost her everything. Maybe she was being saved from past mistakes, but undoubtedly, Lot's wife was being saved from ultimate destruction. She was on her way out to safety. Then it happened. In an instant, her eyes caught a glimpse of the blaze. The glimpse became a look. The look claimed her attention and she could not break the hold it had on her. Immediately, her appearance changed. It became her identity. She was called only as, “Lot's wife.” The Bible didn't even mention her name. She will forever be known as the woman who looked back and lost it all. (Genesis 19:26)

What does Jesus have to say about looking back? Luke 9:62 “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” What a strong stand to take on a topic many of us think to be no big deal. So what if I dwell on my past experiences? Whether the experiences of your past are good or bad, when dwelt upon continually, it is damaging to your future in the kingdom.

You’ll never find what God has for you in the rear-view mirror. Keep your eyes fixed on the prize. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). 

by Sarah Cartwright