Pitfalls & Quicksand

Remember the old video game Pitfall? (I know I might be dating myself, but I am not really that old.) It was a classic game that was exciting to most, after all, at the time it was the thing...today, it would be considered a dinosaur compared to the games that are out there today.

Well anyways... I got thinking about this old game when I was doing my devotions this morning. I was reading from Ephesians 5:15-17 - Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, [16] making the most of your time, because the days are evil. [17] So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Two thoughts caught my attention as I was reading...

First, was in verse 15, and in another version of the Bible it says to "walk circumspectly" and the idea that it is giving to the reader is that we must walk with caution as one would walk through dangerous and rough terrain. I couldn't help but think of how dangerous and difficult it is to navigate our lives through this world. So much so, that even well meaning people fail at their attempts every day. Which tells me that good intentions are not good enough...you know what they say about good intentions? The key then, for us to walk with this wisdom is not found within ourselves...it is found within God. We need the Lord, and verse 18 tells us that we must "be filled with the Spirit." In the context of the passage here, "being filled" is not a one time event, but instead it must be done on a continual basis. Then, we are best equipped to walk circumspectly...as the Spirit of God leads and directs us.

The second thing that captured my attention was in verse 16, "redeeming the time." I love this thought because it goes in direct opposition to what the world says. It tells us that what we "do in Vegas, stays in Vegas." However, we must remember that God sees all, and He doesn't let things slide. We have to redeem the time because there is an enemy of our souls who will capitalize on every moment in order to get us to compromise and stumble...he attempts to hurl us into the pitfalls and quicksand of life. We must redeem the time because, as the verse goes on to say, "the days are evil." They do want to lead us to misfortune and demise. The day and age that we live in is peppered with compromise and easy living, but we must not yeild to it all. We cannot yeild to the mantra of our society. We have to be like those salmon who swim upstream...we must go against the culture of our day if we are going to be successful at avoiding the pitfalls and quicksand of our world.

So friends, walk with caution as you traverse this world. And remember that we are pilgrims just passing through. This old world IS NOT our home. Hebrews 13:14 - For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.

Sin is selfish...

I have just recieved some terrible news today. A friend, a young man that attended our Church we pastored in Buffalo, NY died today. It is a tragic story really, and I will not go into details, but I will say that his struggle with drugs is what beat him. Please pray for his family.

Although he had things going in the right direction for himself... He had a wife, a child with another on the way. He could not find the fortitude to overcome his "demons" and lost it all to the addiction.

I couldn't help but think just how selfish sin really is. It thinks nothing of your life, your family, your finances or future. It thinks only of itself. How it can grow and take over another. The Bible makes it clear that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy...and what is more sad is that we are the door-keeper to that transition in our lives. We have choices to make. We hold those keys.

Sin is so selfish...and yet, we give into it and let it take the wheel of our lives. Why? Just thinking about the nature of sin, and the enemy's intent in for us should make us hate him and what he offers all the more!

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 - "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, [20] by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."

Just food for thought...

LOUD CHURCH!

Here is another report on a Church in our region... Thought this to be interesting, especially in a day when we are typically toned down, this Church seems to be pumping up the volume! It must be a Psalm 150 type of place...

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Revloc Church Faces Complaints From Neighbors
REVLOC, Pa. -- It was a typical Sunday service at Believers Fellowship Church in Revloc, Cambria County.
The service included prayers for America's leaders and music from the church's band.
"We have a contemporary worship service," said Pastor Brian Tunstall. "Some might say our services get a little loud."
The Believers Fellowship congregation moved into the church about six years ago.
Since then, some neighbors have complained that services there are too loud.
They've also claimed that the church's Wednesday service lasts until late at night.
Church leaders disagreed and said services are usually over by 9 p.m.
They added that they don't want to cause problems in the community.
"We're working very hard to resolve this," said Tunstall. "We don't want conflict with anyone in Revloc."
Tunstall said the church plans to install air conditioners to help damper the sound from their services.

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I have to say kudos to them for lifting up their shouts to God. And I also have to ask, "When was the last time a pentecostal Church has been accused of being too loud by the passers-by or our neighborhoods. Not that we want to be trouble makes, but we do have something to shout about too...

Slain in the Spirit

I have come across this interesting article in our local news about a guy in Tennesse who is suing his Church because he was slain in the spirit and hit his head, causing injuries. Take a read...

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Man Sues Church Over 'God Injury'
Man Prayed For 'Real Experience,' Not Medical Bills
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A man said he was so consumed by the spirit of God that he fell and hit his head while at a Knoxville church.
Now he wants Lakewind Church to pay $2.5 million for medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering he said he's endured from his injuries.
Matt Lincoln, 57, says he decided to sue the church after its insurance company denied his claim for medical bills.
Lincoln has had two surgeries since the June 2007 incident but said he still feels pain in his back and his legs.
The Sevier County man said he was asking God to have "a real experience" while praying at church.
He said he has fallen from the force of the spirit before but has always been caught by someone.
Lawyers for the church said other congregants saw him on the floor laughing after his fall. They said he failed to look out for his own safety.

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Is there any wonder that we need to have "catchers" in the Church today? I know that I have seen people fall over in the spirit, hit their heads terribly hard on the pews, and walls, etc. and NEVER even know it happened to them. Which only causes me to question this man's experience; and acknowledge that we need a TRUE move of God's spirit once again.

humility

I recently came across this quote in an e-mail I recieved and I really liked it, hope you do too.

"Although God is aware of all things, He is searching for something in particular, something that acts like a magnet to capture His attention and invite His active involvement. And that something is humility. God is decisively drawn to the humble." -C. J. Mahaney

There is something to that, isn't there? God does embrace the humble, and He wants to build humility in each of His children.

In Proverbs 6, God lays out six things He hates, actually...SEVEN. And at the top of the list is A PROUD LOOK. In James 4:6 the Bible tells us that God is actually opposed to the proud, or that He resists the proud...that is a side of God that none of us should want to be on the recieving end of. However, He continues on to say that "He gives grace to the humble."

So my blogging friends, in God's eyes...humility is where it is at! I know it goes in direct opposition to who most people are today, and that might explain why people are having trouble in their faith. Try it God's way...try humility.