Child Like Faith

Today I want to talk about having child like faith. If you have been a believer for any length of time, you have heard the saying to have the faith of a child. If you are not a believer or have never heard that saying you will not understand what I am talking about. There is a scripture in the bible that tells us to be like children.

Matthew 18:1-4 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? (2) And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them. (3) And said, Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (4) Whosoever, therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

I have been a follower of Jesus for twenty years. During those years I have heard many messages preached on this scripture or on this thought. I have heard many explain what it means to be like a little child. I myself have preached on the thought of how God wants us to be like little children. In fact if we have been born again, if we are a believer in Jesus the Messiah; we have been born of the Spirit and have the right to be called a child of God.

John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (13) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Even though the scriptures say sons of God in this passage, God is telling us that if we believe on His Son Jesus Christ, if we have a relationship with His Son, we are born into the family of God! Have you ever stopped to think about what that means? If you call on Jesus Christ, ask Him into your heart, you are a child of God. A child of God!

1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not.

The Father! Our Father!

I did not grow up with a father so I did not really have any basis for beginning to understand how to relate to God as my father. I did not have any example of what a father was supposed to look like. I have seen a lot of fathers. I have seen them behave badly to their children and I have seen them behave great to their children. But I did not have that type of relationship with my father. He left when I was two years old. So when I became a believer in Jesus, God had to show me what a good father looks like. I can tell you from my own experiences God truly is a good, good father.

So, we have a heavenly Father! He loves us very much! He wants to protect us! He wants us to be like children. What does that look like?

I have friends that have school age children. Their children go to public school. If you have been following the news at all you know that our public schools are going to hell in a handbasket. What they are teaching our children is sick, twisted, and perverted. I actually thought because I live in a small town, that type of teaching would not touch us. But I was wrong.

My friends son was in English class the other day and the teacher started reading from a book out loud to the class. It was describing the fantasy a boy was having about bathing a girl and it was describing how the boy felt while looking at the girl. I will not go into details, but I am sure you can follow what I am saying. This was being read in a seventh grade classroom!

My friends son took a picture of the page and sent it to his mom. Attached to the picture was as text that simply said “Help”. This boy has a relationship with God that is strong. Even though he is young, he wants to stay clean and pure for God. He did not want to go to the dark place that book was bringing him. He quickly called for HELP!

His parents sprung into action! His dad went into the school and demanded his son not be in that class anymore. His parents went to the school superintendent to see if they knew what was being taught in that class. His parents went to the police station to see what could be done to protect their son from a teacher acting as a pedophile.

While I was praying for their son and really all the children in our public schools God showed me a couple of things I want to share with you.

God is our father! He wants to protect us from the darkness of this world. He does not want us drawn into a life of darkness and sin. He wants to protect us from the darkness that wants to corrupt us. My friends jumped to action. As the boys dad, he quickly ran to his child! He quickly pulled him out of the classroom. He sprung to the defense of his child and removed him from the presence of evil and darkness.

The boy was defenseless as a child. He did not have the necessary means to protect himself from the temptations the enemy was trying to put in his mind. As a child he needed the help of his father to intervene in the situation. The son needed his father to pull him out of danger and protect him. And I must say kudos to my friend for being such a good father! I commend him for springing into action to protect his child. That is how God wants to be with us! He wants to protect us! He wants to pull us out of danger! We wants to keep us safe!

The other side of the story is the son. He did not sit there while temptation was pulling on him. He did not sit quietly while the enemy tried to plant images in his mind that would stay with him the rest of his life. He quickly called out for HELP! That is all we need to say to God. HELP!

So many times we get involved in things we should not have been messing with. Maybe we dabbled in things that now have us hooked. Maybe we are dealing with something that isn’t sin, but is consuming our thoughts. Maybe we need financial help. Maybe we need encouragement. Maybe we need rest. Whatever it is we need, we have a Heavenly Father who is ready to spring into action! We are His children! We have the privilege of calling on our Heavenly Father to help us.

Why not be like a child and ask God to help you today? How about we stop sitting quietly by while the enemy hooks us and pulls us away from God? How about we simply say HELP! I assure you, your Heavenly Father will come running to help you, to protect you. I pray we will all learn to be like my friends son! I pray we will all learn to call on our Heavenly Father to help us.

DON’T LIMIT GOD

Psalm 78:36-43 Nevertheless they did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto Him with their tongues. (37) For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they steadfast in His covenant. (38) But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: ye, many a time turned He His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath. (39) But He remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. (40) How oft did they provoke Him in the wilderness, and grieve Him in the desert! (41) Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. (42) They remembered not His hand, nor the day when He delivered them from the enemy. (43) How He had wrought His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan.

Please notice in verse 41 we are told the people had turned back and tempted God. It says they limited Him. In verse 42 we are told that they did not remember how He had helped them. Verse 43 says they did not remember the signs and wonders He had done. By not giving thought to the Lord, the people had limited God. It is not that God was incapable of helping them, it was that their actions had pushed God out of their lives.

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Invite Him into your lives. Walk with Him daily. Remember the works that He has done both in your life and in the lives of others. We are given examples of what He has done in the past in the Bible.

He fed the multitude and yet we cannot believe that He will fill our cupboards. We worry and fret. We try to find food in our own abilities instead of realizing that God will take care of us.

He healed the sick and yet we cannot believe that He will heal a simple headache. We do not remember that He has been taking care of us all along. We do not even know all the ways He has kept up healthy. Sadly we do not thank Him or even acknowledge Him.

Charles Finney: was a preacher who preached 98 sermons between September 10, 1830 and March 6, 1832 (a span of 6 months) in Rochester, New York. During that time shopkeepers would close their businesses, posting notices urging people to attend Finney’s meetings. Reportedly, the population of the town increased by two-thirds during the revival, but crime dropped by two-thirds over the same period.

Let us not limit God by forgetting all the wonderful things He has in the past in America. A.A. Allan, John Wesley, Smith Wigglesworth, William Branham, Oral Roberts, Catherine Kuhlman, Charles Finney: These are all men and women who believed God and they changed the world.

They are no different from you or me. They are people just like we are, but they were willing to go and flow with God. They were willing to believe that what He did in the past He could and would do again.

Do you want to see God move? Is there a yearning in your heart to see God move through America? Can you join with me in remembering all the wonderful things God has done in the past. Let’s remember the Lord our God. Invite Him back in our homes, in our families, in our businesses, in our schools. Let’s remember the Lord our God and watch Him move.

EXODUS 11:3

And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses [was] very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.

I am sure we all know the story of when the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. Let’s go back for a moment and remember Moses was tending his flock when he saw the Lord in a flame of fire that was not consuming the bush (Exodus 3:1-2) The Lord told Moses he was going to deliver His people out of the hand of the Egyptians. Moses has many excuses why he could not be the one to be used by God. Many of which may have been valid reasons in the eyes of Moses, but not in the eyes of the Lord. I believe the thing that was going through Moses’ mind was the fact that he had killed an Egyptian the last time he was in Egypt (Exodus 2:11-15). The last time Moses was in Egypt we had run for his life. He had killed a man, hid him in the sand. He tried to help the Israelites in his own power.

So now Moses is asked to go back to the place where things went so wrong in his life and deliver God’s people out of oppression. Which brings us to what God showed me this morning.

And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. The people left bondage with all the gold and silver of the Egyptians. It was given to them by the Egyptians. This part of the verse has been preached every way possible. So I will not spend time on it here.

Moreover the man Moses [was] very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people. “The man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaohs’ servants, and in the sight of the people” I emphasize this because it is very significant. When Moses first left Egypt, he had done a very bad thing. He had killed a man. Not just any man, he had killed an Egyptian. That would be like killing someone in our government today. This was a man who had some power; he was a man who was in charge of making sure the Hebrew people did what they were told to do. Moses killed a man in authority. He hoped he had gotten away with it, but the next day a Hebrew confronted him about it. The Hebrew did not understand Moses intent to help, he just saw that Moses had killed a man, and figured if Moses could kill one man he could kill another. The Hebrew man feared for his life. This part of the story has been mention, but what I have not heard too much about is how “the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people”

I am amazed at how God takes those people who have been rejected by the world and makes them great. Great not only in the sight of the world but also in the sight of His people. When we purpose in our heart that we will follow the Word of God, God notices. When we decide we will be the one to stand for the Lord in spite of opposition, God notices. When Moses first fled from Egypt he was nothing, just a lowly criminal. Think about that for a moment. He had killed a man in authority. Think about how you would feel about the person who killed someone in government, there would be a man hunt for that individual. Think about how you would feel about the person who killed someone in your town. There would be a man hunt for that individual. How would you feel about the person who killed someone in your family? There would be a man hunt for that person. I can imagine that ALL the people in the land of Egypt did not think to highly of Moses. He was brought into Pharaoh’s house and treated like family. He was raised an Egyptian yet he killed an Egyptian. He was born a Hebrew, yet the Hebrew man feared him. So in the land of Egypt Moses was a wanted criminal when he fled the first time. He went into hiding fearing he would be caught.

Then what happened? Moses submitted to God. Imagine for a moment that you are Moses, you killed a man. Now you have lived in the desert for 40 years. For 40 years you have thought about the incident, you built a family and tried to go about your life. Yet in the back of your mind you remember you have been branded a killer in your home town. The people you sought to protect fear you and your family is looking to have you killed. Every day you think about it. Then you meet God and He says, “Go deliver My people out of the Hand of the Egyptians” How hard do you think it was for Moses to walk into Egypt. It would be like a killer today coming in and saying, “listen I have word from God.” We would think “this guy is crazy, but him in a mental ward” Yet in spite of all the fear Moses must have felt, he went back to where everything first went bad in his life. He trusted in the Lord enough to believe he would be protected. Do you think he might have been thinking “what if they arrest me, what if Pharaoh has me killed? Yet I trust in God” What about the Hebrew people, they thought Moses was crazy!

Also the more Moses spoke to Pharaoh about letting the Hebrew people go, the worse it became for the Hebrew people. It is like enough already! We had it bad enough before you showed up to make it “better” now look, things are worse” They tried to get Moses to stop. I think we tend to be like the Hebrew people sometimes. We cry out to God to do something in our lives, to deliver us out of certain situations, then when He sends someone to speak those words that will deliver us out of bondage, we want to kill the messenger. We want what we want the way we want it. That is what Moses faced with the Hebrew people. He told them the Lord has heard your cry and sent me to deliver you out of bondage, I will speak to Pharaoh and he will let you go. (Paraphrased by Donna) When that did not happen as smoothly as hoped, the Hebrew people told Moses to stop. They told him he was making matter worse and they did not want him to help (paraphrased by Donna). But Moses would not back down. He had an encounter with the Lord, he knows the Lord had sent him and he was steadfast in what he needed to do. So here we have Moses, hated by the Hebrews, hated by the Egyptians. Here is a man with very few friends. Here is a man who is an outcast because he will not do what the world wants him to do. He will not conform; he trusts in God, he put all his trust in God. He is obedient to God in spite of all the opposition he faced, and the Bible says “Moreover the man Moses [was] very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.”

In the end Moses was very great in the land of Egypt. That is the same place where he had killed a man. The same land where he was a wanted criminal before following the voice of the LORD. Moses was very great in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants. The same authority that could have him killed. The same court system that could have sentenced him to death. The same justice system that could have him put to death for killing one of their own. The same people who hated him for killing someone in their family. Moses was very great in the sight of the people. All the people even the Hebrew people who told him to stop helping. Even the Hebrew people who had to go through so much hardship because of Moses. The same people who probably figured Moses was some kind of crackpot, who should be muzzled. This is the same person who had made their life so miserable.

Moses had an encounter with the LORD. Moses had trust in the LORD. Moses spoke the word of the LORD. Moses went through some trials and came out victorious. Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.

How many of us are willing to go through some opposition to follow the LORD? We live in a time when following Jesus and listening to His voice is not the thing to do. We live in a time when we are laughed at for believing in Jesus. Even here in America the name of Jesus is coming under attach. We live in a time when we are asked to stop talking about JESUS the MESSIAH, to stop listening to the LORD, to stop believing in the HOLY GHOST. We live in a time when they would like us to be tolerant of other religions, to stop pointing out the sin. We are asked to stop making people feel uncomfortable, to stop making people feel offended. Yet will we bow to Pharaoh or will we bow to the LORD. I believe if we will be the voice of GOD. Follow His statutes; keep sin out of our life, talk about the FATHER, SON, & HOLY GHOST God will make us great in the land. Eventually we will come out of bondage and we will come out with the wealth of the world. We will be called great. God will make things turn around in our lives; He is a rewarder of those who seek HIM.

I urge us all to take a look at the life of Moses. He was just a man who allowed God to use him. He was a man who faced his fears head on. He was a man hated by the world. Yet he was a man who followed the LORD. He is a man we are still talking about today! I want to be the voice of the LORD! I choose to be the one who will not bow to Pharaoh. I choose to be the one who will not go with the flow. No matter the cost I will follow Christ! What about you?

I am the Lord your God

Isaiah 43:10-12 (New King James Version)
10 “ You are My witnesses,” says the LORD,
“ And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD,
And besides Me there is no savior.
12 I have declared and saved,
I have proclaimed,
And there was no foreign god among you;
Therefore you are My witnesses,”
Says the LORD, “that I am God
13 Indeed before the day was, I am He;
And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;
I work, and who will reverse it?”

I love it when the LORD says “I am the LORD” It musters up visions of an all powerful all knowing God. It also seems like I can hear the heavens and the earth shake. I can almost feel the earth tremble below my feet.
The LORD is not a god that can be made into an image that suits our needs. The LORD is the LORD GOD! There is none other like Him. He made the heavens and the earth out of nothing, He formed you and created you. He loves you and wants a relationship with you.
Think about that, the LORD, wants a relationship with you! He created you to love you, care for you, spend time with you. He created you to love you!
Unfortunately a lot of people act like they are the god and the LORD is the created one. They want to live life by their rules and then blame God when things fall apart.
The LORD has set up a standard of living that He expects you to follow. When you follow His rules He will be your God and you will be His people. When you do not follow His rules you are exalting yourself above the LORD, in essence you are making yourself into a god.
Like I said at the beginning, I love it when the LORD says in His word, “I am the LORD your God” It just makes me feel good inside to know that the LORD my God is in control, it takes all the pressure off of me. All I have to due is abide by His rules and He will take care of Me. Thank you God!

What I see coming on the horizon

In this hetic time of uneasiness and unrest we tend to get caught up in what is going on around us instead of being caught up on what God is doing. God clearly tells us that we are to keep our eyes on Him and He will supply our needs. Does that mean we might have to change our way of living? Maybe. The biggest challenge we have is to remember that as believers in Jesus Christ we are not affected by the cares of this world because we are not of this world. We are just passing though. Our home is in heaven.

While the economy looks bleak right now, God is not dependant on the economy. God created the economy.

I am not trying to minimize the situation we face in America, but I do want to emphasize the fact the God created everything, I am sure He can provide for you and your family if you listen to Him and follow His ways.

Unfortunately in America we have turned to other gods. We follow the paths that seems right unto man, but the end is the way of death. We we founded on Christian foundations. We were founded on true Christian foundations, not the current false trend of christianity. That solid foundation is still there, we need to turn back the Lord.

Those of us who believe in Jesus, the true Jesus of the Bible will be fine during this crisis. God will provide a way for us. Woo to those who choose the path that leads to death.

We are in a time of choice. There is a passage in the Bible that says, “choose this day who you will serve”. In this time of economic uncertainty choose wisely.