Thursday, January 9, 2014

Hiding in plain sight of God

Genesis 3:7-13 ESV

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."


We have to make a daily choice to follow after God every day, we are not robots once we have the Spirit living in us. We have the same flesh that we had before we were saved that will be selfish and worldly. But we have the capacity to do good which we did not before our conversion. At times we all fail and allow the flesh to control us and what is our response to church or wise council from others? We hide or blame someone else for our problems just like our great-great-....grandparents did. Most of the time when we are in a weak spiritual state we don't run to God we hide at home or if we drag ourselves to church, we are not tuned in. I've been there and done that.

What we need is that prompting of a song, a Sunday school lesson or Scripture to help us get our mind back on the things of God instead of wallowing in the slop of our bad decisions. Just like our earthly relationships, step one in getting back on the right path with God is saying I'm sorry and He will be faithful, just like He always is, and forgive our selfishness. He loves us and really wants what is really best for us, not what seems right to our flesh. I have learned over the past few years that the fruit of the Spirit is really anti-flesh. Our natural reaction to a situation ends up hurting us in the long run, but the spiritual response dissipates bad situations and restores relationships that are strained.

We need to own our mistakes and not blame others like Adam and Eve did and that will draw others to God and not repulse them from our hypocrisy. That is the spiritual walk.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

God is ALWAYS faithful!


This was originally posted a couple of years ago as my Christian Testimony. The past few months have been spiritually challenging  and I just reread this and it really encouraged me, so I thought that I might share it again, slightly edited.

Growing up near Parkersburg, West Virginia, I lived with my paternal grandparents until their passing when I was 10 and 12 respectively, then it was just my father and older brother. My father and mother were divorced when I was 2 or 3 and my mother did not play a role in my upbringing. We did not attend church unless someone died or got married, but my grandmother began going to church when I was 8 or so and I attended occasionally. After her passing, I do not recall being in a church except a couple of times with friends as a teenager. I didn't have a very high opinion of "church" since most of the kids I knew that went to church regularly acted worse than I did. They were religious on Sunday and knew the rules to follow, but that didn't affect them the rest of the week. I can think of a few acquaintances, though, that seemed to actually live their faith the other 6 days and respected them for that even then. I would probably have had to classify myself as agnostic; I believed that what we were taught in science class was true, that we came about through evolution over a long period of time. God didn't fit within those parameters. I needed to see it to believe it or so I thought.

I attended college and began my career in Indiana. Ultimately through relationships from work I met some real, 24-7 Christians and attended a Baptist church a several times with these new friends. Their lives were a testament to Christ’s love, they loved me despite the considerable gap in maturity and spirituality. During this time I came to know my future wife, Sheena, who had a church background and was a very positive influence on me along with her family. Once again, when exposed to true Christians, I was drawn to God. The Lord worked through our lives over the next few years and drew us together and back to North Carolina.

We attended church at Sheena's home church, and the Spirit began to call me by revealing the inconsistencies in what I thought I believed. The Bible and a book by Josh McDowell were powerful instruments in the Spirits control and I went down a road of understanding who God really is, what He expected of me and how far short I had fallen. Most of my friends, family and teachers would tell you that I was a good person, I met their standards. The Spirit taught me that God’s standards are much higher and no one is good enough other than Jesus, who was the only hope that I had to spend eternity with God instead of in Hell. Jesus lived a perfect life as God’s son and was killed for the sins of the world and rose again defeating sin once and for all. It is one thing to know facts, but it took a little longer for me to believe those facts were true. On April 2, 2000 I repented and was saved which was about a week before my 25th birthday. I don’t remember the song that was playing or what the sermon was about, but that morning the Spirit and my flesh waged a war for my eternity. Logic cannot win a war of faith, it can only muddy up the waters.

Not long after, my father went in the hospital in very serious condition and was not expected to survive. At that time, I did not know anything about his spiritual condition and it became a major test of my faith. I prayed as earnestly as I knew how for my dad to survive so I could talk to him about Jesus. It took a long time, but eventually he did get out of the hospital. All of this occurred during a time when Sheena and I were planning for our wedding . Dad was supposed to be my best man, but he was still in the hospital on our wedding day. God blessed me with more time with my Dad when I was finally able to have that important conversation concerning his salvation. He had been saved a few years prior, but had not been baptized. He eventually asked a chaplain in the hospital to baptize him there in his room. I believe Dad living was, at least partially, God teaching me to trust Him; He was there and loved me. This was a huge spiritual milestone in my life.

Sheena and I were married in June of 2000 and marked a beginning of the real learning of my Christian walk. I was still very rough. I could play church, but how to walk the walk was a learning experience. God had miraculously cleaned my once salty speech when I was saved. Those filthy words no longer came to mind where they once flowed as smoothly as any ordinary word. Over the next few years God worked through many of my new brothers and sisters to show me how to do a better job being the 24-7 Christian that I saw so little of when I was young.

One of the first groups that we became a part of was the church choir. It was enjoyable getting to know the people in the Choir, the men especially. They were full of life and wisdom and although not a good singer, I was greatly blessed by being a part of this group. We began being involved in other ministries in the church and were committed to being at Sunday school. It was not always smooth, but being a part of a group of believers was what I needed to keep on track.

Over the last 14 years, I have tried and sometimes failed in many different areas of ministry within the church. But as I take time to reflect on how I have served my Lord, there have been many peaks and many valleys. I have served with my own strength and with the strength of the Lord. I have been faithful and faithless. I have answered His call and ran from it. But, through great times and sorrowful ones…“God is ALWAYS faithful” . These aren’t the words of a pastor, they were constantly flowing out of the mouth of a man at church that I grew to highly respect, he had experienced many of the same mistakes I had made, but with the Spirits power, his life prior to his death was an exhibition of generosity and servant-hood. He made a difference in my life and in many others. I hope that is how I get to leave this world to be with the Father.

One of the calls that I have embraced, ignored and ran from is the call to teach. On several occasions, I have been given the great privilege and responsibility to open God's Word before His people and teach. At times it has been Him providing power for what I lacked and encouraged the hearers of His Word, other times I have withered in my own strength. The most challenging aspect for me is to repress what I want to do and rely on the Spirit and to be careful to give God the glory in a genuine way. ANYTHING good belongs to Him, I am incapable of doing that on my own.

No matter our specific calling, being a Christian is disciple making. Speaking God's truths to both the lost and the redeemed with the anticipation that the Spirit will use it to make changes in others is our essential function as believers. God’s gifting always involves impacting others in a positive way, they are never for our popularity or esteem. Keeping that in mind can be very challenging, but when I do manage to do it, I rely on scripture as my encourager. One of my favorite verses is 2 Timothy 1:6-7 "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (ESV) I pray God will teach me to fan this little flame and send others that I can light up for His glory.

Monday, July 16, 2012

THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER—ALL FOUR VERSES

Most of us only have HEARD the first verse...it actually ends in a question...verse 4 ends in an Exclaimation Point!

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there. O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep, Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream: 'T is the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion A home and a country should leave us no more?Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave: And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand, Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation; Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust" And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Friday, February 3, 2012

What did Jesus' brother say about Him?

No one knows us like family! I have felt like I needed to go through the book of James for some time. James was Jesus' half brother and would have had the most unique recorded perspective of His life.

This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am writing to the "twelve tribes"—Jewish believers scattered abroad.
Greetings! (James 1:1 NLT)

I believe this first verse says it all! James refers to himself as a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. His refering to his brother as the "Lord" should be crystal clear that the author of the New Testament that knew him best, had confidence in Jesus' divinity. Without it, no sibling would call himself a slave.

Steve Amos

Sent from my iPad

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Wisdom for the new year - Proverbs 24

My son, fear the Lord and the king,
and do not join with those who do otherwise,
for disaster will arise suddenly from them,
and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?
(Proverbs 24:21, 22 ESV)

People we surround ourselves with are vitally important to our success all through our life. I have been blessed with high quality individuals throughout many portions of my life. However, I have also had friends that were not as godly as others. Unfortunately those friends probably had more influence on me than I did them. And unless you are very strong walking with the Lord, you probably tend to do that rather than being a Godly influence on them.

I am reminded of Jesus sending the Disciples out only after being with him for a long period of time, teaching them, correcting them and rebuking them. We need to be very careful whom we make in our inner circle of friends, poor choices will lead to problems as the verses indicate.

Many blessings,
Steve

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Wisdom for the new year - Proverbs 23

Let not your heart envy sinners,
but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.

Surely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
(Proverbs 23:17, 18 ESV)

Sometimes we loose focus. We see someone who is successful from the world's standard and look up to them. In God's economy, no one deserves any recognition for their posessions, either God enabled and provided for it, and therefore God should have the glory, or they have acquired their wealth by dishonest means. Our ability to "work hard" is God's grace and can go away quickly with a health issue. If you are successful, do not boast in yourself, praise the Lord! He is our future and our Savior!

Many Blessings!
Steve

Wisdom for the new year - Proverbs 22

Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your mind to my knowledge;

For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
That they may be ready on your lips.
(Proverbs 22:17, 18 NASB)

Learning, gaining knowledge takes work! You can't just throw your Bible in the back windown of your car until next Sunday and expect to learn anything through the week, at least anything about God. You can pick any part of the Bible and gain some insight or wisdom from it. But, sadly, we are distracted by numerous things in our lives and fail to actively pursue the knowledge and wisdom that are available to us. What you learn will not just make you the star student in Sunday School, you can apply many of the principles in the rest of your life, with your family, with you career, and with your friends. As verse 18 says, that they may be ready on your lips to bless others. Mostly it will provide encouragement to you throughout your day. The old saying the dusty bible lead to dirty lives is true, the only way we get true wisdom is in the Word. If you spend only 5 minutes a day reading through Proverbs you will be blessed and will gain wisdom to use and to help others.

For Him,
Steve