From His Heart

[Judy Harder]

From His Heart
Welcome to From His Heart.

CHASING CHARIOTS


And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."  Acts 8:29


Have you ever been at your job. or at your desk at school. or doing chores at home, slugging through yet another day and found yourself thinking, "What real difference is my life making, anyway?" 

It is very easy to fall into the rut where you draw your breath. and draw your salary. and go through the motions of life but lose the meaning and purpose of your existence on this earth.  And what is that meaning and purpose?  To chase chariots.  Chasing chariots makes life EXCITING and brings GREAT JOY! 

PHILIP'S CHARIOT STORY

Philip, a man full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3), was called of God to go to a desert road and join himself to a chariot that was traveling from Jerusalem to Ethiopia.  Although it must have sounded like a strange request to Philip, he obeyed God and ended up leading a "big shot" (a court official and treasurer for the queen of Ethiopia), to faith in Jesus Christ.  What a great story and a great lesson for you and me!

Why are we left here on this earth after receiving Christ as Savior and Lord?  Why doesn't God just take us to heaven immediately and deliver us from the sin, sickness, and depravity that surround us?  We are left here to let our light shine for Christ and to tell others about Jesus, "the way, and the truth, and the life."  As the Bible says, "How shall they (lost people) hear without a preacher?"  God wants that preacher to be you!  It is amazing the difference you and I can make in the lives of hurting, hopeless people as we point them to Jesus through our life AND through our lips. 

MY CHARIOT STORY   

Just this week, I was eating at a restaurant.  When the food came, I asked my waitress, a young woman in her twenties, if I could pray for anything in her life when I prayed over my lunch.  Her answer floored me.  She said, "Yes.  Pray for me.  Last summer I lost two children.  My two year-old drowned, and a month later, my two month-old died of SIDS."  My heart broke as I saw the great hurt in her eyes. 

While it may not have been appropriate in a restaurant setting, I got up and gave her a big hug.  I prayed for her, gave her a 500% tip, and asked her to come by the church so we could talk with her.  She came by the next day, and our women's minister and I talked to her, cared for her, prayed for her and, best of all, led her to receive Jesus Christ as her personal Savior and Lord.  It brings tears to my eyes to think how God used one simple question - "Is there anything I can pray about for you" - to make an eternal difference in her life. 

Regardless of what challenges or difficulties I may have been facing this week, nothing could compare to the joy and excitement I felt knowing God used me to show His love and grace to a young lady who was really hurting and in need of Him. 

THE BIG QUESTION?

Will you start chasing chariots for Christ?  Will you let your light shine and your lips loose to share the good news of love, forgiveness and life in Jesus?  There are opportunities all around us if we will pray and obey. 

My friend, Dr. Paige Patterson of Southwestern Seminary, challenged our church to pray three things each day.  I would like to challenge you to the same:

1. God give me an opportunity today to tell someone about Jesus.
2. God help me be aware of it when that opportunity comes.
3. God give me courage to open my mouth when that opportunity is before me.   

My friend, I truly believe Jesus is coming very soon.  May we be found faithful to the main assignment He gave us to d "Go and make disciples of all the nations."

Love,

Jeff Schreve
Pastor
www.fromhisheart.org
jeff@fromhisheart.org
1-888-811-8203

Jeff Schreve is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Texarkana, Texas. He and his wife Debbie have been married for over 20 years and are blessed with three wonderful girls. Jeff began From His Heart Ministries, a radio and television ministry, in January of 2005. This ministry is completely listener/viewer supported. It continues only through the faithful and generous gifts of people like you. Pastor Jeff takes no salary from this ministry. All gifts go to further the broadcast. 
 

[Judy Harder]

     Friday, April 17, 2009
The Kisses Of An Enemy

Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?  Luke 22:48

It was late Thursday night.  Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples.  He was deeply grieved to the point of death, praying to His Father and sweating drops of blood as the weight of the sin of the whole world was pressing upon Him.  He knew the arresting soldiers were on their way.  To add to His agony, His disciples were asleep. all except Judas. 

Judas Iscariot was busily leading the charge against Him.  Judas was a thief and a lover of money (John 12:6).  He sold Jesus out for a mere thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave.  Stop and think about that: Judas sold out the holy, eternal, unfathomable God for the price of a lowly slave.  How tragically amazing! 

The Bible tells us that it was at the Last Supper, after Jesus had washed the disciples' feet (Judas included) and instituted the Lord's Supper (the new covenant in His blood), that Satan entered Judas.  How boldly arrogant and offensive for Satan to enter Judas right in the Lord's physical presence!  With Satan firmly in charge of him, Judas, a picture of the antichrist to come, went to lead the soldiers to Gethsemane.  He betrays Jesus with, of all things, a kiss.  Isn't that just like the devil?  It is not enough to merely stab Jesus in the back with betrayal. he has to twist the knife in the process.  Betrayed with a kiss. a kiss from hell.   

BETRAYAL

Can you identify with Jesus?  Have you ever been betrayed?  Have you ever had someone "kiss you" with deceitful kindness so that they could gut you down the road?  Many a wife or husband has experienced the kisses of a "best friend" who subversively steals away the marriage.  Many a friend has experienced the kisses of a "trusted" confidant who goes out and betrays that confidence to the gossipers.  Many a leader has experienced the kisses of so-called supporters who delightfully malign his character behind the scenes.  Can I get an "Amen!" somebody?   

What are we to do when we receive the kisses of betrayal from a trusted friend?  Get angry. resentful. and bitter?  Curse God and die?  NO!!  We are to do what Jesus did and pray, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."  It is amazing how potential bitterness will evaporate in your heart when you pray for the well-being and blessing of those who have hurt you. 

What are we to do when we are the betrayer?  We are NOT to do what Judas did.  When he saw that Jesus was condemned to die, he was overcome with grief and remorse.  But instead of repenting before God, He returned the thirty pieces of silver and went out and hanged himself.  As Dr. Adrian Rogers has so poignantly explained, "Trying to escape the hell within him, he stepped into the hell before him."  What a tragic picture of wasted privileges and opportunities was this Judas Iscariot. 

When you are guilty of betrayal, you must get things right with God and the person you betrayed.  Peter was guilty of betrayal.  In the Lord's great time of need, Peter cursed and swore and said, "I don't even know the man!"  And what did Peter do?  He went out and wept bitterly. and repented of his sin and received forgiveness from God.  You can do the same! 

GOOD FRIDAY AND EASTER SUNDAY

The lessons of Good Friday and Easter Sunday are numerous.  The overarching message is clear, however: No matter what terrible things you may have done, your sins can be forgiven in His name.  No matter how long you may have lived in sin and selfishness, no matter how low you may have sunk, no matter what hurt you may have endured, you can receive a fresh start and a new beginning from the King of Glory!   

The Lord really does love you, my friend.  He allowed Himself to be betrayed (He knew what Judas was doing every step of the way) and willingly went to the cross so He could pay for all your sins and mine.  He wants to have a relationship with you that is real. and personal. and life-changing.  It starts when you confess your sins and turn from those sins to Jesus. 

Will you do it?  Will you get things right with God and those you have hurt?  Will you let go of the bitterness you may be carrying over those who have betrayed you?  There is nothing as wonderful as knowing your heart is clean, pure and free because of the blood of Jesus.  And that can be yours today!

Love,

Jeff Schreve
Pastor
www.fromhisheart.org
jeff@fromhisheart.org
1-888-811-8203

[Judy Harder]

April 20, 2009

Blessed are the Meek
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor


Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: And you shall find rest to your souls. Mt 11: 29 (Douay-Rhiems)

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Mt 5: 5 (NIV)


I used to have a strong dislike for the word "meek." It brings me back a decade to a defining moment during my sophomore year of high school.

I was a shy teenager who had stepped outside of her comfort zone by enrolling in several theater classes, including a class on "behind the scenes" theater productions. This should have been the easiest of all the courses for my sensitive nature. But my instructor, while delegating roles for the Spring production of Peter Pan, proved me wrong when she voiced her choice of stage manager like this:

"I've chosen Melissa. I chose her because I need someone with a strong personality -- someone who isn't meek, like Sarah." She emphasized the word "meek" with her best impression of a timid, scared mouse.

Ouch.

Of course, I only drove her point home when I didn't stick up for myself. I spent years after that scene developing assertiveness, determined to prove that Sarah Jennings was not meek. Like this teacher, I associated meekness with weakness and both were traits that needed to be eradicated if I was going to get anywhere in life.

At least that's what I thought until I found that dreaded word jumping off the pages of scripture at me in the Gospel of Matthew. There it was, one of the first things Jesus says in his famous Sermon on the Mount:

Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. (5: 4, D-R)

Last time I checked, aggressive conquerors possess land formerly owned by meek people so this verse, and the ones that precede and follow, definitely made me stop and wonder.

Our deacon offered some thoughts this weekend that helped put things in perspective. He shared that it's in the Sermon on the Mount where we see Jesus begin to expand on His true purpose -- and to the disappointment of many, He was not going to be an earthly king bestowing power and prestige on His people, not just yet. Instead, God's plan for mankind includes an interior transformation of souls for the sake of an eternal kingdom. To properly prepare us for this kingdom, God rejected earthly methods of acquiring power and winning wars in favor of the healing that comes with merciful love.

It is God's mercy that changes our hearts from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. It's Christ's humility, His lowliness, that beckons us into a relationship with Him. And ultimately, it was Christ's willingness to give up earthly glory that opened the door for us to share in His eternal glory.

Now, as much as I would like earthly power, He asks us to "learn from him." As our souls find rest in God, He can continue His redemptive work through us as we display these same "weaker" virtues to the world.

When faced with provocation, those who embrace a meek demeanor display true wisdom and diffuse anger -- allowing truth to shine through.

When faced with hurt, it's the humble heart seeking forgiveness that restores the broken relationship.

When faced with sin, those who show mercy in place of justice bring Christ to a world in need of the Cross.

This isn't to say God lacks power or that Christians should throw out virtues like courage and conviction. I think sometimes cultivating traits like meekness and humility are trickier than learning boldness because we can easily tip the scales too far and become passive in the face of wrongdoing or allow others to trample on our dignity. It's a difficult balance, but a necessary one if we want to reflect Christ to a hurting world.


Intersecting Faith & Life: Is there a situation in your life right now that would benefit from a little meekness, humility, or gentleness on your part? Ask God to show you how to have a meek and humble heart like His -- one that offers healing and restoration while maintaining your God-given dignity.


Further Reading:


Psalm 37: 11
Ephesians 4: 2
James 4: 10
The Grace and Greatness of True Humility

[Judy Harder]

April 21, 2009

Tell it, Lord!
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

He saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office;
and He said to him, "Follow me!"
Matthew 9:9

In the margin of my Bible next to Matthew 7:11 is a notation dated 9/1/90. It says:

"I love verses with exclamation points!"

That particular verse, in case you were wondering, says, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"

I wish I knew the inspiration or emotion that prompted me to make the notation. All I know is that it would have been made during the first or second week of my sophomore year of college, and at the time I was a Youth Ministry major. And that the sentiment has continued.

Coming across that notation again recently prompted me to look up more verses in which Jesus in particular is credited with having expressed some extra "oomph." Of course, the original manuscripts were not inscribed with punctuation marks. Those have been left up to various translators through the years. In my New American Standard version of Matthew's gospel, however, the emphasis has been added to several statements the Lord made, and some of those may be categorized as follows:

Rebuke of Temptation

Matthew 4:10-11: Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'" Then the devil left Him...

Matthew 16:23: But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."

Rebuke of Hypocrisy

Matthew 23:23-39: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!... Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me until you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"

Matthew 11:18-19: "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."

Matthew 12:12: "Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."

Stern Warning

Matthew 9:30: "And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See here, let no one know about this!"

Matthew 6:23: "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"

Regarding Spiritual Warfare

Matthew 8:32: And he said to them, "Begone!" And they came out, and went into the swine..."

Matthew 10:24-25: "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of the house!"

Stirring to Faith in Action

Matthew 12:13: Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" And he stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.

Matthew 14:16: But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!"

Matthew 14:29: And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

Matthew 9:9: He saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office; and He said to him, "Follow me!"

Remembering the Father's Provision

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"

Making a Radical Point

Matthew 12:49-50: "And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."

Sadness

Matthew 26:24, 46: "The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!... Arise, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays me is at hand!"

Matthew 18:7: "Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!"

Regarding the End Times

Matthew 24:19: "But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days!"

The Father's Confirmation

Matthew 17:5: Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!"

Listen to Him indeed. What is He saying? How emphatically is he saying it? Don't mess around when temptation comes. Don't disgredard the spiritual realm and the forces that oppose you. Be stirred to action. Recognize once and for all that God has provided for you like the loving Father He is, so that you are free to do His will without worry. Following Christ is a radical road, but those that betray the Way and put stumbling blocks in the road will be left to God's judgment. Dangerous days are coming. But in the end, your belief is in the Son of Almighty God!

Intersecting Faith & Life: Pick another one of the Gospels and study the points of emphasis you find the Lord saying there.

[Judy Harder]

WHO ME?!  JEALOUS?


Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands." 
1 Samuel 18:8


Have you ever noticed that there are certain sins people just don't like to admit are problems for them?  Jealousy seems to me to be one of those sins.  People will readily admit to having struggles with worry, lust, fear, unbelief, pride, or selfishness. but not with jealousy and envy.  As one envious man defensively told me in a meeting one day, "Well, I KNOW that I am not jealous!"  Oh really?  To quote William Shakespeare, "Me thinks thou dost protest too much."         

SAUL AND DAVID

Saul was green with envy over David.  He hated the women's song, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands."  Big question: Do you think Saul would have admitted he was jealous of David?  NEVER!  Why is that?

Admitting jealousy reveals a great insecurity and a very rotten heart. and no one really wants to admit to having that kind of heart.  Our pride kicks in at the thought of being jealous and we say, "Who me?!!  No way!"  The truth is that many of us struggle with jealousy. and pastors can be the worst offenders.   

THE JEALOUSY TEST

1.  Is there someone in your life (a friend, a sibling, a co-worker, a classmate, a teammate, or a "competitor") whom you always seem to compare yourself to, resulting in pride (YES, I am doing better than you are) or depression (CRUD, you are doing better than I am)? 
 
2.  Is there someone in your life who always seems to get the breaks. and it just makes you sick because you never seem to get them? 

3.  Is there someone in your life whom you secretly desire to see fail and fall flat on his face?

4.  Is there someone in your life whom you have anger towards because people are singing louder and longer for him than they are for you? 

5.  Is there someone you have great trouble rejoicing with when something good happens for him?   

Could it be that you, like Saul, are (dare I say it?) jealous? 

OVERCOMING THE GREEN MONSTER

By nature, I am a very competitive person.  In everything I do, I want to win.  If the women of Israel are going to sing a song about slaying the Philistines, I want to be the one slaying ten thousand, not one thousand.  I want to be David, not Saul.  How about you?   

My competitiveness can easily lead to jealousy if I am not careful.  When I catch myself failing the jealousy test, I must quickly do the following to rid my heart of that poison:

1.  QUIT COMPARING!  I am not to be concerned with being THE BEST.  I am to make sure I always do MY BEST.  Do you see the difference between these two things? 

In Matthew 25, Jesus told a great parable of the talents.  The King was going on a long journey and entrusted his talents (a large sum of money) to his three servants.  One man got five, another got two, and another got one.  Obviously, the guy who started with one could NEVER outdo the guy who started with five.  He could not be the best and the biggest producer in that parable.  But he was not in competition with the other two guys.  The Lord was concerned about the one talent guy doing his best, not being the best. 

At the end of life, the big questions from the Lord will be simply this: What did you do with what I gave you?  Did you do your best and step out in faith?  Did you use that one talent to the full, to the glory of your God. or did you bury it in the ground, grumbling the whole time that you never get a break, that others always get more than you do, and that God is just not fair? 

My friend, quit comparing and start using what you have been given.  Do your best and leave the results with God.         

2.  START REALIZING!  Your job on this earth is to please God, not to be the undisputed champion in every field of competition.  When you focus on pleasing God, you keep your eyes where they should be: on God and off other people.  And when you really focus on pleasing God, you do your best and forget about being the best.   

KING SAUL, KING BUST

Saul's life was a tragedy of epic proportions because jealousy consumed him.  He could have had a great reign, utilizing a gifted champion like David to the full in his kingdom.  Instead, he spent the vast majority of his 40 year reign as a jealous despot, living a life full of misery, anger, bitterness, paranoia, and distance from God.  What a sad picture of the ravaging effects of jealousy.   

Don't let jealousy eat your lunch as it ate Saul's.  Quit comparing, start realizing, and enjoy a life lived for His glory and the fame of His name!

Love,



Jeff Schreve
Pastor
www.fromhisheart.org
jeff@fromhisheart.org
1-888-811-8203

[Judy Harder]

CONDITIONAL PROMISES


IF you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did,
THEN I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David,
and I will give Israel to you.  1 Kings 11:38


This great promise was given to a man named Jeroboam.  He was the first king of the divided kingdom of Israel.  Jeroboam could have lived a great life of blessing.  God had promised him so much.  But tragically, Jeroboam's life was a major bust.  He did not walk by faith in God's promise, but walked by sight and operated out of fear.  As a result, he sinned greatly and caused the people to sin as he set up golden calves for them to worship.  God pronounced judgment on him and his household.  Because of Jeroboam's sin, God said he would sweep him away as dung. and He did. 

THE CONDITIONS

If you want to live a life of blessing, you have to note the conditions.  God has unconditional love for us. but He does not have unconditional blessings.  The favor of God is an IF. THEN.   If you walk with Him and yield control to Him and obey Him, then you experience His power and presence.  If you don't, you won't.  It is that simple. 

YOUR OPPORTUNITY

Jeroboam had a great opportunity for tremendous blessing. and He blew it because He refused to "trust in the Lord with all His heart."  He refused to take God at His word and do what He said.  Instead of living like David, he was swept away like dung.     

You and I can learn much from his mistakes.  We can choose today to follow the Lord.  We can choose to get in on all the good things He wants to do in our lives.  We can choose to line our lives up with God and His word. 

IF you will bow your life before the King of Kings today and obey His voice and His commandments, THEN you will see Him manifest His love and peace and joy in your life.  The choice is yours.  Do you want to live like David or like Jeroboam?           

By the way, if these encouragement emails are helping you in you walk with the Lord, please share them with your friends and have them log on towww.fromhisheart.org and sign up also.

Love,



Jeff Schreve
Pastor

[Judy Harder]

FIRST THINGS FIRST

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things
shall be added to you.  Matthew 6:33


Do you ever struggle with priorities?  Do you let the things in life that really aren't very important crowd out the things in life that really are very important? 

It is interesting to me that when people are on their death bed, they never talk about how they wished they had worked harder, made more sales calls, closed more business deals, climbed higher on the ladder of success.  No.  What they talk about is relationships.  They wish they had lived more for the Lord. they wished they had spent more time with their family and friends. 

A SUCCESS OR A FAILURE?   

Years ago, I ran across this true story of a "successful" father who lost sight of what was really important. 

A young man was to be sentenced to the penitentiary. The judge had known him from childhood, for he was well acquainted with his father--a famous legal scholar and the author of an exhaustive study entitled, "The Law of Trusts." "Do you remember your father?" asked the magistrate. "I remember him well, your honor," came the reply. Then trying to probe the offender's conscience, the judge said, "As you are about to be sentenced and as you think of your wonderful dad, what do you remember most clearly about him?"   There was a pause. Then the judge received an answer he had not expected. "I remember when I went to him for advice. He looked up at me from the book he was writing and said, 'Run along, boy; I'm busy!'  When I went to him for companionship, he turned me away, saying, 'Run along, son; this book must be finished!' Your honor, you remember him as a great lawyer. I remember him as a lost friend."  The magistrate muttered to himself, "Alas! Finished the book, but lost the boy!" 

REWRITING YOUR STORY

Be totally honest: are you falling into the same trap of that "successful" lawyer dad?  Are you trading the eternal things, the things that really matter, for the temporal things that are destined for the ash heap?  The time is now to take a sober inventory of the direction of your life.  What do you see?  Does the picture need some work?

It is not too late to turn things around!  Start first by seeking the Lord and His will for your life.  Then focus you thoughts and attention on family and friends.  Life is more than just deadlines, "to do" lists, work, work and more work.  Life is meant to be savored and enjoyed.  God wants to use your life today to bless others, starting with your own family.  Take time for God, time for worship, prayer, and Bible study. and time for those special people He has put into your life.  May it never be metaphorically said of you that you "finished the book but lost the boy."

Love,



Jeff Schreve

[Judy Harder]

From His Heart

BUILDING STRONG FAITH

I do believe; help my unbelief!  Mark 9:24


What would you say about a workout that only took four minutes a day and produced great results?  Would you say, "Amazing!  Awesome!  Wow!"?  I wouldn't say that.  I would say, "Baloney!"  Yet, the ROM workout contraption (as advertised in all airline magazines) claims to do just that.  You can buy one and see for yourself . for only $14,615.00.   

In my opinion, there is no short cut to getting in good physical shape.  You have to work at it. both in diet and exercise.  While the extra weight goes on easily, it does not come off the same way.  It takes discipline, determination and follow-through to join the ranks of the physically fit.       

SPIRITUAL FITNESS

Just as it is with the physical, so it is with the spiritual.  They are no short cuts to spiritual growth and building strong faith.  As much as we would like to go from a spiritual baby to a mighty man/woman of faith, we cannot get there in one weekend retreat, or one sermon series, or one Beth Moore Bible study.  It takes consistency, discipline and time with the Lord to build spiritual muscle and maturity.

The good news is this: if you will put forth the effort to seek the Lord, you will find Him.  God promises, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13).  If you will come to His gym (prayer, Bible study, worship, church, and discipleship group) day after day with your weak faith, He will transform it over time to strong faith.  He wants you to grow.  He is for you, not against you.  He is looking for those who will get serious about being a true warrior for Christ and a person of God.  Are you willing?  Are you serious?

LORD, INCREASE MY FAITH

Let me encourage you to ask the Lord to increase your faith . to stretch you and grow you like never before.  It may hurt (just like lifting weights can hurt), but it is well worth it.  It may seem impossible (just like doing the stair master for 15 minutes on level 10 can seem impossible), but it will bring great results as you remain faithful and committed. 

Let me also encourage you in these days of economic uncertainty to "walk by faith and not by sight" in your finances.  So many people miss out on God's blessings because they refuse to believe His promise that if you will honor Him with your finances, He will honor you in return (see Malachi 3:8-12).  He says if you will give your tithe (10%) to His kingdom's work, He will pour out a blessing on you that will be so big you won't be unable to contain it all.  It will literally overflow in your lap!  Do you want a blessing like that?  Then take Him at His Word and step out in faith . and start today!

Love,

Jeff Schreve

[Judy Harder]

REMEMBER THE LORD. AND FIGHT!

When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: "Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses."  Nehemiah 4:14

Nehemiah was in a tough spot.  He was halfway through the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem when the enemy really stepped up the attack.  Sanballat, Tobiah and the rest of the devil's pawns were threatening to kill Nehemiah and his builders if they did not immediately cease the rebuilding project. 

The people began to recoil in fear. so Nehemiah encouraged them to "remember the Lord and fight!"  They responded to his challenge, stood up to their enemies, and saw God do a great work.  Sanballat, Tobiah and the rest of their foes never laid a hand on them, and the wall was finished in record time. 

OUR CHALLENGE

The need of the hour is for you and me to "remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and FIGHT!"  The devil would like nothing more than to get us discouraged . afraid . distrusting . critical . negative . and faithless.  He wants us to throw in the towel on all that God has promised us.  He barks at us, "It is hopeless!  You are a failure!  Just go ahead and quit!"  And we must remember that the devil is a liar and a defeated foe.  Just as Nehemiah and the people stood in the face of threats, ridicule and fear, so you and I can do that same . and come out victorious, just like they did! 

Remember, God has promised His children GREAT things, far beyond what we can ask or think (Eph. 3:20).  He wants to bless us and work through us to bless others.  He wants to answer our prayers and show Himself mighty and strong in our lives.  He will not do what we can do . and we cannot do what He can do.  He is waiting on us to take a stand against the enemy, in spite of the fear.     

THE WARFARE IS PRAYER

Would you start to fight?  The warfare truly is prayer.  Lift up you voice in prayer and fight for your marriage, for your family, and for the many good and wonderful promises God has made to you.  Quit letting the devil steal you blind and intimidate you into a corner.  Stand up to him in Jesus' name.  The Bible tells us, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (Jas. 4:7). 

Nehemiah and the people won the victory simply because they would not be intimidated by the enemy.  They remembered that God was greater than any enemy. and "if God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31). 

REMEMBER . nothing God-sized is every accomplished without prayer.  And nothing God-sized is ever won without a fight.  So remember the Lord, get in the battle and see Him bring the victory! 

Love,



Jeff Schreve
Pastor
www.fromhisheart.org
jeff@fromhisheart.org
1-888-811-8203

[Judy Harder]

From His Heart


WHEN YOU FEEL SO ALONE

When I was growing up, I knew a lady who was going through a terrible time in her marriage.  She was feeling the incredibly painful sting of betrayal and separation.  Divorce seemed almost unavoidable.  With a hurting heart, she would sing to the Gilbert O'Sullivan song, "Alone Again (Naturally)." 


To think that only yesterday,
I was cheerful, bright and gay,
Looking forward to, but who wouldn't do,
The role I was about to play
But as if to knock me down,
Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch,
Cut me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt,
All about God and His mercy
For if He really does exist
Why did He desert me
In my hour of need?
I truly am indeed,
Alone again, naturally


That depressing song was a HUGE hit in the 70's. While it does express the heart and feelings of one who is really hurting, the lyrics are filled with faithlessness and error.   

THE TRUTH

First of all, God does exist.  Even though you cannot see Him, He is more real than the sun in the sky.  Secondly, HE NEVER DESERTS HIS CHILDREN!

One of the greatest promises in all the Bible is found in Hebrews 13:5, "For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'"  As powerfully straightforward as that verse is in English, it is even more emphatic in the Greek as the Amplified Bible points out - "I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down relax My hold on you! Assuredly not!"

WOW!  What a promise from the God who cannot lie and who always keeps His word. 

Listen, if you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, He will never leave your side.  He will be with you even when: 

1. You sin terribly and temporarily turn your back on Him.  Whenever we commit a sin that is very awful and shameful, we feel like God must hate us.  Not so.  He sticks with His children NO MATTER WHAT.  If you don't believe me, just ask Simon Peter who cursed and swore and denied Jesus saying, "I don't even know the Man!"       

2. You lose your job because of cutbacks . or because of something you did or failed to do. 

3. You get sick with cancer or some other disease.

4. Your spouse leaves you for another.

5. Your loved ones dies . even though you prayed for a different outcome. 

6. You fall into a deep depression because tragedy strikes.   

PRAISE IS THE ANSWER

When trouble comes into your life like a flood, don't sing the blues.  Don't sing those songs that drive you to new depths of depression and make you want to curse God and die.  Sing the truth.  Fill your heart with praise.  God is still with me!!  The God who can do anything and forgive any sin and calm any storm is still with me . and He is going to see me through! 

Remember, God is the One who is able to give beauty for ashes.  He can take the worst of situations and turn them around for good.  Regardless of the hurtful circumstances you may be facing today, in the midst of the pain, rise up and say with the Psalmist, "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence" (Ps. 42:5). 

By the way, that lady who was going through the terrible marriage problems, God did a miracle of reconciliation . and she and her husband are happily married to this day, celebrating 56 years together. 

Don't give up.  Don't ever give up!!  God has not forgotten you nor forsaken you.  Keep trusting in Him!!
Love,

Jeff Schreve
Pastor
www.fromhisheart.org
jeff@fromhisheart.org
1-888-811-8203