Fan The Flame

 Part 2 of A Seat At The Table  The 23rd Psalm Verse 5 says You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.   Now, keep that verse in mind as we will return to it several times and really dive into what I think that is saying to us in line with what we are discussing today.   The table God has prepared for you will not sequester you nor will it extract you from a broken world. In fact, it tells us that the table will be situated right in the middle of your enemies You don’t have to worry though, you will feel and know his presence because He is seated at the table with you.   Now, what if you are your own shepherd?   He is not seated at the table with you.   What can I expect?   In whatever way the Devil gains access to your table, his goals are always the same.   He wants to gain access to your mind so he can destroy you. He wants to get inside your head so harmful thoughts can be planted within you. Those thoughts will grow unchecked and spill out into action

Recently I had the tremendous opportunity to deliver the Sunday morning message at our church.  I knew exactly what it was going to be on, as it had swirled around me for weeks prior.  Psalm 23.  What follows is a synopsis of that message.  I hope that it blessed someone as it did me. A Seat At The Table For months now, the 23rd Psalm has been on my mind and in the forefront of nearly every devotion that I do daily.  It was also glaring me in the face multiple times a day on Social Media.  I could only wonder what God was trying to tell me.  Then I stumbled across a study that pulled it all together and I saw the 23rd Psalm in a whole new light.  While the 23rd Psalm has always been one of my favorite passages, it has now taken on a completely new dynamic.   As you read this, I want you to think about something; We have an enemy before us. We have allowed the enemy to access our conversations, our attitudes, and our emotions.  He has access to the very way that we respond to people and

  Answering the   Question   If you could ask God one question and you knew that you had the assurance of an answer, what would it be?   When this is posed to groups, the most common question is: Why does God allow pain and suffering in the world? This question is usually asked by two groups of people: Those asking a purely intellectual question and those actively going through pain and suffering.  With this in mind, always try to determine if they are in the latter group when they ask.  If so, you are looking at someone to "be Jesus" to them.  They are looking for someone to love them, take care of them and reach out to them.  For those asking a purely intellectual question, well we don't have a complete answer for that in Scripture.   In 1 Corinthians 13:12 it says For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known . Basically, this side of Heaven, we see things dimly.   We don’t understand

  For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1st Corinthians 1:18 For time immortal, mankind has attempted to make sense of the world around him through philosophies, theories and basic knowledge.  Mankind simply cannot grasp the Truth of God.  Only His wisdom will help us to traverse the right path for our lives.   From a human perspective, it seems strange that the Creator would come to Earth as a man, die on a wooden cross, come back to life then go back to Heaven.  IT may even seem more impossible that our very salvation would come from believing in that same Jesus Christ  that died for our sins.  How could the death, burial and resurrection of a man so long ago determine the destiny of every single human ever created?  We simply cannot comprehend the Cross and its complete message.   Mankind's wisdom may can show us our problems, but it can't provide all of the solutions to them.  Hopefully

 This is my first foray into blogging in several years.  For many years I wrote political blogs and finally realized that it was simply causing me misery and anger.  That is not who I am, and more importantly, that is not who I was created to be.  Let me be perfectly clear here, I am not a perfect Christian.  But I am and always try to be open and receptive to the moving of the Holy Spirit.  This is where this blog now stems from.  I felt the overwhelming draw to get back to writing, which has always been my stress relief and way of pouring out my thoughts (except for all of the political junk).  Below is my very first blogpost under this new endeavor.  I am still trying to discern if it should move into a podcast of some sort, but as of now that isn't clear.  In my writings, I hope that you see and read less of me and more of Him.  If not, then I am not doing something right.  This "lesson" is one I gave at church one Sunday morning after being convicted over the lesson