Between "To Will" and "To Do"

Philippians 2:13: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

In this scripture, Paul differentiates between God’s desire to do something in our life and the fulfilment of that desire. It is God who works in you both “to will and to do”. Paul is telling the church at Phillip that God wants to work amongst them because he wants to do His will in their life.

For those reading this short devotional – I want you to know that God wants to do His will in your life. God gets pleasure when we are in His will.

So when God works among us, it is not just to entertain us, but it is to put us into a position where He can do in our lives the things that He wants to do – “His good pleasure”.

There is comfort that comes only when you know that you are in the will of God and doing what God has called you to do. Who is it that wants to do the will of God?

But, what do you do if you don’t know God will. There will be times when you cannot honestly say that you are in the perfect will of God. There will be times when we stand between to the “to will” and the “to do”. What do you do when you find yourself in this position?

Genesis 12 tells the story about Abraham, when he was 75 years old, being called out of his country and away from his family unto a land that God would show him. God said “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”. What a promise? But how was Abraham going to inherit the promise? God told him to walk! Just walk! “I’m not going to tell you where it is now Abraham. First you’ve got to walk!”

If you read the account you will find that Abraham walked for 15 years and then stopped. Abraham turns 90 years old and He gets in God’s face and says “God, I’m 90 years old now and I’ve walked 15 years from Ur. I don’t understand how I am in this position. I’ve got to know your will”. God looks at him and says “Abraham, the day that I called you I told you to walk…now get up and walk before me Abraham, my ways are still the same”.

If you are between “to will” and “to do”, and you don’t know what God’s will is at this time, just walk in God’s ways. You may not know His will, but His ways have not changed! It is His ways that will lead you into His will!

Don’t allow the confusion of what you don’t understand to push your heart away from the passion of the things you do understand. When you don’t know His will, you’ve got to remember His ways. It is His ways that will lead you into His will!

That's my five minutes!

What i learnt from a telemarketer!

“And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.” (II Kings 7:3-4)

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12)

Who likes telemarketers? I think I hear a resounding…..NOT ME! I have never met a person that likes receiving a call from a telemarketer. I admit, the first thing I think about when I realise that I have answered a phone call from a telemarketer is “how can I get off this call”. I admit, I have resorted to hanging up sometimes when it seems that the person isn’t going to stop for a breath and doesn’t seem to be listening to me. Why is it that they always call in the middle of dinner?

Given Australians dislike for telemarketers, it got me thinking. Why on earth do companies persist with such marketing methods. You would think that cold-calling people would have to be the most unproductive way of drumming up business. Yet it seems we still get these calls.

Companies use telemarketers because they know that if they sit around waiting for more business, they will more than likely not get it. They have to be aggressive!

You have to admire these Samaritan lepers. They realised that they were in a “lose-lose” situation. They realised that no one was going to offer them food in the midst of a famine, and if they were going to get rid of those hunger pains, they would have to take matters into their own hands. If they maintained the unchanging status quo, then they were going to get the same results that they had been getting—no food and ultimately death. They realised that they would have to be aggressive.

Why is it that minority groups in our society seem to have such “loud” voices? One word “aggressive”. They’ve got something to fight for – something that they believe in and it is worth fighting for. They will push against mainstream society in order to have their voice heard!

Think about the gay community. They have risen to prominence via a core group who zealously promoted its cause. Within the last 20 years, homosexuality has become acceptable by most media outlets. It’s being promoted in schools as a normal lifestyle and anyone with differing viewpoints may be taken to court. Even some churches are now accepting this lifestyle in their organisation – even why the Bible calls it an abomination (something God hates). These people are aggressive about what they believe.

God wants Christians to be aggressive about His kingdom, too. That’s why Jesus said that the violent take heaven by force (Matthew 11:12). A good paraphrase would be that those wanting to make it to heaven are going to have to shove their way past anything that gets in their way.
Jesus said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

Are we being aggressive about God daily, or are we satisfied with the status quo. Church attendance, occasional prayer, the odd Bible study. Has your walk with God become something you do with your spare time? Let’s get serious about this thing!

That's my five minutes!

"They HAD potential" - Something i don't want to hear!

Every individual must write his or her own ending to this story!

Luke 15:28-32
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

The petition he heard from his father.

1. It was a petition of pleading

• The father went out and “entreated” this boy to come in to the feast.
• The word “entreat” means “to come alongside of another to offer aid and comfort, to beg, to console, to comfort, to encourage".
• It is the same word that is translated “Comforter” in John 16:13 and is one of the names of the Holy Spirit. This father loved him.

2. It was a petition of promise

• The father praised him for his efforts, and reminded him that everything was already his! In effect, this father was saying, “I value you and our relationship together more than I value your works".
• This boy could have enjoyed fellowship with the father anytime he wanted, but apparently, he was too wrapped up within his own legalism and narrow-mindedness to realise it.
• This boy wanted what the father had, but he did not want the father, and he did not want anyone else to have the father either.
• What a tragedy!

3. It was a petition of priorities

• The father tells this boy that is was “meet” that they should have this celebration. The word “meet” means “necessary”. To the father, the return of the lost son was a cause for celebration.
• A lost one had been found.
• One considered dead was now alive again.

You see, instead of pouting, this boy could have been partying!

• Look at this chapter: everyone is happy but this boy.
• The shepherd is happy. The woman is happy.
• The father is happy. The lost son is happy.
• The servants are happy. The only person in misery is this elder brother.

And, he is miserable because he refuses to be happy. The feast is there, all he has to do is go in and enjoy himself. But, he is standing out there pouting, because he didn’t get his way and because he is not the center of attention!

Have you ever noticed that this is an open-ended story?
Did the elder brother ever come into the feast? We don’t know.
I think Jesus left it this way for a reason.

And here is that reason: Every individual must write his or her own ending to this story!

That's my five minutes!

What's the Older Brother's problem?

Luke 15:30 tells us what the older brothers problem was. “But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf”. Who told him this boy had spent his money on harlots? Did someone SMS him? Did he check his brothers Facebook? Certainly not….

He hasn’t even talked to the boy or to the father. Do you know what’s wrong with him? He’s jealous! He may be at home in his body, but he is in the far country in his heart!

He is as far away from the father as was the other son when he went away. All he wants to do is live it up like the other boy did! But, He can’t, so he gets mad that one who did the very things he wants to do in his heart has been received by the father.

This is what was wrong with the Pharisees. They kept the letter of the Law outwardly, but in their hearts, they longed for sin!

You don’t have to be a drunk to be out of God’s will! You don’t have to be an adulterer to be in the far country spiritually. You can serve your church, sing in the choir, preach the Word, or anything else you want to name and still be out of God’s will!

You can sit in church (the house) mad and resentful over things that may have happened in the past or even in the church. You can look pious and righteous today, but have a heart full of malice because of what someone said or did to you. That puts you in the far country.

When you listen to this boy talk to the father, you quickly realize that he is proud, disrespectful, arrogant, defensive and angry. There is obviously something wrong with the way he is looking at what is happening here. He should be overjoyed that his brother has returned safely from the far country. He should be rejoicing that the father has received a lost son home again. But all he can do is whine, pout and complain.

Notice how this young man handled his anger. He attacked, he criticized and he blamed! This lets you know that his heart is not right!

Why? Because your outward attitudes and actions are a mirror into your heart. OUT OF THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART – THE MOUTH SPEAKS! (Matthew 12:34)

To be continued…..

The Older Brother.....lost in the House!

Luke 15:25-30
[25] …and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. [26] And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. [27] And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. [28] And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. [29] And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: [30] But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

We often forget the older brother in this story. Very often the focus is always on the prodigal son. But the older brother was also lost…..He was lost in the house! In reading the this story, we find that the older brother had a problem with his motives. When he hears that there is a celebration, he is angry and he refuses to go in to the party. His father comes out and gently pleads with him to come in with the others. His reply to his father is very telling of this boy’s heart.

In verse 29, he reminds the father of his faithful service and complains that he has never been given a feast for what he has done.

It is amazing how many books on church growth point out this problem. It is very common when a church begins to grow and focus on the lost that some people feel like they are missing out and become disgruntled. Those “in the house” want it to be all about them….just like the older brother.

The bottom line here is this:
1. The older brother did not care that his lost brother had come home.
2. The older brother did not care about that which pleased the father.
3. The older brother did not care about the glory of the father, he wanted the glory for what he had been doing.
4. The older brother did not even care about the father, he did what he did for what he could get out of it.
5. The older brother even saw his service to the father as “slavery”.

Watch out for the Spirit of the “older brother”. He didn’t serve his father out of love for the father, but out of a desire to help himself.

What are your motives for what we do? Paul tells us there is but one valid motive.
1 Corinthians 10:31 “…whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

To be continued……

The Sons Return

It was a happy reunion.

Luke 15:20-24 “And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”

He found a father filled with love, compassion and grace who received him and loved him back into fellowship!

Now the son is back and he’s standing there in the rags of his sins. He doesn’t look like a child of this father. But, the father orders the best of his robes to be brought and to be put on the son. This robe would cover all the stains and dirt of the pig pen and make him look like the father! What a beautiful picture of Jesus our saviour….when a sinner comes home, they also receive a robe from the heavenly Father. The ring represents the priviledges, and the shoes his position (only slaves went barefoot, sons wore shoes). There was much rejoicing….the son had come home. The fatted calf was the Father's way of sharing His joy with all around.

But the elder brother just couldn’t seem to see the positive side of his younger brothers return. Sadly, this elder brother is a picture of one who is involved in the things of God, but who, sadly, has no real relationship with the father. He might be in the father’s house, but he is still lost. He is still in the “far country” in his heart!

The father loves the elder brother as well!

The elder brother held a position of privilege. As the elder brother he is entitled to two-thirds of His father’s possessions (Deut. 21:17). Since his younger brother has already received his part of the inheritance, (v. 12), everything remaining belongs to the elder brother.

The elder brother was still being productive. The text says that the elder brother was “in the fields”….he’s busy doing the father’s business while his brother is off “living it up”.

The elder brother is a picture of the Pharisees. These people were also in a place of privilege. The looked good to the people around then, but there was a problem within their hearts. The elder brother was lost!

We must be careful that even though we may consider ourselves “mature Christians” and have been serving God for many years….we can still be lost in the house! Your are a good moral person. You come to church. You don’t drink, steal or cheat. You have been baptized and are a church member. From all outward appearances, you are as good as anybody around you. But, just as Jesus could look into the heart of the Pharisee and see his lost condition, He can look within your heart and see that you are lost too.

You can be good, moral and active in the church and still be lost.

To be continued…….

The Lost Son

He left home saying “Give me!”. He returns home saying “Make me!”

Luke 15 has been called God’s Lost and Found Department. In Luke 15, Jesus used four illustrations dealing with the lost and with His’ desire to see them saved and restored to fellowship with Him. He talks about the lost sheep (1 sheep out of 100, 1%), the lost coin (1 coin out of 10, 10%), and then Jesus talked about the lost son (1 son from 2, 50%).

We hear so much about the story of the prodigal son, but it is the older brother that I want to reflect on in this post.

Luke 15:11-12 “A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living”. The request of this younger son was for his share of the inheritance.

In our culture it is the ultimate in “rudeness” to ask for your inheritance! In effect, the son was saying to his father “Dad, I wish you were dead and had no more say in my life! I am tired of you and I want to be free from you and your control in my life”. For the father, it was a shocking and selfish request. The son was seriously self-centred. Even the words “Give me” in verse 12 make me cringe! His life is all wrapped up within himself and he cares for no one else, especially not the father.

The father could have refused and kicked the son out, but he doesn’t. The Bible says, “And he divided unto them his living”. The younger son wanted what the father could give him, but he did not want the father!

It was before too long that the son met a harsh reality.

Luke 15:13-16 “And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him”. He crash and burned…..big time!

The son gets just what he wants, but soon finds out that “all that glitters is not gold”!

He blew the inheritance on “riotous living”, a life totally given over to sinfulness and wickedness. When the son left home, he also left behind all his moral restraints. Did he have a good time? Oh yes! There is Pleasure in Sin for a Season! (Hebrews 11:25)

Eventually his money ran out and along with the money, he also lost the friends who had helped him spend it (isn’t that always the way?). The far country, a land of “wine, women and song” had become a land of “weeping, worry and sorrow”.

This portion of scripture shows us the consequences of sin. Sin brings separation (he left the father and the provision of the family), sin brings sorrow (he wanted), sin brings shame (eating with the pigs), sin brings suffering (no home, no help and no hope), sin brings sadness (he is alone and lonely).

Luke 15:17-20 “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

“When he came to himself” This boy’s time in the far country had been a time of insanity. He hadn’t been thinking clearly!

He makes up his mind to go home! He is tired of life in the far country. He longs for fellowship with the father. He wants to go where he can be loved, fed and cared for.

He left home saying “Give me!”.
He returns home saying “Make me!”

To be continued……

The Bitter is Sweet

1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Count it all joy - the trying of your faith is the thing that is perfecting you.

I want to talk about the process of perfecting. If we can really get ahold of what these writers are saying we’ll understand that there is something in this process of perfection that is not scary. That actually the bitter is sweet.

If we are to ever be successful in our calling, it will not happen unless first there is a testing. Anyone who has walked with God and had any success in their ministry will understand that there is a process of testing, a process of perfecting. You see, whatever talent, ability you have been gifted with, it must be given back to God. He hands it to us, we are inspired, there is a lot of zeal. It isn’t all about inspiration and excitement……there are testing times. Wisdom comes through the testing times.

Whoever you are and whatever you are doing for God, this time of testing may not always be pleasant. There is no-one here that is exempt from this perfection process, this testing process.

Human nature seeks the sunshine.
Human nature seeks the comfortable. But we can’t always have the sweet without the bitter.
You can’t have the sunshine and no rain.
You can’t have the sunshine and no clouds.

It is in the struggles and testing in our lives that God is perfecting us, this is growth and maturity.

There is no doubt that we are going to face some things and go through some things because God is getting ready to pour a blessing out on our life. He is going to take us through the bitter water and the hard times…but he will pour a blessing out on us. If God is going to perfect us…there has to be some battles, some hardships, some hot times.

Psalm 126:5-6 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

The that sow in tears shall reap in joy. You can’t have the sweet water all the time. If you want the blessing of God, there is a testing that is going to come along side it.

Sometimes we have to taste the bitter before we taste the sweet.

Moses crossed the red sea…it happened along time before he got there. He spend 40 years in the wilderness.

Paul turned the world upside down….but before this there were beatings and hardship.

You are in good company….everyone wants sweet water…but we need to be thankful for the bitter water of perfecting. If there are no tears, there will be no laughter. If there is no bitter water, there will be no sweet.

When the bitter waters come, that is Gods place of perfecting. The bitter is what makes the sweet enjoyable.

Be encouraged!

That's my five minutes!

Because of the Times 2009

On 12 November 2008, i blogged about my upcoming visit to Alexandria, Louisiana for Because of the Times.

BOTT is a conference for ministers and their families hosted by the Pentecostal of Alexandria in Louisiana USA. Thousands of ministers from numerous Apostolic organisations gather with a desire to pursue the deity and vision of Almighty God. It is a time for preachers to be fed and replenished and a time where programs, positions, and prominence are laid aside to let God unify the body and install His purpose in our hearts. BOTT follows a basic format is 13 anointed speakers with diverse delivery methods.

BOTT 2009 was life changing for me.

• the ministry was life-changing (see my revised all-time Top 10 sermons from BOTT);
• the worship / music was first class;
• i met some fantastic people and life long friends (Chris Endsley, Sonny Warbington, Russ Cripps, Johnathan Dean, Paul Pamer, Robby Emery, Kevin Howard, Jimmy Toney);
• got to hang with Wayne Francis, Chris Austin, Angel L Baez jnr and a heap of other cool church planters;
• had great conversation with my travelling buddy Stanley Harvey;
• the food was crazy....i put on 3 kgs in 10 days! (go the BBQ Pork Ribs with unsweet ice tea);
• i got to meet all of the Manguns, Terry Shock and a pile of others who i really look up to in the ministry (i shouldn't name drop hey);
• message by Mark Morgan on the following weekend at POA was unbelievable - "The Tale of Two Trees";
• i went to Tioga - UPC Campground and got to see "the Tabernacle";
• Alexandria is a quite place - i still can't understand why people in the streets wear hunting camo? the weather is crazy as well....i thought Melbourne was bad!
• the people of the POA would have to be some of the most hospitable people that i have ever met - i now understand why they call it "southern hospitality";

Here is my revised Top 10 BOTT sermons (life changing for me). Note: I haven't heard most of the messages pre 1995 so i am probably missing some real "bell ringers" - please forgive me!

As of November 2008

1. This is a Lost World and We Have a Mandate to Reach it - Anthony Mangun
2. 21st Century Apostolic – Anthony Mangun
3. We are measured by God’s pattern – Anthony Mangun
4. Man’s Greatest Need is God’s Greatest Desire (Knowing God) - Jeff Arnold
5. When you stop measuring the miracle will happen – Jeff Arnold
6. Life’s Three Greatest Words (I Am Persuaded) – Jeff Arnold
7. Hath Israel No Sons – Wayne Huntley
8. Condemnation Interferes with Intimacy – Gerald Jeffers
9. There is no substitute for Sons – Wayne Huntley
10. Addicted – Matthew Maddix

After BOTT 2009

1. This is a Lost World and We Have a Mandate to Reach it - Anthony Mangun
2. 21st Century Apostolic – Anthony Mangun
3. Prisoner in the Land of Fulfillment - Royce Wilson (2009)
4. Rediscovering Refuge - Terry Shock (2009)
5. We are measured by God’s pattern – Anthony Mangun
6. Man’s Greatest Need is God’s Greatest Desire (Knowing God) - Jeff Arnold
7. When you stop measuring the miracle will happen – Jeff Arnold
8. Life’s Three Greatest Words (I Am Persuaded) – Jeff Arnold
9. It's time for Aaron's Rod to Bud - Anthony Mangun (2009)
10. Hath Israel No Sons – Wayne Huntley
11. Condemnation Interferes with Intimacy – Gerald Jeffers
12. The Miracle of More or Less - Wayne Huntley (2009)
13. There is no substitute for Sons – Wayne Huntley
14. Addicted – Matthew Maddix

Don't Quit

Jeremiah 33:3
3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Mark 11:24
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

I didn’t give you that promise…God gave it to you.

Winston Churchill….never give up! The entirety of his speech was “never give up”. It was impacting…only three words.

Hebrews 10:35-38
35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37 For yet, a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

After you’ve done the will of God, you need patience. He didn’t say that after you’ve done the will of God then suddenly God will pour out the promise….he said it is going to take some patience. Even after doing the will of God, you still need patience.

Don’t lose heart and abort the plan that God has for your life! I am telling you, don’t give up and don’t give in….don’t quit!

Endurance, determination, grit, fortitude, determination, prevailing, perseverance. Don’t’ quit!

Ministry is a Must!

Matthew 20:28
28: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

We need a revelation of personal ministry. A determination to minister like we’ve never ministered before. Why?

1. Ministry is how we are like Jesus.
2. Ministry is the key to personal and kingdom fulfilment.

You don’t have to have an assignment to minister. You don’t have to wait until someone gives you a ministry.

You don’t need to have an assignment to purchase a CD of a sermon for someone who could use it.

You don’t need a title to pick some groceries up for someone who is going through a hard time.

You don’t need a position to “prayer walk” your community, visit someone in hospital, visit the nursing home, make a call of encouragement.

We need to see ourselves as ministry! Jesus came to minister, not to be ministered to!

Joseph was in prison and it wasn’t even his fault. He refused to look at his problems and mistakes. When the kings men came to prison he ministered to them. Do you know what got him up there in the kingdom? It was his sensitivity to the needs of those he met in prison. That's ministry!

We all deal with failures and mistakes. But even in those times we must continue to minister. There is tremendous joy and satisfaction when we get our focus off ourselves and onto ministry.

The reason why some people can’t move into a fulfilled life is because they don’t minister! They are always focused on themselves. Satan said “I will exalt myself”. Selfishness is satanic.

There is liberating power and revelation in ministry! For some people the only thing standing between them and peace/fulfilment is a renewed desire to minister to others and take the focus off themselves.

What are the real needs in people’s lives. Salvation, redemption, the blood of Jesus. But the gateway to these real needs is through the felt needs. Focus on the felt needs and then move to the real need. It will move you into a fulfilled life! Reach out to somebody!If you want to feel like your life matters….then reach out to somebody!

That's my five minutes!

Set Apart for His Use - Doing Great things for God

1 Peter 1:13
13: Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

I want to start by quoting my friend Paul Glass (a quote he made on Facebook recently). "I want to be apart of something BIG, even if it's just in my head".

“Gird up the loins of your mind.”

This was a meaningful metaphor for first-century believers. In New Testament days men wore long robes that were a hindrance whenever they needed to move quickly or work. Men also wore a belt around their waist, so that when they need to do some strenuous work, they could shorten the robe by pulling it up in the belt, giving them the freedom to run, fight, or whatever they needed to do. This was called “girding your loins.” Now what does the loins have to do with the mind?

When Peter said to gird up the loins of your mind, he was telling us to prepare yourself for strenuous mental activity. Your mind has become a battlefield; get ready to fight, get ready for some hard work. If you are going to be great for God – you need to gird up the loins of your mind!

Two verse down, Peter is talking about holiness. He used the metaphor of “girding us the loins of your mind” as a means to explain that living a life of holiness is battle. Holiness is being “set apart for God’s use”. I can testify that trying to be “set apart for God’s use” in this world is a battle – a daily battle. Trying to be in the world but not of the world is a battle – a daily battle. But Paul told us – it begin in the mind. Being set apart of God’s use (holiness) begins in the mind!
I want to do great things for God. The Bible says “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20). We can see God do things beyond our wildest dream if we would just allow the power of God (the Holy Spirit) to work through us! That can only happen if we are “set apart for His use”.

That’s my five minutes!

Our Effectiveness

Knowing God’s purpose for your life is one of the best things you could ever find out. Further to that, living a life that fulfills God’s purpose is even better. Everybody in the body of Christ has the call of God upon their life. Unfortunately we often reserve this “call” just for the ministry. But God has called all of us “into the kingdom for such a time as this”. God has a unique plan and purpose for our life. When we are filled with his Spirit, we have everything we need to see God do great things through our life!

I have met a lot of people with tremendous potential. I have met people who are fulfilling their potential and I have met those who are yet to fulfil their potential. Sadly, I’ve been around long enough to have seen people who once had great potential. The ditches on the sides of the road of life are full of people with potential. It is my passion to see young people realising their God-ordained potential.

I don’t care how much potential that you’ve got, because potential alone is not enough. It is about realising our potential, it is about our potential becoming an actuality.

Jesus paid the price for our salvation – we will pay the price for our effectiveness. There are a lot of people “speaking in tongues” – but not effective, not living in the realm of their God-ordained potential. There are a lot of people that “mean well” – but they aren’t effective. The parable about the man who buried his talent is a case in point – he “meant well” – but he wasn’t effective.

We need some people to step up. We need young people to step up and show the world that Jesus can make a major difference in our life – but not just that! We need young people to step up and show the world that Jesus can make a major difference through our life. God did not make a mistake when he matched us with this day!

This may shock some people, but we must realise that we are either helping people get to heaven, or we are helping them go to hell. We must come to grips with this – this is the bottom line. There is no neutral. The worst advertisement for Christianity is a lukewarm Christian. When a non-Christian sees a lukewarm Christian they cannot help but see that it is a boring life. Sitting on the fence offers nothing except splinters!

So we have two choices – it’s easy!
Live for Jesus – an abundant life and an eternity in heaven.
Live for Satan – enjoy the pleasures of this world for a season (there is pleasure out there – but just for a season).

I’m not going to pretend that people aren’t having fun out there. They are! But in the end, they will not be happy. The “fun” is short lived – it is just for a season. When the season is over, the song by U2 rings true – “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for!”

I want to emphasise again that there is no such thing as redemptive neutral – being in this world and effecting no-one. We are all effecting someone – it just depend on what way we are effecting them. We must stop and do a self assessment of our life. We need to take time to examine ourselves. We need to take the Bible and do a diagnosis on our Christian walk and our effectiveness. If your truly connected to the vine there will be fruit – fruit of the Spirit. Secondly, picture yourself laying at the front of the church in a wooden box!

It may sound a bit morbid, but start by writing your eulogy. Put yourself in the box and ask yourself – “What is the preacher going to be able to say with integrity!” We must live it not so that they can say it then!

That’s my five minutes!

National Day of Prayer and Fasting: 27 March 2009

REGISTER AT http://www.aym.org.au/natprayer.htm

OUR GOAL: At least 500 people praying for the youth of Australia on 27 March 2009.Friday 27 March 2009 - ALL DAY

1. Pray for a mighty move of God amongst the youth of Australia in 2009.

2. Pray the youth ministry of your church, your youth leader and pastor.

3. Pray that God will use you to reach out to at least one lost person in 2009.

4. Pray for the National Youth Camp over the Easter Long Weekend 2009.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

God goes before us!

Exodus 15:23-27
[23] And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
[24] And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?"
[25] And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

The newly liberated nation of Israel was on its way from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan but it was proving to be a difficult journey. The young nation of Israel began their journey in great spirits. Their archenemy, Pharaoh, was defeated, and his army was drowned in the Red Sea. The Israelites were rejoicing and praising God!

But we see Israel move very quickly from the celebration of triumph to the bitterness of disappointment. They quickly found themselves in the wilderness of “Shur”. The word Shur means “wall”. After the triumph, Israel hit the wall. Anyone ever had that feeling? They were in the desert and they had no water. No one could survive long without water in that hot climate, especially in a desert.

Had God suddenly abandoned them? One of God’s rules for the spiritual life is that testing comes before resting! Only three days journey from the point where they had crossed the Red Sea, the people encountered their first difficulty of a water shortage in the midst of a desert.

Let me divert here and encourage you in these days of economic uncertainty. When looking ahead makes you fearful, look back and remember. Uncertainty has a way of focusing us exclusively on the mystery of what lies before us that we forget what lies behind. If you have been a Christian for any length of time, God’s faithfulness to us in the past should shape our assurance and perspective about the future.

So the Israelites find themselves without water. Amazingly enough, three days of waterless wandering had created a great dilemma for them.

Then, off in the distance they see some water. There is no way to hold back the three million Israelites from stampeding the water. They run to the water, some half stumbling and sprawling into the water – only to find that the water was bitter and undrinkable.

Exodus 15:23
[23] And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.

Marah brought great disappointment.

Everyone has their “Marahs”. Just when you thought you were coming out of the wilderness, just when you thought you were going to be refreshed from your wanderings in the wilderness – you find only bitter waters that are undrinkable.

But God had a remedy for Moses. He told Moses to toss a tree into the water and the act of God created sweetness out of bitterness.

Exodus 15:25
[25] And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

Trees don’t grow overnight. That tree was planted in advance. Be encouraged - you will face some bitter waters in life – BUT YOUR TREE IS ALREADY PLANTED. God has gone before you making a way!

That’s my five minutes!

Lovers of Pleasures!

2 Timothy 3:1-4
[1] This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
[2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
[3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
[4] Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
[5] Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
[6] For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
[7] Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

There is no doubt that we are living in the last days. This can be confirmed but observing the happenings around the world, for there is no doubt that we are living in perilous times. Verses 2 through to 4 outline some of the signs that we can look for. I don’t know about you but I see this on a daily basis. Surely we are living in the end times.

But, it is the phrase “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” that caught my attention this week. Now, I have glossed over this scripture many times, missing the real meaning. It doesn’t say that they won’t love God, but the scripture is saying that they will love pleasures more than God. These people will have a love for God, but they will be driven by a desire for self fulfillment. The people the Bible is speaking about here will come to church when their diary is empty, when there is nothing better to do and when they need God to do something so that they can have a more pleasurable life.

These people will look Godly, but will deny the power of God. When it all “boils down”, these people don’t trust God to bring the abundant life that He promised. They will always revert back to their “life of pleasures”. Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Because they reject the power of God, God cannot do exceeding, abundantly for them (Ephesians 3:20).

As a result of their miss placed priorities, these people are led away with divers lusts. Further more, they are ever learning (coming to church, home friendship groups etc) and never able to come to a knowledge of God!

Let’s make an assessment of our lives. If we want the blessing of God on your life we must have our priorities right!

That's my five minutes!

Jesus Loves You

Luke 19:1-10 gives an account of Jesus passing through Jericho. Jesus went to Jericho for one lost soul. That was the soul of Zaccheus, the chief publican or as we know it today, the chief tax collector. These men were typically men of wealth, hated by the people. They were looked upon with much animosity. Nobody would have been looked upon with more distain that would a tax collector.

Jericho was a fine city with alot of activity. It was an elite town where the prestigious and rich lived. It was the type of place that people liked to frequent for holidays. I don’t find it the least bit surprising that we find Zaccheus the tax collector there.

Nevertheless, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. Though Zaccheus was a renegade in the eyes of the Jews, he was a precious lost sinner in the eyes of Jesus. Jesus didn’t go to Jericho just to enjoy those things that you enjoy in a rich and prestigious city. He didn’t go to Jericho to join in the festivities of the city. He came to Jericho because he was on a mission. He came to see Zaccheus, a low-down tax collector. Out of all of the “more respectable” people in Jericho, Jesus chose the chief tax collector.

Jesus went to Jericho for Zaccheus. Jesus loves you, He went all the way to Calvary, and when He was on the cross, you were on His mind. He doesn’t love you just because you attend church. He loves you because He loves you! God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinner, Christ died for you and me (Romans 5:8).

With Jesus, it doesn’t matter what you have done, but it matters what you will do. With Jesus, it doesn’t matter what you have been, but what you will become.

If we will just make an effort to come back to Jesus, He will be there for us. Just as in the parable of the prodigal son. When the father saw his son coming down the road in the distance, the Bible says he ran to him and kissed him. The father could have made his rebellious son “serve his time”, but we read that the son experienced unconditional love. When you come back to the father’s house, you’ll experience unconditional acceptance and unconditional love.

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, where you’ve been or what skeletons you have in your closet, Jesus loves you and He waits to be gracious to you (Isaiah 30:18). JESUS LOVES YOU!

Power of Choice - Victor Frankl

Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl.

Frankl was a Holocaust survivor who wrote about his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp.

• Everything was taken away from these prisoners.


• They were stripped of their clothing, their pictures, and their personal belongings.


• They even took away their names and gave them numbers.


• Frankl was number 119,104.

Everything was taken away except one thing. Frankl said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”

I’m absolutely convinced that the most important choice you make everyday is your attitude.

Great Quote on Choices

The words of Eleanor Roosevelt ring true:

"One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility".

That's five minutes from Eleanor!

The Power of Choice

Choice is a very powerful thing. We all like being able to make choices – in fact choice is an integral part of freedom. Can you imagine what it would be like to live your life without the ability to make a choice? Even worse – imagine not being able to have a choice as to your life partner!

At the outset of this post, let me say that the course of our life (whether good or bad) is not determined by the circumstances that we confront in life, but by the choices that we make in those circumstances.

I have seen people presented with some of the worst circumstances that life has to offer. Some people choose to maintain a good attitude, striving to overcome their circumstances. On the other hand, others accept their circumstances as their “lot in life”, eventually finding themselves imprisoned by their circumstances. It is important to realise that we cannot choose our circumstances, but we can choose the attitude that we maintain in our circumstance. Ultimately, we are not victims of the situations that life puts us in, we are victims of the choices that we make within those situations. Understanding and accepting this fact is vital to living a full life!

Let’s be truthful now – usually we prefer to believe that it is anything other than our own choices that put us where we are. I think people are too quick to fall into a victim mentality! I think “victimhood” (if that is actually a word) is a chronic disease in our society. Many people these days are too lazy and irresponsible to even understand that they have a choice. People are constantly searching for someone to blame for their circumstances they find themselves in when often they are in that position because of the choices that they made!

Galatians 6:7 says “Be not deceived; god is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”. Sounds like choices to me!

For all of my life, it has been made perfectly clear that smoking damages your health, most likely resulting in an early death. Has anyone seen the pictures on the cigarette packages lately…yuck! Yet today, lawyers are getting rich by suing cigarette companies on behalf of men and women who have suffered because of smoking. Sure the tobacco companies have created an addictive product, but everyone who chooses to smoke today, knows that. Lawyers are called in to “rescue” these people from their situation which is really a result of their choice. You see, there is a consequence to our choices - life or death, success or failure, the choice is yours.

In planting weeds of irresponsibility, how can be hope to harvest an abundant crop of excellence and success! The choices we make will determine our harvest. Many Christians unfortunately sow one thing and then get a harvest they don’t like – so they ask God (like the lawyer) to change the harvest. It is a simple concept – what you sow, you will reap.
Now we must remember that God is gracious, forgiving us for the sins we have committed in ignorance. The Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). When we are Born Again, God forgives us of our sins. But, He also tells us that we are planting the seeds today that produce tomorrow's harvest. His call to us is that we would understand the power of choice.

Acknowledging that we make the choices helps us to be more aware of the choices available to us in the future. It helps us to stand back when things seem bleak and see other options and other ways. If we feel like victims, we react without assessing our possibilities. If there is a turn – we miss it because we are not looking. The power of choice!

That's my five minutes!

There must be a generation!

I recently heard a very challenging statement - Either we define our times or they define us.

Every child who has ever been to Sunday School has heard of the story of David and Goliath.
We get a great deal of inspiration from the account of David defeating Goliath. A young boy defeating the giant, the “under dog” (if you will) defeating the seemingly favourite.

But what really stands out in the account of David and Goliath is that before David arrived on the scene with his “toasted sandwiches” – Saul and Israel were allowing the Philistines to define them. But praise God there was an unexpected – David was a different kind of man – he intended to define His time. There must be a generation in the 21st Century that is sick and tired of being defined by our times.

Some may be concerned about this transitional point for the church. There is the notion that there are few young men and women that are willing to sacrifice and answer the call into the ministry as our predecessors have. A very similar feeling was prevalent in Paul's day. Paul wrote to Timothy.

1 Timothy 4:11-16
11: These things command and teach. 12: Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13: Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14: Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 15: Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16: Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Paul admonished them to not only command, but also teach.

• The next generation need teachers.
• The next generation need mentors.
• The next generation need elders who are willing to stand beside them – and even let them make mistakes!
• If we are to have a successful transition from one generation to another it must be taught.

But we must also note that Paul asked the youth to give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. The next generation cannot expect the baton to be handed off just simply because of age issues, but through disciplined actions of reading, studying and listening.

• in 2009, youth we need to be enrolling in Bible School
• in 2009, youth we need to be giving Bible Studies
• in 2009, youth we need to be reading our Bible
• in 2009, youth need to be praying and fasting!

27 March 2009 “National Day of Prayer and Fasting” – Register your name at www.aym.org.au

“THERE MUST BE A GENERATION IN THE 21st CENTURY”