Wanna Know Your Future?

I was interning this summer at a church in Florida and the pastor there had a saying he would quote often to the youth group. "Show me your friends and I'll show you your future." I had heard it before as I was growing up in a youth group but I never thought about it. The more I work in various youth groups or just hang out with different students, the more I see the truth behind this simple statement. I have seen students that were not on the right track socially or spiritually begin to hang out with other students that were truly on fire for the Lord. Over a short period of time I see how the students begins to change. They come to church more and get involved. They seem to have a deeper relationship with the Lord and long for more of Him all because of the change in their friends. Sadly I have seen the opposite effect happen exponentially more often. A student on fire begins to hang out with the wrong people, maybe for good reasons like trying to bring them to church or share their faith, but they end up doing the things they do and backing away from God. Friends are important. They shape who you are whether you want them to or not. That is why it is so important that we choose our friends wisely.

A great example of hanging with the right crowd is found in the book of Daniel. In the very first chapter we see how Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah stood together against kings order for them to break the laws of God.

⁸ But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. ⁹ Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, ¹⁰ but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you."

¹¹ Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ¹² "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." ¹⁴ So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

¹⁵ At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. ¹⁶ So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

¹⁷ To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. (Daniel 1:8-17 NIV)

Daniel and his friends were brought along with other Israelite boys to Babylon when their homeland was defeated in battle. They stuck together and it made it a lot easier to stand up against the official that was set over them.

Another example is found two chapters later in Daniel 3. I wrote about this story in an earlier blog. Daniel's three friends are caught not bowing to the image that the king had set up. The king calls them in for one last chance to bow or be thrown into the fiery furnace. This was their response:

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18 NIV)

These three Israelites are found together again standing for what is right while surrounded by people who aren't. They stuck together. This is where the application comes. Standing for God is a lot easier when you have friend that will stand with you. Find people who are striving to do what is right, people who have the same standards and beliefs as you. Stick with them and challenge each other in the faith. Now don't take this as me saying that you shouldn't talk to anyone that is not a Christian or who isn't like you. That would not be at all what God wants. As Christians we are to be in the world, interacting with the world, trying to reach the world, but not of the world. We can and should have relationships and friendships with those who aren't Christians, but those people should not be our closest friends or the people we hang out with the most. Our closest friends should be those who are challenging and pushing us to be closer to God. They should be those who will stand right along side of us when we stand for what is right and godly. Because if we are only hanging out with the world, how can we be surprised when we start living like the world?

So I end with this. What does your future look like?

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

I had the most amazing experience last night. One that I haven't had in a long, long time. At youth group at Highland Park Baptist Church we had a night of worship and praise and prayer to our great God. It was absolutely amazing. The student were singing and praying without shame, holding nothing back. The Spirit of God was moving. It was more than emotion from my point of view. I haven't felt the Lord in that way in far too long and that is my fault. I let sin and selfish desire cloud my view of who God is and what He has done for me. Last night I began to see clearly again the majesty and glory of my Lord and my God. My heart was broken and I let go of the burdens I had clung to for so long. I gave up my wants and my plans and renewed my commitment to serve Him without restraint. It's funny how when you finally let everything go and give it to God, your view of Him is a lot better. I began to praise Him and worship Him not because I liked the song or because it was the right thing to do. It was because I finally saw how much He deserves it. All glory and honor and worship and praise belongs to Him and is due to Him. I sang and prayed give glory and worship to Him because He is worthy. Why have I held back so long.

Last night was amazing and this morning it just continued. Satan tried, as he always does, to bring me down and turn me away from my view of God, but God showed me something in scripture this morning that gave me confidence and boldness to rely totally on Him. Psalm 92 says,

¹ It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to the Most High.
² It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning,
your faithfulness in the evening,
³ accompanied by the ten-stringed harp
and the melody of the lyre.

⁴ You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!
I sing for joy because of what you have done.
⁵ O Lord, what great works you do!
And how deep are your thoughts.
⁶ Only a simpleton would not know,
and only a fool would not understand this:
⁷ Though the wicked sprout like weeds
and evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.

⁸ But you, O Lord, will be exalted forever.
⁹ Your enemies, Lord, will surely perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
¹⁰ But you have made me as strong as a wild ox.
You have anointed me with the finest oil.
¹¹ My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents.
¹² But the godly will flourish like palm trees
and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.
¹³ For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.
They flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ Even in old age they will still produce fruit;
they will remain vital and green.
¹⁵ They will declare, “The Lord is just!
He is my rock!
There is no evil in him!”

Praise God for what He has done for me! So often Satan tries to bring up the trials I am going to face and the problems I am going to have, but God through this scripture this morning reminded me of all that He has brought me through and all that He has done for me. I can do nothing but praise Him and put my full trust in Him.

Verses 12-15 are so amazing to me. Those who are righteous in the Lord will flourish. He takes them and plants them in His presence and they stay fruitful even in old age. They will say, “The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!”

WOW! Lord, give me strength so that I may be like this. I want to be strong in You and forever I will declare that You are my ROCK! I will trust in You alone.

Discouraged? Don't be.

Have you ever noticed that even when you want to do what is right, you always seem to mess up?It's like you can't win for trying. I experience it everyday. I want to do what is right. I want to serve God with all my being. But it seems like no matter how hard I try, I still sin constantly. I cannot go an hour, much less a day, without thinking, saying, or doing something contrary with God's law. It is just impossible. And to add to it, I see others that always seem to have it all together. I get so discouraged. Do you ever feel this way? I thought I was the only one until I read something Paul wrote in Romans 7:21-25,

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

This really helped when I read this. Just to know that the apostle Paul had a daily struggle with sin was an encouragement. God used tis man to take the gospel to so many new places. Not to mention, He used him to write most of the New Testament. I don't feel as useless anymore.

Satan so often tries to bring up past failures in our lives to keep us from accomplishing the work God has for us. He constantly tells us that we aren't good enough. And you know what, he is right. None of us are. But that fact alone is what is so encouraging to me. To know that I am not qualified of good enough to serve God, yet He still chooses to use me. Oh thank you, Lord. When Satan comes to tell me that I can't do what I know God has called me to do because I messed up, I just laugh, agree, and say, "I know isn't it great how He still uses me. His mercy is AMAZING and His grace is SUFFICIENT." See I strive to serve God more because of my sin, not in spite of it because He has covered it all in the blood of His Son. That is why I am able to do what He has for me. Our God is truly a great and awesome God!!!

So the next time Satan tries to tell you that you can't do something because you're a sinner, be encouraged and agree with him. God knows you fail and still CHOOSES you!

What Keeps You Awake?

I was in youth group last night and there was a question asked that really caught my ear. Greg asked, "what is it that keeps you awake at night? What do you think about so much that you just can't fall asleep?"

Wow! I know what it should be but honestly it is rarely that. It should be the thought of millions of lost souls dying and going to hell. it should be the fact that some of those lost souls are my family members. How can I ever fall asleep when I know this? How selfish and uncaring can I be? I go to bed thinking of the temporary problems I have or the difficulties I will face the next day without ever thinking that the first person I will see may be lost. The fact that many of the people I pass or the street or see in Wal-Mart are empty inside and are just looking for someone to tell them of the hope they can have in Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 3:15 says,

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. (New Living Translation)

I have known this verse by heart for so many years but often I neglect to put it into practice. Woe to me! I am a sinful and unclean man. But thanks be to God! He has saved me and He keeps me. Help me oh Lord not to hold this inside but help me to have it ever on my heart and on my lips. Ready always to tell someone of the hope I have in You.

I leave you with one last question.

What keeps you awake?