The Pastor's Pocket

I have a riddle for you…  People worry about me; get twisted up in knots over me; stay awake at night thinking about me; wish they had more of me; never have enough of me; trade away their integrity to get me; stew, scheme and steal to get me; envy those who have more of me than they do; seldom just give me away; trade me for the strangest things; and then, just leave me behind when they die.  Who am I? MONEY.  “But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing unto this  world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” (I Timothy 6:6-7) Our attitude about money says volumes about us.  It must not rule our lives.  Paul says, “ godliness with contentment is great gain”.  How many contented people do you know? I would venture to guess very few.  We live in a very materialistic culture which pressures us to pursue more stuff, but money never satisfies.  No matter how much of it we attain, we always want more of it.  If we give our lives to it, we will come up empty.

  Did you know that “fear not” is the command most often repeated in the Bible?  It’s true! Fear and timidity are never God’s will for His people, never an option for children of the living God. Fear and faith are opposites. When fear walks in, faith walks out, yet we know without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). If we want to please God, we must conquer fear and walk in faith.  Oh, I know, there are a hundred reasons to be afraid; high energy prices, home foreclosures, wars, civil unrest, sickness and disease.  The list goes on and on. Yet the Lord would have us trust Him with our fears and not worry. I love Psalm 46:1,2a, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…”  A choice is involved here. Either we worry all day, or we trust God. To live in fear is as much a disobedience to God as stealing or lying!  Most of us haven’t thought of worry like this.  Instead of living in fear, why not pray instead.  Give your fear

  We can easily sin against God by doing the wrong thing in our relationship with other people. Remember what Joseph said when tempted by Potiphar’s wife? Genesis 39:9, “…how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”  You say, “but wait a minute – Joseph would have only sinned with his master’s wife - right?” But Joseph saw it differently.  He knew the sin would ultimately be against God Himself.  Too many Christians block the flow of favor and blessing from God in their lives because they offend the Lord in their dealings with other people. Unanswered prayer, hindered worship, and lack of joy; these things and many other “spiritual problems” arise from relationship problems or sins against other people. Let me ask a few soul searching questions.  Can you think of people you may have hurt or offended in some way?  Are you bitter or holding grudges against people that may have hurt you?  Are you involved in any improper (unspiritual) relationship right now? Have you gott

“What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” Matthew 26:40-41 If we want happy homes, successful churches, and a nation that honors God, someone will have to “pray the price. Pray the price – think about it. Prayer by God’s people who are passionate about the Lord can get it done! Every genuine revival I know anything about was first bathed in prayer. This “one hour” convicts me, it challenges me, and maybe it does you. There are 24 hours in each day.  Can we not find “one” to get alone with God and talk to Him?  The scripture teaches me that Jesus, at this present moment, is in heaven, making intercession in prayer for us (Hebrews 7:25). Think about it; you and I are on His prayer list right now! This thing called prayer is so important that the Son of God has a continuing ministry of prayer.  Yes, He prayed when He was on the earth, and He continues to pray in heaven. Can’t we at le

  Satan has been the arch enemy of heaven ever since he was thrown out of heaven after his rebellion against God.  Where did he go? He landed here on the earth. The devil has laid claim to this planet and its inhabitants, but Jesus still holds the “title deed”  (Revelation 5:7).  In other words; Satan doesn’t even have the keys to “his” house. The devil is called the “prince of this world” (John 12:31, Matthew 12:29).  He moves about on the earth, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8).  When he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Satan offered Christ, “all the kingdoms of this world” if He would just fall down and worship him (Matthew 4:9). Jesus resisted that temptation and won that battle. Many people are presently under Satan’s control (Acts 26:18, John 8:44).  Many are deceived by his influence and in bondage to his power.  This whole world system is under his domination (2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:2, 6:12). But I’ve got good news!  I’ve read the back of the Book (the Bible) an

  I heard it once said, “bitterness is the poison you swallow, while hoping the other person dies!” Bitterness can be very destructive; harmful physically, emotionally, and even spiritually.  We must deal with it, conquer it, and get victory over it, or it will destroy us. Lots of things happen to us inside our bodies when bitterness is allowed to “set up” in our soul.  Job expressed “bitterness of soul” as he tried to cope with all that he was experiencing (Job 7:11, 10:1).  Carrying around bitterness, anger, and frustration can leave us an emotional wreck.  Spiritually, it can ruin our walk with God and affect other relationships in our life.  No wonder Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:31, “let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you…” I have watched many people through the years be overcome with bitterness.  It’s sad.  Disappointments can be hard to overcome.  We’ve all had to face disappointments in life, but disappointments can grow. They can

  “But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” 2 Peter 3:18a Christian maturity does not come easily.  If it did, everybody would attain it. The sad truth is the majority of those who claim to be saved will never reach their full potential in Christ.  Why not? Perhaps I could offer a few observations. First of all, there is resistance that every believer will face in the endeavor to grow.  When seeds develop into small sprouts they will have to push up through the soil in order to begin the process towards maturity.  It’s not easy.  Some never make it.  It’s the same way with a young Christian.  Today’s ungodly culture is not conducive to spiritual growth.  Secondly, there is of course, the adversary of every believer, Satan himself, who will hinder, discourage, intimidate, and oppose the growth process.  Why, because a mature well-grounded Christian poses a threat to him and his objectives.  The devil’s opposition to the growth of any Christian is just