Baptist City Blog

- Tuesday, 9/18/18  Proverbs 7:4, Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman. Are the things of God more like a dear family member or the cranky neighbor down the block? What can you do to enhance and build the relationship? ‘Ball’s in your court...  
                                 2 Chronicles 8:22, And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this is that king Ahaz. In troublesome times, it’s very natural, very fleshly to turn to sin. Don’t be an Ahaz. Draw nigh to God in the troubles; at the very least, don’t lose any ground. Keep on doing what you have been doing...go through the motions if necessary. Fake it til you make it. God understands. (Lord knows He’s been through it enough with me...)

 

- Wednesday, 9/19/18  Ever wonder why you, a sincere Christian, have so many problems? Hebrews 5:2, Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; FOR that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. For you and me, problems help us feel for the problems of others.                                   2 Chronicles 30:5, So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written. After a couple of hundred years, some in Judah were still willing to try to reconcile with those in Israel. Who is it that you’ve given up on? What relationship have you written off? Your parent from a decade or two ago? Your ex? (I don’t mean you could/should try to reunite, but can you make the relationship right?) What relationship should you TRY one more time to fix? (How long did the Lord try to get you?)

 

- Thursday, 9/20/18  Psalm 34:1, I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  Our praise to God is not very genuine when it only occurs when we like and agree with our circumstances.                                    Perhaps the best church in the whole Bible, definitely in Asia, was in Ephesus. Yet, in Revelation 2:4, God said this, Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee... Even the best are not perfect. So, yes, you have flaws, and it’s not arrogant or wrong for someone to point them out. Yes, tact would be nice, but don’t ignore the message, because the messenger is flawed in his delivery or timing.

 

- Friday, 9/21/18  Hebrews 12:1-3, ...let us lay aside every weight and...sin...and let us run...with patience...looking unto Jesus...consider [Jesus], lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. There’s our whole mission in life: let’s get bus(ier) laying, running, looking, and considering.                            Revelation 9:20-21, And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. The ability and penchant of the human heart to get hardened is phenomenal. DON’T allow yourself to go ONE step farther down the road once an issue has been pointed out to you.

 

- Saturday, 9/22/18  Most of my posts deal with issues God spoke to me about and concerning being a better Christian. However, “better” doesn’t always mean “nicer.”  Luke 6:26, Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. Ticked anyone off lately??                             Most of my posts deal with issues God spoke to me about and concerning being a better Christian. However, “better” doesn’t always mean “nicer.” Luke 6:26-28, Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. Ticked anyone off lately? That might be a good thing...but if you did, how did you react to their negativity? With love? Acts of goodness? Blessing? And prayers? Deep thoughts that I hope spark some introspection. Read all 3 verses again.

 

- Sunday, 9/23/18  Psalm 39:1b, I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me. “Anything you say can and will be used against you.” All of us need to remember that the unsaved ARE without God, and will act like it. Don’t expect others to demonstrate what we consider to be common decency.                   Luke 6:42, Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye. The underlying truth here is that each of us have issues that we need to be dealing with. Do you see yours? Do you acknowledge them? Are you dealing with them? Are you angry if another points out your mote, even if they “clearly” have a beam?

 

- Monday, 9/24/18  “Trust your heart” they say. NNOOOO!!! Our hearts are naturally wicked and directed toward evil. And, we fret against God habitually. Proverbs 19:3, The foolishness of man (any/every man) perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord.                         Hebrews 3:12-13, Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. However good you are or have been up til today, you can get hardened tomorrow. “Take heed” means “take an internal inventory.” Where will your current course and speed get you in 5 years?

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- Luke 8:56b, But he charged them that they should tell no man what was done. He knew the publicity from such a miracle would cause too much commotion and attention before His time. He has a time and a plan for everything. We need to accept it, and not gripe, complain, or resist it.

 

- Ps 115:2, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.  We must be very careful to give Him all the glory, and not to usurp one bit for ourselves.

 

- Dan 3:17a-18a, If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image. Doing right is not dependent on the anticipated outcome, and I believe that these 3 young men were scared to death.

 

- Pro 9:7, He that reproveth a scorner getting to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. When we come in contact with wicked, scornful men, we are to avoid them. They aren’t going to listen nor are they going to change. It can only make trouble for us.

 

- Luke 9:50, And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us. It is not for us to decide who is in which camp or brand of fundamentalism. If they are winning sinners to Christ: leave them alone.

 

- Sometimes God is just about to answer our prayer, but chooses not to because we are sneaking around and trying to hide things from Him. God is not to blame. All blame is upon us. Consider Hosea 7:1, "When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria..." Healing was in motion, but somebody in the family was holding out. Therefore healing never happened. Perhaps it is time to surrender.

 

- Marriage is a divine establishment, a holy vow. Anything that inquires to its absolution is a trap. The penalty is always greater than the preservation. Proverbs 20:25, It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry.

 

- The fact that there are fresh mercies awaiting me this morning is probably a good indication that I will need them.

 

-  Jesus was hanging on the cross in incredible pain. Every terrible thing that could be done to him had been done. He had been tortured and beaten. He had been shamed and humiliated. He had been falsely accused and berated by evil men. Can you imagine how difficult it would have been to forgive these people who he had loved and served and for whom he came to die? What did Jesus do?  He did not say. "Father I forgive them..." Stop and think about that for a minute. His prayer was not a prayer of forgiveness. He prayed that the Father would forgive them. What an amazing truth.  There are times when I am hurt so deeply by what someone has done to me that I cannot say I forgive them. However if I can pray for God to forgive then I will eventually be given the mercy to forgive them myself. Did someone abuse you? Pray what Christ prayed, "Father forgive them." Did someone violate you? Pray what Jesus prayed, "Father forgive them.". In asking for God to have mercy upon them you are eventually going to gain the mercy you need forgive them.  Perhaps all of us need to learn that when we have been hurt or offended by another our first reaction may not be, "I forgive." It should be what Christ's prayer was, "Father forgive them." If we have the heart of the father then he will extend HIS forgiveness into our hearts, so that we can forgive as well.

 

- Often we cannot hear God speaking through His Word because of the noise...no not the noise around us, but the noise in our heads. Before you get into the Word, "Be still and know..." That is more than a physical stillness. It is a mental stillness. Take a few minutes to still your mind before reading the Word. That is why morning is good because your mind has been stilled through the night.

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- Strong relationships do not weaken by a single event, but by a buildup of tiny little things.

 

- Often, God will cover up your first few sins allowing time for confession. But if you cover it up it will become a viral scandal.

 

- If you ever find yourself away from the Lord, it can be very confusing. It is a subtle series of misdirections. The confusion is not knowing how to get back.

 

- Find someone who stayed on track and draw close to them. Simply do what they are doing. Don't rationalize. That may be what pulled the wheel in the first wrong turn.

 

- People who force themselves are freed from the bondage of being forced by others. It's called responsibility.

 

- As for leaders: God hath equipped you with strength and speed, but do not outrun your followers.

 

- We all have anger issues. Those who fail to pour them out to God will pour them out upon man. Explode on God (He can take it) so you won't have to explode on your loved ones (They cannot take it). You can pray or you can pay.

 

- When a soft heart breaks, it only bends. When a hard heart breaks, it shatters.

 

- It's Too Late!  1. When you've already made up your mind.  2. When you won't receive advice.  3. When there is no more conviction

 

- When I start to think that I do not deserve my fires of afflictions, I remember that I do deserve the fires of Hell.

 

- You can't find solutions to your problems by hiding in your shell; you find solutions to your problems by facing them.