We all had dreams & goals at one time or another in each of our lives. No-one chooses to fail, it is not in our makeup. We want to succeed at everything we do. Hand in hand with our dreams & goals, is our hope. But one thing I found over the years was you have to have more than just something to hope for, I needed someone other than myself to hope in. For me His name is the name above all other names, Jesus!
Some of our dreams are totally illogical, you know like my becoming the next Johnny Bower, when I was a young hockey fan (back when the Leafs actually not only made the playoffs but won many a Stanley Cups.) You have to have exceptional natural abilities, dedication with the tenacity of a pit bull dog, the opportunity to do what you feel called to do & perfect timing for everything to come to pass.
Some dreams can be totally of God but always remember whatever we do as Christians is to glorify God, not self! When it is of God, His direction is totally upon your every step, not barring the trials & tribulations we all have faced & will face in our future. It also does not mean you will not have numerous opportunities to flat out give up, quit, say I have had enough, I can't handle it any more. When we hit a wall it doesn't mean it is over, in all likelihood it is just another change of direction, and keep on going.
I know personally my life has been a roller coaster ride of mammoth proportion. My parents saw all this potential, everybody agreed but when the hormones kicked in off I went. Eight years of hi-school (partying all the way) & you can probably guess the party didn't end there. It was to the point of my friends giving me the nickname "the carrot" because they expected me to become a vegetable. Another friend offered to pay my life insurance because he felt confident he could be collecting at any moment.
Sometimes you just never know what the future may hold. There is an old adage "if it's not broke don't fix it" but if life sucks it is time to make some changes. It's the same in all areas of life, work & play, marriage, you name it, it all works the same!
Are you seeing a picture in this. Maybe your life was not what you thought it could have been. Whether it was what most would call bad luck or flat out mistakes you made, LET IT GO & get on with making those necessary changes. And please, please, please stop blaming everyone else.
Don't fall into the plum syndrome (poor little unloved me.) A Rabbi wrote a book "Bad Stuff Happens to Good People," another old adage that applies to many lives, possibly yours.
Yes today is what it is, good, bad or ugly. Whether you believe it or not the ball is in your court Do not trust in another old adage "what will be, will be." If you are a Christian, get on your knees & pray. My suggestion would be to ask God for forgiveness for past sins, & pray for His direction from this day forward. Those past sins may even be as simple as unforgiveness, for holding a grudge (forgiveness is not optional) Matthew 6:14.15
I was an alcoholic, cross addicted to numerous drugs for over twenty five years, what was referred to as a main line addict & yet God in His sovereignty as a forgiving heavenly Father set me free & even called me as a minister. For thirteen years I had the privilege of preaching the gospel in Lindsay, Ontario. Today I still preach at a locally once a month, while in the summer time I travel from church to church doing the work of an evangelist. After three long years I have finally finished my autobiography "From Cross Addicted to Addicted to the Cross." Presently talking to a publisher while praying for the finances, but one thing is for sure GOD IS ABLE!
I am not bragging on me but on my Savior Jesus Christ. He saved me, delivered me, & gave me a purpose in life, sharing Him with others. God is not a respecter of persons, what He has done for me He can do for you. God has a plan for you & it is up to you to spend time with Him in prayer & reading His Word to find it out. Hold onto this thought, you & the Good Lord are in charge of what will be YOUR future, food for thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord .
Monday, 30 April 2012
Friday, 6 April 2012
The Week that Changed the World
This was a message I had the privilege to preach at Vennachar Free Methodist Church Easter Sunday. Spring is my favorite time of the year. To me it represents new life, winter in its bleakness has past, robins long since back, the maple syrup run is over & the frogs are croaking. During the winter season here everything appears to have died, but in truth they have become dormant, awaiting the warmth of spring. Here is a quote from Martin Luther "Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection not only in the bible but in every leaf of spring!" Resurrection=a raising from the dead or a coming back to life.
Last week was Palm Sunday a remembrance of the Sunday Jesus triumphantly road into Jerusalem on a colt with the crowds throwing palm leaves in front of Him proclaiming Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna is translated "come save now" as the Jews were looking to Jesus as a king who would save them or deliverer them from Roman rule. They were NOT proclaiming Him as their Messiah!
Christianity is based upon 5 simple truths. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ. This is not because Joseph had sex with Mary a virgin & she got pregnant, but rather that Mary miraculously conceived of the Holy Spirit our beloved Savior Jesus Christ.
The second truth is the fact that Jesus was crucified on the cross of Calvary. Not for any wrong He had done, but in reality He died in our rightful place. He became our substitute & was crucified for our sins. He became the Sacrificial Lamb that took away the sins of the world. He was the final blood sacrifice for our sins. He became our substitute, it is our sins that nailed Him to the cross, He took our place.
The next truth is the resurrection of Christ, when He arose from the grave. This is an area of the gospel that the church seemingly only focuses on during Easter & yet without the resurrection of Christ our religion would be the same as any other. Humanity including the church tend to set aside the supernatural aspect of Jesus. Here in North America we believe in medical science & history more than the simple truths of the Bible. It has always astounded me that such a large percentage of the Christian church today can believe in salvation (supernatural) & yet NOT the healing & deliverance our Lord teaches us in His Holy Word. Our Christian life is to exemplify the resurrection life Christ has placed within us. Jesus Himself foretold His suffering, crucifixtion, death & resurrection in a prophetic word He spoke in Mark 8:31.
The entire New Testament is based upon the forgiveness of our sins. It also shows us the necessity of our forgiving those who have wronged us. For us this is not optional, but mandatory as is so powerfully pointed out to us in Matthew 6:14,15 paraphrased if we choose not to forgive others the Lord will not forgive ours. We totally depend upon this forgiveness, which came to us by the finished work of the cross, for our eternity in glory. We as believers have been justified, the slate wiped clean, to the degree it is as if we had never sinned at all, miraculous or what?
The last we look too, & trust in, is the Grace of God. The unmerited favor (we didn't deserve His forgiveness.) The operational power of God (His dunamis supernatural power to accomplish or manifest the impossible.) We are saved by Grace not by works. The works are done out of thanksgiving for what He has done in our lives. This does not mean we continue in our sinful ways but turn from them Romans 5:21-Romans 6:2.
Now onward to the week that changed the world! These are but a few of the events leading up to the our Lord being crucified.
Monday Jesus cleansed the temple Mark 11:15-18 as He began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers. Later he said, is it not written "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?" But you have made it a "den of thieves."
In Luke 20:1-8 the Sanhedrin challenged His authority as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel. These scriptures are an excellent read & to a degree show the mindset of denominational Christianity.
Mary anointed Jesus head & feet with costly oil John 12:3-11. To anoint a guests head was traditional but her anointing His feet was an act of worship.
This was the last straw for Judas Iscariot, the devil convinced him it was now time to betray Jesus to those who desired to have Him killed, Luke 22:1-6.
Jesus partook of Passover with the disciples & instituted the Lords Supper Luke 22:19-20.
Christ prayed for Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane "Father if it is your will take this cup from me, not my will but thy will be done." Luke 22:39-44
Jesus walked the gauntlet before the Sanhedrin. There were approximately 80 members to the Sanhedrin who punched Him spit in His face & even ripped out His beard to the degree that scripture tells us He could not even be recognized Isaiah 50:6, Isaiah 53:1-9.
The Sanhedrin turned Him over to Pilate to be condemned, sentenced & crucified Luke 23:13-23. BUT WHY WHAT HAD HE DONE? He was not a thief like those He was crucified with. Healed the sick(the blind, lepers, lame, on & on while showing compassion to widows & orphans, feeding the hungry, need I say more.
Matthew 27:51-54 Jesus had fulfilled His work on earth, the shedding of His innocent blood & sacrificial death for the remission of our sins. IT IS FINISHED! The finished work of the cross!
But praise God there is more THE STONE IF ROLLED AWAY! Joseph of Arimanthea, a prominent council member(a rich man) had Jesus body placed in his tomb Mark 15:42-47 Mark 16:1-6 He is Risen, Hallelujah! John 20 & 21 serve as inspirational teachings that need to be read more than once a year.
There are numerous perspectives on who crucified Christ & I will share mine. The Romans, Pilate gave the order. The Jews demanded it "Crucify Him!" The devil certainly had his part in it, using Judas Iscariot as he did, stirring up the crowds (as was so vividly shown in the movie The Passion of Christ.)
I have what is considered a vivid imagination & when you tie that to scripture wowser is the only term that comes to mind. In Matthew 12:38-40 Jesus spoke to the scribes & Pharisees prophetically of His future (my perspective He would spend three days & nights in hell.) Tie this to Colossians 2:13-15 my take Jesus is in hell with the devil & his demons chucking at Jesus mocking Him saying "you thought you were the Son of God & look at you now;" After three days the Holy Spirit said to Jesus "prophecy is fulfilled" Jesus looked up at the devil & roared with laughter (you actually thought you could hold the Son of God!) That is the picture we have hanging in our living room "the laughing Jesus!"
Ultimately God had a plan for salvation of His favorite creation, mankind. This became an absolute after Adam & Eve partook of the forbidden fruit I refer to as SIN (simply any & all disobedience to God.) Within that plan was the fact Jesus the Son of God (the second part of the Godhead) had to leave glory to become God in the flesh (incarnate) to live a sinless life & become the Sacrificial Lamb to die for the sins of mankind.
Whatever you are dealing with today, rejection, shame, un-forgiveness, sickness, that feeling of wanting to give up, matters not; it was dealt with at the cross, IT IS FINISHED! He has given us the victory, in the wonderful name of Jesus!
I closed the service with a simple salvation prayer & if you do not know Jesus as your Savior you too can come into a personal relationship with Him, "Father God forgive me my sins, come into my heart Lord Jesus & help me to become the person you want me to be. Thank-you Father for saving my soul & making me whole, I pray in Jesus name, amen! This prayer is the initial step
into a walk with Jesus & His followers in the local church from this day forward.
Two final scriptures Romans 10:9 "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." It is not optional to believe in the resurrection! Yes the resurrection of Christ was supernatural so is salvation, only BELIEVE!
1 John 3:8 "For this purpose was the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." The devil thought he had once & for all taken Jesus out of the picture, NOT! What he had done was fulfill that Jesus had spoken John 2:19 "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ & His resurrection our lives are no longer the same & the world around us is changed.
Hope this Food for Thought has put a hunger into you to learn more of the one & only Savior of this world. Look forward to hearing from you!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Last week was Palm Sunday a remembrance of the Sunday Jesus triumphantly road into Jerusalem on a colt with the crowds throwing palm leaves in front of Him proclaiming Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna is translated "come save now" as the Jews were looking to Jesus as a king who would save them or deliverer them from Roman rule. They were NOT proclaiming Him as their Messiah!
Christianity is based upon 5 simple truths. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ. This is not because Joseph had sex with Mary a virgin & she got pregnant, but rather that Mary miraculously conceived of the Holy Spirit our beloved Savior Jesus Christ.
The second truth is the fact that Jesus was crucified on the cross of Calvary. Not for any wrong He had done, but in reality He died in our rightful place. He became our substitute & was crucified for our sins. He became the Sacrificial Lamb that took away the sins of the world. He was the final blood sacrifice for our sins. He became our substitute, it is our sins that nailed Him to the cross, He took our place.
The next truth is the resurrection of Christ, when He arose from the grave. This is an area of the gospel that the church seemingly only focuses on during Easter & yet without the resurrection of Christ our religion would be the same as any other. Humanity including the church tend to set aside the supernatural aspect of Jesus. Here in North America we believe in medical science & history more than the simple truths of the Bible. It has always astounded me that such a large percentage of the Christian church today can believe in salvation (supernatural) & yet NOT the healing & deliverance our Lord teaches us in His Holy Word. Our Christian life is to exemplify the resurrection life Christ has placed within us. Jesus Himself foretold His suffering, crucifixtion, death & resurrection in a prophetic word He spoke in Mark 8:31.
The entire New Testament is based upon the forgiveness of our sins. It also shows us the necessity of our forgiving those who have wronged us. For us this is not optional, but mandatory as is so powerfully pointed out to us in Matthew 6:14,15 paraphrased if we choose not to forgive others the Lord will not forgive ours. We totally depend upon this forgiveness, which came to us by the finished work of the cross, for our eternity in glory. We as believers have been justified, the slate wiped clean, to the degree it is as if we had never sinned at all, miraculous or what?
The last we look too, & trust in, is the Grace of God. The unmerited favor (we didn't deserve His forgiveness.) The operational power of God (His dunamis supernatural power to accomplish or manifest the impossible.) We are saved by Grace not by works. The works are done out of thanksgiving for what He has done in our lives. This does not mean we continue in our sinful ways but turn from them Romans 5:21-Romans 6:2.
Now onward to the week that changed the world! These are but a few of the events leading up to the our Lord being crucified.
Monday Jesus cleansed the temple Mark 11:15-18 as He began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers. Later he said, is it not written "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?" But you have made it a "den of thieves."
In Luke 20:1-8 the Sanhedrin challenged His authority as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel. These scriptures are an excellent read & to a degree show the mindset of denominational Christianity.
Mary anointed Jesus head & feet with costly oil John 12:3-11. To anoint a guests head was traditional but her anointing His feet was an act of worship.
This was the last straw for Judas Iscariot, the devil convinced him it was now time to betray Jesus to those who desired to have Him killed, Luke 22:1-6.
Jesus partook of Passover with the disciples & instituted the Lords Supper Luke 22:19-20.
Christ prayed for Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane "Father if it is your will take this cup from me, not my will but thy will be done." Luke 22:39-44
Jesus walked the gauntlet before the Sanhedrin. There were approximately 80 members to the Sanhedrin who punched Him spit in His face & even ripped out His beard to the degree that scripture tells us He could not even be recognized Isaiah 50:6, Isaiah 53:1-9.
The Sanhedrin turned Him over to Pilate to be condemned, sentenced & crucified Luke 23:13-23. BUT WHY WHAT HAD HE DONE? He was not a thief like those He was crucified with. Healed the sick(the blind, lepers, lame, on & on while showing compassion to widows & orphans, feeding the hungry, need I say more.
Matthew 27:51-54 Jesus had fulfilled His work on earth, the shedding of His innocent blood & sacrificial death for the remission of our sins. IT IS FINISHED! The finished work of the cross!
But praise God there is more THE STONE IF ROLLED AWAY! Joseph of Arimanthea, a prominent council member(a rich man) had Jesus body placed in his tomb Mark 15:42-47 Mark 16:1-6 He is Risen, Hallelujah! John 20 & 21 serve as inspirational teachings that need to be read more than once a year.
There are numerous perspectives on who crucified Christ & I will share mine. The Romans, Pilate gave the order. The Jews demanded it "Crucify Him!" The devil certainly had his part in it, using Judas Iscariot as he did, stirring up the crowds (as was so vividly shown in the movie The Passion of Christ.)
I have what is considered a vivid imagination & when you tie that to scripture wowser is the only term that comes to mind. In Matthew 12:38-40 Jesus spoke to the scribes & Pharisees prophetically of His future (my perspective He would spend three days & nights in hell.) Tie this to Colossians 2:13-15 my take Jesus is in hell with the devil & his demons chucking at Jesus mocking Him saying "you thought you were the Son of God & look at you now;" After three days the Holy Spirit said to Jesus "prophecy is fulfilled" Jesus looked up at the devil & roared with laughter (you actually thought you could hold the Son of God!) That is the picture we have hanging in our living room "the laughing Jesus!"
Ultimately God had a plan for salvation of His favorite creation, mankind. This became an absolute after Adam & Eve partook of the forbidden fruit I refer to as SIN (simply any & all disobedience to God.) Within that plan was the fact Jesus the Son of God (the second part of the Godhead) had to leave glory to become God in the flesh (incarnate) to live a sinless life & become the Sacrificial Lamb to die for the sins of mankind.
Whatever you are dealing with today, rejection, shame, un-forgiveness, sickness, that feeling of wanting to give up, matters not; it was dealt with at the cross, IT IS FINISHED! He has given us the victory, in the wonderful name of Jesus!
I closed the service with a simple salvation prayer & if you do not know Jesus as your Savior you too can come into a personal relationship with Him, "Father God forgive me my sins, come into my heart Lord Jesus & help me to become the person you want me to be. Thank-you Father for saving my soul & making me whole, I pray in Jesus name, amen! This prayer is the initial step
into a walk with Jesus & His followers in the local church from this day forward.
Two final scriptures Romans 10:9 "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." It is not optional to believe in the resurrection! Yes the resurrection of Christ was supernatural so is salvation, only BELIEVE!
1 John 3:8 "For this purpose was the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." The devil thought he had once & for all taken Jesus out of the picture, NOT! What he had done was fulfill that Jesus had spoken John 2:19 "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ & His resurrection our lives are no longer the same & the world around us is changed.
Hope this Food for Thought has put a hunger into you to learn more of the one & only Savior of this world. Look forward to hearing from you!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
We Must Be A Spiritual Pugilist
To achieve anything in life we must be fighters. If you haven't noticed when you try to do something, how hard it is to keep true to your goal & complete it. You have to learn to hang in when the going gets tough because life can be one major knock down drag em out battle after another.
As a toddler you have to learn how to stay on your feet to be able to walk. Guaranteed each & every child had one or two bruises while learning how to walk. The child sees something or someone across the room & they try to run even before they can walk. The picture in my minds eye sees the father on the other side of the room saying, you can do it, one step at a time but please walk, don't run. For a Christian that is a picture of our Father God holding out His arms to us, cheering us on, & that gets a glory hallelujah from me!
There are many times while as a child, youth or adult where we trip over our own feet & down we go, possibly skinning our knees or at least bruising our pride. The people we need around us are those who will support us, lift us up, possibly speaking up if they see us going in a wrong direction. None of us need or want anymore mockery or condemnation. Lets face it, both the world & the church have an over abundance of critical judgmental pompous arrogant so & so's.
My youth was such a chaotic season for me. The fact you become as a piece of silly putty, continually being reformed by others around you, by your social status, by family, by the world we find ourselves living in. Alcohol, drugs, hormones, the 60's, motorcycles, do I need to say more, NOT! Probably the eight years of high school will finalize the pic for you. But over those years all I learned to do was party.
The title has the word pugilist in it, this does not mean we will always be involved in fisticuffs, but I can guarantee all of our lives will literally be filled with never-ending challenges. If we do not learn how to be over-comers our lives will never achieve the heights we would desire. No one wants to wander in the wilderness forty minutes today, let alone forty wasted years.
We will all make mistakes but that is not necessarily a bad thing "we will all make mistakes, those who learn from them will succeed, while those who choose not to learn from them will choose to live a lifestyle of failure."
Each person has to embrace life one day or one second at a time, & learn the lesson it holds for you. This is where we gain strength to win those battles that will come our way tomorrow. Pick your chin back up you are not in this battle alone & just because you messed up before doesn't make you a loser. You only lose in life when you lie down & quit. Pick yourself back up by the boot straps or have someone give you a kick in the butt (like this food for thought) & get back into the ring of life.
The Apostle Paul in 1st Timothy 6:12 talked about "fighting the good fight of faith." The Christian life is not always easy & we will always be fighting a battle with our fleshly nature. We will have to battle opposition to our Christianity from a sinful world. If you are doing damage to the kingdom of darkness, by being a soul winner or prayer warrior, you will definitely wage war with our adversary the devil. If you plan on battling all three on your own under your own power get ready for numerous face plants. We have to call upon the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit that resides within us. The Christian life involves self discipline, trials & tribulations, spiritual warfare, yet PRAISE GOD we are victorious through Christ!
Whether you are a Christian or not life will have many challenges to overcome. If you choose to follow Christ & His teachings you will face even more opposition. Even a dead fish can flow downstream with the school but it takes a special, spunky, focused, record beater to swim against the flow, to fulfill its purpose in life!
Over the years of my Christian walk I have done many things for the Lord, a privilege for sure. Some have said, but you haven't really had a lot of success. To this I respond "I would have rather have done something for Christ & seemingly failed, than to have done nothing at all!" If you are doing it with a pure heart God will bless it whether you see it or not. Are you up for your lifelong fight of faith, food for thought?
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
As a toddler you have to learn how to stay on your feet to be able to walk. Guaranteed each & every child had one or two bruises while learning how to walk. The child sees something or someone across the room & they try to run even before they can walk. The picture in my minds eye sees the father on the other side of the room saying, you can do it, one step at a time but please walk, don't run. For a Christian that is a picture of our Father God holding out His arms to us, cheering us on, & that gets a glory hallelujah from me!
There are many times while as a child, youth or adult where we trip over our own feet & down we go, possibly skinning our knees or at least bruising our pride. The people we need around us are those who will support us, lift us up, possibly speaking up if they see us going in a wrong direction. None of us need or want anymore mockery or condemnation. Lets face it, both the world & the church have an over abundance of critical judgmental pompous arrogant so & so's.
My youth was such a chaotic season for me. The fact you become as a piece of silly putty, continually being reformed by others around you, by your social status, by family, by the world we find ourselves living in. Alcohol, drugs, hormones, the 60's, motorcycles, do I need to say more, NOT! Probably the eight years of high school will finalize the pic for you. But over those years all I learned to do was party.
The title has the word pugilist in it, this does not mean we will always be involved in fisticuffs, but I can guarantee all of our lives will literally be filled with never-ending challenges. If we do not learn how to be over-comers our lives will never achieve the heights we would desire. No one wants to wander in the wilderness forty minutes today, let alone forty wasted years.
We will all make mistakes but that is not necessarily a bad thing "we will all make mistakes, those who learn from them will succeed, while those who choose not to learn from them will choose to live a lifestyle of failure."
Each person has to embrace life one day or one second at a time, & learn the lesson it holds for you. This is where we gain strength to win those battles that will come our way tomorrow. Pick your chin back up you are not in this battle alone & just because you messed up before doesn't make you a loser. You only lose in life when you lie down & quit. Pick yourself back up by the boot straps or have someone give you a kick in the butt (like this food for thought) & get back into the ring of life.
The Apostle Paul in 1st Timothy 6:12 talked about "fighting the good fight of faith." The Christian life is not always easy & we will always be fighting a battle with our fleshly nature. We will have to battle opposition to our Christianity from a sinful world. If you are doing damage to the kingdom of darkness, by being a soul winner or prayer warrior, you will definitely wage war with our adversary the devil. If you plan on battling all three on your own under your own power get ready for numerous face plants. We have to call upon the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit that resides within us. The Christian life involves self discipline, trials & tribulations, spiritual warfare, yet PRAISE GOD we are victorious through Christ!
Whether you are a Christian or not life will have many challenges to overcome. If you choose to follow Christ & His teachings you will face even more opposition. Even a dead fish can flow downstream with the school but it takes a special, spunky, focused, record beater to swim against the flow, to fulfill its purpose in life!
Over the years of my Christian walk I have done many things for the Lord, a privilege for sure. Some have said, but you haven't really had a lot of success. To this I respond "I would have rather have done something for Christ & seemingly failed, than to have done nothing at all!" If you are doing it with a pure heart God will bless it whether you see it or not. Are you up for your lifelong fight of faith, food for thought?
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Prayer; is it Really Necessary
Yes, yes, yes! If we really, truly had a clear picture of the importance God places on His children's prayers, we would repent & get on our faces praying our little hearts out! Within my simple faith I believe every prayer has Gods power backing it up, just waiting to manifest the answer. Whether it is a prayer for salvation, healing, deliverance, protection, matters not, God wants to answer it. Then what has happened to the power of prayer within His church (the lives of believers?)
For many, our prayer life started as children, possibly with the Lords Prayer or some simple prayer suited to our child like faith. But for many Christians our prayer life has not progressed or has even regressed to the point we no longer pray at all. Certainly we pray when in dire straights, PANIC PRAYERS. We definitely matured in our years, changed in our looks & in all likelihood our attitudes but has our prayer life matured accordingly?
Prayer for a Christian is an absolute necessity! How can we have a relationship with anyone (let alone God) without communicating with them. God is our Heavenly Father, the one who continually tells us to call out to Him (communicate with Him) Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me, & I will answer you, and show you great & mighty things, which you do not know." If there is one single scripture that should encourage you to prayer this is it.
Unanswered prayers has turned many of us from our former committed prayer life. There are multitudes of reasons why our prayers do not get answered & for sure I will not cover them all but I will touch on some. Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. I like to say it in this fashion; you can pray until the cows come home & I hope you are in a really big barn when you pray because when they hit the roof they are coming back down to earth NOT TO THE THRONE ROOM OF GRACE! Our willful knowing sins, cut us off from the power of God, so we do not see our prayers manifest!
Other times the most powerful distraction of today "THE BUSYNESS OF LIFE" keeps us from praying which once again shuts off any manifestation from materializing. There is a Christian cliche NO PRAYER, NO POWER! I want to take it one step further, for a believer to not pray is flat out SIN.
Everything within the Christians life is tied to prayer ex. the prayer of salvation. It is not up to the preacher, evangelist, friend to pray this prayer for you, God wants to hear the words from your mouth, hopefully initiated from your heart. Again I go back to Romans 10:9 comes to mind "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
What should we be praying for? That list is endless (a Christians life should never be boring) for your government (all levels,) Why? 1st Timothy 2:1 "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men (people,) 1st Timothy 2:2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
Our politicians have a heavy load to carry. Many a person has found the frustrations of being in power to be way more than they expected & not in a positive sense. Firstly you have to analyze or possibly clean up whatever the past government had done. Then there is the absolute truth, POWER CORRUPTS, because suddenly what you say or do has the power to change things you could only complain about before.
We should be praying for our marriages, our children, our spouses, praying to God that we could fulfill what He has called us to do, to be all He has called us to be. Whatever our needs or the needs of others who come across our path. Yes even for miracles, healing, deliverance, protection & ultimately eternal life (salvation.)
Mark 10:15 "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." We need a simple child like faith that our heavenly Father not only hears but acts upon our prayer petitions.
In Revelations 5:18 we read and the golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Are those bowls going up to glory empty because of our lack of prayer, possibly. I have had the privilege of knowing saints of God who started every day with two hours of prayer, crying out for God to move in peoples lives, believers & non believers (salvation.) If they said I will pray for you it was not just a one time prayer if they remembered, but on a daily basis.
1 Chronicles 7:14 is not just an old testament prayer but for believers today "If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves (we cant do it on our own, that is pride) and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin & heal their land.
Larry Lea did a teaching a number of years ago in regards to Jesus words to His disciples, CAN YOU NOT TARRY ONE HOUR! He challenged believers to spend one hour in prayer, initially focusing on the Lords prayer. What it did was help train you to keep or retain your focus on prayer, and it starts one second at a time.
Do not think the adversary is going to just allow you to pray, he will put thoughts in your head to distract you from doing what God would have you to do, PRAY! Whether it is your busy day ahead or condemnation that would say, your prayers don't matter anyway. Remember he is the father of lies, YOUR PRAYERS MATTER & he knows it. And your prayers do damage to his plans, to his kingdom (the kingdom of darkness.)
Prayer is one of the key essentials of our Christian walk & this spiritual warfare I have been writing on! Let me know your thoughts on this simple food for thought.
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
For many, our prayer life started as children, possibly with the Lords Prayer or some simple prayer suited to our child like faith. But for many Christians our prayer life has not progressed or has even regressed to the point we no longer pray at all. Certainly we pray when in dire straights, PANIC PRAYERS. We definitely matured in our years, changed in our looks & in all likelihood our attitudes but has our prayer life matured accordingly?
Prayer for a Christian is an absolute necessity! How can we have a relationship with anyone (let alone God) without communicating with them. God is our Heavenly Father, the one who continually tells us to call out to Him (communicate with Him) Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me, & I will answer you, and show you great & mighty things, which you do not know." If there is one single scripture that should encourage you to prayer this is it.
Unanswered prayers has turned many of us from our former committed prayer life. There are multitudes of reasons why our prayers do not get answered & for sure I will not cover them all but I will touch on some. Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. I like to say it in this fashion; you can pray until the cows come home & I hope you are in a really big barn when you pray because when they hit the roof they are coming back down to earth NOT TO THE THRONE ROOM OF GRACE! Our willful knowing sins, cut us off from the power of God, so we do not see our prayers manifest!
Other times the most powerful distraction of today "THE BUSYNESS OF LIFE" keeps us from praying which once again shuts off any manifestation from materializing. There is a Christian cliche NO PRAYER, NO POWER! I want to take it one step further, for a believer to not pray is flat out SIN.
Everything within the Christians life is tied to prayer ex. the prayer of salvation. It is not up to the preacher, evangelist, friend to pray this prayer for you, God wants to hear the words from your mouth, hopefully initiated from your heart. Again I go back to Romans 10:9 comes to mind "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
What should we be praying for? That list is endless (a Christians life should never be boring) for your government (all levels,) Why? 1st Timothy 2:1 "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men (people,) 1st Timothy 2:2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
Our politicians have a heavy load to carry. Many a person has found the frustrations of being in power to be way more than they expected & not in a positive sense. Firstly you have to analyze or possibly clean up whatever the past government had done. Then there is the absolute truth, POWER CORRUPTS, because suddenly what you say or do has the power to change things you could only complain about before.
We should be praying for our marriages, our children, our spouses, praying to God that we could fulfill what He has called us to do, to be all He has called us to be. Whatever our needs or the needs of others who come across our path. Yes even for miracles, healing, deliverance, protection & ultimately eternal life (salvation.)
Mark 10:15 "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." We need a simple child like faith that our heavenly Father not only hears but acts upon our prayer petitions.
In Revelations 5:18 we read and the golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Are those bowls going up to glory empty because of our lack of prayer, possibly. I have had the privilege of knowing saints of God who started every day with two hours of prayer, crying out for God to move in peoples lives, believers & non believers (salvation.) If they said I will pray for you it was not just a one time prayer if they remembered, but on a daily basis.
1 Chronicles 7:14 is not just an old testament prayer but for believers today "If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves (we cant do it on our own, that is pride) and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin & heal their land.
Larry Lea did a teaching a number of years ago in regards to Jesus words to His disciples, CAN YOU NOT TARRY ONE HOUR! He challenged believers to spend one hour in prayer, initially focusing on the Lords prayer. What it did was help train you to keep or retain your focus on prayer, and it starts one second at a time.
Do not think the adversary is going to just allow you to pray, he will put thoughts in your head to distract you from doing what God would have you to do, PRAY! Whether it is your busy day ahead or condemnation that would say, your prayers don't matter anyway. Remember he is the father of lies, YOUR PRAYERS MATTER & he knows it. And your prayers do damage to his plans, to his kingdom (the kingdom of darkness.)
Prayer is one of the key essentials of our Christian walk & this spiritual warfare I have been writing on! Let me know your thoughts on this simple food for thought.
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Friday, 2 March 2012
Spiritual Armor
For the past number of weeks I have had a theme focusing upon spiritual warfare. I personally believe it is the spirit realm that is the real battlefield, which dictates to the happenings of this earth & our lives. Some would say I have gone too far but the more I dig into prayer & the Word of God the clearer I see this.
Today I want to focus on Ephesians 6:10-18 vs. 10 the strength being referred too is a strength greater than our own, it is the Lords strength. Notice the capital on His might, this scripture is talking of the dunamais power of the Holy Spirit the same power that brought light into the darkness, NOT OURS!
In verse 11 we are encouraged or instructed to put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Think about the time this was written. The apostle Paul had an excellent knowledge of Roman guards armor as much of his time was either in prison or under what we call today house arrest. If you are in a battle, a war, you had best be dressed for battle or you're adversary is going to take you out & it is hard to fight when you are on your backside. The wiles are the trickery of the devil example he came as an angel of light not with a red suit with horns & a pitchfork. Years ago I learned that evil is often times packaged in a most exquisite, beautiful way, yet it is as evil as the devil himself.
In verse 12 we read "for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers , against the rulers of the darkness of this age," against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. We must realize our battle is not with human cultists (Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, black arts, witchcraft to name but a few,) false religions Islam, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu etc., terrorists, atheists or agnostics. But in truth with denomic beings working through them, of which even the flesh & blood opponents themselves are sometimes ignorant of that denomic influence in their lives. Take note of the hierarchy within the denomic realm, that in itself should be a wake-up call to the Body of Christ the church of today.
Again in verse 13 we are reminded to put on the whole (every piece) of God that we may be able to withstand the powers of darkness. Vigorously opposed, bravely resisting, standing your ground. We have an adversary who seeks to undermine and destroy every believers testimony, first word, COMPROMISE. Every day has the potential of being an evil day, temptation will come, you may be trashed for your beliefs, bad stuff happens to good people, how are we going to handle & overcome them? If God says we should be dressed for battle, put on the gear, this could be the day all hell breaks loose around you.
In verse 14 He teaches us to gird our waist with truth, a belt of truth. Jesus is the way, the truth & the life + Jesus & the Word are one & the same. The truth we need above any in our lives is Gods Holy Word. Also in Verse 14 encourages us to put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate guards your heart, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Our heart in the Word is referring to is the home of our inward person.
In 15 He tells us to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. I refer to these as our go ye shoes, go ye into all the world & spread His good news. Key word PREPARATION study His word, pray, pray in the Holy Ghost. It is our job to keep ourselves stirred up, ready at any moment to share the hope we have within us. Another key word is PEACE, we are not out to make war with our fellowman but to bring peace into their hearts &* lives.
In 16 we read "above all, take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." The shield is our protection FAITH forsaking all I trust in Him & His Holy Word, amen,amen! Quench means to put out the fiery darts (THOUGHTS) of the wicked one (Satan.) The devil cannot read your mind he reads your body language & listens to your words but he can put thoughts in your mind. The stupidest thoughts, perverted thoughts, bringing to remembrance things from years ago, things which the Lord has long since forgiven you of. The devil is the legalist & here is a truth to defeat him with, SHUT UP DEVIL GOD HAS FORGIVEN ME OF THAT SIN, GET OUT IN JESUS NAME!
Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God; My wife Carol shared with me a jewel I will pass on to you; If you put a bible on your head you would be totally covered by His Word, protection, provision, healing, whatever your need it is yours. In stead of it being on our head it is to be within our minds & hopefully rooted in our hearts. Salvation is deliverance body soul & spirit, glory be to God! We need to know the truth of Gods word, how to apply it to our lives & minister it to others.
The sword of the Spirit in Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul & spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Speak it, live it, share it & watch the power of God be poured out on others, transforming their lives as it has changed yours.
Verse 18 encourages us to pray always with all prayer and supplication (a formal request to a higher power, for us His name is Jesus), being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Prayer is the primary means by which we engage in the battle & praying God's Word becomes our chief offensive weapon.
Sad to say whether it is from lack of teaching or slacking off from doing what we know we are to do, the church appears to be asleep at the wheel. This kind of Food for Thought hopefully is a reminder we needl to be about our Fathers business, it is go ye time!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Today I want to focus on Ephesians 6:10-18 vs. 10 the strength being referred too is a strength greater than our own, it is the Lords strength. Notice the capital on His might, this scripture is talking of the dunamais power of the Holy Spirit the same power that brought light into the darkness, NOT OURS!
In verse 11 we are encouraged or instructed to put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Think about the time this was written. The apostle Paul had an excellent knowledge of Roman guards armor as much of his time was either in prison or under what we call today house arrest. If you are in a battle, a war, you had best be dressed for battle or you're adversary is going to take you out & it is hard to fight when you are on your backside. The wiles are the trickery of the devil example he came as an angel of light not with a red suit with horns & a pitchfork. Years ago I learned that evil is often times packaged in a most exquisite, beautiful way, yet it is as evil as the devil himself.
In verse 12 we read "for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers , against the rulers of the darkness of this age," against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. We must realize our battle is not with human cultists (Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, black arts, witchcraft to name but a few,) false religions Islam, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu etc., terrorists, atheists or agnostics. But in truth with denomic beings working through them, of which even the flesh & blood opponents themselves are sometimes ignorant of that denomic influence in their lives. Take note of the hierarchy within the denomic realm, that in itself should be a wake-up call to the Body of Christ the church of today.
Again in verse 13 we are reminded to put on the whole (every piece) of God that we may be able to withstand the powers of darkness. Vigorously opposed, bravely resisting, standing your ground. We have an adversary who seeks to undermine and destroy every believers testimony, first word, COMPROMISE. Every day has the potential of being an evil day, temptation will come, you may be trashed for your beliefs, bad stuff happens to good people, how are we going to handle & overcome them? If God says we should be dressed for battle, put on the gear, this could be the day all hell breaks loose around you.
In verse 14 He teaches us to gird our waist with truth, a belt of truth. Jesus is the way, the truth & the life + Jesus & the Word are one & the same. The truth we need above any in our lives is Gods Holy Word. Also in Verse 14 encourages us to put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate guards your heart, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Our heart in the Word is referring to is the home of our inward person.
In 15 He tells us to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. I refer to these as our go ye shoes, go ye into all the world & spread His good news. Key word PREPARATION study His word, pray, pray in the Holy Ghost. It is our job to keep ourselves stirred up, ready at any moment to share the hope we have within us. Another key word is PEACE, we are not out to make war with our fellowman but to bring peace into their hearts &* lives.
In 16 we read "above all, take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." The shield is our protection FAITH forsaking all I trust in Him & His Holy Word, amen,amen! Quench means to put out the fiery darts (THOUGHTS) of the wicked one (Satan.) The devil cannot read your mind he reads your body language & listens to your words but he can put thoughts in your mind. The stupidest thoughts, perverted thoughts, bringing to remembrance things from years ago, things which the Lord has long since forgiven you of. The devil is the legalist & here is a truth to defeat him with, SHUT UP DEVIL GOD HAS FORGIVEN ME OF THAT SIN, GET OUT IN JESUS NAME!
Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God; My wife Carol shared with me a jewel I will pass on to you; If you put a bible on your head you would be totally covered by His Word, protection, provision, healing, whatever your need it is yours. In stead of it being on our head it is to be within our minds & hopefully rooted in our hearts. Salvation is deliverance body soul & spirit, glory be to God! We need to know the truth of Gods word, how to apply it to our lives & minister it to others.
The sword of the Spirit in Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul & spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Speak it, live it, share it & watch the power of God be poured out on others, transforming their lives as it has changed yours.
Verse 18 encourages us to pray always with all prayer and supplication (a formal request to a higher power, for us His name is Jesus), being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Prayer is the primary means by which we engage in the battle & praying God's Word becomes our chief offensive weapon.
Sad to say whether it is from lack of teaching or slacking off from doing what we know we are to do, the church appears to be asleep at the wheel. This kind of Food for Thought hopefully is a reminder we needl to be about our Fathers business, it is go ye time!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Monday, 20 February 2012
Holy Spirit Power
Every person in this high pressure, high anxiety world we live in needs a fresh touch from heaven. A helping hand in the time of trouble, a listening ear, someone to help carry the load, someone to guide us through the storms of life.
Wait a minute I just said every person that includes Christians, aren't we supposed to have it all together? Actually Christians need to be revived in this day & age. Revive--to breathe life back into ones soul! Psalm 119:107 "I am afflicted very much; Revive me, O Lord according to Your Word.
That scripture holds the key to true revival THE WORD! Too often we are all caught up in ministry, in being fundraisers to keep our ministry or church afloat. The busyness of life in itself is a curse of monumental size, that sucks our strength & energy & leaves us in such a pathetic weakened state. When we do not start our day in the Word of God we are setting ourselves up for another day of spinning our wheels while going nowhere.
It's good to participate in a church service, to sit under the teaching of Gods Word, to be gathered together with the brethren (like minded believers.) But this is only a part of the whole package. Early on in my walk with the Lord I summed up our four absolutes for a strong Christian walk. Read the Word, pray pray pray, faithful in all things, but without the fourth obedience to Gods Word, the first three can still make you feel as if you are running on empty.
I have heard it stated that 90% of our youth today no longer believe in absolutes. This ties into the post modern society of today. A truth is an absolute & Jesus is the way, the truth & the life! The Bible=the book of instructions before leaving earth. It is to be our road-map to life while here on earth. Personally I find an incredible hunger in the youth of today for something or someone to believe in.
What has the church of today presented to them & I am not throwing stones but the facts are the facts. Pedophiles being behind the pulpit, abuse of every sort to our native peoples, denominations ordaining homosexuals, Christian denominations at odds with one another, our government & denominations condoning & recognizing same sex marriages.
Traditional Christianity hasn't got what it takes. It is like a veneer of Christian customs & culture passed down in increasingly ineffective doses. Getting farther & farther from the source of its original power. Being a Christian is not just a change in our outward appearance, no smoking, drinking, drugging, cursing or swearing, mode of dress or even doing church & carrying a Bible even quoting it (satan can do that.) God looks at the inward person of the heart. We can no longer sit silently watching the adversary destroy our nation & youth.
As representative of Gods kingdom in this world of decay & sin & debauchery our silence has deprived the world of the purifying, healing, redeeming influence of righteousness. In Proverbs 14:34 we read Righteousness exalts a nation! Every nation desperately needs to see a people who are the righteousness of God, a people of prayer who believe their God is all powerful & believe in the power of prayer.
We take physical laws seriously ex. gravity, aerodynamics & so on. We research them, conform to them, cooperate with them. What if mankind took Gods spiritual & moral order just as seriously as His physical laws? No terrorism, no hatred, no discrimination, no exploitation, no abuse of power (nothing corrupts more than power) no divorce, no battered wives, no addiction, no hopelessness & despair, no suicide, no poverty, no pornography, no pollution,no crime, no murder, no war, no sex outside of marriage, no children born out of wedlock, no adultery & this list goes on & on.
You may say that's OK but you do not know the pressure I've been under. My response is when a lump of coal is put under pressure it becomes a diamond. Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts. Maybe you've been put down all your life & are filled with guilt, shame which has you in a state of deep depression.
That's what this message is all about. You too can change your circumstances, the way you see yourself & others, BUT not under your strength. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! He strengthens us according to His Word!
I used to love wrestling when I was a kid growing up & especially the tag team matches. One of the wrestlers is being beat up & about to lose the match but he finds the strength to reach up & tag his partner & immediately everything changes. The Holy Spirit is your tag team partner. He is the one who created everything we see in this universe & HE IS IN YOUR CORNER!
You may feel like you're Christian walk has been on a slippery slope or you may not even know this Jesus I have been talking about BUT you can! 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness!
I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ still has the power to do the impossible, to change our lives & make us Christ-like. It has taken time for us to get into the state we find ourselves in but if we are willing to do our part it will come to pass! Food for Thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Wait a minute I just said every person that includes Christians, aren't we supposed to have it all together? Actually Christians need to be revived in this day & age. Revive--to breathe life back into ones soul! Psalm 119:107 "I am afflicted very much; Revive me, O Lord according to Your Word.
That scripture holds the key to true revival THE WORD! Too often we are all caught up in ministry, in being fundraisers to keep our ministry or church afloat. The busyness of life in itself is a curse of monumental size, that sucks our strength & energy & leaves us in such a pathetic weakened state. When we do not start our day in the Word of God we are setting ourselves up for another day of spinning our wheels while going nowhere.
It's good to participate in a church service, to sit under the teaching of Gods Word, to be gathered together with the brethren (like minded believers.) But this is only a part of the whole package. Early on in my walk with the Lord I summed up our four absolutes for a strong Christian walk. Read the Word, pray pray pray, faithful in all things, but without the fourth obedience to Gods Word, the first three can still make you feel as if you are running on empty.
I have heard it stated that 90% of our youth today no longer believe in absolutes. This ties into the post modern society of today. A truth is an absolute & Jesus is the way, the truth & the life! The Bible=the book of instructions before leaving earth. It is to be our road-map to life while here on earth. Personally I find an incredible hunger in the youth of today for something or someone to believe in.
What has the church of today presented to them & I am not throwing stones but the facts are the facts. Pedophiles being behind the pulpit, abuse of every sort to our native peoples, denominations ordaining homosexuals, Christian denominations at odds with one another, our government & denominations condoning & recognizing same sex marriages.
Traditional Christianity hasn't got what it takes. It is like a veneer of Christian customs & culture passed down in increasingly ineffective doses. Getting farther & farther from the source of its original power. Being a Christian is not just a change in our outward appearance, no smoking, drinking, drugging, cursing or swearing, mode of dress or even doing church & carrying a Bible even quoting it (satan can do that.) God looks at the inward person of the heart. We can no longer sit silently watching the adversary destroy our nation & youth.
As representative of Gods kingdom in this world of decay & sin & debauchery our silence has deprived the world of the purifying, healing, redeeming influence of righteousness. In Proverbs 14:34 we read Righteousness exalts a nation! Every nation desperately needs to see a people who are the righteousness of God, a people of prayer who believe their God is all powerful & believe in the power of prayer.
We take physical laws seriously ex. gravity, aerodynamics & so on. We research them, conform to them, cooperate with them. What if mankind took Gods spiritual & moral order just as seriously as His physical laws? No terrorism, no hatred, no discrimination, no exploitation, no abuse of power (nothing corrupts more than power) no divorce, no battered wives, no addiction, no hopelessness & despair, no suicide, no poverty, no pornography, no pollution,no crime, no murder, no war, no sex outside of marriage, no children born out of wedlock, no adultery & this list goes on & on.
You may say that's OK but you do not know the pressure I've been under. My response is when a lump of coal is put under pressure it becomes a diamond. Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts. Maybe you've been put down all your life & are filled with guilt, shame which has you in a state of deep depression.
That's what this message is all about. You too can change your circumstances, the way you see yourself & others, BUT not under your strength. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! He strengthens us according to His Word!
I used to love wrestling when I was a kid growing up & especially the tag team matches. One of the wrestlers is being beat up & about to lose the match but he finds the strength to reach up & tag his partner & immediately everything changes. The Holy Spirit is your tag team partner. He is the one who created everything we see in this universe & HE IS IN YOUR CORNER!
You may feel like you're Christian walk has been on a slippery slope or you may not even know this Jesus I have been talking about BUT you can! 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness!
I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ still has the power to do the impossible, to change our lives & make us Christ-like. It has taken time for us to get into the state we find ourselves in but if we are willing to do our part it will come to pass! Food for Thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Pure Worship is Powerful
Last week whether you figured it out or not I was still on the subject of spiritual warfare, it could have been titled "the truth will set you free." When we learn the truth & put it into practice within our lives, we have freedom over both sin & self, hallelujah! That is spiritual warfare at its finest.
King David had the heart of a worshipper, even though his life was anything but perfect. Disfunctional family, accomplice to murder, hung out with a bunch of losers in a cave, hey there is still hope for both you & me. David knew the faithfulness of the Father, that was where he recognized his freedom through Christ.
In the Old Testament we read how the worshipper's led the armies of Israel into battle,why? When we believe that God is omnipresent (everywhere at once), omniscience (all knowing) & omnipotent (all powerful) He is worthy of our praise & worship in every situation we face. It was important in their eyes to show God their faith that He would be with them to bring about victory in battle and it is the same for us today.
Worship has to be a lifestyle not just something that happens when we are in church. Praise is to take our focus off the busyness of life we face in our day to day life while worship directs our focus to God's Word. True worship is a continual focus on the Lord & the things of the Lord. Knowing full well He & only He can direct our steps to accomplish the things in life He wants us too. Our part is to have a listening ear & thankful obedience.
Every good thing in life comes down from the Father of light. That in itself should bring us to worship Him, not for the things He does but just for who He is. He is our creator, our healer, our deliverer, our provider, our peace, our all in all.
God has made a way for all of mankind to reconnect to Himself, wow. He gave us His very Son to be the Sacrificial Lamb of God that would take away the sins of this world. Not just your mistakes & mine but all sin for all time & all we have to do is receive Jesus as our Lord & Savior. The grace that God disposes upon us is freely, has the ability to change us & take us from glory to glory in service unto Him. All because of what Jesus did on the Cross of Calvary, glory be to God!
As we live our lives focusing on God & His Word all hell shutters, because it knows it has lost its power over us, we are free. God is soooooo good & worthy of all of our praise & worship for He alone is worthy. I had a bumper sticker on one of my old cars "God said it, I believe it, that settles it! When you live that out people see it, because you become the light in this dark sin filled world.
Traditional Christianity just wouldn't cut it because it is focused upon outward change while God Himself looks at the inward person of the heart. There is an old saying "you can fool some of the people some of the time but you cant fool all of the people all of the time!" To this I add "And you cant fool God at all, fool!" People see right through traditional Christianity & its facade.
They want something that is real & JESUS IS REAL! They want truth & He is the way, the truth & the life & bless God we have the opportunity to present Him to them.
Our worship of God has to express more than just our love for Him, it also has to express our submission to His will. Not obedience because we have too but because we want too, in thanksgiving for who He is in our lives. Food for Thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
King David had the heart of a worshipper, even though his life was anything but perfect. Disfunctional family, accomplice to murder, hung out with a bunch of losers in a cave, hey there is still hope for both you & me. David knew the faithfulness of the Father, that was where he recognized his freedom through Christ.
In the Old Testament we read how the worshipper's led the armies of Israel into battle,why? When we believe that God is omnipresent (everywhere at once), omniscience (all knowing) & omnipotent (all powerful) He is worthy of our praise & worship in every situation we face. It was important in their eyes to show God their faith that He would be with them to bring about victory in battle and it is the same for us today.
Worship has to be a lifestyle not just something that happens when we are in church. Praise is to take our focus off the busyness of life we face in our day to day life while worship directs our focus to God's Word. True worship is a continual focus on the Lord & the things of the Lord. Knowing full well He & only He can direct our steps to accomplish the things in life He wants us too. Our part is to have a listening ear & thankful obedience.
Every good thing in life comes down from the Father of light. That in itself should bring us to worship Him, not for the things He does but just for who He is. He is our creator, our healer, our deliverer, our provider, our peace, our all in all.
God has made a way for all of mankind to reconnect to Himself, wow. He gave us His very Son to be the Sacrificial Lamb of God that would take away the sins of this world. Not just your mistakes & mine but all sin for all time & all we have to do is receive Jesus as our Lord & Savior. The grace that God disposes upon us is freely, has the ability to change us & take us from glory to glory in service unto Him. All because of what Jesus did on the Cross of Calvary, glory be to God!
As we live our lives focusing on God & His Word all hell shutters, because it knows it has lost its power over us, we are free. God is soooooo good & worthy of all of our praise & worship for He alone is worthy. I had a bumper sticker on one of my old cars "God said it, I believe it, that settles it! When you live that out people see it, because you become the light in this dark sin filled world.
Traditional Christianity just wouldn't cut it because it is focused upon outward change while God Himself looks at the inward person of the heart. There is an old saying "you can fool some of the people some of the time but you cant fool all of the people all of the time!" To this I add "And you cant fool God at all, fool!" People see right through traditional Christianity & its facade.
They want something that is real & JESUS IS REAL! They want truth & He is the way, the truth & the life & bless God we have the opportunity to present Him to them.
Our worship of God has to express more than just our love for Him, it also has to express our submission to His will. Not obedience because we have too but because we want too, in thanksgiving for who He is in our lives. Food for Thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
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