Who is God Calling Me to be Today!

 

Quotation

          During the years of church-hopping, I was searching for something to fill the void in my heart! I used excuses to avoid making a commitment. I avoided living within a group of believers to hide my sinful lifestyle. My attitude was that of a cookie-cutter consumer, denying church membership because the church I was visiting didn’t give me exactly what I wanted! The bottom line was through the lies and deceptions of Satan, I had blinders on that did not allow me to see the absolute truth – I am saved through grace by faith in Jesus!

 

Barry Denzil Haney, MD

 

Scripture

 

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

 

1 Timothy 1:15-16

Reflection

            

            Each morning when I first wake up, I ask God, “What would you have me do today?” As I wait for an answer, I meditate on God’s Word and other devotional materials and listen. Although intellectually, I know what I need to do, other voices compete to drown out God’s message as the day goes on. Satan uses world cues from music, television, social sites, and the internet to overwhelm my senses, tempting me to satisfy my fleshly nature to the detriment of my spiritual nature. 

 

            My day becomes a spiritual battle, literally a life and death struggle. I need to continually focus on the things of God, to strengthen my spiritual nature. 

 

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

 

Romans 8:5-6

 

Although I have given my life to Christ and began my journey, God needs to knock off barnacles I have accumulated along the way and continue to accumulate each day during my daily spiritual battle. Although many consider me a “smart guy” because of my academic accomplishments, my mind must operate in a spirit of constant faith. I have not just accepted a mythological story, I  have calculated the legitimacy, the historicity, and the viability of the Bible!

 

We need to make sure what we do, what we engage in during our daily life aligns with the Biblical principles that are larger than that. Accepting the fact His Will will be done, allows one to fail. We need to fail graciously, learn from our mistakes, and fall forward, not backward. In this light, as David McIntosh does, we need to adopt this as a motto: “anything good you see in us is from God, the rest of it is a selfish guy who wants to promote himself.” God is the author of every good and perfect gift.

 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

 

James 1:17

 

A friend likes to say, “we are living on God’s credit card.” We only pull out the credit card when a crisis occurs when we need him. The rest of the time, we go about our own way, taking our cues from the secular world around us, rather than taking our cues from God. But during these times of wandering in the desert, God still loves us. In our dealings with others, we need to love others, as God loves us. 

 

As my mother would say, “you catch more flies with honey, than with vinegar.” No matter how big our sins, no matter how long we have strayed in the desert, He does not belittle us or deny us when we return, He welcomes us back into the fold and loves us!

 

Our time is short. We are all marching too somewhere. Hopefully the path we have chosen is the narrow path! When we come to the end of our life, if we surrender to Christ and His call to follow, our life will be shaped by contentment not by regret!

                                                                                                                                                            

Illustration

 

A few years ago, a T.V. commercial showed a car in which a jeweler in the back seat made a precise cut in a diamond as the car was being driven along a rough road. What was our reaction to the commercial? We were supposed to think, “Since I will never need to cut a diamond in my car, this car will be more than sufficient.”

 

In the same way, Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15-16 is an advertisement for the grace of God. When Paul says he is the worst of sinners, we are supposed to think, “I am not as sinful as he is, so the grace of God will be more than sufficient for me.”(Green)

 

Prayer

 

Our Heavenly Father,

 

 

Help me to be what You would have 

 me be today! Although I intuitively know

what I should do to honor You, I sometimes

listen to the cues from the secular world!

 

Help me realize the spiritual battle raging around 

me, and strengthen me through the Holy Spirit residing 

in my heart, to withstand the temptations of the 

great deceiver, and to instead heed Your Word!

 

In the precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior,

 

Amen!

 

 

Worship

 

God’s Will – Martina McBride

God Bless You,

Barry

 

Green, Michael P. 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000. Print.

 

 

 

 

Please Give Me Wisdom!

 

 

Quotation

          Rejection hurts! Right! During my seventy-year journey here on Earth, I have experienced the pain of rejection more times than I want to remember. Worldly wisdom tells us the pain of rejection and physical pain have the same effect on the brain, setting up a cascade of events to thwart it, or as Barney would say on The Andy Griffith Show, “Nip it, Nip it in the bud”.

 

Barry Denzil Haney, MD

 

Scripture

 

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

 

Philippians 4:8-9

 

Reflection

 

            Knowledge is the accumulation of facts. Wisdom is learning to use the facts you have accumulated. We accumulate facts by what we see! Unfortunately, many in today’s world accumulate false facts through the chaos they see on social media sites, twenty-four-hour news cycles, and in their neighborhoods. King David laments: “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.” (Psalm 101:3) Unfortunately, in today’s secular world, where we are bombarded by Satan’s lies and deceptions. If we are not careful, we will become like the world instead of a child of God. 

 

            As a Christian, we should ask, “What would Jesus do?” We need to watch, read, and listen to what Jesus would do. The only way to know what Jesus would do is to read the Bible and to get to know Him better through daily prayer.

 

            We need to ask God for wisdom before we ask for anything else.

 

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

 

James 1:5

 

            

            Perry Stone says this about lack of wisdom, “you can speak without thinking, hear without listening, and listen without doing.” We need to seek wisdom. Wisdom will help us to know when to speak and when to be silent, how to listen, and what to do to further the kingdom of God.

 

A soft answer turneth away wrath: But grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: But the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.

 

Proverbs 15:1-2

 

            

            Through my study of the Word the Holy Spirit has provided me with Wisdom and revealed to me there is only one Ladder or Stairway to Heaven! God tells us in John 14:6, the following:

 

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

John 14:6

 

 

            Although this exclusivity is offensive to many, it is the absolute truth. Today’s world needs a Savior who satisfies justice more than ever. Jesus is that Savior, who alone has the power to forgive sin! He did so when He died on the cross at Calvary, meeting God’s demand for eternal justice for our sin. To God be the glory! Amen!

                                                                                                                                                            

Illustration

 

A man approached a speaker and said, “You Christians are all brainwashed.” The speaker replied, “I think we are all brainwashed to a degree. The important thing is that we Christians choose what we want to wash our brains with.”^[1](Green)

 

Prayer

 

Our Heavenly Father,

 

Thank you for giving us Your wisdom!

Help us to be stable and steadfast,

and know when to speak and when to be silent!

How to listen and how to act!

 

We know Jesus is the only way to the father!

This exclusivity does not deny anyone access

to the Father. All they need to do is receive 

the gift of grace through faith in Jesus!

 

In the precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior,

 

Amen!

 

 

Worship

 

Wisdom Song – Laura Woodley Osman

God Bless You,

Barry

 

Green, Michael P. 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000. Print.

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^[1] Michael P. Green. 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000. Print.

Why Am I Here Now!

 

 

Quotation

          We need to remember discouragement is Satan’s chief tool. Discouragement can do more damage than any other thing. You know even good folks can get discouraged. If you are not careful, even you could get discouraged. You need to remember; Satan is the kind of friend who would pat you on the head if you were in quicksand!

 

Barry Denzil Haney, MD

 

Scripture

 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

 

Ephesians 1:3-6

 

Reflection

 

            Have you ever wondered what God's will and plan for your life is? Why has God put you here at this moment in time?

 

            The Bible tells us God knew us before we knew Him. Very detailed, elaborate multigenerational histories have been lived out in each of our family trees before we came on the scene. We come into this world with parents we did not pick, with relatives we did not select, into a world with a climate, place, and culture we did not pick. We were born with no choice of gender, skin color or hair color. But God knew us and created each of us in His image with a plan for our life in His grand plan of salvation!

 

            Before he said, “Let there be light!”, He weaved the plan for our life. We arrive on this earth in the middle of a majestic, glorious story being written by God himself! We are given the honor and opportunity to expand the Kingdom of God! Every decision we make should bring honor and glory to the name of Jesus Christ. We need to think of everything in life as a God-moment. We are in a spiritual battle daily and need to be prepared to face Satan through preparation through daily reading of God’s Word and daily prayer.

 

            God made each of us extraordinary! But because of sin, Satan convinces us to put limits on what we could accomplish. But instead of listening to the great deceiver, we need to take responsibility for our life. We need to stop playing the blame game!

 

            We have control over three things in our life: the thoughts we think, the images we look at, the actions we take. We must not limit our potential by negative thoughts. Negative thoughts come from Satan. Each of us have a God-given purpose. But for us to do His will we must be fully surrendered to God. When we surrender our life to Him, we are giving Him permission to do what He wants to do with our life.

 

            For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)                                                                                                                                                                                             

Illustration

 

Dr. Harry Ironside told of a man who gave his testimony, telling how God had sought him and found him. How God had loved him, called him, saved him, delivered him, cleansed him, and healed him. It was a tremendous testimony to the glory of God.

 

After the meeting, one rather legalistic brother took him aside and said, “You know, I appreciate all that you said about what God did for you, but you didn’t mention anything about your part in it. Salvation is really part us and part God, and you should have mentioned something about your part.”

 

“Oh,” the man said, “I apologize. I’m sorry. I really should have mentioned that. My part was running away, and God’s part was running after me until he found me. (Green)

 

Prayer

 

Our Heavenly Father,

 

Thank you for a leader’s faith!

Help us to be stable and steadfast

no matter what adversity we might face,

remembering you will always come through!

 

Thank you for Your unchanging nature!

Thank you for the hope You provide us

that never changes. Thank you for Your 

gift of salvation, Your bountiful grace!

 

In the precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior,

 

Amen!

 

 

Worship

 

Chosen – Sidewalk Prophets

 God Bless You,

Barry

 

Green, Michael P. 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000. Print.