Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Growing Up is Hard to Do

Tidbits of Truth: Growing Up Is Hard To Do
Sometimes it is “so difficult” for us to accept the Promises of God that He has specifically set aside for each of our lives. And most of us especially struggle when (by all apparent appearances) those promises end up delayed, or even worse, the fulfillment of those promises seem to be denied altogether. We certainly are not the first to struggle with these kinds of issues, and I’m sure we won’t be the last. Just look at the life of David.
God sends Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king for Israel. The prophet sends word to Jesse to bring all his sons down to the worship service because God has told the prophet that the new king would be from the house of Jesse. But David, who is the youngest, who is considered so insignificant by his father, isn’t even brought.
As the first 7 sons are brought forward, God informs Samuel that none of these are His choice. When David is finally summoned, God say’s to His prophet, “this is the one that I choose.” So David is anointed as king…and then what happens? His father sends him right back out to the fields to tend to those sheep.
Literally years pass by before anything in David’s life ever changes. Not until David takes food to his 3 eldest brothers who are now soldiers in the army of Israel, when the army had squared off against the Philistines, does David begin to realize that God’s promises are true.
David slays Goliath, and instantly the shepherd boy becomes a national hero. It appears that God has, at long last, positioned David to become the recipient of all those earlier promises that Samuel had made to him years before.
David instantly gains the favor of the people as well as the respect of the army. The king elevates him to the position of commander-in-chief. He’s even given the king’s daughter to marry.
Now he’s got the princess, he’s got the position, and he’s got the favor of the people, and it looks like everything is on the fast track to placing him on the throne … But not so fast, for God knows that He needs to mature young David before he will ever be capable of fulfilling his calling.
***Only maturity doesn’t come from mountain top experiences, maturity comes at a price… And those things that make all of us “grow up”…they only happen when we go through the struggles and hardships of this life!***
There are times that it may seem like our whole world is caving in and instead of us moving closer to receiving the promises of God in our lives; life instead give us all the appearance that we are getting farther and farther away from them. Nevertheless, it is how we conduct ourselves in those difficult and challenging times that reveal just how far we have come in that “Growing Up Process” with God!
Unfortunately, it is also in those times of great duress and trials that some of us have experienced our greatest failures in our relationships with God. (But not to worry, for if we don’t pass the test today, God will let us take the test all over again tomorrow Because God doesn’t give up on people like “we” give up on people!)
As fast as David had rose to superstardom in his nation, at an even faster pace, so also came his downfall. King Saul began to see David as the greatest threat to his throne, so he sets his sights on destroying him. Literally overnight, David went from this highly respected military leader with national celebrity status to public enemy #1—with a bounty on his head, to be brought in “DEAD or ALIVE.”
And what does this David do? He runs for his life. The devil has so adversely affected his thought processes until David succumbed to a SPIRIT OF FEAR! And as long as David was in that state of mind, he could not remember (nor could he believe) in any of those “Promises” that God had made to him concerning his life and his future!” Fear will always disconnect our minds from receiving the Promises of God. But finally, like a man who was awaking from some lethargic slumber, David began to come regain his trust in God.
In all fairness, we are not much different than David are we? For hasn’t there been times in all our lives that we too, ended up in places that God never intended for us to go, doing things that God never intended for us to do, and then trying to get out of the messes that we got ourselves in—all because we had gotten out of the will of God with our own lives?
Somehow David began again to remember the promises of God to him. The next time we find David, he’s over at the cave of Adullam—(Adullam literally means refuge). It was located in the Land of Judah—(Judah means the Place of Praise). DAVID FINDS REFUGE IN THE PLACE OF PRAISE! And there, God also brings 400 others to join up with him.
And these men that join him, they will eventually become the "mightiest of the mightiest" of all the warriors that will ever be found in Israel—all men who will later prove themselves loyal to the king for the entire 40 years that he rules the nation.
The fact of the matter in David’s life was this: It wasn’t that God had forgotten about him during all those trying years, it was just that God needed to mature him to become the man that God needed him to be!
Just a Thought,
Pastor Ken Jones

Danger Ahead

Tidbits of Truth: Danger Ahead!
What is it that America needs to fear? Is it radical Islam? Is it a nuclear Iran? Is it complete government control of every aspect of our lives? Or is it cancer or some other incurable dreaded disease that is about to break out in some widespread epidemic?
Perhaps all of these things are concerns of ours, but “to me” nothing is more concerning than to imagine living in a nation that becomes one that is no longer is a recipient of the blessings of God!
In II Samuel 21, God literally cut off the rain to the entire nation of Israel. So, for 3 years running, Israel experienced famine throughout the land. When David sought God as to why these natural calamities had befallen his kingdom, God informed King David, “This is because of Saul (Israel’s former king), and his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.”
Joshua had made a deal that the Gibeonites (although not true Hebrews) would have the right to live in the Promised Land. Saul, because of his own personal prejudices, attempted to massacre the very same people that had received that promise…and he almost succeeded.
His wicked actions in murdering those innocent people were the direct cause of God releasing the natural disasters that now plagued the nation during David’s reign.
And more especially, because no one was willing to stand up to defend those innocent people… and because no one was willing to demand righteousness and integrity of their national leaders… this made these sins not just the personal sins of the national leadership, but they also became national sins for the entire nation. Sins ignored, and sins “swept under the rug” were now the root cause of God shutting off the rain!
***If national sins, which were sanctioned by national leaders, and ignored by the populace, brought about the judgment of God upon the nation of Israel, what does this imply that is soon coming to America?***
I’m sure that most of you saw at least some portion of the news reports this last week, as it highlighted the anarchy that literally ran rampant over much of an American city. What began as a peaceful protest of thousands of citizens over the controversial death of Freddie Gray (while he was in police custody) soon turned into absolute mayhem.
In a single night, almost 150 vehicles were torched, more than 200 homes and businesses were either looted or burned to the ground, and more than 100 law enforcement officers (while serving in the line of duty) were grievously assaulted and injured while rioters pelted them with bricks and stones.
I could hardly believe my ears when I saw the city’s own mayor make a public announcement made that, “Room had to be made so that the rioters could have the right to destroy.” While at the same time, she gave the order for law enforcement to “Stand Down” an order that gave free reign for the hoodlums and thugs of that city to pillage, steal, burn, and destroy at will.
Now I do not know all the details of that situation. I do not know the guilt or innocence of those charged in the Freddie Gray case. But I do know this: That since the passing of Roe V. Wade in 1973 that the more than 55 million babies lives have been destroyed right here in America (and continue to be destroyed at a rate of more than 3,000+ a day), and I know that none of those babies have ever cheated anyone, ever stole anything, and none of them ever committed any crime of any kind! I can assure you that “THEIR” innocent blood continues to cry out to God daily.
America, as a nation, we now have leaders that seemingly want to endorse every type of sin humanly imaginable. We make pornography available to our children (What kid do you know who doesn’t now have a cell phone that’s connected to the internet?)…our nation now openly sanctions same sex marriage, we encourage our youth to be sexually permissive, we have entire states where the use of narcotics have been legalized, and we encourage adults to steal food out of the mouths of their own children by convincing them they can win it big on the lottery.
If God sent judgment on the nation of Israel because her leaders put their seal of approval on sin…and because her people refused to speak out against those sins…WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE AMERICA TODAY?
America be warned, God’s blessings made us what we are, and where will be if God chooses to pour our His wrath upon us instead?
Maybe you are saying, “But Pastor, what can we do?” So here it is: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turning from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sins, and I will heal their land.” AMERICA BE WARNED! Willful sinning and the shedding of innocent blood still requires God’s justice and releases His judgment!
Just a Thought,
Pastor Ken Jones

Growing Up is Hard to Do

Tidbits of Truth: Growing Up Is Hard To Do
Sometimes it is “so difficult” for us to accept the Promises of God that He has specifically set aside for each of our lives. And most of us especially struggle when (by all apparent appearances) those promises end up delayed, or even worse, the fulfillment of those promises seem to be denied altogether. We certainly are not the first to struggle with these kinds of issues, and I’m sure we won’t be the last. Just look at the life of David.
God sends Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king for Israel. The prophet sends word to Jesse to bring all his sons down to the worship service because God has told the prophet that the new king would be from the house of Jesse. But David, who is the youngest, who is considered so insignificant by his father, isn’t even brought.
As the first 7 sons are brought forward, God informs Samuel that none of these are His choice. When David is finally summoned, God say’s to His prophet, “this is the one that I choose.” So David is anointed as king…and then what happens? His father sends him right back out to the fields to tend to those sheep.
Literally years pass by before anything in David’s life ever changes. Not until David takes food to his 3 eldest brothers who are now soldiers in the army of Israel, when the army had squared off against the Philistines, does David begin to realize that God’s promises are true.
David slays Goliath, and instantly the shepherd boy becomes a national hero. It appears that God has, at long last, positioned David to become the recipient of all those earlier promises that Samuel had made to him years before.
David instantly gains the favor of the people as well as the respect of the army. The king elevates him to the position of commander-in-chief. He’s even given the king’s daughter to marry.
Now he’s got the princess, he’s got the position, and he’s got the favor of the people, and it looks like everything is on the fast track to placing him on the throne … But not so fast, for God knows that He needs to mature young David before he will ever be capable of fulfilling his calling.
***Only maturity doesn’t come from mountain top experiences, maturity comes at a price… And those things that make all of us “grow up”…they only happen when we go through the struggles and hardships of this life!***
There are times that it may seem like our whole world is caving in and instead of us moving closer to receiving the promises of God in our lives; life instead give us all the appearance that we are getting farther and farther away from them. Nevertheless, it is how we conduct ourselves in those difficult and challenging times that reveal just how far we have come in that “Growing Up Process” with God!
Unfortunately, it is also in those times of great duress and trials that some of us have experienced our greatest failures in our relationships with God. (But not to worry, for if we don’t pass the test today, God will let us take the test all over again tomorrow Because God doesn’t give up on people like “we” give up on people!)
As fast as David had rose to superstardom in his nation, at an even faster pace, so also came his downfall. King Saul began to see David as the greatest threat to his throne, so he sets his sights on destroying him. Literally overnight, David went from this highly respected military leader with national celebrity status to public enemy #1—with a bounty on his head, to be brought in “DEAD or ALIVE.”
And what does this David do? He runs for his life. The devil has so adversely affected his thought processes until David succumbed to a SPIRIT OF FEAR! And as long as David was in that state of mind, he could not remember (nor could he believe) in any of those “Promises” that God had made to him concerning his life and his future!” Fear will always disconnect our minds from receiving the Promises of God. But finally, like a man who was awaking from some lethargic slumber, David began to come regain his trust in God.
In all fairness, we are not much different than David are we? For hasn’t there been times in all our lives that we too, ended up in places that God never intended for us to go, doing things that God never intended for us to do, and then trying to get out of the messes that we got ourselves in—all because we had gotten out of the will of God with our own lives?
Somehow David began again to remember the promises of God to him. The next time we find David, he’s over at the cave of Adullam—(Adullam literally means refuge). It was located in the Land of Judah—(Judah means the Place of Praise). DAVID FINDS REFUGE IN THE PLACE OF PRAISE! And there, God also brings 400 others to join up with him.
And these men that join him, they will eventually become the "mightiest of the mightiest" of all the warriors that will ever be found in Israel—all men who will later prove themselves loyal to the king for the entire 40 years that he rules the nation.
The fact of the matter in David’s life was this: It wasn’t that God had forgotten about him during all those trying years, it was just that God needed to mature him to become the man that God needed him to be!
Just a Thought,
Pastor Ken Jones

When Calamity Comes

Tidbits of Truth: When Calamity Comes…
I wish it was where that I could give the assurance to people (and especially to Christian people) that tragedy, sorrows, and the loss of those whom we so deeply love…that these are distresses that we are all exempt from…but unfortunately, I cannot.
And for those of you that have been around for any period of time, you already know the sober truth of the Realities of Life- no matter how good of a person you might well be, your goodness will not exempt you from heartache or sorrow.
This past week, I drove a 1,000 miles to go and lay my Father to rest. I could hardly believe it when I got the call, a fire had swept thru his home, and he was unable to make it out alive.
I remembered my Dad when he used to live in sin, and I also remembered what a change God had made in his life. After Dad committed his life to Jesus, my Dad became a “very godly man.” And it was he, “above all others” that had been the overwhelming influence in my own life in accepting Christ as my own personal Savior.
As I made that long and arduous journey back to where he had once resided, I had a multitude of hours to reflect on what words could I possibly say that might bring comfort to others who were grieving at his loss, especially as I struggled in my own mind to find peace for my own soul.
For in dealing with death, I am no different than anyone else; death and sorrow still tears at the fabric of our heart just as much as it does all others. And although I’ve been in ministry for well over 40 years, and although I’ve had to deal with the death and the loss of so many that I have loved so dearly, yet, I still have not found some immunity that inoculates me from contracting a broken heart.
Nevertheless…down in the depths of my spirit, I suddenly found comfort and peace in the only source that comfort and peace can come from…and His name is Jesus.
For even at my Dad's passing, I had the assurance that he was in a better place; all that he had to suffer and endure while living life in this world, why for him (and every Believer) this is as bad as it gets. You see, for a Christian, when we breathe that final breath, it’s not our end…IT SIMPLY SIGNALS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW AND BETTER LIFE…AND ONE THAT LASTS FOREVER! Paul said, “To be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord.” So I know with calm assurance that Dad is finally with the Savior that he so loved and adored.
On the day of my Dad’s funeral, God extended to me His grace and His strength in an unprecedented way, as the Lord helped me to say what I know needed to be said. And if my Dad had been there, I sure hope it would have made him proud. But I knew he wasn’t there, for he’d already made his journey home.
And yes, I still shed hot tears at our temporary separation. I still struggled with the fact that on this earth, Dad and I would never have another conversation, and I’d never again be able to hug his neck and remind him again about how much that I loved him and how much that I thanked God for sending him to be my Dad.
Maybe you’re in that struggle of your own today. So before I close, let me encourage you with this, and especially to those of you who are also struggling with the loss of those you love.
God…in His time…has the power to bring healing to every hurting heart, no matter how badly we may be broken… and no matter how deep we may have been wounded by our sufferings or our loss.
Jesus never promised any of us that there would not be times that bad things would not come our way, for we all live in a sinful world, and the curses caused by sin, at times, do negatively affect us all.
Nevertheless, Jesus “DID” promise us this: He promised us that, “He would never leave us or forsake us, but that He would go with us, even to the ends of the world.” And He did that so none of us would ever have to face our sorrows, sufferings, or our losses alone…Thank God for His “Amazing Grace!”
Just a Thought,
Pastor Ken Jones

When God Has Other Plans

Tidbits of Truth: When God Has “Other” Plans
Everything in this life does not always work out the way we plan for them to. This is one of those undeniable, irrefutable, absolute truths that we all know to be factually correct. One account in Scripture that addresses this very issue has to do with the life of Jacob.
Jacob was the younger of twins, and he was born into a very dysfunctional family. As a grown man (and with the aid of his mother) he intentionally deceived his father into giving “him” the birthright that his brother had every intention of attaining for himself even though Esau had already sold that birthright (in an act of impatience) to Jacob, and for nothing more than a bowl of porridge.
Furthermore, God had already given His word that Jacob would be the inheritor of the birthright, only Jacob and his mom wouldn’t wait for God to work things out, so they decided to give God a little help. (Ever been there and done that?...I have.)
Well, through deception and trickery, Jacob and his mom succeeded in their little act of deception, but when his brother found out that he had been robbed of the birth right, he suddenly had “murder on his mind” so Jacob had to suddenly flee for his very life.
If ever there was a case of “reaping what you have sown” Jacob became the epitome of that example. For 20 years his scheming Uncle Laban had taken advantage of him on every turn. Finally, Jacob decided “enough was enough” so he sets out for home, hoping his brother has gotten over his vengeful desires that he had once possessed towards Jacob in the past.
However, when Esau hears of his brother’s soon arrival; he gathers 400 men (a veritable army) to go and to meet his brother. Jacob is afraid, so he quickly devises a plan in which he hopes to convince his brother into sparing his life. He then sends his wives and kids over on the other side of a brook, while he goes back to the other side of that brook to spend some “ALONE” time with God. And Jacob does the only thing that he felt he was able to do in defusing this situation—he goes off to pray.
Hardly before he can even get a prayer off the ground, suddenly out of nowhere, an unknown intruder appears…and all He wants to do is fight; so all night long these 2 tussle. Jacob doesn’t want to fight, he came here to pray, to ask God to help him avoid becoming involved in a fight with Esau…remember?
But God Has Other Plans! (Have you ever started out to do something, and due to circumstances that were completely beyond your control, the thing you started out to do, it never turned out in any kind of way that you had intended for it to?) That was exactly where Jacob was this night.
Jacob had come here to pray to God to make sure that his brother had experienced a “Change of Heart” since their last encounter, but God decided that it was going to be “Jacob” who was going to have this “Change of Heart” experience, not Esau.
(I wonder how many times that we have prayed for God to change somebody else…and all the time, God knew that it was “US” and not “THEM” that really needed to do the changing.)
All night long, the clash continues. No sleep, no rest, not even time to put in a good prayer…by the wee hours of the morning, the only thing that Jacob has strength left to do is to just hold on. It was probably just about here that Jacob began to realize that “This Was No Man Thing…This Was a God Thing” for it was ‘GOD’ who had sent this opposition in his direction… (Boy that will mess with your mind, won’t it?).
Jacob finally realizes that the greatest achievement that he can ever attain is in receiving the blessings of God upon His life. As “CHANGE” begins to take place in his life. He is totally exhausted. Nevertheless, he tells the angel, “I will not turn loose unless you bless me.” And bless him the Angel of the Lord did; only, “Blessings don’t always come the way that we expect them to.”
The Lord first changes his name from Jacob—(trickster) to Israel—(Prince with God). And then, to show Jacob that God had been in charge all the time, with only a “flick of His finger” God…causes Jacob’s entire hip to suddenly be jerked out of socket as the sinew of his thigh just shrivels up.
It affects Jacob to such a degree until, for the rest of his life, he will walk with a limp…but “His Limp” did not come before Jacob got his Blessing!
How bad do we want God’s Blessings on our Lives? For there are times that God’s blessings come to us free and without charge…but there are also other times that God’s Blessings come with a price tag connected to them!
So if things aren’t working out the way “WE” planned, just perhaps: “God May Have Some Other Plans” for our Lives!
Just a Thought,
Pastor Ken Jones

The Ultimate Deceiver

Tidbits of Truth: The Ultimate Deceiver
God’s Word is very clear concerning the warning of His children to make certain that we are always on our guard because there are those in this world who may have all the trappings of being very religious…but in all reality… “THEY “DO NOT” HAVE OUR BEST INTENTIONS AT HEART!”
It’s the reason that I John 4:1 tells us: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God." The only problem with this Scripture is this: “There are so many of God’s children who know so little about spirits, they couldn’t tell the difference between a ‘God Spirit’ and a ‘Lying Spirit’ if their lives depended on it.
Scripture warns us that Satan has the ability to put on the facade of being an “Angel of Light” and he often does so in order to mislead and destroy the souls of men. God defines him as a “Demon of Darkness” going about as a roaring lion seeking souls whom he may devour.
God has already established his eternal destination: one day he shall be cast into the eternal Lake of Fire where he will burn forever and forever. However, until his final sentence is passed, and he is cast into the Lake of Fire…our Adversary (Satan) is continually seeking out other souls that he can drag down to eternal torment with him.
And lest any of us think that we are so sanctimonious and super-spiritual until we are above ever being deceived, you had better heed the Words of Jesus spoken in Matthew 24:22. For there, Christ says this concerning Satan power of deception and the End Times: “AND EXCEPT THOSE DAYS SHOULD BE SHORTENED, THERE SHOULD NO FLESH BE SAVED…”
Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that each of us must be ever on our guard. Satan doesn’t just use the vilest of sinners to do his bidding, oftentimes he cleverly uses those who wear the garb of Christianity, but who (in all reality) are all about their own personal, selfish, self-serving purposes.
There is a passage of Scripture found in the Old Testament (I Kings 13) that describes a young prophet of God who was sent to pronounce judgment upon a nation. God used him mightily, and told him when he had finished his commission he was to eat no food or drink no drink, but he was to return straight home as soon as his task had been completed.
The young prophet fulfilled his duties and then he set out for home; just as God had told him to. But there was also this other “old” prophet. He went and told the young prophet that God had sent an angel to him that told him to bring the young prophet back to his house and give him food and drink. However, Scripture give us this sobering assessment of the words of the old prophet when it states: “BUT HE LIED UNTO HIM.”
That “LIE” ended up costing the young prophet his very life. His life was snuffed out prematurely all because he had been deceived by a man who posed himself to be a man of God. Ironic isn’t it? But Satan is still the “Ultimate Deceiver” and he doesn’t care who or how he deceives us, as long as he deceives us and brings us down.
So how do we, as Believers of Christ, avoid such deceivers in our day? How is it that we can be certain of the “Genuine” from those who are merely “Clever and Deceptive Imitations?”
Let me share 7 insights that (hopefully) will help to keep us from ever being deceived like this young prophet was:
1. Know the Word, for anyone who tells you anything that is contrary to God’s Word does not speak for God.
2. Never lend your ears to anyone who “IS NOT” totally sold out and wholly committed to God.
3. Be wary of all who operate with only their own personal agendas in mind.
4. Watch out for any minister or ministry that must always tear down others in order to build theirs up. (God never intended for any ministry to cannibalize on another.)
5. Be careful of those who are all about ministry, but they, themselves are never about going out there and doing those labor intensive aspects that are connected to ministry.
6. Be forever on your guard of those who are always claiming to be “Speaking for God” but at the same time, there are questionable things going on in their own lives.
7. No person can be a great leader for God if first they are not a great follower of God. And no person can be a great follower of God if they refuse to put down roots somewhere and spiritually mature.
This list is by no means an exhaustive one, but if we are willing to put these insights into practice in our own lives, Satan will never be able to mislead any of us. Live holy, live healthy, and above all else, live ever on your guard against the evil and deceptive practices of the enemy of our souls!
Just a Thought,
Pastor Ken Jones