Tag: William Horton
Whatever temptation you are in the Lord will make a way of escape…
Our Testimony gives our Faith more Fire!
“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.” (Heb.11:1-3)
As Christians, we all desire to have a good testimony and we all do! Whether you have been a Christian from birth or for three hours we all have a testimony that brings God glory. I was an alcoholic for ten years and God broke the chains of that addiction. That testimony I now have is an excellent tool to use to show that God really is who we say He is. I prayed for a year that God would take me out of that darkness and I believed that God would do it. It is like Hebrews 11:3 says, “…that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.” These verses are often called the definition of faith which is true but my definition of faith comes from seeing God work in darkness that had me stumbling around in darkness for years. There was a tipping point that we all have to choose to “really” serve God or just be a fan of Him. That happened for me when I was delivered from addiction. Now I have that testimony to tell people that are in the same boat because God came to heal the sick.
Our testimony refers to many aspects of our Christian behavior and appearance, or what we call our walk. Many people outside of the sphere of Christianity would consider these words to be a code of some kind. But through the influence of the Holy Spirit, we have a supernatural understanding of the importance they play in our life. Hebrews 11 begins by telling us what faith is and how, through faith, our elders in the faith obtained a good testimony. We find that a good testimony is not built by a single act or a solemn promise. Rather, it was obtained through a lifetime of faith and obedience to God’s will. While understanding that a single act cannot build a good testimony, we must also know that a single act cannot destroy it either. Tempering our life with an attitude of humility and repentance before the Lord will help to develop and ensure that good testimony. How has faith helped you to build a good testimony?
Don’t get discouraged when things are not going at the pace you planned them to remember it is about the journey not the destination.
Let us not grow tired of doing right…
1 Corinthians 6:18
Feed My Sheep
Whats First On Your To-Do List
Simply saying your to busy is not an answer to why you don’t spend time with God.
“My dear Martha you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41,42)
This is an amazing verse to me because we worry so much about the small stuff in life that we tend to forget what is really important. The peace that surpasses all understanding will not be taken away from you as long as your main concern is God and not this world. We never have enough time in life and we always seem to run out of day before we do projects but we need to get our priorities straight. We are all called to be ministers whether that is in your job or in front of a congregation but we can’t do that unless we make our main concern God. We can all do our parts to have a closer relationship with God by spending just a few minutes a day in your Bible, praying or just being in God’s presents with no other distractions.
Our lives are full of distraction from the priorities we have set to meet each day. Stress affects even our youngest members of modern society. We all have places to be, things to do, and expectations to meet. One day, Martha and her sister Mary were busy with their daily duties when Jesus and a dozen or more of his closest friends decided to drop in unexpectedly! For Martha, chaos ensued, but for her sister Mary, it marked a special day in her life. Sometimes our busy day can be faced with a “Divine Appointment.” Martha was too busy and worried to see the blessing that walked through her door on this day. Mary recognized the opportunity before her and took full advantage of the Lord’s presence. When we are faced with a divine appointment, we have a choice to make. You can treat it as an inconvenience or embrace it as a blessing. After Martha complained about her sister to Jesus, he explained that Mary had chosen that good portion. Divine appointments should never be avoided because they yield blessings that will never be taken away.
Keeping up with the Kardashian’s
Mathew 19:16-22, “16 Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied: “You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. 19 Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?” 21 
Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”
It is so easy to fall into the trap of wanting to have stuff, the whole “Keeping up the Jones” has never been more real than today. Although it would be more realistic to call it
“Keeping up with the Kardashian’s”
We see that money and objects as rewards for doing well in life. You can find yourself getting lost in the idea that being successful means that you have expensive things, things that you place more value on than you do God. Jesus said, “”Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). So, just because you have an expensive home and with 1000 sheet tread count does not mean that you have made it… We are called to be like Christ and that is the only thing that will fill that void in our lives that we are trying to fill with useless goods (that will be out of date next week). Now I do not believe we are called to live in poverty (unless God tells you that directly) but I believe it is a matter of your heart. The rich young rules had a heart issue that Jesus was trying to help him with. Jesus did not tell everyone to sell all their stuff and follow Him but He did say you will have to sacrifice… “If anyone desires to follow me let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
To many think that money will raise them high on the pyramid of life…
Many people are constantly seeking success, wealth, possessions, or perfection. Sometimes people assume that if they could achieve one of these then the others will follow. Desiring to be better, have better, or do better can drive many to extremes in their life. One day, while traveling along the coast of Judea, Jesus was approached by a young man seeking to know how eternal life could be achieved. The Lord spoke to him about how he should follow the commandments of God. The young man quickly replied, “I have done all this from my youth up!” Sensing the young man was looking for more, Jesus told him that if he wanted to be perfect, he should go and sell all his possessions, giving the proceeds to the poor, and then return to follow him. We all know how this story ends! Having achievements in life can be wonderful and fulfilling. But they do not perfect us and can many times create difficulty in our life. Allowing achievement to overshadow our relationships with our family and the Lord can become very costly. Perfection is found in the Lord, and success is found in balancing our desire for achievement with those things in life that are more important, such as our family. How do you find this balance in your life? Is there a time or season when achievement may be more important in an effort to provide more for your family?
There is a way that seems right…
“We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” (Proverbs 16:1-3).
I find my strength in only one thing… I find strength and happiness in knowing that no matter what happens the Lord has my best interest at heart. Even though I think I may know what I want God really knows what is best for me. I make plans which I believe we are called to do but I believe that God gives me the right answer, which means I must be willing to change my expectations for God’s. That is true strength. People always think they know what is right for them so in their own eyes they are right and pure but the Holy Spirit inside of us tells us our motives. If I never lose sight of God then know matter what I believe I truly will succeed. It is easy to become prideful in our lives because we think that we can or did “it” on our own. This is dangerous though because,
“There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” (Proverbs 16:25)
Not physical death because one out of one people will die… but spiritual death. We must as believers know that we may do big things in life but our character has to match our calling of God because if it does not we will reach our calling and our character will not be strong enough to hold us there. We need to know that it was because of God that we are able to have a calling in life. It was not you and you alone… that’s why they say the pride comes before the fall.
When we hear the word perseverance we think of strength and power. But where does that strength come from? Do we find it in our own self-will? Or do we discover this strength to persevere in the depths of our faith? Proverbs chapter 16 has abundant advice for us on how to persevere in life. We can be enticed to fall into traps throughout life that can weigh us down, and many of these snares are found in the form of worldly behavior. The world tells us to stand in the face of adversity and laugh! The Word of God shows us to kneel in the face of adversity and pray. 
Worldliness thrives on self-will and promotes defiance as the answer to all of life’s problems. This type of pride and rebelliousness can set one up for the eventual fall. Proverbs 16:25 informs us that there is a way that seems right to man, but that way leads to destruction. As we prepare our hearts to follow the ways of the Lord by accepting his guidance and counsel, we will find the strength to persevere in all areas of our life. Perseverance does not come from a hard exterior but rather from a soft heart that will receive the instruction of the Lord.
Dr. William A. Horton 