There are times I feel so very dry—so far away from the presence of God. In such moments, I have no great yearning to read the Word. The reading of the Bible, in times of dryness, is done mostly through a sense of obligation. When I’m dry and empty, I feel little compulsion to pray even though I know my faith is intact, and my love for Jesus is strong.
Have you ever sat in church and watched those around you getting blessed, while you feel nothing? They cry; they pray; they worship with tremendous feeling. But you are not moved upon—at all. You begin to wonder if there is something wrong with your spiritual life.
I believe that all true believers experience dry spells at various times in their Christian life. Even Jesus felt the isolation—when he cried aloud, “Father, why have you forsaken me?”
What shall I do to overcome spiritual dryness?
1. I must maintain a life of prayer!
Nothing dispels dryness and emptiness quicker than an hour or two shut in with God. Putting off that date with God in His secret closet causes guilt. We know that our love for him should lead us into his presence, but we busy ourselves in so many other things—time slips away, and God is left out. We throw in his direction a whole array of “thought prayers.” But nothing can take the place of that secret closet—with the door shut—praying to the Father in seclusion.
Come boldly into his throne of grace—even when you have sinned and failed. He forgives—instantly—those who repent with godly sorrow.
2. I must no longer be afraid of a little suffering!
Christ’s resurrection was preceded by a short period of suffering. We do die! We do suffer! There is pain and sorrow.
We do not want to suffer or resist or be hurt! We want painless deliverance! We want supernatural intervention. “Do it, God,” we pray, “because I am weak and always will be. Do it all, while I go my way, waiting for a supernatural deliverance!”
But, thank God, suffering is always that short period before final victory. “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered awhile, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Peter 5:10).
Friday, April 9, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Blink Generation
Many Christians read the Bible regularly, believing it is God’s living, revealed Word for their lives. Over and over in the pages of Scripture, they read about generations who heard the voice of God. They read of God speaking to his people again and again, with this phrase repeated time after time: “And God said…” Yet many of these same Christians live as though God doesn’t speak to his people today.
An entire generation of believers has come to make decisions completely on their own, without praying or consulting God’s Word. Many simply decide what they want to do, and then ask God to validate it. They move ahead forcefully, their only prayer being, “Lord, if this is not your will, then stop me”
We are now living in a time referred to as the “blink generation.” People are making major decisions in the blink of an eye. A best-selling book has been written on this concept, titled Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. The theory is, “Trust your instincts. Blink-of-the-eye decisions prove to be the best.”
Think about all the hurried-up “blink language” we hear every day: “This is an offer of the century. You can make a bundle overnight. But you have only a short window of opportunity. Get on it now!” The driving spirit behind it all is, “Blink, blink, blink!”
Such thinking has begun to infect the church, affecting the decisions made not just by “blink Christians” but by “blink ministers.” Scores of bewildered parishioners have written to us telling the same story: “Our pastor came back from a church-growth conference and immediately announced, ‘As of today, everything changes.’ He decided we would become one of the popular trend churches overnight! He didn’t even ask us to pray about it...we’re all confused.”
Just a few years ago, the watchword among Christians was, “Did you pray about this matter? Have you sought the Lord concerning it? Are your brothers and sisters surrounding you in prayer? Have you received godly counsel?” I ask you, has this been your practice? In the past year, how many important decisions have you made where you honestly took the matter to God and prayed sincerely? Or, how many of those decisions did you make “in the blink of an eye”? The reason God wants full control of our lives is to save us from disasters—which is exactly where most of our “blink decisions” end up.
An entire generation of believers has come to make decisions completely on their own, without praying or consulting God’s Word. Many simply decide what they want to do, and then ask God to validate it. They move ahead forcefully, their only prayer being, “Lord, if this is not your will, then stop me”
We are now living in a time referred to as the “blink generation.” People are making major decisions in the blink of an eye. A best-selling book has been written on this concept, titled Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. The theory is, “Trust your instincts. Blink-of-the-eye decisions prove to be the best.”
Think about all the hurried-up “blink language” we hear every day: “This is an offer of the century. You can make a bundle overnight. But you have only a short window of opportunity. Get on it now!” The driving spirit behind it all is, “Blink, blink, blink!”
Such thinking has begun to infect the church, affecting the decisions made not just by “blink Christians” but by “blink ministers.” Scores of bewildered parishioners have written to us telling the same story: “Our pastor came back from a church-growth conference and immediately announced, ‘As of today, everything changes.’ He decided we would become one of the popular trend churches overnight! He didn’t even ask us to pray about it...we’re all confused.”
Just a few years ago, the watchword among Christians was, “Did you pray about this matter? Have you sought the Lord concerning it? Are your brothers and sisters surrounding you in prayer? Have you received godly counsel?” I ask you, has this been your practice? In the past year, how many important decisions have you made where you honestly took the matter to God and prayed sincerely? Or, how many of those decisions did you make “in the blink of an eye”? The reason God wants full control of our lives is to save us from disasters—which is exactly where most of our “blink decisions” end up.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Feelings, the Messengers of Satan
by David Wilkerson
I am so glad my feelings have no meaning. I am even more grateful they do not affect my salvation or my relationship to the Lord. When the enemy comes in like a flood, trying to drown me in depressing feelings and negative thoughts, I have a tendency to blame myself. I say to my heart, “Why am I cast down, O my soul? Why am I suddenly disquieted in spirit? Why so restless and irritable—when I don’t want to be? What evil thing have I done to deserve these negative, depressing feelings?”
My negative, blue feelings did not come from God so I don’t have to put up with them!
“For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
I can reject every negative feeling because I know not one of them is from God. Feelings that make one afraid are not sent from heaven, they are messengers from the pits of hell! They are to be rejected and bound through the power of prayer and faith.
God is saying to us, “I didn’t give you these feelings of fear and doubt. Instead, I’ve given you a spirit of love, power, and authority.” He calls us to abolish these unwanted thoughts, bringing them into captivity and obedience to himself. We dare not allow our feelings to master us. We dare not permit them to linger and grow into roots of bitterness and doubt. We must come against them in the name of Christ the Lord and cast them down. We are commanded to do so!
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Every downcast feeling is the fruit of a satanic seed of mistrust. It is the old serpent at work trying to make us question God’s faithfulness, question God’s care, question God! These lies are the seeds of negative feelings and God commands us to war against them.
I am so glad my feelings have no meaning. I am even more grateful they do not affect my salvation or my relationship to the Lord. When the enemy comes in like a flood, trying to drown me in depressing feelings and negative thoughts, I have a tendency to blame myself. I say to my heart, “Why am I cast down, O my soul? Why am I suddenly disquieted in spirit? Why so restless and irritable—when I don’t want to be? What evil thing have I done to deserve these negative, depressing feelings?”
My negative, blue feelings did not come from God so I don’t have to put up with them!
“For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
I can reject every negative feeling because I know not one of them is from God. Feelings that make one afraid are not sent from heaven, they are messengers from the pits of hell! They are to be rejected and bound through the power of prayer and faith.
God is saying to us, “I didn’t give you these feelings of fear and doubt. Instead, I’ve given you a spirit of love, power, and authority.” He calls us to abolish these unwanted thoughts, bringing them into captivity and obedience to himself. We dare not allow our feelings to master us. We dare not permit them to linger and grow into roots of bitterness and doubt. We must come against them in the name of Christ the Lord and cast them down. We are commanded to do so!
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Every downcast feeling is the fruit of a satanic seed of mistrust. It is the old serpent at work trying to make us question God’s faithfulness, question God’s care, question God! These lies are the seeds of negative feelings and God commands us to war against them.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
What a game last night!
Well its late and I still need to do some praying for I hit the sack. I hope you got to enjoy this beautiful day. I visited hospitals this morning and took the afternoon off doing some work around the house trying to get the place ready for Gabe's graduation party.
You probably heard that Hillary Mayne and Velvet Crowe came through their respective surgeries well and both are home now. I also got to visit some with Grace Davis today. Please keep her and Bud in your prayers as well as Sister Arlene Miller.
I haven't heard from my mother yet. She arrived in Haiti Monday sometime. Her plane didn't get into Chicago on time due to the storms there Sunday night. Hopefully, she is doing well. Thanks to everyone who brought gum for her to give out to the children. Please remember her and her medical team in your prayers.
What a game last night! It would have been better if Butler would have won. But what a story. Being from Indiana, it was pretty special. Indiana eats and sleeps b-ball. In every small and even the large cities in Indiana, the heroes are the basketball players. The Indiana schools have great high school coaches who seem to major in teaching good fundamental basketball. Also, Indiana has fourteen of the largest fifteen high school gymnasiums in the country. Indiana kids grow up playing in big, packed gymns. My own high school was about the same size in enrollment as Little Miami and the gym seated over 5,000. The Cincinnati area has great high school football and I think really good baseball as well. But their high school basketball doesn't compare to Indiana basketball...anywhere in the state of Indiana. Kentucky too...is a great college basketball state, but can't compete with Indiana high school basketball. It stands alone. I say all this because Butler had ten Indiana high schoolers on their team including Indiana's Mr. Basketball from 2008, Gordon Heyward.
Well, sorry for the sermon on Indiana basketball. Have a wonderful Wednesday and God help us to glorify you tomorrow in all we do and say!
-Pastor
You probably heard that Hillary Mayne and Velvet Crowe came through their respective surgeries well and both are home now. I also got to visit some with Grace Davis today. Please keep her and Bud in your prayers as well as Sister Arlene Miller.
I haven't heard from my mother yet. She arrived in Haiti Monday sometime. Her plane didn't get into Chicago on time due to the storms there Sunday night. Hopefully, she is doing well. Thanks to everyone who brought gum for her to give out to the children. Please remember her and her medical team in your prayers.
What a game last night! It would have been better if Butler would have won. But what a story. Being from Indiana, it was pretty special. Indiana eats and sleeps b-ball. In every small and even the large cities in Indiana, the heroes are the basketball players. The Indiana schools have great high school coaches who seem to major in teaching good fundamental basketball. Also, Indiana has fourteen of the largest fifteen high school gymnasiums in the country. Indiana kids grow up playing in big, packed gymns. My own high school was about the same size in enrollment as Little Miami and the gym seated over 5,000. The Cincinnati area has great high school football and I think really good baseball as well. But their high school basketball doesn't compare to Indiana basketball...anywhere in the state of Indiana. Kentucky too...is a great college basketball state, but can't compete with Indiana high school basketball. It stands alone. I say all this because Butler had ten Indiana high schoolers on their team including Indiana's Mr. Basketball from 2008, Gordon Heyward.
Well, sorry for the sermon on Indiana basketball. Have a wonderful Wednesday and God help us to glorify you tomorrow in all we do and say!
-Pastor
Monday, April 5, 2010
Prayer
Please remember in prayer Grace Davis and Hillary Mayne. Also, remember Velvet Crowe as she recovers from foot surgery. The report is she came through her surgery very well. Nona Moore, Missionary Arlene Miller, and Hazel Dye are also in our prayers. KP has a prayer line. Please call the church when you have a prayer need. Also, you can list your prayer need on our church website as well and send it to us.
We are a people of prayer. We have a prayer room at the church that you are welcome to use any time of the day. You are also welcome to pray in the church sanctuary and at the cross in the sanctuary. We have prayer lists at the cross you can use your intercessory prayer time. Also, all of our cells have "prayer of threes" that prayer for unsaved friends. We have seen many of our friends and family members come to Christ through this ministry.
Someone once said, "Little prayer, little power. Some prayer, some power. Lots of prayer, lots of power."
Have a great Tuesday!
-Pastor
We are a people of prayer. We have a prayer room at the church that you are welcome to use any time of the day. You are also welcome to pray in the church sanctuary and at the cross in the sanctuary. We have prayer lists at the cross you can use your intercessory prayer time. Also, all of our cells have "prayer of threes" that prayer for unsaved friends. We have seen many of our friends and family members come to Christ through this ministry.
Someone once said, "Little prayer, little power. Some prayer, some power. Lots of prayer, lots of power."
Have a great Tuesday!
-Pastor
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Sunday Wrap Up
We prayed this weekend that formality that often comes with a worship service when there are lots of visiting guests would not limit our worship. I think our prayers were answered. Even though the sanctuary was pretty much packed and there were lots of guests, the KP church really worshiped today without any kind of limitation or hesitation. Great service this morning as well as the Friday night service!
This morning several received Christ as their Lord and Savior. After church, a young man came up to me and shared that he received Christ in one of our services a few weeks back. He and his family have been growing in Christ and he shared with me how he has been talking to God and learning to hear and obey the voice of his heavenly Father. Its great to see people coming to Christ and growing in the Lord. I thank you KP church family for your prayers and bringing unsaved people to God's house. I also appreciate you that gave in the offering for Arlene Miller today. I know God will bless you and us greatly for our giving to our missionary.
My mother left for Haiti today with a medical team. She had two large suit cases full of gum and medical supplies. Thank you so much KP family for bringing in all the gum. Also, we assisted her in an offering out of our benevolence ministries to help purchase medical supplies for the trip. The gum will go to bless hundreds and possibly thousands of the Haiti children. To them, one stick of gum is great treat. Please keep my mother in your prayers this week.
Wow, our youth ministry did a super job this morning with the human video. You can see it here on the "sermons" page along with the message from this morning's service.
Everyone have a wonderful week. And go Butler...defeat Goliath.
-Pastor
This morning several received Christ as their Lord and Savior. After church, a young man came up to me and shared that he received Christ in one of our services a few weeks back. He and his family have been growing in Christ and he shared with me how he has been talking to God and learning to hear and obey the voice of his heavenly Father. Its great to see people coming to Christ and growing in the Lord. I thank you KP church family for your prayers and bringing unsaved people to God's house. I also appreciate you that gave in the offering for Arlene Miller today. I know God will bless you and us greatly for our giving to our missionary.
My mother left for Haiti today with a medical team. She had two large suit cases full of gum and medical supplies. Thank you so much KP family for bringing in all the gum. Also, we assisted her in an offering out of our benevolence ministries to help purchase medical supplies for the trip. The gum will go to bless hundreds and possibly thousands of the Haiti children. To them, one stick of gum is great treat. Please keep my mother in your prayers this week.
Wow, our youth ministry did a super job this morning with the human video. You can see it here on the "sermons" page along with the message from this morning's service.
Everyone have a wonderful week. And go Butler...defeat Goliath.
-Pastor
Friday, April 2, 2010
Happy "Great Friday"
"Good Friday" everyone! This of course, is the day we remember the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On this day nearly 2000 years ago, Jesus finished his mission by enduring the suffering of the cross and because of that you and I have our sins cleansed by his blood as we confess Jesus is Lord with our mouth and believe in our heart (Romans 10:8-10). In reality, it should be called "Great Friday."
According to the bible, Jesus died at 3:00 pm on Friday. Up until that time today, he took what should have been our punishment upon himself. Remember, he lived a sinless life. He had no sins for himself that needed to be paid for. He paid for my sins, and your sins, and the sins of all mankind...past, present, and future. He is called the Lamb of God because he was God, the Father's sacrificial, perfect, lamb offering. He is called the lamb because in the Old Testament under the law the Hebrew people were required by Jehovah God to offer a healthy, perfect lamb for their sins. As they did this, their sins were "atoned for" or "covered." Christ's death is called "the atonement" because his blood "covers our sins." The sin, the guilt, is forever gone. We are declared "not guilty" or justified by God the Father when we confess our sins and believe in him.
Have you confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior today? Have you turned from your sins and received him as Lord and Savior? If not, I encourage you to look up Romans 8:9 and 10 and do exactly what it says. Jesus will save you and change you through his resurrection power that we celebrate this on Easter Sunday.
Have a great "Great Friday!"
P.S. Join us tonight for our "Great Friday" service at 7 pm. See you there!
-Pastor
According to the bible, Jesus died at 3:00 pm on Friday. Up until that time today, he took what should have been our punishment upon himself. Remember, he lived a sinless life. He had no sins for himself that needed to be paid for. He paid for my sins, and your sins, and the sins of all mankind...past, present, and future. He is called the Lamb of God because he was God, the Father's sacrificial, perfect, lamb offering. He is called the lamb because in the Old Testament under the law the Hebrew people were required by Jehovah God to offer a healthy, perfect lamb for their sins. As they did this, their sins were "atoned for" or "covered." Christ's death is called "the atonement" because his blood "covers our sins." The sin, the guilt, is forever gone. We are declared "not guilty" or justified by God the Father when we confess our sins and believe in him.
Have you confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior today? Have you turned from your sins and received him as Lord and Savior? If not, I encourage you to look up Romans 8:9 and 10 and do exactly what it says. Jesus will save you and change you through his resurrection power that we celebrate this on Easter Sunday.
Have a great "Great Friday!"
P.S. Join us tonight for our "Great Friday" service at 7 pm. See you there!
-Pastor
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