When I was just beginning my relationship with God and starting to get into the word, I struggled. I believe it was because my heart was not always prepared to receive what God had for me. My heart was not prepared because I was reading the word like it was a requirement, not to actually receive a word from God. When reading the word we must prepare our hearts and seek what the Lord has for us.

The Scriptures say, “And Ezra prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”  (Ezra 7:10). This verse is a summary of Ezra’s life and purpose. He was determined to fully accept the Lord’s direction in life. We as Christians need to be prepared, just as Ezra was, to accept the Lord’s direction no matter where it takes us. The Lord’s direction will always place us at a higher and deeper level than we are at right now. This desire came from Ezra’s deep conviction and reverence for God. This led him to seek out the Lord’s will in His revealed Word, the Scriptures. read the rest of this post »

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5

The eternal, universal principle remains: “To get to the top, we must reach for the bottom”. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt. 23:12). The lower down I go, the higher up God will lift me. The lesser I have in myself, the more I receive from God. It is when I am weak in my flesh that I become strong in the spirit.

D.L. Moody once said, “As a young man, I used to think that God’s best gift is placed on the highest shelf and what I needed to do is simply to reach up. But not so now. I have learned that God’s best gift is on the lowest shelf. To get it, I have to stoop down.” read the rest of this post »

Oh how I love coffee & more importantly the effects of coffee / caffeine on my body. It seems like there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t have at least one cup (probably more). And!, if I don’t get my cup, I get a little crabby (I wish I was the only one with this problem). It’s like my best friend, but one that doesn’t talk.

Many times, I’ve used coffee and many other food / beverage choices (knowingly & unknowingly) as a way to mask what I really needed – encouragement – or rather the real deal. You see, I’ve allowed myself to become so busy and focused on what it is that “I’ve got to accomplish”, that I had overlooked what was really important, friendships. Real, God inspired, relationships.

In Col 4:7&8 Paul refers to a man by the name of Tychicus, who is sent to the Colossian church. A man whom Paul sent “to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts”.

This upcoming Harvest Conference will be a great way for myself, and I believe many others in similar situations, to be encouraged. Not only am I looking forward to have the Word of God shared, but I’m also excited about the relationships & friendships that will be built.

~Tim

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1

Bible names are very telling about a person’s nature and character. God reveals His names to show us who He is, what He is like, and how He longs to work in our lives. One of the names of God is Jehovah Rohi or “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Rohi is often translated as a companion or friend, implying a very personal and intimate relationship. No wonder David starts Psalm 23 with “The LORD is my shepherd.” He could have said that “the LORD is our shepherd” but he didn’t. What David had was an individual, direct, personal relationship with God.

Another meaning of Rohi is the feeder of flocks. God provides all the spiritual nourishment that you and I need: David went on to say, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters” (23:2).

As a good shepherd, the Lord restores the soul of the broken and weary (23:3). When we are hurt and devastated, He puts us back in the right condition. He refreshes and renews our innermost being. He is our spiritual compass who constantly shows us the right way. We never need to feel confused and uncertain in life with such a “Great Shepherd.”

There are going to be times when bad things happen to us. Everything seems to cave in on us and we just don’t know which way to turn and whom to trust. But, like David, we never need to fear because God’s presence is guaranteed. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (23:4). What a Great Shepherd!

The other day after setting with a pre-married couple and doing some counseling; I began to think about how we love God. I was telling Djuana (my Wife) after wards that it is so easy to fall into the trap of saying we love God, but having the actions that say we love ourselves.

If you were to ask someone if they loved God, they’d almost automatically reply, “Of course I love the Lord with all my heart.” Every day in churches and all around the world, people say, “Lord, I love you. Oh, Jesus I love you.” However, loving God is not just a religious quote we say to make people think we love God.

In order to love God, we must first renew our mind where love is concerned.  When many people think of love, they think of human, emotional love, which is basically selfish because it has conditions; it loves when the conditions are right, or when it feels like loving.  This is the type of love many people try to love God with.  However, God is not interested in us loving Him with our feelings.

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