Obstacles and Opportunities

Galatians 6:10
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

An obstacle is defined as a thing that blocks one's way, prevents or hinders progress. I know what you are thinking, this could be anything and everything right? Sure it can. Obstacles are things or people who try to get us off the mark and to hinder the work of God in our lives.

An opportunity is defined as a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. Could these circumstances be viewed as obstacles? I believe that they can at times. So how do we understand if they are just obstacles that have been placed on the course to trip us up and hinder us or opportunities to grow and honor God?

Is it in how we view them? Obstacles can look very, very big sometimes. So big that we could even stop running or look for a way around them. But what if we looked past the obstacle? What if we set our eyes upon the goal? Then maybe these obstacles could turn into an opportunity. But what if you flipped that around? Can opportunities turn into obstacles? Oh, yes. This is a very difficult subject to discuss because so many think that this is a glass half full or half empty talk. The truth is that in our lives there will be both!

We will have obstacles on the course. We will have opportunities also. Both of these can make, will make, you stronger in the Lord. How? Obstacles will make you depend and draw all of your strength from God. Opportunities will do the same. You see, without Christ you will trip at every obstacle and opportunity. With Christ... nothing, and I mean nothing, will keep you from the finish line.

Thank you Lord for my obstacles and my opportunities. Help me to see you in them both.

How Do You See People?

1 Kings 17:24

And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.

This scripture ends a great story in the Bible. The story of Elijah and the widows barrel is at the beginning of this scripture. Then a story of tragedy hits. The widow's son becomes sick and dies. She calls for Elijah and he sets him in a loft and prays over him. Three times he begs God for the life of this boy, and God answers him. He takes the boy back to his mother and she says, "Now by this I know that thou art a man of God,". 

I'm not asking if you have raised the dead or performed a great miracle this morning. But what I am asking is...can people say this about you?  Can people truly see that we are His children?  You know people say all the time... Andrew is musically talented like his dad, or the Jacob is so sweet like his mother. It's because we can see the parents in the children. Just like how people should see Jesus in us because we are a part of the family. 

Can people see the Father when they see us?  Or do they see some cheap, fake imitation trying to be sold as the truth?  

Lord, please let people see you when they see me!  Please let me be the man of God that you have called me to be. Never let people see me, but let them see Christ that lives within me.  How 

God Moved

Genesis 1:1-5
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

How Awesome! Can you see the greatness and magnitude in this scripture? You may be asking what the big deal is about God making the heaven and the earth. Maybe you say, "Sure, I believe God created all of this." But through our eyes of flesh we can't see the greater blessing of it. We create things right? Thomas Edison created the light bulb. Alexander Graham Bell created the telephone. Bill Gates created Microsoft Windows. Al Gore created the Internet, hahahaha. All of these men created something new from something that already existed. All the elements and materials in these creations already existed.

Look at the scripture... "The earth was without form, and void;..." There was NOTHING. There were no trees, dirt, land, birds, creatures,...nothing. God moved upon a nothing situation and created something beautiful.

My life was void and darkness filled my heart at one time. I was nothing but the elements that God had created. My purpose and will were empty. But something happened... Do you know what it was? The Spirit of God moved upon my life. He said, "Let there be light" and I received that everlasting light of Jesus Christ.

Maybe you feel alone and darkness is covering every where you look. Pray, ask for the moving of the Holy Spirit to come upon your life. Let the light of Christ shine upon, and through, you today and forever. When I feel as if I don't know what to do, or don't know where to go, I ask for the Holy Spirit to move. Thank you for moving God!

Now You See Me, Now You Don’t

John 16:22

And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

I can remember as a child playing baseball or basketball at a friends house in our neighborhood. We would jump off the bus, run home, change clothes and hit the playing field. All evening we would play. Then that voice would call out. Oh, I hated it because I knew it was time to go home. Dad would yell from the front porch, and I could hear him at my friends house.  I didn't always go home immediately but I would linger and play just one more game or bat one more time. That was the worst thing in the world to do as a child. Because when I looked up, boom, it was dark. No street lights and not many porch lights in those days. My friend didn't have to walk home in the dark, but I did!  

You know, isn't it funny the things you remember?  Dad or Mom had called my name earlier. I can remember seeing them sometimes standing up at the top of the driveway. But when it got dark, because of my lingering, I couldn't see them anymore. So I would get nervous and scared. Back then I wasn't afraid of people. No, on my road it was dogs you had to look out for. So I would look for dad and couldn't see him. Sometimes thinking he went back into the house. I would start running, hear a noise and stop. But then it would happen. Dad would come into view, or I could see my Mom, I began to feel safe. Wasn't any dog around here gonna get me now!  

Our saying is... "Now you see me, now you don't". But Jesus said, "Now you don't see me, but you soon will". Although we don't see our Savior clearly today, He has gone to prepare us a place. Someday He will call our name, and we will not linger. Then Jesus, our King of Kings and Lord of Lords will come into our view!  Go and read John Chapter 16 and see Him for yourself. 

Give Him Everything

Colossians 3:17

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

How many times do we pray saying, "Lord, I'm giving this to you"?  Only to pick it right back up when we leave the altar or say Amen. Too many to count probably. 

Long ago a great old preacher man told me something that really helped me. He said, "Steve, when you give God your baggage, ask Him to take the handle off of it". See this way we will never pick it back up. When we pray we should ask The Lord to not only remove it from our lives, but also to take the handle off of it so that we aren't tempted to pick it back up as soon as we leave the prayer. 

Also, how many times have you told The Lord, "I'm giving you everything", but only give Him part of it?  God desires that we totally depend upon Him. He wants us to rely on His strength and not our own. He wants us to lean upon His words and not what we think we should say, or even what others would say. Today, He wants everything about you. Not just some of you, but all of you. 

Have you given Him everything?  Do it right now before anything else. Tell Him... "Lord, I give you my burden, my marriage, my children, my sickness, my love, my heart, my life...Lord, I give you Everything!  

Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do ALL in the name of The Lord Jesus

Just One More Lord

1 Corinthians 3:5-8
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one:and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

I love fishing. I think it would be on the top of my list of favorite hobbies. Bass fishing is fun but also it can be work at times. One cast after another cast, over and over again until you get that strike...! When those bass hit it's just indescribable. The feel of the fight and the thrill of seeing it come out of the water dancing. Not much like it in the world. 

But I also love to crappie fish. This is a little more laid back. You can throw a jig if they are biting good but most of the time I pull up to a bridge and drop some minnows in the water. Most times I'll have about three lines in the water and the people in the boat will have the same amount. Sitting and waiting, it is the best fellowship that you can have. Just talking and waiting for those crappie to move. 

The hardest part about either way I fish, whether it be bass fishing or crappie fishing, is leaving. I always struggle with one more cast or one more minnow. Because if I could just catch one more then it would satisfy me. But every time I catch that one, I need one more. 

Alot of times I begin to pray for "one more Lord". What is funny is that the other ones in the boat could catch that next one and not me. But that's okay, just as long as we catch them. 

Isn't that what God tells us? Some people plant, some people water but God gives the increase. God gives the "one more". So why don't you go out fishing this morning? Pray that God will give you one more. If it's not you that gets the "one more" then what does it matter? They all belong to God! It's His harvest, It's His fish. Just give us one more Lord. 

When Will It Be About Him?

John 3:30-31
He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

I don't like the songs they sing. I don't like the lighting in that church. They don't have a big youth group. I didn't see anything for singles or divorced. I like a small church. I like a big church. I like hymns. I like contemporary music. I don't wanna have to dress up. I feel the need to wear a suit and tie because that's my best. I don't want instruments. I can't sing or worship without music. I like pews. I like chairs. Choirs are so outdated. I love to hear a choir sing.

Over and over these phrases are spewed out like vomit from the children of God. It's not the world talking about the church and its so-called features, no it's the church. We talk of what we want so much that we have even adapted that theology to Heaven. We talk of Heaven and what will be there and many times it ends up be a drummed up idea of what we enjoy here on earth.

When will it be about Jesus? When will it be about the presence of the Holy Ghost? When will our lives and walk with Christ be about Him? Our scripture says that we must decrease and He (Jesus) must increase. He is above it all! He is worthy of it all! When we come together, and it is all about Him, then we will experience true worship. So when will it be about Him?

Lord I surrender today. I ask that you increase in my life. Lord, I desire and ask you to be so full in my life that when people hear me or see me that Steve Abney seems to disappear as they behold who you are. In Jesus' name, Amen