Just felt led to share a short Word of encouragement & peace today. Whatever we may be facing today, we can REMEMBER & KNOW that when we believe & trust in the finished work of Jesus Chris on the cross, we have authority over what we face through Him. Look at what Jesus said...

"Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God." (John 13:3 NLT)

"Jesus KNEW..." There was no doubt in His mind as He moved closer to what He was about to face. Nothing we face today comes close to the weight & gravity of what was before our Savior. He was about to endure excruciating suffering & death on the cross, but John says "He KNEW "the Father had given Him authority," over all He was about to face. Yes there would be pain. Yes there would be a struggle. But there would ultimately be victory & salvation for all mankind. It would not end in defeat!

That's why Paul could say, "And we KNOW that to them that love God ALL THINGS work together for good" (Romans 8:28 ASV) We can have confidence as we move forward today. No matter how difficult, confusing, or uncertain things may be right now, when we believe in Jesus it WILL work out for our good. Jesus trusted that truth and the result was salvation for all humanity. We too can CHOOSE to believe & walk in that same authority & have a peace, that is beyond our understanding, as God redeems what we face for His glory & our good.

I know some of you are facing things far beyond anything I could ever imagine enduring, but I pray we can both allow the Words & example of Jesus to do for us what no one else can. He made a way & set the example for us all. Nothing any of us face today will end in defeat when we trust in Him. Let's agree to GO FORTH together into this day, by faith, with His power, strength, & confidence filling us as we trust in Him. Remember what He said...

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NLT)

On the other side of what we face today, We will walk with greater confidence, peace, and strength...It's gonna make us stronger. Be Blessed today!

Ever think about lingering odors? Well if you have read my blogs any at all, you know I tend to use interesting visuals in my writing. This morning as I was studying, this is the visual that came to mind.

Don’t you love walking down an aisle at Wal-Mart and stepping right into a lingering odor? Have you ever wanted to just speak out, “Ok, Who did it?” Of course, If we are the cause of the “unexpected” odor then it seems best to just casually walk to another aisle. Even if we aren’t finished looking, we can come back later. LOL! That makes me laugh.

I love the scene in the movie “Liar, Liar” when Jim Carey’s character leaves a lingering odor in an elevator. Because he is unable to tell a lie for that whole day, as he leaves the elevator he turns around and exclaims “It was MEEEE!!” The people in the elevator were forced to suffer for a few more floors because of the lingering effect of what he left behind.

Our sense of smell is the most powerful of all senses, it has the power to unlock powerful memories in our minds. Sometimes events in our life that we have blocked out completely can be unlocked. Some are negative, but some are also positive. For instance, to this day if I smell “Poison” perfume or any “Aussie” hair product, I am transported back in time to when I first met & began to date my wife Donna. She was using both of those products when we started dating, and every time I walk into those lingering aromas, wherever  I am, I smile and feel powerful feelings & emotions because of the lingering effect my wife has had on my life.

What started this whole series of thoughts? As I continue to study the life and times of Noah, I read the following verse, “When Lamech was 182 years old, he became the father of a son. Lamech named his son Noah, for he said, “May he bring us relief from our work and the painful labor of farming this ground that the Lord has cursed.”

Lamech had a baby boy, and he named him with purpose. Lamech, his family, and the entire world were dealing with the “lingering effect” of sin in their lives. When Lamech named His son Noah, He must have longed for the promise of deliverance that God had made to his Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Grandfather Adam. Adam was 874 years old when Lamech was born, and didn’t die until he was 930 years old, so Adam most likely would often sit around and talk to Lamech & his other grandchildren. He shared the story of the beautiful Garden of Eden. He told them what it was like to walk with God Himself, hear His voice, and have no worries, fears, shame, doubt, pain. He most likely smiled as he reflected and considered all the wonderful moments in the garden. All that heard his stories, and Adam himself, longed to experience such a beautiful peace filled place. Lamech and the other children must have day dreamed about such an amazing place as their great grandfather Adam shared his reflections with them.   

No doubt, Adam also shared the story of the serpent and the humbling moment when his choice had such a powerful and “lingering” effect on each of them. Adam must have looked into the faces of his grandchildren with a twinge of pain as he considered the pain they would experience because of his choice. But, thankfully he was also able to give them hope. God had made a promise to them! A promise to make all things right again and “crush” the head of that wicked serpent once and for all! There would be a child born that would put an end to the “lingering” effect of sin. A baby boy that God promised would be born into their family and restore what was lost. A child that would redeem them from all the consequences that lingered around them.

As Lamech looked into the eyes of his brand new baby boy, the Spirit of God surely caused these thoughts & feelings to come to the surface in His life. With those thoughts racing through his mind he spoke these words as he named his son, “May he bring us relief from our work and the painful labor of farming this ground that the Lord has cursed.”  With hope and anticipation in his soul he named his son Noah. 600 years later Lamech’s son Noah would bring relief & salvation to his family. By faith he would build something that had never been seen before, an Ark, so that their family could be delivered &saved. But, it wasn’t the relief & deliverance he was ultimately anticipating.

I don’t know about anybody else out there, but I can relate to Adam & Lamech. I relate to Adam as I reflect on good days and experiences. Moments in time that were just God ordained and blessed. Good times filled with laughter, peace, and hope. I find myself wanting those moments all the time. I long for a place like he described.

I also relate to Adam as I consider the many stupid, stupid, stupid (did I say stupid?) choices I have made in my life. I knew better! I had a choice to obey God’s Spirit & I blew it! The Spirit was urging me to walk away from the “forbidden fruit,” and I took a bite anyway! The result of those stupid choices caused “lingering” effects in my life & more importantly into the lives of the people I love most. My beautiful wife Donna has had to deal with them. My amazing children have had to suffer the consequences of my actions. Instead of having security, hope, confidence, joy, and peace, they experienced feelings of uncertainty, fear, pain, anger, doubt, &loss. I have needed to be honest, like Jim Carey’s character, & exclaim, “It was MEEEEE!!!”

I also relate to Lamech’s hope. But, there is a difference in the hope I have available to me today and what he had as he looked into Noah's eyes. The baby he was looking for has been born. You see, there was another baby that was named in the arms of a loving earthly father. Matthew tells us about it.

“As he (Joseph) considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS.’ When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.” (Matthew 1:20-21;24-25)

Thousands of years later another son was born in Lamech’s family to a young woman named Mary. He WAS the child that God promised to Adam, Lamech, Noah, Abraham, and their descendants. As Joseph held that new born baby boy in his arms, he looked into his eyes and KNEW this was the fulfillment of the promise. When Lamech named Noah, he looked for HOPE, but when Joseph named Jesus he was holding HOPE. Noah grew up and built a boat to keep hope alive. Jesus grew up and was HOPE. He lived a sinless life, offered his life on the cross as the sacrifice for all the “lingering” sins of mankind, and was raised up from the dead as the fulfillment of God’s promise of HOPE to all of us.

We all will at some point fail. We all make stupid choices and the stupid choices we make will sadly always cause all kinds of lingering effects in our lives & families. No way around it. We HAVE to deal with these consequences. But, there is hope in the middle of all the chaos. For all who will honestly, authentically, and truthfully face what we have done God extends salvation, forgiveness, and the HOPE of a brighter day.  Check this out:

“And that message is the very message about faith that we preach:  If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.’ Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13

When we have the same sense of disgust with what we have done as Jim Carey’s character did when he got off the elevator in “Liar, Liar.” When we own and acknowledge our stupid mistakes and simply confess & believe, we will be SAVED. Doesn’t matter who we are, what we have done, or what kind of horrible lingering effects we have left behind. Simply believe that what Lamech hoped for is HERE.

The Bible offers even more hope. John offered this hope to a group of believers he loved, “If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us of sins and cleanse us from all wickedness.” I John 1:9

We are all the cause of Lingering Odors! We all are also the cause of Lingering issues, problems, struggles, and consequences. But because of Jesus, we don’t have to keep living that way! Just like the consequences of our failures linger, so do the lingering effects of the right choices we make as we follow & obey. Look at the eternal “lingering” results of what Jesus did on the cross!! Forgiveness for all we have done! A life filled with His Presence, Direction, Peace, Hope, & Love! And very soon we will experience the RESTORATION OF WHAT WAS LOST!!

When we make right choices because of Jesus & His presence IN us, we will see powerful change. Obedience to the Lord will usher in His Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, as well as security, prosperity, and blessings to our lives and families.  

God loves it when we finally humble ourselves & acknowledge what He’s known all along…”It was MEEEEE!!” Then He can do things in and through us that make an eternal difference.   

I’ll leave you with this…

“’God opposes the proud but favors the humble.’

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power to him forever! Amen.” (I Peter 5:5-11)

Anybody else wake up in the mornings battling fear? Fear is an evil old familiar spirit in my life too. The enemy's plan is to start pounding us with doubt, confusion, & panic from the moment our eyes open in the morning until we lay back down at night. He speaks lies into our lives to try to keep up us from continuing to walk in faith & confidence in what the Spirit of God has promised & spoken. He loves it when we give up, start trying to figure things out on our own, and rely on other people's opinions rather than resting in the Word of the Lord and His presence, The Holy Spirit, within us. He tries to distract & focus our thoughts on every negative scenario possible, so that our minds are conformed to the patterns of this world rather than transformed so we can fulfill God's holy, pleasing, and perfect will. He bombards us with guilt & failure as we struggle to believe & trust that God's Word to us is true.

I have good news today. First, you aren't crazy, and second you're not alone. Ever heard of Noah? God told him to build a HUGE boat in a world that had never seen rain. What about Abraham? God told him to load up his family and things and just start walking to a new land, and that He would let Him know when he arrived. He also told him that he would have millions and millions of descendents even though he was 100 years old and didn't have a son. What about Joseph? God spoke crazy dreams to him that he would have a position of authority, but he ended up in jail for something he didn't do in a land where he knew no one! What about the disciples? Jesus told them to walk away from everything and follow Him. These guys struggled to believe & have faith too. Them & countless others since the beginning of time woke up & laid down battling that same spirit you and I did this morning. They are that great cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews 12:1 to encourage us to not give us! "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.."

When we are confident in what the Spirit of God has spoken to us, we can stand confidently in His truth & Word in spite of what things look like, what others say, and what we have done. He is and always will be faithful and He WILL finish the work He has started IN US, and as Fear continues to come after us we can take the Shield of Faith and extinguish every fiery dart he shoots our way!

SOMEBODY BE ENCOURAGED TODAY!!! YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!! This is for you today! I know that because I wrote this status completely and it got deleted before I could post it. THE DEVIL IS A LIE!! I WROTE IT AGAIN!!! LOL!! Let's Get our shields up & believe today no matter what things may look like around us!!! JESUS DID IT FOR US!! If you got this far & are with me shout HALLELUJAH in your office, from your hospital room, in the middle of your meeting, while you are trying to figure out your checking account, or as you battle that old addiction that helps you escape reality! TELL FEAR TO GO!! Then when He comes back, Tell Him to Go AGAIN, and AGAIN, and AGAIN!!

"But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth...But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ." (I John 2:20;27)

As I was reading & studying about Noah this morning, I found the following quote.

"Our culture today is surely "as in the days of Noah." It is a culture of violence, madness, and untold depravity. And yet it is perhaps exemplified by "chamas"- the theft of trivial amounts. In other words, we pilfer and filch, making compromises with the duty to pursue justice and practice truth, we become progressively deadened, insensate, and devoid of conscience. We deny that each of us is created in the image of God Himself and thereby degrade our own humanity."

Sadly enough, I saw myself relating to the actions & mentality of the culture "as in the days of Noah" as I read. I wanted to post the quote without any comment as a proclamation of the world around me. Those of us who are believers often do that hoping we can somehow change our own actions by publicly sharing a quote like that, when we privately struggle with what we so adamantly denounce. I'm thankful that God's Spirit isn't allowing me to do that today, but He instead is moving me inward to see the necessity of daily sanctification, & dependence on Him, in my own life.

If I'm honest, I began this study looking at the Faith & Courage it took for Noah to build the Ark. (I'm very excited about the movie coming out) I am challenged & encouraged by the faith and abandonment that Noah possessed as he pursued what God asked him to do. I sense that same desire & call to abandonment in my own life. But then as I continued to study I saw myself not only desiring to walk as Noah did, but also sadly relating to the attitude and actions of the people in the culture that God was about to destroy. I do desire to have the faith and courage Noah had to build the Ark, but also am recognizing more and more that I can NEVER become that person of Faith & Courage without acknowledging the need for repentance & transformation in my own life daily.

So, if you find yourself in this same tug-o-war, I just thought I'd share that you are not alone. It stinks, but Jesus didn't leave us alone or without hope. We have a choice. Jesus said....

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the flood waters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Jesus (Matt. 7:24-27)

"Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Jesus (Mark 4:21-23)