Nathanael needed just one thing. And he cried out to God for it not even knowing what it was. He just knew that he was deficient for everything that he could possibly need without it.
And so he sat, under a fig tree, emptying out all of his concerns to a God who he thought wasn’t listening.
And so he sat.
It wasn’t long after that that he ran into Philip … and Philip had found the one thing.
John 145Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
It is Independence Day. Let us not forget today about the freedom that all of us have.
As I sit today in a beautiful cabin nestled in the mountains of Buffalo Creek, I am so grateful for that freedom.
For our country.
For our soldiers.
For a pledge that says “One nation UNDER God”
And as my wife played this song for me today and I watched the lyrics, I couldn’t help but think about Nathanael. As he sat under that fig tree and cried to God, he was not completely sure that God was even listening to him.
But he found out.
And he found out in an encounter with none other than Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And he found out that something good could come Nazareth. In fact, to let us know that He has walked that road, He chose to be from Nazareth.
Let us not forget today that true freedom comes from Jesus.
Let us not forget that God is listening to us.
Let us not forget that an encounter with Jesus is all that we ever truly need.
Because He … Is Where It Begins.
John 11In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God …
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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The Bible calls all of us as believers to many things.
And one of them is to be: Above Reproach
As we read below:
1 Timothy 31 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
There are many things in this verse that we must read:
Faithful
Temperate
Self-Controlled
Respectable
Hospitable
Able To Teach
Not Given To Drunkenness
Not Violent But Gentle
Not Quarrelsome
Not A Lover Of Money
Must Manage His Family Well
Must Have A Good Reputation
Now, if you are A Recent Convert … what I have to say now is not for you. You are to seek God, and pray, and learn His word, and meet with other SOLID BELIEVERS, and grow in your faith.
But most of us … we grow out of that … and now it is time to step up and do the very thing that that verse above requires. It is time for us to walk into the calling that God has for us. As a coach, I would say: “Get Your Butt Going!”
You Are Called To Greater Things
Do not underestimate your influence, do not downplay it, and do not lazily disregard it. Walk into your calling!
1 Peter 2 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
This Is Not An Optional Mandate
He calls us to ministry. It is not our job to “regulate” the pastor. We are not to sit in the back pew and say “he needs to do this and this and this …” Nonsense. We are to stand up and lead. Start your ministry today, or at least tomorrow or Monday or have a plan. And aim big! The world is full of the lost.
Matthew 2818 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
24 “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 ” ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Gold Standard
Follow the playbook in your ministry. The playbook is written in your Bible. And Jesus … He is the Gold Standard.
Proverbs 173 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.
So yes,
Be Above Reproach
Be:
Faithful
Temperate
Self-Controlled
Respectable
Hospitable
Able To Teach
Not Given To Drunkenness
Not Violent But Gentle
Not Quarrelsome
Not A Lover Of Money
Must Manage His Family Well
But then what?
Get Your Butt Going!!
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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As I drove home from a meeting with an incredible man today, I was convicted in my car and I believe God put this thought on my heart:
“The Bible IS NOT a boot.”
Amen.
The Bible should never be used to kick someone, to hurt someone, to drive a point home.
It is NOT OUR PLACE.
I am saved by the grace of a God who loves me too much to let me die in the midst of my sin … and my sin is great.
Thankfully I say to you … “My God is not done with me yet!”
Wow, that feels so good to say:
“My God is NOT DONE with me yet!”
In a world of darkness and evil and falling short, I am the greatest of these … the pride, and unforgiveness, and impurity, and vengeance, and hard-heartedness that can well up in me is beyond description. And it is destructive. And yet, I can find it, and identify it, in me. In God’s love letter written to all of us, for this day, on January 28, 2025, Paul said it best:
1 Timothy 1 15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
The Bible Is NOT A Boot.
Because if it were, I would be getting kicked in the face right now by a God who could kick me a good distance. But that is not His way. And as I meditate on that verse above today, I am so grateful. For I am “the Chief of sinners” and I would be happy to argue with Paul about it.
And chances are … you are “the Chief of sinners” too.
And so what does God tell us to do?
How are we to introduce others to Jesus?
How can we properly communicate this gospel?
Here are a few thoughts:
The Bible is a Message Of Reconciliation:
2 Corinthians 518 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
The Bible is a message of love:
John 3 16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The Bible is a message of our need to have a Savior:
Romans 8 1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
The Bible is a lot of things.
It is a book of instruction.
It is a book of wisdom.
It is a book of history.
It is a book of LOVE and GRACE and FORGIVENESS …
It is a book about Jesus.
There are a lot of ways to describe it.
But one thing that it is not: The Bible Is NOT A Boot
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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If you seek rest and can not find it, perhaps this word today is for you. The night hours are important in so many ways … and in my life it feels like it is a point of emphasis.
What does scripture say about the night hours?
Here are a few scriptures that we mentioned last week at Peaceful Valley:
Matthew 1325 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
Mark 135 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Job 33 14 For God does speak-now one way, now another- though man may not perceive it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds,
I know in my life this has been a focal point. Sometimes I think it is a lack of sleep. In other moments, I have been convicted that there is much activity in the spiritual realm … both for the good … and for the bad.
As you read this today, I encourage you to “take atmospheric temperature” for what we are now facing in America and through out the world.
What might we be dealing with as we move forward?
I have contemplated this a lot in the last months.
So where is today’s blog leading?
Simply to these thoughts:
The enemy is at work in the night hours. His plots are not only to put fear in us, but sometimes they are showing what he will be doing next.
Jesus thinks that the night hours are important … after all, they were important to Him.
We can be spoken to in many ways. But certainly God speaks to us in the form of dreams.
So as you move forward, I want to encourage you in these things:
Be A Watchman:
Ezekiel 33 6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’
I encourage you to read this with grace, not with accusation. It is not to stir up fear in you that you will make a mistake, it is to call you to battle. As believers, you have an alliance with the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He plays no games and He will watch over you and yours. Call on Him when you worry. Ask Him to move on your behalf, and ask Him to disarm the enemy.
Hold on to the Lord. Jacob had many flaws. But he knew who he needed and was willing to fight with every part of his being to have God. Let that be your story.
Genesis 32 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
Remember Who God is and What He does.
Job 5 12 He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. 13 He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away.
I love this verse because it affords us the ability to stand on the word and recognize that God is working on our behalf.
Go forward in faith.
Go forward in prayer.
And, most of all, go forward knowing that God may wake you in the night, or you might dream, or you might be stirred to pray.
When He does.
Cry out for Him.
He is ready to answer.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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This is a long message … but I implore you to read it and listen to the song at the end!
Genesis 37 5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
In one conversation, Joseph set his life on a different course.
When you approach older brothers and make statements like this, you are showing yourself to be arrogant, entitled, pompous, ungrateful, clueless, … just to name a few …
And not long after this, he was enslaved, falsely accused, and thrown into prison.
Reading the story, it is by God’s protection alone that he lived through the incident with Potifer’s wife.
But that is not what this is about.
This blog is about YOU and it is about YOUR DREAMS.
It is about knocking the baggage off of your life and reclaiming what you have lost …
It is about you fighting to get back in the driver’s seat while at the same time allowing God to be the driver.
It is about us facing the realities in front of us. It is true, when we enter into this world, we start with two strikes against us.
Strike One is talked about in Revelation 12:10B, and it relates to the Accuser. Day and night, he releases accusation after accusation that do nothing but condemn us.
Strike Two is that those accusations, for the most part, are true. We are guilty as charged in most cases. And, the reality is, we have nothing on this earth to defend ourself from those serious charges.
It is about us not letting the story end here. Just like Joseph, our actions have been a viable part of our destination at the prison cell. We are there for good reason. But we are not there to stay. We are there to be released by what Jesus said in John 3:16. We are there so that we can truly understand the freedom that He is granting.
God convicted me this last weekend about one of the greatest stories in the Bible, and I never would have connected it to Genesis 37, but I was happy to see the connection.
Matthew 25 14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 ” ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Jesus is challenging us to stand up and dream again. But He is challenging us to give these dreams away even as we pursue them.
He is challenging us to be Kingdom builders … to not bury our talents … to not view Him in our world but as He is … to GIVE OUR LIVES FULLY AWAY.
If we don’t use our talents to bless other people, not only will it cost them, it will cost us too.
If we bury our abilities, not only will they die, but we will to.
If we want to be more fruitful, we must aspire to be more faithful.
I believe that these are biblical truths that we must truly try to find in all that we are aspiring to do … and in them … we will have life.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Genesis 37 5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
Lord, what does this have to do with me? And what does this have to do with what I might talk about today? … I say that because I was convicted to speak about:
“The Fight Before You”
What could this possibly be about?
I am not the sharpest tool in the box … And God sometimes has to hit me over the head for me to even begin to understand …
The reality is this:
All of us have dreams. And all of us are destined and called by God to pursue those dreams. And all of us are going to have to STAND UP AND FIGHT for those dreams. Because those dreams will not be given to us …
And Jesus proved, without a shadow of a doubt, that He does not want us PLOWING OVER THE BROKEN IN PURSUIT OF OUR TRIUMPH.
Now while what I am saying is obvious, this is exactly what what do, and we should all be willing to admit, confess, that this is exactly what we do.
And so it was with Joseph.
God had put a dream on his heart, he was proud to stand over his brothers and lord over them … even in their brokenness.
God had given him a dream to save them, and he was professing it like bragging rights in a high school locker room.
And so here are my words for you today. Because whether you are 2 or 14 or 17 or 35 or 50 or 90 … you should be pursuing your God-given dreams like they were the most important things that you could ever hold onto. But as you do … be warned of that very verse above. Because that’s the verse that set Joseph up to be a slave and put him on his way to prison. It broke up his family and devastated his parents. It wreaked havoc on his life and the life of his family.
So here is my advice today on March 1, 2024:
Jesus Is The Lion Of The Tribe Of Judah. God has put a pecking order over our universe. Watch the pecking order in a pride of lions. One King. One Rule. One Ruler. And in that order they are safe, well-fed, and loyal.
Dreams Can Never Be Idols. Because of bullet point 1, a dream as an idol will NEVER, EVER, work. It might be a short term victory … but it will NEVER, EVER, work.
You Are Called To Lead In Humility. This could mean early mornings and late nights. It could mean giving up your first choice. It could mean that you are frustrated, or tired, or exasperated.
There Will Always Be A Fight In Front Of You. This doesn’t make you a fighter in the physical sense, but it means that you are always a fighter in the spiritual sense, in the character sense, in the repentance sense. And, most of all, you are always a fighter in the chase after God sense.
Things Are Not Always What They Seem. The very execution stations that Haman set up (Esther 7:10) were the very things he died on …
Persevere, Worship, And Give Everything To God. His plan is better than yours. And your plan is not even a close second. This takes faith.
I am not sure how to end this.
So maybe I will end this by encouraging you to read the “end of the Joseph” story. It is an incredible story of redemption, faith, and family.
And, while his dream comes to fruition, it was not at all where he took it in his lust to brag.
Thank you Jesus that you love us where we are and in the midst of where we are going.
You, Jesus, and You alone,
Hold the keys to eternal life.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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2 MINUTE WARNING 