Proverbs 28 - Unheard Prayer

28:9 One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.

Do you every feel like your prayers bounce of the walls or dissipate into thin air? I know I have. I sometimes feel like I have prayed and prayed for so long for so many things but never receive a reply. Is God listening? Does He care? Why doesn't He answer me? I have had moments of intense despair, pain, emotional hurt when I cried out to God and seemed to have gotten no answer. Unfortunately, we don't always feel the presence of God. But that does not mean He is not there. In fact, He never leaves our side. "I will never forsake you", is His promise. But why does it feel like He does sometimes. I think back in my own journey and I think that many of these times is because I did not listen when He did speak and I was not following His will. I may have had un-confessed sin or been preoccupied with other things, but it is never God that does not listen or is not present. Most of the time it is us who are not present. God demands our undivided attention and it is during these times when you will truly feel God's presence. I am learning all over again (it seems) how to do this. Some days are better than others. Sometimes His word speaks to my heart as if He is right beside me (which He is). Other times I cannot seem to shut out the world to hear Him. Ask God to show you what is interfering with your communication. He will!


Barlow Girl "Never Alone"

Proverbs 27 - The Window to the Soul

27:20 Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied.


Casting Crowns "Slow Fade"

We must never forget that the evil one is out there lurking for us. He knows our weaknesses and he plays upon them. We need to constantly be on our guard and not give the devil a foothold. What we look at, what we listen to in our music, television programs, Internet, books, magazines, and other media communications. For a man it can be a very subliminal and sneaky attack. One day you take a double look at a pretty girl, the next you are watching some steamy movie on Dish, the next your surfing the Internet looking at stuff you shouldn't, then the next you are behaving immorally. I really love the above video and song above by Casting Crowns because it is right on the mark. Black and white slowly become grey and before you know it you are so far away from the man God intended you to be, and you are lost. We are not fighting a battle that is new to us just because of multi-media. Judah, Paul, Augustine, Origen, and many other great church fathers and Christians have fought the same battle. It is more pervasive today because of our lax morality and there are many more methods to explore the pleasures of the flesh. Don't give into the lusts of the flesh, no matter what they be. The reward and pleasure of walking with God are much more!

Proverbs 26 - The wisdom? of Fools

26:7 Like the legs of the lame that hang limp Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

I was watching a show the other day, I can't remember what it was, or who it was at this time, but the one thing I remember is that he attempted to quote some proverb and butchered it to the point that it did not make sense. His proverb was paralyzed. Of course I am sure there are some fools out there to whom it was immense wisdom but he completely lost me and I turned the channel. Don't let others turn the channel on you! God wants our words to be few, but the ones we choose need to be seasoned with wisdom, truth, love, and kindness. It takes a long time to gain wisdom, and a short time to become a fool. And this is most likely done with our mouths. It makes no difference how wise you actually are if you mouth spews only foolish words and advice

Proverbs 25 - Too much of a good thing

16 Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, Lest you be filled with it and vomit.

Late Rich Mullins "Awesome God"

Honey in biblical days was like finding gold. It was probably the sweetest food source around and was not only eaten but was also used for medicinal purposes. But eating too much honey can make you sick. Sick to your stomach, diarrhea, acne, it could even cause an imbalance in your sugar levels which can lead to diabetes. Too much of anything is not good for us.

I guess you could call this the moderation verse but I like to look at it as someone who hordes. There are many people in this country who have been extremely blessed financially, yet they are some of the stingiest people I have ever heard of. Take Britney Spears as a good example. I read that she makes $750,000 a month without ever lifting a finger. That is how much she continues to bring in from all her music royalties. Last year she gave $500 to charity! I just cannot fathom that from someone who claims to be a Christian. There comes a point when you make so much money you can't use it all. It will overflow your life and everything you do. T. Boone Pickens said recently "I don't need anymore money", thus he gives a lot of his money away to worthy causes. Contrast those 2 lives. Her life is one big bag of vomit and out of control, and his is going strong with a happy marriage, successful business, successful philanthropy, etc. I don't know about you but I would choose the latter. Most of us are not blessed with this kind of wealth, but we are blessed in many areas of our life where we have abundance. It may be an abundance of time, talent, or treasure. It may be that you have a specific skill that can benefit someone right now. It may be that you have more clothes than you could ever wear or more toys than you can ever play with. Look around your life and see what you can share. I promise you God will provide more.

I write this blog a few days behind and today is Thanksgiving. I am reminded how much I am truly blessed. This has been a great year! It was not the best year financially or relationally, but it was a great year spiritually and I could not ask for a better blessing. I want each and every year to be a step forward in moving closer to Jesus and I thank Him immensely for His love, kindness, PATIENCE, and perseverance

Proverbs 24:10 - Praise in the Storm

24:10 If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small


Casting Crowns "Praise You In The Storm"

The past week (actually year) as been a real period of adversity for me, at least in the way of things going wrong. I have had vehicle repairs, septic system repairs, repairs to my kids 4-wheelers, lightening strike, Hurricane Ike, etc. You name it, it has broken or gone wrong. I have given thanks to God for all of these challenges and I have been amazed at the way I handled all these situations. I have been able to find ways to squeeze blood out of a turnip so to speak. This weekend, for instance, my truck started idling rough and I wasn't sure what the problem was. I figured it might be time for a tune up (it is due for its 100k service) but you don't really tune diesel engines. I decided to pop the hood and take a look. When I did I was shocked. There was oil/diesel all over the top of the engine and I knew something was terribly wrong. I feared the worst but to make a long story short my injectors we stuck and dumping diesel into the crankcase which in turn blew out the top where you add oil. My mechanic said that it could cost anywhere from $1000-$7000. I thank God for this mechanic as he is one of the most honest people I know. He told me to call the dealership to make sure that there wasn't a "campaign" for that problem. Turns out there was and it is only going to cost me for the oil change! During the entire time, I never got upset or angry, and only praised God during each moment of the trial and knew that whatever the outcome He would find a way. It was a good day after all. This may sound very simple to you but it is the simple things God works on that build the overall character. We need to be able to stand on faith that God is always present and working for us in little and big things. We need to be able to praise Him in good times and bad. Through this He can teach us so much and depend on us for bigger things

Proverbs - Wasted Life

23:29 Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? 30 It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks. 31 Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. 32 For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper. 33 You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things. 34 You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. 35 And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t even know it when they beat me up. When will I wake up so I can look for another drink?”

Do you know people like this? I sure do. I see a lot of people where I live who spend their nights and days like this. Some are really good people who just don't know any other way. They blow their wealth, their health, and their time getting drunk. They have all kinds of problems. They get in trouble, they get in debt, they get in fights, they go through friends like water. It is very sad and I pray for them all the time because I can remember when my life was like this. I was very empty and could never fill the void so I partied to cover up the hole in my heart. I praise God every day for rescuing from this life. Unfortunately our country has a huge drinking problem. We also have some very hypocritical laws that support this drinking problem. Let's face it, there is big money in alcohol production, sales, and distribution. Do you know why people seem to have the need to get drunk? What is you opinion on the drinking problem in America. What are your opinions on social drinking, or drinking period? Additionally there are some denominations that send very mixed messages about drinking therefore negating the effect the church has on the alcohol abusing public.

Proverbs 22

22:2 The rich and poor have this in common: The Lord made them both

Have you ever been in situations where you are among wealthy, successful people and felt out of place? Like you didn't belong? Did it make you depressed because you felt inferior to them because they seem to have been either lucky or more fortunate than you? This scripture reminds us that when you boil it all down we are the same. We have the same maker, we are all the same in God's eyes, and we will all come before the Lord in the end. It is very easy to be envious of those more successful, more happy, more prosperous. God has set each and everyone of us on our own path and we need to constantly remind ourselves that we have our own special purpose. It is our destiny to find our purpose in the body of Christ but all Christians make up different parts of the body. We need to strive for unity in the body in order to achieve the full power we are intended to achieve

6 Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

I have seen this time and time again. It is true in my own life. Though for many years I went astray, God's presence was always there in my life, my mind, and my heart. I eventually came back to the Lord and dedicated my life to Him. We have an awesome and daunting responsibility as parents to introduce, educate, and nurture our children in God's word. The better we do, the stronger they will be to live out their faith.