Pastor Dennis Wright

Exodus 3:14 - God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." Say this to the people or Israel: I AM has sent me to you."

I love this tussle God is having with Moses. God revealed His power to him and was telling him that the I AM will bring that power to the people through Moses. But Moses was stuck in his head rolling around words like "not adequate, not worthy, not able.

" How many times when God calls us to do something are we not able to get past ourselves and be obedient to His call? Many of us immediately look at our own abilities and worthiness. (Romans 7:18).

And sometimes we get stuck on past sin as an excuse to not do what He has equipped us to do. God says that we are "more than enough" to be "more than a conqueror" (Romans 8:37).

Because of Christ in us "greater things will you do because I go to be with the Father."
(John 14:12).

When He asks something of you He knows YOU CAN because of Jesus IN YOU! You have "more than enough ability" ((2 Corinthians 9:8),
"more than enough strength" (Philippians 4:13),
and are "more than adequate" (2 Corinthians 3:5).

Be intentional today to do what God is asking of you; in your church, your relationships, your home, your marketplace. He is over all and through all and in all ( Ephesians 4:1).

God has made you able!

Harriet Strickland

God often requires adjustments in your life that you never considered or that you have not been open to in the past.

God is not looking for ways to make your life difficult. However, He does intend to be the Lord of your life.

When you identify a place, where you refuse to allow him to be Lord, that is the place He will go to work.

He is seeking absolute surrender in your life.

God may or may not require you to change the thing you identify, but He will keep working until you are willing to let Him be Lord of all.

Because God loves you, He always wants the best for you.

Any adjustment God expects you to make in your life is for your good and for His glory.

As you walk with Him, the time may come when your life and your future may depend on you adjusting quickly to Gods directives.

You must align your life to God.

He wants you to alter your viewpoints to resemble His. He wants you to think the way He thinks, to act the way He acts.

When you follow him, you will experience him doing things in you only He can do.

Take a minute and write down at least one adjustment you have made in your thinking or in your actions over the last 6 months.

Has your thinking changed?

Do you see yourself acting more and more like Jesus?

Then praise Him!

I love you all.
Go give em Heaven!
Pastor Scott

We are a ‘doing’ people. We always want to be doing something.

Every now and then, someone will say, "Don't just stand there; do something!"

However, most times, God is saying to us, "Don't just do something; stand there!"  

God says, have a LOVE relationship with me. Get to know me. Let's do life together. Let me show myself through you to a world that is watching.

The time will come when you will be called to do something, however don't skip the relationship with God.

Remember to live a life of worship first.

Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  
- John 15:5

God wants you to come to a greater knowledge of him.
He wants to develop a growing, deep, love relationship with you.
He wants you involved in his kingdom purposes.
He wants more than anything to accomplish his will in you and through you.

The question is do you want what He wants?

Is your life about Knowing Him, and making Him Known?

I love you all,
Go give em Heaven,
Pastor Scott

One morning, as I sat in the Keystone Transportation employee room, I was overhearing the dispatcher deal with people on the phone.

 It was snowing outside and traffic was backed up everywhere.  Drivers were working very hard to keep up with the schedule. Yet, people were angry and yelling at her and the drivers.

I am totally amazed that people find it okay to do this. They were on vacation, and yet they spend their time being upset and put-out with everyone and everything around them.

James 4:1-3 reminds us that it's all about selfishness! We want what we want and if we don't get it we get angry and hatred and evilness pour through our lives.

We should ask ourselves, "Who am I?"

If we claim to be a child of God, let's live like it! Scripture tells us that when Jesus comes into our lives, we get a new heart and a new mind. Our attitude, our words and our actions should reflect this change.

Every day we have the opportunity to bless people or to curse people with our words, attitudes and actions. I want to encourage you to look people in the eyes and see past the hard outer shell. Find ways to bless them.

How will we reflect our savior when things aren't going our way? He is good. He is loving. He is kind, patient, forgiving, compassionate, and he is long suffering... am I?

Well my break is over, time to get back out there and love some hard to love people. "Lord I need you to help me look and act like my King."

Go give em Heaven,
I love you all,
Pastor Scott.
Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here.

Job 11:13-18 (CEV)
13 Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer,14 and give up your sins— even those you do in secret.15 Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless.16 Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge,17 and your darkest night will be brighter than noon.18 You will rest safe and secure filled with hope and emptied of worry.

It’s just that simple! God gives 3 commands and 8 promises in these 6 verses. The key to restoring relationships was found in 3 easy steps.

Everyday I surrender my heart to God
That is, every day, I give up. I let go. I put my hands in the air and I say, I am fed up with ME! I say God please take over and MAKE ME what you want me to be. When we say “make me” we are saying “God, I am clay in your hands and I am willing to become whatever you desire.”

Everyday I remember to turn to Him in prayer
That is, every day, I remember all the promises and the good things God has said about me.
1. I am accepted:
(Titus 3:7 CEV)
"Jesus treated us much better than we deserve. He made us acceptable to God and gave us the hope of eternal life."
2. I am loved with out condition:
(Isaiah 54:10)
"For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain."
3. I am forgiven:
(Romans 8:1)
"So, now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus."
4. I am valued:
(1 Corinthians 7:23)
"God paid a high price for you…."
Everyday I offer to give up my sin against God and others:
That is, every day, I offer to others what has been give to me--acceptance, unconditional love, forgiveness--and I value them as God values me.

If you will do these three simple steps

"...Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless.16 Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge,17 and your darkest night will be brighter than noon.18 You will rest safe and secure filled with hope and emptied of worry."

God wants to make it simple and easy. So get up, surrender, pray, and love others and Life…. Your life will be full of JOY!

I love you all,
Go give em Heaven,
Pastor Scott

Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here.

God's nature is love. God will never do anything contrary to his nature.

In your life, God will never express his will toward you except as an expression of his perfect love.

He can't!

He will never give you second best.

His very nature will not let him.

He will bring judgment and wrath on those who continue in sin and rebellion.

His disciplines, however, are for His children and they are always based on love (Hebrews 12:6).

Because God's nature is love, the way He expresses himself to you is always best.

Two Bible verses describe his love toward us:

"God so loved the world that He gave his only son." (John 3:16)
and
"This is how we know what Love is: Jesus Christ lay down his life for us." (1 John 3:16)

God is love (1 John 4:16).

Your total trust in God's love is crucial. Knowing this truth has been a powerful influence in my life.

Never look at circumstances in your life without seeing them against the backdrop of the cross.

Your relationship with God should determine everything you do.

Your relationship with God reveals what you believe about Him.

It is spiritually impossible for you to truly believe one way and practice another.

If you really believe God is love, you will also accept the fact that His will is always best.

He loves you and He is a good, good father.

Rest in that!

I love you too!
Go give em Heaven
Pastor Scott

Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here.

“The problem is not the problem; the problem is your attitude about the problem!”
-Captain Jack Sparrow
“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they every dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”
-Actor Jim Carrey


God has a purpose for you and wants you involved in his purposes. That is very important to know and understand. It means there is a point to life!

God has been working in the world around you all along. He was accomplishing his purposes for your life since before you were born.

We know this is true because, He said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” (Jeremiah 1:5).

When God is ready for you to take a new step or direction in your life, it will always be in line with what he has already been doing in your life. He does not go off on tangents or take meaningless detours.

He builds your life in an orderly fashion with a divine purpose in mind. You are the apple of His eye and the love of His life.

He was loving you before you were born and He loves you the same today and tomorrow. So stand up and move forward knowing the God of this universe and the lover of your soul is with you and for you.

Your life has a purpose…. so go live like it!

Go give em Heaven!
I love you all,
Pastor Scott

A common complaint heard from people who walk away from a church often goes something like this: “I was not fed by the pastor’s teaching.”

What exactly does a phrase like this assume?

It is popularly presumed that the pastor is supposed to “feed the sheep” or to deliver such an inspiring message each week that the entire congregation leaves with an increased understanding of and a deeper commitment to God and his word.

But is this presumption biblical?

I often see this type of attitude as an infantile and self-righteous excuse for lack of spiritual growth.

People are blaming the teacher rather than assuming responsibility for their own faith.
I am not much of an expert on raising sheep, but I know that rarely do shepherds actually feed their sheep. Shepherds do not pull up the grass, shove it in the sheep’s mouth, and force their jaws to move up and down.

One exception to this is when a lamb is orphaned and unable to feed itself. In this case a shepherd will feed the baby lamb with a bottle of milk.

The writer of Hebrews rebukes those who would receive the letter with hard hearts and dull senses toward hearing the voice of God. He writes: “you have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.” Hebrews 5:12.

Like orphaned lambs they were not growing—only able to drink from a bottle of milk.

For many, the only consumption of God’s word takes the form of milk passed on to them from the bottle—predigested food from a teacher delivered to babies.

Churches in America today are made up of spiritual infants who are stuck in a baby state of maturity. They have grown dependent on milk from teachers.

The Hebrews passage goes on to say, “for someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature.”

The people of God should be maturing beyond a dependency on teachers so that they can study on their own and be a source of nourishment to others.

Yet, as long as the vast majority of Christians remain immature and dependent on milk, they will not reproduce disciples and they will not produce leaders.

We all need to become self-feeders.
The question is, are you able to eat on your own?
Do you read your Bible?
Let’s get busy. Let’s begin eating solid food.
Let’s start encouraging others in this journey to do the same.
Let’s not die, spiritually, of malnutrition!

I love you all.
Go give em heaven,
Pastor Scott

Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here.

I was engaged in a conversation, once, with a fella who was pretty animated about whatever it was he was discussing. At one point he declared with great conviction, “I have done a 360° on that subject.”

I laughed.
He gave me a puzzled look.
I said, “So then, you still believe the same thing you’ve always believed? You’ve not changed a bit!” He still didn’t get it.

I then drew a circle for him in the air and showed him that to “do a 360°” is to return right back where you started. I suggested that perhaps he had actually “done a 180°” on the subject. Then he chuckled.

180°’s are rare things.

From birth, our environment, our geography, our own insecurities, and the pressure of cultural fads begin to influence our ideas. And our ideas tend to settle and then even harden as time passes.
Yet, the Christian faith calls for just the opposite— a 180°. Not on everything demands a 180°, mind you.

For not everything is wrong.

However, on the subject of one’s soul and the means whereby we come to know God, the Christian faith does indeed require a 180°. If we think that we can stitch together our own unique plan of salvation – no Savior needed – no saving needed, we are wrong.

The Christian faith says plainly, that that is not so.

Jesus’ death on the cross is laden with rich meaning and accessible symbolism.

1. He died for a reason. That reason was you. That reason was me.

2. He offers to us the gift of His death as the just punishment for all of the naughtiness we have done and all that we might yet do.

3. This gift works beyond the limits of time. It stretches to the past. It meets us in the present. And it will be waiting for us in the future.

A 180° comes at that moment when we choose to part with our patchwork of ideologies—our home-brewed atonement—and when we humbly receive the gift freely offered. The very word “repent” in the Greek suggests that a person, heading in one direction, turns and then heads in the other direction.

I’m no engineer, but that sounds like the definition of a 180°.

So consider:

have you committed to the 180°? Or have you simply said I want to do a 180°?

In actuality, have you done a 360° as my friend said before?  Have you never really made a changed?

Our faith in Jesus requires that we repent and we walk away from sin. It requires that we let go of that which so easily entangles us.

So what’s the plan? Where are YOU headed?

Jesus said, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near (Matt 4:17).”

I challenge you to repent right now and to believe in the gospel.

Will you do that?

My friend, say YES today and be FREE!

I love you all,
Go give em Heaven!
Pastor Scott

Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here.

"You Christians look after a document containing enough dynamite to blow all civilization to pieces, turn the world upside down, and bring peace to a battle torn planet. But you treated it as though it is nothing more than a piece of good literature."
——Mohandas Gandhi

When I consider the cost of so many lives lost in the struggle to get free access to God’s word, I am ashamed at how we have neglected it.

As long as we read books about the Bible and not the Bible itself, the enemy has succeeded in keeping the kingdom of God sterile, unhealthy, and weak.

There is no substitute for God’s word. It alone is the seed of his kingdom. Seedless watermelons may be convenient. But if that is all we produce, soon our children and grandchildren will not know the sweet taste of a cold, juicy watermelon slice on a hot summer day.

I have had people say to me, “oh I read the Bible but it is confusing. But when I hear you teach the word, it comes alive and I understand it so much more.”

To my selfish pride and to my earthly flesh, this sounds great. But in the spiritual world, it is grievous. I should not be complemented by such a statement. Instead, I should be saddened.

I think of all the lives that were sacrificed so that each man and woman can have the Scriptures—only to look around and find that those lives are not enough.

Most Christians have deluded themselves into thinking, “a verse a day keeps the devil away.”
 
For many, their entire intake of God’s word consists of reading a daily Bible verse from the calendar and listening to a sermon once a week.

And we wonder why the church in America is weak and anemic.

To see the kingdom grow, God’s word must be taken in abundantly. It must penetrate deeply into our souls.

It is that simple. The Scriptures are alive with God’s voice, and the Holy Spirit is in us with a special anointing that gives each of us direct access to God’s heart every time we open His Word.

So open the Bible…and read.

Read…read…read…

…and you will grow, go and glow!

I love you all!
Go give em Heaven,
Pastor Scott

Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here.

I hope your new year is getting off to an awesome start. Mine sure is!
Ok, so let's talk commitment.

While New Year's resolutions carry forward an awesome tradition, their failure is not far behind.
It can't be helped. We tend to shoot very high and our will power is made up of the same wood, hay and stubble we exhibited in the previous year.

Unlike NASA, failure tends to be the most common option.
You see, we commit ourselves to all kinds of things, believing the philosophies of this world, like "we can do anything we set our mind to".

However, that's contrary to God's word which says, "Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit says the Lord." in Zachariah 4:6. And "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" in Philippians 4:13.

Power comes from God not us. Strength is found in the authority of Christ alone.
If we are to resist the temptations of this world and daily become more like our Savior Jesus, then we must commit and submit ourselves to him.
But how can you trust someone you barley know?

If we are to know him, then we must talk to him all day every day. We must spend time in his word, and with others (church family) who love him, for encouragement. Don't commit yourself to lose weight. Don't commit yourself to be a more loving husband or wife. Don't commit yourself to being a better worker or friend.

Commit yourself and your ways to the Lord and he will direct your path!

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and He will give you all you need." Then you will be able accomplish and fulfill the desires of your heart, because they will be the desires of His! The year is young. Keep moving.

Go give em Heaven!
I love you all,
Pastor Scott

Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here. 

No one enjoys the assignment of learning and practicing forgiveness.
It is counter-intuitive to both our reason and our emotions. And, from what I can tell so far, in the journey of my life, I am going to get to work on this one until the day I die.

There is Divine logic to this command, however.
And, let me add this qualifier, I know more about this subject than I have yet applied.
Knowledge is not the problem ... application is everything!

First thing’s first, the Christian faith teaches us to forgive—wholesale.
It doesn't make allowances for any particular offense whereby we have been injured, no matter how bad.  

It just throws it out there as part of what it means to be a follower of Christ: forgive, 100% of the time.

This teaching has gotten me into trouble more than once; and pleading that I am only the messenger accomplishes absolutely nothing.

It only takes one person to come up to me and say something like one of these statements to make me want to leave this topic for good.
“I was sexually abused by a relative.”
“I was abandoned by my father.” 
“I fought in the war where I saw the enemy butcher innocent children.” 
It is in statements like these that I can’t help but hear the very reasonable logic—the pleas for an exception—for the unique horror these people have experienced—true horror that haunts them day after day.

Some have experienced a great number of these horrors and that makes it all the more difficult to encourage them down the path of forgiveness.
Their sorrows have been multiplied. Their challenge is indeed greater than mine.
This I can promise: God knows what He is up to with this command.

Ultimately, it is for our own good.
Consider the last few words of Jesus as he hung there in agony on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

As we live life with purpose—that is, to become more like Jesus—we must learn His forgiveness.
Even as I write this, I think, “Boy, this is hard!”

Nevertheless, He calls me to my knees; and only there will I find the strength to stand and say I forgive.

I love you all
Go give em Heaven
Pastor Scott

Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here.

Why?  Why forgive?

The most simple and basic reason that heaven presents to us is this: We forgive, because we have been forgiven.
The scriptures say it this way:

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you (Colossians 3:13).”

This scripture is telling us to stop and to exercise a bit of self-reflection regarding how repeatedly—and how relentlessly—we have availed ourselves of the grace and the mercy of God.

 I don’t know about you, but for me, it seems that mercy is necessary for my every waking moment.

The sheer volume of forgiveness that is enacted on my behalf from Him is staggering!
When we begin to see the command to forgive in the light of this true context, it indeed begins to become a source of healing.

Granted, some hurts will take longer than others to heal.
CS Lewis once said that he prayed for over 30 years the prayer of forgiveness over someone who had wronged him.

He would wake up morning after morning and the hurt was still with him. So, he offered the prayer again and again—day after day.
One morning, some 30 years later, he woke up and the prayer mysteriously took hold.
It was finally over.

I am not asking for us to feel better about an offense, but rather to step over into that virgin territory of obedience and give it a go.

We will find help with this obedience in Jesus and God will cheer the smallest of efforts.
So often, we want to hold on to the hurt and we use it to be bitter and angry. Why?

There is so much life to live; and hanging on to hurt only takes life away.
Going home to a spouse becomes difficult because you won’t face them or you just decide to be angry and not talk.

You find yourself hiding in stores when you see that person who has wronged you. You begin avoiding them in crowds. So silly and shameful.

Forgive as you have been forgiven! Release them and there by release yourself. LIVE!

I love you all,
Go give em Heaven,
Pastor Scott

Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here.

 We read in Matthew 4 that Jesus was led into the desert and fasted for 40 days and nights and was tempted before He began His ministry.

I suppose that was Jesus’s way of getting set and focused for the fight ahead.
I am thankful that God has not asked me to do that!

However, He has asked me to get set for the fight ahead.
Jesus’s ministry started right after leaving the desert and He began to preach “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”  

What I get from that is the time had come to get busy. To do what He had been sent to do.
So I needed to be reminded of what I have been sent to do—to know Him and make Him known.

God was saying to me it’s time to get back in the fight. Our community needs people who are willing to fight for their hearts of those who live here.

God reminded me that it’s time to announce once again “repent of your sins and turn to God, for the kingdom of heaven is near!”

All too often, the problem is that we know what to say, but we lack the courage and the boldness to say it.

I really believe in friendship evangelism and in lifestyle evangelism, it is very important to love people right where they are.

However, it is imperative that at some point we voice the timeless truth: “You need Jesus for salvation.”

We must speak what we say we believe. So what do you say?
Will you be bold and courageous enough to tell one person this week about the love and the saving grace of Jesus? I plan to tell at least five!

I love you all,
Go give em heaven,
Pastor Scott

Jesus encountered much thanklessness during his journeys here on earth.

Perhaps none stand out more clear than the story found in Luke chapter 17:
“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, 10 men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, master, have pity on us!”

Jesus was called aside by the shouts of men afflicted with a serious, skin condition called leprosy.

If Jesus could cure the blind, heal the lame, and raise the dead, surely, they thought, he would have the power to help them too.

They were already social outcasts and had nothing to lose, so they raised their voices in desperate hope.

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”
The priests were the ones that determined whether a healing had taken place.
According to the book of Leviticus, only a priest could restore someone who was formerly unclean to the community.

Yet, how could Jesus’ command to “go” be obeyed by these men afflicted by leprosy?

At this point Jesus had done nothing outwardly to assure them of a cure.
This indeed would be a test of their obedience.
How would they respond to the Lord’s command?
Perhaps it was something in the way Jesus looked them in the eyes. Or maybe it was the way he encouraged them to believe. I don’t know. Yet, somehow, he persuaded them to trust his simple word, “Go”.
…And as they went, they were cleansed.

Note: obedience always leads to blessing!

In this account regarding these Lepers, the obedience preceded the healing.
Scripture says, “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him, and he was a Samaritan.”

Notice this man’s response to the blessing.

He sees the healing, he turns 180°, he thanks, and he worships.
Jesus asks, “Were not all 10 cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give thanks and praise to God except this foreigner?”

I have heard it said, “Gratefulness is knowing awareness that we are the recipients of goodness.”

The nine who did not give thanks were not only rude, they were ignorant!

We are the recipients, not the creators of goodness.

John piper says, “”God is the one being in all the universe for whom seeking his own praise is the ultimate loving act.”

Therefore, thanks and praise are not options when we are fully aware of the Creator. They are joyful inevitability’s.

Then Jesus said to him, “rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

I have always wondered how the other nine must’ve felt when the man, rising from his worship, caught up with them, and told them of his grateful exchange with Jesus.
Not only had he been healed outwardly, but his faith had made him whole inside as well.
Thankfulness does brings benefits in this world and in the world to come.

The nine had their cure, however it was only finite as sickness and death would surely follow again.

The one who gave thanks had his finite cure too, however he also had a relationship with Jesus the king of the universe who guarantees Life everlasting.

Let’s remember, as we leave the Thanksgiving holiday and head into the Christmas season, that we are the recipients of the infinite God’s great goodness. Let us praise and thank the one from whom all blessings flow.

Go give em Heaven,
I love you all,
Pastor Scott

Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here.

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” ~John 14:14

As I begin again to write my weekly encouragements to you, I pray your walk with Jesus has grown deeper. I desire that you know Him in the fullness of His grace and mercy and that each day brings new joy.

I know that is a big prayer and yet I am reminded that He promises to “do it” because I ask in the the name of Jesus.

Now I know of no Christian who can claim, without some sort of qualification, a 100% success rate in respect to prayer.

That certainly includes me. Moreover, some prayers are open-ended, such as asking for “daily bread”.

Every day that prayer is answered and we owe Him a moment of gratitude; however, I will be hungry again tomorrow.
So what is Jesus talking about? Is he over-promising?

First  we should note how he sets up the promise, there is a qualifier.
Look again at the text: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

Removed from the start, is any notion of silly or willy-nilly requests. Because I’m a Pastor, I’m overwhelmed at times with appeals to pray over some rather unremarkable requests.
I’ve prayed for lost cats, wallets, keys, sunglasses, etc. I’ve also prayed for people to lose things: weight, an unhealthful habit, a bad relationship, etc.

It’s not that these requests are of no interest to heaven. The Lord can use the most humble crisis or need to redirect someone back to the throne of God.
But there is the issue – the throne of God. If we will fight through our momentary concern and be quiet for a minute, we’ll find a bigger order of business at hand, a larger conversation.

Jesus said, "And I will do whatever you ask in my name…" It is helpful here to replace the word “name” with “nature”.

When you do so in this context, you begin to understand just what Jesus is driving at with this promise. To pray according to his nature means we are concerned with what he is concerned about.

One need only look to the cross to know of his greatest concern. He loves the world and desires to populate a heavenly kingdom with souls that have reached out to him in humility and faith.
That will always come first. If we get our head around this concern of his, our prayers will line up behind that. It doesn’t mean that God won’t find your cat, but it does mean that his greater concern is for the owner of the cat. Now we begin to understand His nature and our prayer life becomes much more powerful!

Go Give 'em Heaven!
Pastor Scott

Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here.

Miracles? Jesus not only made extravagant promises in
respect to prayer but he also said this:
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been
doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.“
John 14:12
 
We know from the Book of Acts that its very name is embedded and related to this promise.
The Apostles did do things. They did “acts”. They too healed, and raised the dead,
and had control - at times - over nature. They saw a greater harvest than Jesus ever did.
One of the questions we need to ask - and it is an important one - is this: was this promise of Jesus speaking to quantity or quality?
I believe the answer is both.
 
I have witnessed a number of miracles over the years.
Many of them were timing miracles. I was up against some physical need. The prayer I offered and the timing of the supply were so uncanny that I sensed heaven’s deep concern for me in that very moment.
I have kept a record of these answered prayers and unanswered prayers and I believe that every one is, in some respect, a miracle. Sometimes unanswered prayers or prayers not answered the way we desired are miracles. Perhaps a protection from heaven?
 
I have also been witness to a few physical healings that defied any explanation other than God’s intervention. I wish I could report volumes of these, but I cannot. 
Nonetheless, I continue to pray for the sick, the brokenhearted and the
broken. It is a sign of Christian charity to do so even in the face of scattered results.
 
Now, I believe that Jesus was speaking not only to the quality of the works but also to the quantity.
And Jesus, himself, lowered the bar significantly in respect to quantity when he said this:
“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward." Matthew 10:42

While we each would wish for consistent healing powers, the
sick are indeed less in number than the thirsty.
And the fact that Jesus says these words in reference to judgment day tells us
a lot.
It is the natural, everyday acts of service that capture the attention of heaven. Moreover, there is a sobering warning given a few chapters earlier for those who appeared to be quite gifted:
“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”
Matthew 7:22,23
 
Jesus promised that we would do greater works. He didn’t use the word miracle.  If you recall, he redefined greatness in the kingdom by the washing of the disciple’s feet.
Such humble acts are within reach of us all. While we pine for the miraculous, the opportunity to do the modest is in our line of vision each and every day.
And perhaps the modest will lead to the miraculous.

Go Give Em Heaven
Pastor Scott

Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here.

When the Apostle Paul is bringing encouragement to the church at Thessalonica, he says:

"Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." -I Thessalonians 5:16-18

In three verses Paul fashions for us a lifestyle for a lifetime. If you’ve ever questioned God’s will for your life or your purpose in life, it is answered here: worship all the time, pray all the time and be grateful all the time.
 
I’ll be the first to admit that prayer is a bit of a mystery. And I’ll also admit that I know more about the mechanisms of prayer than my own commitment to prayer.

Prayer is hard –at least real prayer. I pray quite a lot yet, I’m quite certain I don’t pray enough. I’ve only known brief times of praying without ceasing. It wasn’t just Paul who said it. Jesus mentioned much the same in one of his many parables:

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them
that they should always pray and not give up." -Luke 18:1

The story that follows is the story of a poor widow driving a
local, unjust judge crazy with her persistent pleas for justice.

As the story progresses he finally grants her request--if only to get her out of his hair. Jesus contrasts this unjust judge with God the Father.

He says that if this compromised and uncaring judge gives in to a persistent widow for whom he feels nothing, then how much more will God grant the persistent requests of his own children whom he indeed loves?
 
So, there seems to be a bit of heavy-lifting required on our end. I don’t know why; but we’re asked to pray and not get discouraged in doing so.

I can only guess that he is causing something to happen inside of us. If we’ve grown tired of praying a certain prayer, perhaps heaven has waited us out for our own good.

The wisdom of a “no” becomes evident with time and a “no” is certainly one type of answer to prayer.
But more often, I believe, he is using our persistent prayer to craft and shape us as we pray - getting us ready to receive both the blessing and the burden of a “yes.”

There are obvious obstacles to walking in the peace Jesus promised to his disciples.

Our willful ways, otherwise known as “sin”, is the most obvious.

We must ask forgiveness each day for those things the Holy Spirit finds unworthy in our hearts and minds.

It does take some practice. We cannot treat our hearts as we oftentimes treat our homes that await a good spring cleaning. The accumulation of sinful dust and dirt is not spiritually healthy.

We should keep a short list with heaven in respect to sin. Confess it the moment you realize it and then move on. God has no interest or desire for you to carry about those obstacles to peace.

Having said that, we seldom realize the sinfulness of worry or anxiety. Not only is it spiritually damaging to us, it is dangerous to our physical health as well.

This from WebMD:

"Chronic worry can trigger a host of health problems. The problem occurs when fight or flight is triggered daily by excessive worrying and anxiety. The fight or flight response causes the body’s sympathetic nervous system to release stress hormones such as cortisol. These hormones can boost blood sugar levels and triglycerides (blood fats) that can be used by the body for fuel. The hormones also cause physical reactions such as: Difficulty swallowing, Dizziness, Dry mouth, Fast heartbeat, Fatigue, Headaches, Inability to concentrate, Irritability, Muscle aches, Muscle tension, Nausea, Nervous energy, Rapid breathing, Shortness of breath, Sweating, Trembling and twitching."  

And all the people said AMEN!
 
So, one of the disciples -a notorious worrier named Peter - gave us this bit of advice in one of his epistles:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. ~I Peter 5:6,7
 
Peter gives us the cure to worry.

We are to humble ourselves. God doesn’t do that for us. We are to humble ourselves.

How do we signal to heaven that we are humble? We are to cast our anxieties - our “worries” - his way. And note that he uses the word “all.”

The word “cast” literally means to throw. But it is not a game of pitch and catch. We are throwing it to God not as if it’s a ball, but rather a ticking time-bomb.

The word “anxiety” in the Greek means double-mindedness.

To sum it up: We humble ourselves before God by throwing on Him everything that brings worry - or better said, anything that takes away our peace.

He earned the right to carry our anxieties/worries on the cross.

It is presumptuous to think otherwise. Anxiety and worries are meant for God-sized shoulders and we are not God, at least I know I am not….are
you?

 

Go give em Heaven,
Pastor Scott

Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here.

There are those who stretch the notion of grace to the outer limits. In this life you will meet people who will push past what you can accept - i.e. the alcoholic, the drug addict, the harsh
husband etc.

And yet we learn this from the Gospel of John about Jesus. He loved people. He would do anything for anyone at anytime. He listened without judgment. He attracted to himself the down and out. There was no pretense about him.
 
It is unsettling for some of us to accept these type people as believers. They don’t fit the pattern, the norm, of whatever it takes to join the Christian club. That is revealing.

Whatever lowest common denominator we might come up with, Christ
can go lower.

Whatever lofty standard of righteousness we might set, Christ can go higher.

Consider this, from Brennan Manning,

“Because salvation is by grace through faith, I believe that among the countless number of people standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands (see Revelation 7:9), I shall see the prostitute from the Kit-Kat Ranch in Carson City, Nevada, who tearfully told me that she could find no other employment to support her two-year-old son. I shall see the woman who had an abortion and is haunted by guilt and remorse but did the best she could faced with grueling alternatives; the businessman besieged with debt who sold his integrity in a series of desperate transactions; the insecure pastor addicted to being liked, who never challenged his people from the pulpit and longed for unconditional love; the sexually abused teen molested by his father and now selling his body on the street, who, as he falls asleep each night after his last 'trick' whispers the name of the unknown God he learned about in Sunday school.”

'But how is that possible?' we ask.
 
Then we hear God say, 'They have washed their robes and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'
 
There they are. There we are - the multitude who so wanted to be faithful, who at times got defeated, wrecked by life, and beaten by trials, wearing the bloody garments of life's tribulations, but through it all clung to faith.
 
My friends, if this is not good news to you, you have never
understood the gospel of grace.”
 

-Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out.

 

Go give em Heaven,
Pastor Scott

Want more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott? Click here.

A man is being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy street. Suddenly, the light turns yellow, just in front of him. He does the honest thing, and stops at the crosswalk, even though
he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.
The tailgating woman hits the roof, and the horn, screaming in frustration as she misses her chance to get through the intersection with him.
As she is still in mid-rant, she hears a tap on her window and looks up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer orders her to exit her car with her hands up. He takes her to the police station where she is searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a cell.
After a couple of hours, a policeman approaches the cell and opens the door. She is escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer is waiting with her personal effects. He says, I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, and the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker, and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car.”

Pretty funny right!?

Until it happens to you!

Who are you? The apostle Paul writes in chapter 15 of Romans,
14 I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them.

That is so true about you and me as well. We know the right things to do and in fact we could
and do teach all about them. It is the "living them out" part that is so tough.
I mention all of this to direct our attention to something Peter said in his first epistle:

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
-I Peter 3:15
 
For Peter, a man who comes across in his early days as boisterous and contentious – definitely an eye for an eye man – this is significant.  

Peter is giving instructions to believers on how best to carry on in a hostile culture. He is saying that we are to lead with our lives, and that in so doing, it might bring an opportunity for our words to follow.  

And the words that follow are to be given with gentleness and respect.

In the case of sharing our faith? What is Peter getting at?  Are we to fear the people who’ve asked us to share a bit about our hope?

I don’t think so. Go back and look at the very beginning of verse 15:
"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord."  

I think what Peter is getting at is to be in fear. Better yet, be in awe of the moment.

When these moments come - when our lives have earned us the right to be heard - the presence of the Lord has arranged the appointment – both for us to share and for others to hear.

It is a holy moment, and He is with us. Don’t miss it.

Go Give em Heaven,
Pastor Scott

Want to read more encouraging blogs from Pastor Scott?
Click Here!

"The best part about procrastination is that you are never bored,
because you have all kinds of things that you should be doing."



Procrastination!

I hate the word. It makes me feel guilty and it causes such problems.

When we cram for tests, we get lower grades. When we wait until the deadline to file taxes, we miss things and make costly mistakes.

When we put off difficult conversations, wounds begin to fester.

The Bible tells us in James 4:17,

“Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not to do it.”

When God tells you to do something, and you don’t do it, it’s not just a bad strategy or a missed blessing. It is sin.

If God has told you to do something and you are not doing it, do it now! Not next month, next week, or even tomorrow—do it right now.

Proverbs 27:1 says,

“Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t even know what today will bring.”

There is no guarantee of tomorrow.
You may not have the opportunity tomorrow to do what God has told you to do. Someday is today!

One of these days… is none of these days. Do it today. Start right now!

People tell me all the time God wants them to get more involved at Freedom Church. Then they say "And I will…as soon as this or that happens.

We often get into patterns that keep us from doing anything new and fresh.

It is the stepping out in new adventure that God uses to get us to new places, but we are afraid or we say "I just don't have the energy."

However, often we find the new adventure is what brings the energy.

Those who say they’re planning to do something have been taking aim for years. Yet they never seem to get around to pulling the trigger. Don’t be like that. You need to pull the trigger. These three words could change your life forever: Do it now!

Right now write down one thing you know God wants you to do. Put
that note in a place where you can’t miss it — like on your bathroom
mirror or on the refrigerator.

Now Do it!

Each time you catch yourself saying "I’ll do it later," say out loud "I’m procrastinating!"
There’s got to be a time in your life when you stop intending and start acting. Stop making excuses.

I have heard that getting the rocket off the launch pad requires the most amount of energy. But once the rocket is in orbit, it takes very little energy to keep moving.

So what do you say… are you going to get moving?

Go Give em Heaven,
Pastor Scott

Jesus makes prediction:

"A time is coming and in fact has come when you will all be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone."  -John 16:32  

How humiliating -- Jesus is telling the disciples that at the moment of his greatest need, they’re all going to call it a night and head home.

Jesus is predicting their failure. He is predicting their embarrassment. He is predicting their regret. He is predicting their cowardice.

In a word, he is predicting their sin.  Peter’s will be the worst.

He will deny Jesus three times – loudly and with harsh and ugly language to drive home his point.

But each will drift into the shadows as Christ is betrayed by Judas and surrounded by soldiers who are intent on beating him.

They will each fade away in shame and cowardice.

As Jesus predicts failure, he also promises a grace that will redeem such failure. There is no failure that Heaven cannot turn into a greater good.

Betraying a friend in need is near the top of terrible things one can do. Yet, with this awful prediction comes the word that they are pre-forgiven:

"Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
-John 16:32b-33  

They will know failure but they will also know peace.
One is a prediction; the other is a promise. And the promise is what brings us life!

Listen, you are going to fail it happens to the best of us, Jesus has said it is so.

The question is, do you believe Him when He says even in the midst of failure you can have peace? That peace comes from the faith that He loves you in spite of your
failures.

So get up and keep moving ahead, He’s got this!

Go Give Em Heaven
Pastor Scott