Baptist City Blog

Building Courage

Judges 6:27

"Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night."

When you think of the great men in the Scriptures, it is hard not to put Gideon on that list. Gideon is one of the great stories you will read about; however, you can see from the verse above that he did not always exhibit great courage. When God initially called Gideon, he was hiding his wheat in the winepress. In the verse above, he was not taking a bold stand in the middle of the day, but he was taking a stand in the middle of the night hoping that nobody would know who destroyed the altar of Baal. Something happened between the time that he was victorious over the great Midianite army and the time that he was making a stand at night. There were some steps that he took to build his courage so that he could make the great stand against the Midianite army.

First, he built a personal altar. You will never have the courage to do what God wants you to do without having a personal time with Him daily in the Scriptures and prayer. A personal time with God always helps build your courage, for the Word of God is full of promises that build your courage. How can you know God's promises if you don't spend time with Him in the Scriptures? You may think you are too busy to read the Scriptures, but you must find time to have a personal altar with God, for it is in this time that your courage is boosted.

Second, you must be available when others aren't. Gideon was busy, but he was available for God. One of the reasons people don't have courage to do great things for God is because they have time to serve the world, but they have no time to serve God. God uses people who are available to do His will. If the things of the world take precedence over God, then you will never find the courage to do God's will.

Third, you must believe God. Though Gideon did not understand how God could use Him, he trusted that God could if He said He would. Belief in what God tells you to do is what will give you the courage you need to do great things for God. Fear will always be present whenever God tells you to do something, but you must believe that God will do what He says He will do.

Last, it takes answered prayer to gain courage to do God's work. When Gideon had his fleece experiences, they were nothing more than answers to prayer. The greatest way to build your courage to do something for God is to get answers to prayer. Christian, God can't answer your prayer if you don't pray. God promises to answer prayers, and He will answer prayer, but you must be willing to ask Him to do something before He can answer your prayers. When God does answer your prayers, you should record those answers so that it can help build your confidence for future challenges you face.

It takes courage to serve the LORD. You may be like Gideon who seemed to be lacking in the courage category, but if you will follow the steps that he took, you will find the courage you need to do the tasks that God asks you to do. God can and will build your courage if you will simply give Him a chance by following the steps above. You can always take courage in the fact that people whom God used in the past started out with a lack of courage, but He gave them the courage they needed to face their challenges which eventually gave them the great courage for which they are now known. Don't let your lack of courage stop you from serving God, but remember that if God asks you to do something that He will provide the courage you need to do it.

Guarded Love

Joshua 23:11

"Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God."

One of the great things to see is watching people fall in love with God. I love to watch someone get saved and see their love for God grow in a great way. On the other hand, one of the saddest things to see is someone's love for God begin to wane. Something or someone affected their love for God, and a love that used to be fervent is now cold. This is tragic!

In the verse above, God told Israel to "Take good heed...that ye love the LORD..." This is interesting because God was warning them to guard their love for Him. God didn't want anything affecting their love for Him. God knows there are many things that can steal someone's love. You must realize that just because your love for God is fervent today does not always mean that it will be fervent tomorrow. If you don't guard your love for God, then something will steal that love away.

There are two things that can steal a person's love. First, people can steal a person's love. Galatians 5:7 says, "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?" Notice it is a "who" that hinders people and not a "what."You can get caught up with the wrong people and they will steal your love for God. This is why it is important that you run with the right crowd. I have watched it happen so many times that I get sick of it. I have watched people associate themselves with someone only to see that person steal their love for God. You must guard your associations closely and not allow them to steal your love for God. Don't let work associates steal your love. Don't let close friends steal your love. Don't let relatives steal your love. Closely guard your love so that no person can steal it.

The second thing that can steal someone's love is possessions. Jesus asked Peter in John 21:15, "...Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?..." Jesus asked Peter if possessions had stolen his love for Him. You must be careful that you don't allow possessions to become more important than your love for God. Money should never become more important than your love for God. Cars and homes should never become more important than your love for God. When any possession becomes more important that your love for God, then that possession has stolen your love. Guard your love for God so that nothing can steal it.

Let me take this thought in one other direction. Married couples need to be careful that they don't let anything or anyone steal their love from their spouse. When you got married you promised to love your spouse till death. You will never do this if you don't guard your love for them. Believe it or not there are people who will try to steal your love from your spouse for one night of pleasure. Don't let this happen! Guard your love for your spouse and NEVER let anyone become more important to you than your spouse. Likewise, don't let things become more important than your spouse. You can have all the things in the world and lose your spouse, and you will find out that those things don't mean that much. Don't ever let a possession become more important than your spouse. It is better to lose the possession than it is to lose your spouse.

When you love someone, whether it is God, your spouse, parents, children or a friend, there will be people and things that will try to steal your love. Guard your love so that these things don't steal it. When you choose to love someone, then you must guard that love that nothing would hinder or take it away. If you find someone or something has already stolen your love, then remove it so that your love can stay fervent for God and the one whom you chose to love.

Giving Up on Your Dream

Joshua 17:13

"Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute; but did not utterly drive them out."

A troubling statement is made in the verse above when it says, "...but did not utterly drive them out." This is sad for the fact that they gave up on what was rightfully theirs. They gave up on something they worked so hard to obtain. They gave up on doing their best and settled for the second-best. They gave up on something that was given to them because something became too hard. These people had no business giving up. It doesn't matter what their excuse was, they were commanded by God to go and utterly drive out the people. When God gave them this task, He didn't say it would be easy. He simply expected them to follow through on His Word, and if they would have done so, their children would not have suffered the heartache from the Canaanites whom they did not drive out.

When God lays something on your heart to do, then you need to decide that no matter how hard it may be that you are going to conquer it. God did not give you a dream for you to let it fall by the wayside. God did not give you a dream to let it defeat you. When God gives you a dream, He also gives you the wherewithal to conquer that dream.

Don't let the difficulty of conquering your dream cause you to give up. Yes, these people saw that there were giants to conquer and decided to give up. If your dream wasn't difficult to obtain, then it wasn't much of a dream at all. There should be some difficulty in conquering a dream. That is part of what makes it a dream. Don't let the difficulty of obtaining your dream cause you to give up its realization.

Don't let your weariness be the thing that causes you to give up on conquering your dream. I know there are times when you simply get tired of fighting to see your dream come to pass; however, you cannot let your weariness stop you from realizing your dream. You must claim God's promise that He will give you the strength you need to see the dream come to reality. When you get weary in trying to conquer your dream, keep on going for the realization of that dream is near.

Furthermore, don't let the lure of settling for the second-best become your plight. Christian, if God gave you a dream, then don't stop until you get what He wants you to have. Certainly, God's second-best is always better than the best of the world, but God does not want you to settle for the second-best, He wants you to have the best. When the lure of settling for the second-best comes your way, you must decide that you will keep on going until you see the whole dream come to reality.

So, what is the impact of giving up on your dream? When you read about the history of Israel, you will find that many of these cities that they did not conquer became a snare of sin to their children and grandchildren. When you give up on your dream, you are affecting future generations. You must realize that your dream is not just for you, but it is for generations to come. The decision to give up on your dream will affect you, your children and your grandchildren.

I challenge you not to give up on your dream. I don't know what dream God placed in your heart, but whatever it is there is nothing that should stop you from seeing the realization of your dream. If you gave up on your dream, then right now you need pick it back up and start striving to see your dream come to pass. If you are considering giving up on your dream, don't do it! Keep going, for when your dream is realized you will thank God a thousand times over that you didn't give up. Your dream is worthy of not quitting, so keep going until you see your dream come to reality.

The 9/9/12 FBC Hammond bulletin is up at www.baptist-city.com.

What to Do After the Victory

Joshua 8:30

"Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,"

Everybody loves the experience of victory and success.
Society is filled with books on what to do to have victory and success in different areas of your life, but there are very few people who deal with what to do after the victory. What you do after your victory may determine if you have more victories in the future. One of the most vulnerable times in anyone's life is right after a victory. One of the reasons for this is because we let our guard down because of the feeling of elation, we become overconfident in our invincibility which causes us to get out of our routine which results in an immediate defeat. It is important that you do the right things once you experience a victory.

In the verse above, Joshua and Israel experienced a great victory over the city of Ai. To some, this may not seem like a great victory, but to Israel it was huge because this battle was a rematch of a previous battle that they lost. What Israel did after this battle allowed them to go on through Canaan and conquer the Promised Land. Their actions after the battle allowed them to continue experiencing victory. What they did after the battle is what every Christian should do when they experience victory in their life.

First, take time to thank God for the victory. The verse above shows us that they immediately set up an altar to thank God for His help over the people of Ai. You would be wise after a victory to thank God for His help. Why should God continue to help you if you won't thank Him after you've had a victory? If you thank God for the victories He gives you, then you will find that He will be more likely to help you with the next battle. Be careful that you don't become so elated with a victory in your life that you forget to take time to thank God.

Second, get back to work. In verse 32, Joshua wrote a copy of the words of Moses on a stone. Joshua understood the importance of getting back to the routines that brought him the victory. One of the dangers of victory is that many get out of the routines that led them to victory, which results in them seeing an immediate defeat. Don't let victory be the steppingstone to backsliding. Once you have a victory you would be wise to continue doing what led you to have a victory.

Third, continue to obey all of God's Word. Verse 35 shows us that they didn't just read some of God's Word, but they read all of God's Word. Their purpose of reading God's Word was so that they could obey. Christian, just because you had a great victory in your life does not give you a license to do wrong. You are to continue doing right after the great victories. Obedience to God's Word is just as important after the victory as it was before the victory. If you continue doing right, then you will continue to see victory in your life.

Finally, watch out for the next battle. Right after the battle of Ai came another battle for Israel. You will never stop fighting battles in your Christian life. Enjoy your victories, and praise God for the victories, but always remember that there is another battle right around the corner. Don't become complacent, but prepare for the next battle and you will continue to experience God's victories in your life.#exit

Music from the 9/02/12 services at FBC Hammond is now up at www.baptist-city.com.

What a Saviour He Is is the song of the week now  at www.baptist-city.com.

Two great sermons by Dr. Jack Hyles for the week of 9/02/12 are now up at www.baptist-city.com.

What to Do When You're Afraid

Exodus 14:10

"And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD."

We are often very hard on the children of Israel, but if the truth be known many Christian's lives mirror these people. We find in the verse above that the children of Israel were afraid that Pharaoh and his army would capture them. Their fear was justified because of the fact that they faced the Red Sea and their memory of Pharaoh was painful. This Pharaoh had increased the burden of their work, and if they did not accomplish what was expected of them, he would beat them. With Pharaoh and his army in pursuit to capture them, you can only imagine the fear that gripped their heart.

Everybody will be afraid at some point in their life. Maybe your fear is over health concerns, situations on the job, finances, marriage problems, problems with your children, or a major development that has arisen in your life. Whatever it is, you must realize that God has the answer to help you while you are afraid. God's Word shows us what to do when we are afraid through the story of the children of Israel facing the Red Sea and Pharaoh's army.

First, pray when you are afraid. The children of Israel cried out to God when they were afraid. Whether or not they knew they were doing the right thing is not the issue, the fact is they knew the One Who could help them in their situation. Too often Christians forget to call out to God for help when a fearful situation arises. It seems that we tend to worry about the situation and then it pops into our mind that we forgot to pray. Prayer should always be your first response to everything, but especially when you are afraid. Don't waste your time worrying about something when prayer will help.

Second, don't retreat when you are afraid. The children of Israel talked about going back to Egypt, which would have been the worst decision they could have made. When you are afraid you should never retreat back to where you were before. Don't ever undo in doubt a decision you made by faith. Certainly fear may be in your heart, but retreat should never be an option. You may think going back will be better, but your fear has caused you to forget the heartache of the past. Giving up and going back to the world will only bring greater heartache. Whatever you do, don't retreat!

Third, don't complain when you are afraid. The children of Israel were famous for complaining which did nothing for their situation. Christian, you can complain all you want, but complaining has not changed one situation. Complaining about your situation is simply telling God that you don't agree with what He has allowed in your life. God has something great for you, so instead of complaining you should praise God for what you do have.

Fourth, go forward when you are afraid. In verse 15, God showed the children of Israel that going forward will take care of their fears. The best action you could perform when you are afraid is to go forward. Sitting down and doing nothing will do nothing about your fears, but going forward is the way to have victory over your fears.

When you do these things you will see God work for you. The children of Israel saw God part the Red Sea and their fears disappear when they followed these steps. Likewise, you will find that these steps will cause your fears to eventually disappear. Remember, God is big enough to handle your situation; so, don't be afraid.

One More Time

Exodus 10:17

"Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only."

When my daughter was younger, she and I would often enjoy playing together. There were times when she would stand on the stairs in our house and jump into my arms, then after doing it several times I would tell her I was going to stop. She always responded, "One more time, daddy." I can remember throwing her up in the air just a bit, of course to her it seemed like she was flying, to have her fall right back into my arms that were ready to catch her. When I was tired and ready to quit, she would always say, "One more time, daddy." She knew that I had done it enough and that I was tired of the activity, but she knew that she could get me to do it one more time if she asked.

God is much the same way with His children. There are many areas in our lives in which we have challenged God's patience to the point that He is finished with us in that area; however, God is also a forgiving God Who is willing to try and help us one more time. Three times in the Scriptures I find where people asked God to do something one more time.

In the verse above, Pharaoh asked God to forgive him one more time. Over and over again God gave Pharaoh another chance only to see him squander that opportunity and harden his neck again. When Pharaoh faced the threat of locusts destroying their harvest, he asked God to forgive him one more time.

Christian, you may have sinned several times and think that God would never forgive you, but I am challenging you to ask God to forgive you one more time. You may have tried to overcome that sin a hundred times, but you need to try one more time. You may think that God is done helping you, but you can always ask God to help you one more time.

Psalm 85:6 asks, "Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?" Yes, God can revive you one more time. Yes, God can revive your nation one more time. Certainly, God has worked through you in the past, but you can ask Him to work through you one more time. Maybe God worked through your church in the past in a great way, but you need to ask Him to give you one more revival in your church. Maybe you live in a nation where God has revived that nation many times. Maybe that nation has fallen away from God and is in great sin. Ask God to revive your nation one more time.

Samson asked God in Judges 16:28, "...Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once,..." You may feel that God would not empower you again, but let me challenge you to ask Him to fill you with His power one more time. Don't worry about God empowering you for the rest of your life, but ask Him to empower you one more time.

Let me caution you about this truth by reminding you there came a time when my daughter asked me to do something one more time, and I wouldn't do it. Christian, don't take God's mercy for granted. God doesn't have to do something one more time and He may stop, so don't challenge it. Sure, keep on asking God to do these things one more time, but that one more time may stop when He gets tired of you returning to your old ways. If God does something for you one more time, then reward God by doing right after He showed you His mercy.