Mind Your Mouth! (1)

"'Of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks...' " Luke 6:45 NKJV

'Oh, it was just a bunch of meaningless words. No big deal!' Wrong! Our words are a big deal and they do mean a lot! 'A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.' (Luke 6:45 NKJV) One of the biggest lessons I have learned as a pastor is to do my best with my words. Your words have either negative or positive impact. (1) Consider some negatives. They can wound people to the core. 'There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword...' (Proverbs12:18 NAS) They can break down a person's spirit, stripping them of the courage for living. '...Perverseness in it [the tongue] breaks the spirit...' (Proverbs 15:4 NKJV) Carelessly spoken words between people can destroy relationships. 'The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbour...' (Proverbs 11:9 NKJV) Emotional, and possibly even physical death, can result from words. 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue...' (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV) (2) Consider some positives. Your words can spark life into a relationship. 'A soothing tongue is a tree of life...' (Proverbs 15:4 NAS) The right words can help heal wounded relationships. 'Pleasant words are...sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.' (Proverbs 16:24 NIV) Well-chosen words can help us to understand each other. '...Sweetness of the lips increases learning...' (Proverbs 16:21 NKJV) Words spoken at the right times can bring us closer together. 'The right word spoken at the right time is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl.' (Proverbs 25:11 NCV) What you say matters, so mind your mouth! Watch your words and impact people for the kingdom...the right words always lead to life...I know...

Pour Out Your Heart to God!

"'...I pour out my complaint before Him...' " Psalm 142:2 NIV

Learn to pray the Psalms. They run the gamut of human emotion from thanksgiving, to anger, to fear, to loneliness, to grief. The Psalmist doesn't miss a beat when it comes to life. Not life as we wish it was, but life as it is: 'I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him I tell my trouble.' He vents his pain to God, he allows himself to 'feel it'. That takes courage, especially when you just want to put on a brave face. John Ortberg wrote: 'I regret feeling the pain of failure so keenly that I backed away from owning it and learning from it. I could not heal and move on. I wanted to bury it so deeply that no one would ever guess it was there - not even me.' Sound familiar? The Bible doesn't discourage the grieving process, it just warns us not to get stuck in it. '...Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning...' (Psalm 30:5 NIV) To reach your morning of rejoicing you must go through your night of weeping. FB Meyer wrote: 'There are some who chide tears as unmanly, unsubmissive, unchristian. They comfort us with a chill, bidding us to put on a rigid and tearless countenance... We may well ask if a man who cannot weep can really love? Sorrow is just love bereaved; its most natural expression is tears... Jesus wept. ...The Ephesian converts wept on the neck of the Apostle Paul whose face they were never to see again.' So go ahead and pour out your heart to God. It's a vital step to becoming whole. Thats God's plan for us. So go on a try it. See what God can do. Then share the joy with everyone. I bet this Sunday you won't be able to contain what God has done inside of you...Wholeness!

Thoughts for Today

Pour Out Your Heart to God!

Thoughts for Today

Trust God! Trust God! Trust God! "'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living...' " Psalm 142:5 NKJV

Hard times energise some people, yet paralyse others. I was thinking this morning about David. Everything he touched turned to gold: Samuel anointed him to be king; he defeated Goliath; Saul chose him as a musician and warrior; the army loved him and wrote songs about him. Then his life fell apart. He lost his job and his marriage failed; Samuel his old mentor died; his best friend Jonathan couldn't help him and Saul's soldiers hounded him until he had to hide in a cave. At some point we all do time in the cave! It's where you end up when all your earthy supports are gone. It's where you learn important things about yourself that you can't learn anywhere else. It's where God does some of His best work in moulding you into the likeness of Christ. It's where your worst inadequacies confirm that you're out of your depth and where God sends His power to flow through your weakness. Take some time to think on this it, When David prayed, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living,' he'd no way of knowing there was a crown in his future, or that he wasn't going to die in hiding. For all he knew, this cave he was in right now might be as good as it gets. When you're in a situation you can't fix, can't change and can't escape, trust God! Trust God! Trust God! As long as your sense of security is tied solely to your success, it'll always be fragile. But when you know that God is with you even at your lowest point, you can handle the cave and come out stronger! Sunday in service you were challenged to ask God for a inner healing or you stood in someones place. Why ask unless you you are willing to say "I trust God, I trust God, I trust God!"

Thoughts for the Day

18 The wicked shall be a ransom for the (uncompromisingly) righteous, and the treacherous for the upright (because the wicked fall themselves into the traps and pits they have dug for the good).

We sometimes want to get even right away for all the bad things people do to us. But if you are reading this blog today there is a story in the Bible about how God takes care of His people in the book of Esther. The story goes like this:

There was a woman named Esther, who was made Queen to King Ahasuerus, who lived in a palace in Shushan. He was king of the Persian empire. Esther was a Jew; however, her nationality had not yet been revealed to the King. There was a plot, by a wicked man named Haman (who was one of the King's princes), to destroy the Jews because one of them, Mordecai, who was Esther's uncle, refused to bow down to Haman. His refusal to bow, was based on his commitment to only bow to the true God, Jehovah. Mordecai's behavior incensed Haman and he convinced the King that the Jews were a threat to his kingdom. He bribed the King by offering to give a large sum of silver into the King's treasury, if he would sign an edict to destroy the Jews. TheKking agreed to destroy the Jews, not knowing that Esther was a Jew. Since the King made Haman overseer of this project, Haman thought he would succeed in destroying Mordecai, so he built a gallows to hang him on.

But, as the Lord would have it, the King could not sleep one night, and he began reading a book of memorable deeds. As he read, he remembered that Mordecai had been responsible for saving his life at one time, and discovered that this noble man had not been rewarded for his brave deed. So the King called Haman in and asked him what he thought should be done for a man that he wanted to honor. Now Haman, in his own pride, thought that the King surely spoke of him. He responded that the man should be given royal apparel, a crown on his head, and given the king's horse to ride before the people in the city. To Haman's chagrin, the King then told him to do this for Mordecai, for he was the noble man. Haman went away stunned and grieving, as he had to obey the King's command.

Later, the king was having a dinner with Queen Esther, and he summoned Haman to attend. At the dinner, Queen Esther made petition to the King to reverse the wicked plot that Haman had devised to destroy her people. She did this at the risk of her life, as no one was allowed to go uninvited before the King with a petition. Because of prayer and fasting, Esther not only found favor in the sight of the King, but he was also angry when he realized the evil in Haman's plot. The King, in his wrath, arose and went into the palace garden. Meanwhile, Haman became afraid and tried to plead for his life by approaching Queen Esther. He fell down on her couch pleading with her. At that same moment that the King returned to the room. The King thought he was trying to assault the Queen, so he ordered him taken way and hanged on the very gallows that Haman had built to hang Mordecai. So trust in God when things look bad and people seem to be beating you down in life...Everything in Gods timing...Just remember how much he loves you and will take care of you...

Thoughts for Today

Naaman (1)

" '...He was...a mighty man...but a leper...' " 2 Kings 5:1 NKJV

In examining the story of Naaman the leper, we begin by looking at his condition. 'Naaman, commander of the army of...Syria, was a great...man...but a leper.' (2 Kings 5:1 NKJV ) In spite of his past victories and present honors, he had a hidden problem that wouldn't stay hidden long. Left un-dealt with, it would eventually destroy him. Can you relate? Today the odds may be in your favor. You've graduated from the best university, you've a good family and you've built a church or a business, or climbed to the top in your career. Yet before you can qualify for greater blessing God will force you to deal with a condition that's hidden beneath your armor. Outstanding people in every occupation, particularly spiritual ones, go through it. It's what sets them apart. It's what ushers them across the bridge from mediocre to exceptional. Without obstacles we'll always be ordinary! We're not talking about petty little problems. We're talking about issues so overwhelming you can't sleep; gut-wrenching things that cause your heart to skip a beat and make you fear 'this is the one that's going to take me out!' It's the thing you pray about in secret. It's what you don't want people to see. So, like Naaman, you wear your 'brass' then go home and agonise over your condition. Understand this: God teaches some of His greatest lessons in the valleys of life. That's where you learn to lie prostrate before Him, weeping and broken. It's where you pray: 'God, don't let this thing destroy me. Deal with it through the power of Your Spirit.' And here's the good news: that kind of prayer brings deliverance. So don't let the one thing get you down. God wants to talk and hear from you. Just as we said Sunday: let God make such a impression upon your spirit that you have no other option but to listen to Him! You are loved...

Thoughts for Today

In Harness with Jesus

"'Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me...' " Matthew 11:29 NKJV

Some of us find it easy to trust God for health, yet we stay awake all night worrying about finances. Or we trust Him for finances, but not to direct our steps. Jesus says, 'Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me.' You say, 'Learn what?' Learn that if you want to lighten your load, don't take on more - take on a partner. Get in harness with the Lord and take your lead from Him. Working with God will restore your strength, not deplete it! As I was preparing for this blog today I thought back to when I was a young youth pastor: 'On my way to a conference in the Seattle area I was driving uphill along a major interstate, when I overtook a freight train going the same direction at a slower speed. The train was being pushed uphill by two locomotives that sounded as if they were straining at full power. I'm a flatlander from the mid west. 'Is this how trains move in mountains I thought?' I wondered. I gradually came alongside the front of the over 1 mile-long string of cars. There I found five more locomotives pulling the train. Seven engines in all! Where I come from, I rarely see more than two or three. That train was a lesson for me. I had been under serious strain for some time. I was feeling tired and was wondering whether I could persevere under the pressure. How like God, I thought. When I am pushing a load uphill with all the strength I have and feel like my energy level is depleted, He wants me to know that He is in the lead, pulling with power far greater than mine.' If you are in that place today...why don't you hook up with Jesus and see what difference he can make by your side. You are loved!

Thoughts for the Day

Proverbs 21:5-6 (AMP):
5 The thoughts of the (steadily) diligent tend only to plenteousness, but every one who is impatient and hasty hastens only to want.

Proverbs tells us that certain good virtues produce wealth, while evil virtues lead to lack and death. In verse 5 we are told that having plenty involves our thought life. Negative thoughts bring about negative things in our lives, while positive thoughts and a good outlook produce good things. The Bible tells us that actually the things that manifest in our lives have a deeper origin, and that place is in our hearts.

In Proverbs 23:7a it says: "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:----"

The heart of man is his spirit, while the mind is in the soul. Man is a spirit, and he has a soul, and he lives in a body. Of course, all men think with their minds, but it is the spirit man that influences the mind. If a man is unregenerate and has not been "born again," he will by his own sinful nature be influenced by ungodly imaginations. Once we are "born again," we then are given a new nature and heart (spirit), therefore we now have access to the Holy Spirit and the "mind of Christ." If we yield to the influence of the Holy Spirit, we will do that which is right. The devil will still try to tempt us by putting evil ideas in our minds and tempting us in the flesh, but we now have the power of the Holy Spirit to cast down those imaginations and put the devil to flight.

In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 it says:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

This is the hard part...training your mind and spirit to Godly to obedience. We have a little dog named Shaggy. We have tried and tried to train him not to bark. He is so much better than he was when we first got him. But its that last little hump we are trying to get over so he will be obedient to our commands not to just bark at everyone. Its like that with us sometimes. We are just on the edge and need that extra push in some areas of our lives so we will be obedient to Christ. So don't give up...just look up!

Thoughts for the Day

Proverbs 21:3-4 (AMP):
3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
4 Haughtiness of eyes and a proud heart, even the tillage of the wicked or the lamp of joy to them, (whatever it may be) is sin (in the eyes of God).

Today's verses from the book of Proverbs tell us that doing right is more important than sacrificing anything and that man's pride and life without God is sinful. Verse 3 emphasizes that God is more interested in a daily life that is integral toward Him and toward his fellowman, than one who might sacrifice by fasting or giving a large offering or giving up something that is important to us. In fact, a daily life that is unselfish and one of uprightness before God and man is the very reason God has us sacrifice. He wants to lead us into a righteous life style that is steadily maintained instead of one that is up and down with Him. Our human nature is one that we tend to coast at times. We slack off doing the things that we should. It is not easy to live a disciplined life unto the Lord where we pray, read our Bible, reach out, and walk in faith in all things. Sometimes we think the outward things like doing good works and giving our tithes and offerings are sufficient to please God. However, God is after a relationship with us and a heart attitude that is one of mercy, and a walk of faith. Yesterday in service we talked about these very things. Having that relationship that is in tune with God and eachother takes a attitude that you only get from Gods Spirit. If you want to hear from God you must you must have relationship with Him. Its not about the do & don'ts because by "grace you are saved so that no man can boast." It isn't that we have a green light to do what we feel, its that we understand all God has given us through Jesus. In verse 4 God deals with another thing that He hates and that is "pride." The definition of pride in this verse is an attitude of haughtiness. When a man thinks more highly of himself than he ought to think, he is then a prideful man. Sometimes we get this attitude that keeps us off balance in our relationships because we feel we are better some how then others. The bible says "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." So do what he says "To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice" and I know you will do well.

You loved in Christ!

Daryl & Amy Rochek
Lead Pastors
Calvary Assembly of God
West Richland WA
http://calvarychurch-ag.org
509-967-2447

The Blood of Jesus

"'...The blood...makes atonement for the soul...' " Leviticus 17:11 NKJV

Jeffrey Ebert says: 'When I was five years old, before factory-installed seat belts and automobile airbags, my family was driving home at night on a two-lane country road. I was sitting on my mother's lap when another car driven by a drunk driver swerved into our lane and hit us head on. I don't have any memory of the collision. I do recall the fear and confusion I felt as I saw myself literally covered with blood from head to toe. Then I learned that the blood wasn't all mine, but my mother's. In that split second when the two headlights glared into her eyes, she instinctively...curled her body around mine. It was her body that slammed against the dashboard, her head that shattered the windshield. She took the impact...so that I wouldn't have to. It took extensive surgery for my mother to recover from her injuries.' At the cross Jesus took the impact of our sin, and the moment we place our trust in Him, His shed blood reconciles us to God. Consider God's problem. The Bible says God is '...of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness...' (Habakkuk 1:13 NKJV) So God solves His problem by repositioning us 'in Christ', and seeing us 'through the blood'. The songwriter wrote: 'When God looks at me He doesn't see the things I've done, He only sees the blood of His crucified Son.' God's Word says, 'The blood...makes atonement for the soul.' The word 'atonement' means 'at-one-ment'. Wonderful, the blood of Jesus bridges the gap and makes us one with God! *Word for Today

An Unusual Prescription For Love

This is a little lengthy but I feel it will touch your hearts if you listen to what God has to say today. How do we teach this generation to love authentically? Scripture lays out several prescriptions for learning how to love. Let's look at a unique prescription found in 1 John 5:3, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments." God knows loving does not come naturally, so He gave us a pattern to follow that can actually produce love in us and through us. The pattern is the path called obedience. Love is more than a feeling. It is a choice to do the right thing.

We practice love first by obeying God and second by obeying and respecting those in positions of authority because they embody this principle. Obedience is directly related to love and is a key to being able to receive love. 1 John 5:2 says, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments." Do you see the connection between love and obedience in the lives of the people around you? For example, when someone is disobeying God or undermining an authority, they are not able to fully receive love. Why? I believe it is because God has mysteriously connected love and obedience so in order to give and receive love, we must be rightly ordered and if we are in disobedience we are not able to love authentically. We all recognize who the most loving people are...and they do not seem to have a chip on their shoulder, an offense against someone or a bad attitude. They are a conduit of free flowing love, grace and truth. People, teens in particular, confuse the order of love and obedience thinking, "Once I receive enough love I will be good and will obey and give respect to authority". They do not realize they must do these things first to actually feel and experience love, which ultimately comes from God. Sadly, those who confuse this "love reality" maintain bad attitudes, and are defensive, negative, bored, grumpy, unhappy etc. You get the idea. I wonder how many of your students or staff could be described this way?

The Lord convicted me of this principle years ago when one of my own children was getting away with disobedience. At 3 years old he was adorable, but for a time was noticeably not as happy and carefree as normal, which caused me to realize he was "wearing" guilt from sin. I told him the next time he disobeyed he would receive the natural consequence, and I apologized for not doing my job as his father. Soon an infraction occurred, and he received his punishment followed by showers of forgiveness. Afterward, he was noticeably different in his demeanor and his normal joy returned. The Lord impressed on me that he was now free to be good and not to take the training of His little ones lightly. I have not forgotten that lesson.

We need to help our kids be free to be good by teaching them to honor those in authority, not because leaders are perfect, but because they are God's "tool" in this love prescription. Here is how it works:

Romans 13:1-4 says, "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God... for it (authority) is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it (authority) is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil."

This means God will use authority in a nice way or a hard way to teach us to obey. Obedience to God is the most important choice in our sanctification process, and we can practice with people! Here is a checklist to evaluate how you are doing in relation to obedience and some reminders regarding authority:

How does your team talk about those in authority? It is not wrong to disagree and go speak to that person. In fact, good leaders welcome disagreement and dialogue. However, it is wrong to murmur, gossip, complain or discount them, even if it is done via a "prayer request".

If an adult has a "tude" (large attitude) then deal with it quickly or that spirit will taint your environment. I encourage dialogue and individual ideas, but won't have an antagonist on my team. Antagonism and the resulting disrespect is death to unity, and unity is one of our greatest weapons.

Do you encourage students to honor their parents? Do you undermine or uphold the parent's role? I have been saddened many times over the years when I hear comments from teachers or youth workers that portray parents as uncaring, uninvolved, not doing their job etc. My response is always, "What are you doing to help them be successful?" If we undermine God's prescribed order of authority in the life of the student, we will be in trouble.

Do you notice obedience and honor it publicly? What "perk" can you offer students who do the right thing? Don't take good behavior for granted. Telling your students how much you appreciate their good behavior is always good and plants seeds of righteousness.

If someone disobeys a rule or authority, give grace with the natural consequence. If students don't experience grace in a Christian setting, we have missed a great opportunity to model the gospel. Our role is not to prove we are right, but to portray grace as we deliver natural and fair consequences. My comment to any student would be, "I am sorry you chose to do this. You will have my support as you experience the consequence and my help to not make this choice in the future. This behavior is beneath your dignity and your design."

A young man will respond better if disciplined by a man. Young women similarly with women. (More on this principle in future blogs.)

Today, if you are lacking influence or not being respected as a father, mother, or a leader, your first diagnosis should be your own view of this principle of authority. I believe God gives authority and influence in equal proportion to how we honor authority because ultimately, how we view authority, is how we view God. When my view of someone's authority has been disrespectful, my own ministry "fruit" is rotten and my influence for the Kingdom greatly lacking. Also remember when you encourage obedience and respect from your kids, you are actually freeing them to give and receive love. Today, I am choosing to obey God's Spirit and respect authority so I can be free to love others. Won't you join me?