All is not lost. God has given you a promise!

As I read Jeremiah chapter 29, I realized how much we proclaim verse 11 which says,

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

But what about what it says in verse 10?

“This is what the LORD says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.”

The promise is goodness, a future, hope, and that disaster will not fall on the Israelites. But what about the captivity that has to be endured for seventy years in the foreign, and godless, nation of Babylon?

You see, God does have wonderful plans for us. He does intend good in our lives. His plan is for us to have hope and a great future but He does not dismiss the part that includes difficulties, trials, and pain. Israel was exiled to Babylon as a consequence of their sin. I am sure there were many godly people who truly loved and served the Lord. Unfortunately, these few suffered the same fate as the rest of Israel. Does this mean that God forgot them? Absolutely not! God sustained them in the middle of the suffering and gave them hope for the future. He gave them something to look forward to. He gave them a promise. Even though many undeserved Israelites suffered along side of the wicked, they were able to rise above their circumstances, and were delivered from their enemies exactly as God had promised them in verses 12-14.

“In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the LORD. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

Today, 95% of Americans proclaim to be “Christians”. Given the state of our country, the radical assault on fundamental Christian beliefs, and the constant removal of any reference to “God our creator” from our schools and government offices, it is no wonder we are suffering as a nation just as Israel did several thousands of years ago. We cannot turn our backs on the One who has blessed our nation and not expect there to be suffering and consequences.

Today, wherever you are, if you will seek Jesus Christ wholeheartedly, you will find Him. He will end your captivity. You will be sustained. You do have hope and a future and your fortunes will be restored to you! All is not lost. The promise of the Lord is yours to claim if you will choose to seek him. Choose wisely.

What are you hiding?

Now don’t get me wrong, I believe there are many times that we all are hypocritical but I strongly believe there is an unrealistic expectation of constant perfection from many Christians and even more unbelievers. This kind of pressure leaves no room for grace, mercy, or forgiveness.

Encouraging others to exhibit “Christian” behavior is not the purpose of Christianity. Neither is perfectionism. Behavior is only the outward appearance of what is happening in the heart. Loving and following Christ, loving others, confessing and repenting of sin, and allowing the Holy Spirit to dive deep in our soul’s to purge us of sinful things is the purpose.

Being transparent and honest while this morphing is taking place is the difficult part even though it matures us, keeps us humble,  and is the most effective witness to others. The reason we struggle with it is because transparency causes us to feel extremely vulnerable so we hide it, and pretend it isn’t happening. When people  put up the facade that nothing is wrong, that their life is perfect, and their ways are just on the outside they are really running from the war destroying them on the inside! When the house of cards finally collapses one “hypocrite” will point their finger at another broken, sinful person and say, “HYPOCRITE!”

Don’t we all do this to certain degrees? Isn’t that why Jesus said,
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” – Matt. 7:3-5.

He is speaking of fellow “Christians” doing this to each other in the church when he uses the word “friend’s”. And before He makes this statement he says,
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.” – Matt. 7:1-2

The media loves to put the failings of Christian leaders on the front page for all the world to see. Our television news and talk shows will drag all the skeletons of Christian leaders out of the closet to destroy their influence in business, politics, and the church. And many Christians and unbelievers sit back and say “I can’t believe it! How could they do that?” Because of this we have lived with the fear that when a person decides to follow Christ, they better be perfect, “or else”. If we use the word hypocrite in context of our “biblical heroes” than we can include the Apostle Peter, King David, Abraham, and many others.

Hypocrite is a deserved title in some cases as in the Pharisees and Sadducee’s of Jesus’ day, and some “teachers of the law” in our day for that matter. But I believe most of the time broken, insecure, and fearful people lie in wait for someone they perceive to be “perfect” or more “holy” than themselves to fail. Then whether it’s a Christian or an unbeliever, they can call out “hypocrite!” and justify their own broken and sinful condition by proclaiming “At least I’m not as bad as as him/her!”

I think it’s time to stop crying, “HYPOCRITE!” when a Christian falls! Let’s show more grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness when correcting another instead of wanting to lynch a person in the middle of their failing. And most of all let’s remember to look inward at our own sinful condition and let God do his work in us first!

While reading this verse it occurred to me that while people are inherrently full of doubt and skepticism, we also seem to have a knack for dismissing Christ’s intervention in our lives as “luck” or “coincidence” or “chance”. That somehow our actions had something to do with the outcome.

At times we need impossible odds to experience the God who makes all things possible! He has us right where we need to be. We like to ”control” the situation. We “make things happen” and try to manipulate the outcome of situations for our benefit. When good things happen we can easily take the glory for ourselves, and leave the Spirit of God in the dust.

In John chapter 11 we read that Mary and Martha had sent for Jesus in enough time. We know that if Jesus chose to, he could have shown up and avoided Lazarus’ death. But what glory would have Christ received? How many people, including Lazarus’ own family, may have chalked it up to natural recovery, luck, or an amazing coincidence? No, the only way Christ would get the glory, the only way people would REALLY believe in Him and trust Him, was for there to be no question of Jesus’ power and ability to make the impossible, possible.

When your situation has gotten to the point that there is nothing left to do, when you have no more “control”, when you are feeling desperate and you know the situation is impossible, THAT’S when Jesus will show up. Know that Christ understands our nature. He knows our tendencies. And when we start to rely too much on our own abilities, talents, knowledge, or experience, we do not allow room for Christ to have the throne of our lives. But in the moments when all seems lost, when we are quickly losing hope, we seem to find our humility again, fall to our knees and cry out for Him. That is the moment we have given control back to Christ. And when He delivers, (because He always does), we humbly and gladly give Him the glory that He is due.

Whatever Lazarus moment you are facing, remember that what is impossible with man, is always possible with God. You are loved. Jesus always shows up at the right time. He is always in control, and He deserves the glory!

Maybe it’s by keeping the law and the 10 commandments. If we try real hard, we may be able to beat our personal best of going 30 seconds without breaking one! Another possible way to God is by agreeing that God is whatever you think he is. I mean, we don’t want to offend God or anyone else by being so narrow minded, right?

Or could it be that the Bible is 100 accurate and everything it says is breathed by God through the Holy Spirit? Can we can trust the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? I believe that the we can! The word of God is true and accurate and it says there is only ONE WAY TO HEAVEN….JESUS CHRIST!

In John chapter 14 verses 5 Thomas says to Jesus, “No, we don’t know, Lord. We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”, and Jesus replies in verse 6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE can come to the Father except through ME.”

So there it is…you either believe it or you don’t. There really is no debate. There is no options of believing on how to approach God or on how to get to heaven. Either Jesus is a liar and not the son of God who came to die for you and me so that we may have eternal life (John 3:16), or He is the Son of God and came that we have life, and have it more abundantly! (John 10:10)

Today, let’s thank GOD for his son, JESUS CHRIST!

What overwhelming giants are you facing today?

It truly does not matter how big they are or how many there are. Our God is bigger!

How much courage do you have to face them? Courage is not a lack of fear, it is being obedient and trusting God   in spite of the fear!

And most importantly, will you walk in faith and trust?

You do not have the ability and strength in your physical mind and body to defeat the giants. Choose to TRUST God and OBEY him because the battle is the Lord’s and HE will deliver them into your hands!

What about those Bible stories about people whose circumstances seemed impossible, yet somehow God “miraculously” redeeems them out of dire situations? Does that REALLY happen? Most importantly, will it happen for YOU? I would like to share one more….

There was a young family I know very well who several years ago had been called to move out of state into a new area where they had very little family and no friends. Shortly after settling in, they felt led to build a new home. This would be their first home and they promised God that love and ministry would flow to all who lived and entered there. This home was a treasured promise and blessing of God. It was filled with hope and love. It had been prayed over and even had scripture printed on 3×5 cards in the concrete foundation of each room. The couple had been true to their promise and ministered to hundreds of people in their home. They lovingly and faithfully served God with all their hearts. The couple were even building a ministry over the years that they strongly believed God had called them to do. They worked regular jobs but still were faithful to serve in the ministry never taking any supplemental income from it in over 7 years.  Time and money were being stretched very thin, yet this family remained faithful over the years, and kept perservering. They kept true to their calling and believed that this was part of God’s plan and direction for them.

Three weeks before Christmas of 2010, the husband lost his job. He had done nothing wrong and when he aked why he was being let go after 3 years of good performance, he was simply told the company wanted to go in a different direction. This loss was very devastating to them. They had lost 3/4 of their income. There was no way they could pay their monstrous mortgage payment and were facing the possiblitiy of having to lose their precious home, abandon their ministry, and move out of the state to find work! The outlook was grim and everything seemed like it was falling apart. How could God allow this? This family was so dedicated to God. They had made many sacrifices to honor and serve him. Was it all for nothing?

Instead of panicking, this couple got on their knees and began to seek the face of God for what to do. What they heard next was startling. God had told them to do nothing…do not look for work, do not move, and continue to pursue the growing ministry full time. This couldn’t be right! Not look for other work?  There are 2 young children to provide for, the wife has a heart condition, there was very little income coming in. HOW, LORD? HOW?

In spite of the questions and the doubt, this couple chose to be obedient to God. They pressed even more into Christ, each other, and the ministry they were called to. The husband took the time to spend in God’s presence and with his family. He chose to trust God while he acted on faith. He prayed every day for God to “redeem” their home back to them. He didn’t know how, but he knew that God doesn’t take back his gifts and he ALWAYS comes through on his promises. He decided to believe that God would honor his promise and they would keep their home. So he prayed and sent in a home modification loan application and waited knowing it could take months or over a year to have results…

On March 28th, 2011, one week after sending in the paperwork, this family received a letter from the mortgage company that not only was their application approved, their monthly payment was to be only a third of what they were originally paying and the mortgage debt was to be forgiven in the amount of $156,922.96! That was a 75% “redemption” of their original loan written off!!! Not added on to the end of the loan…the word used was “FORGIVEN”…WOW!!!

Now, how do I know this story is true? Because this family is mine. I am that man. And I stand before you now to sing the praises of God from whom all blessings flow! I don’t know how God did it but I testify to all who read this that HE DID IT!!!! If you will have faith as small as a mustard seed and you choose to be obedient to God and love and serve him, there is NOTHING he won’t do!  All things do work together for those who love the Lord and who are called according to His purposes!

God still moves mountains and we shall continue to praise Him in all things!  As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord!

As men, we can have a tendency at times to try to get by with minimum effort. We ask and expect God’s best but are only offering our leftovers. We may even have a suspicion that God will not honor us even if we give our best, so why bother? The results are spiritually catastrophic and can lead to jealousy and envy of someone else’s blessings from God, thinking somehow God has chosen them over everyone else.

The rewards and blessings are there for everyone, but they depend on our efforts. I want to be very clear; we are NOT talking about salvation. We are talking about what we choose to do with what God has given us in our ability, position, talent, etc. When we read the parable of the talents in Matt. 25:14-30, it is clear that the Master has given each according to their ability. His expectation does not change with each man. What does change is the response of the men. 2 of the 3 go out, give their best, and double the investments. The third, just makes excuses and has the boldness to blame the lack of production on the very master who gave him the money in the first place!

It doesn’t matter how much money you have, how much of an education you have, what type of family you come from, or where you are right now in your life. The rewards and blessings will come, in God’s time, in direct proportion to your choices to obey God and give Him your very best.

In Genesis 2:5-21 we are told that God created Adam in the wild and THEN placed him in the garden. Verse 15 says that Adam was to “tend and watch over it”. We were commanded to take care of creation. Eve was the one made in the domesticated garden, not us!

Men can hear from God as we do “tend and watch over” creation like fishing, camping, walking, hiking, cutting the grass, etc. Some of my most deep encounters with God are while I am in His creation and appreciating his handiwork. I “hear” in my heart what he has to say to me as I am talking to him and asking him to speak to me his will.

The next time you spend “quiet time” with God, go to the place He beckons you to. The place that your heart comes alive with thankfulness and appreciation for him. THIS is the place that you will “hear” God speak to your heart the most.

The first Christmas there were 2 world changing choices. First, the choice of the Heavenly Father to willingly give His Son as a ransom for all. And secondly, the choice that Jesus made to live His life to show us the path to true manhood, love, and sacrifice. When I read the above scripture I think, “Could I have done what He did?”

Jesus taught us how to obey the Heavenly Father. He showed respect and honor to His parents as well as God the Father. He gave himself to learning The Word and living His life as an example of it’s meaning. He gave to everyone in need with love and compassion. He taught and loved the children who gathered to Him and let them know He was always there for them. He poured His life into 12 average men believing they could be like him and change the world. He opened His life and heart to these men but especially a close band of 3. He encouraged and challenged them to go against the world and take a more narrow but rewarding path. He stood firm in His love and died for them, and all of us, even when they turned their backs on him in fear and greed. I am awestruck at the sheer determination and pure love Jesus showed at ALL times!

As we read story after story of the amazing things Jesus did, we can see that He showed us what it takes to be a R.E.A.L. MAN by giving everything he had, including his very life, to impact the world and invest in a band of brothers who would  be willing to do the same. Will you make this same choice?

This Christmas, let’s give honor, glory and power to the King of kings, and the Lord of lord’s. Let us put down our pride and give our lives, our families, our gifts, our talents, all that we have, to the only man who is worthy, Jesus Christ. Remember… YOU DO HAVE WHAT IT TAKES to be a R.E.A.L. MAN!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all from all of us at R.E.A.L. MEN Ministry to you and yours!

As the years have gone by, men are reverting to adolescent behaviour.  Like a boy in a man’s body, many live only for themselves – residing with their parents longer, spending more time playing video games, and choosing not to marry.  Many have abandoned responsibility for themselves and others.  What has happened to men?

As we have ripped God out of the foundation of this country, society has replaced the message of the Bible with some of the following messages: “Men don’t need God to be sucessful”, “Men don’t need church”, “Men don’t have to marry, they can just live with a partner”, “Men don’t need to be an involved parent.  Let someone else deal with it.”, “Men don’t need to lead.  Let someone else do it.”

We cannot recover as a society if men will not stand up once again and choose to be the R.E.A.L. MEN of God that we are called to be (1 Peter 3:8-9).  We are commanded to influence our nation, schools, government, and families for Christ. (Matt. 28:19).  God is calling YOU to be a R.E.A.L. MAN and impact your family, your community, and the world for the greatness of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.

*Pastor Russ Franklin is a contributing writer to AEGA and this article can be found in the August 2010 Issue of the AEGA GrapeVine Newsletter.