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Pastor's Journal . . . My calling as a pastor Pastor’s Journal - 1998: Sept. 2: His ministry shall be a flaming fire. (Psm. 104:4) The Lord will create in every dwelling place a flaming fire, for upon all, the glory shall be a defense. (Isa. 4:5) The Lord shall be revealed in that day as a flaming fire to take vengeance on them who disobey Jesus Christ. (II Thess. 1:8) "For us to abide in Christ we must simply and constantly look to Christ to think His thoughts in us, to form His purposes in us, to feel His emotions and affections in us. To abide in Christ, one must already be in Christ.. Being in Christ is simply to renounce our self-life. We must utterly renounce every thought, purpose, desire and affection of our own and continually look to Jesus Christ for His thoughts, purposes, affections, and desires in us. Sept. 3: Dear Lord, I just don’t want anything but you. I’d rather starve than to go without you. I must have more of you, of your presence, of your love flowing through me. Release my heart’s cry for more of you! Blessed be the Lord, most high. Bless you, O Lord, Hallelujah! If we are to receive from God all we ask from Him, Christ’s words must abide in us. We must study His words and let them sink into our thoughts and heart. We must keep them in our memory, obey them constantly in our life, and let them shape and mold our daily life and our every act. This is really the method of abiding in Christ. It is through His words that Jesus imparts Himself to us. The words He speaks unto us, they are spirit and they are life (John 6:63). It is vain to expect power in prayer unless we meditate upon the words of Christ and let them sink deep and find a permanent abode in our hearts. The person who wants to know the work of the Holy Spirit in any direction must feed upon the Word. The person who desires to pray in the Spirit must meditate on the Word, so that the Holy Spirit may have something through which He can work. Sept. 5: A son of God is to be transformed as a minister of righteousness whose end shall be according to the work. "Our Lord always demands our best. We must be willing to be made whole" Yes, the Lord will have my best." "Greater things than these shall ye do!" Sept. 8: I am tossed with doubts from your people, O Lord. If it had not been for your faithfulness, I would give in. But I am reassured of your direction and leading. May your people come into deliverance. May they not be led by doubt and fear. May the hedge around them be closed. Strengthen the weary souls. Perfect peace and confidence to the believing. Sept. 10: At home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. Absent from the body, we are present with the Lord. So we labor, whether present or absent, that we may be accepted of Him! Sept. 11: "Why do not My people grow up in me? Because they will not seek My face, because they will not let go of their self-idols. No longer do I allow those who refuse to walk after righteousness take advantage of My people. I am bringing forth the pure in heart. I said I was removing the tares; you will see! I know your labor of love, My love to the people. In obedience My justice will prevail. Stay close, hold on tight. Righteousness will prevail in the end." "Do not indulge the notion that you can be content without learning, or learn with discipline. Hush that murmur and continue a diligent pupil in the College of Content." Sept. 12: "Martha’s fault was that she grew ‘Cumbered with much serving’ It is easier to serve than to commune." Sept. 14: Dear Lord, I’m so grateful for your hand of mercy, your spirit that broods over me as my character is changed. My heart is heavy over the carnal Christians who refuse to see or hear you. Deception is so great among the ones who will not receive truth. I need much patience to endure them; but, oh, how much more tribulation can we bear? I know you will not fail in the end; even so, Lord please lift us up this day. "Saints bear up under every discouragement, believing that all things work together for their good and that out of apparent evils a real blessing shall ultimately spring—that their God will either work a deliverance for them speedily, or most assuredly support them in the trouble, as long as He is pleased to keep them in it. If then, yours be a much-tried path, rejoice in it, because you will the better show forth the all-sufficient grace of God. As for His failing you, never dream of it—hate the thought." Sept. 15: Stay in readiness. Alert!!! Sept. 17: "Let your light so shine before men (of righteousness) that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:16) Why do people think that you, Lord, will take care of every issue and they don’t need human intervention? Did you not set us here to help one another by the Spirit? People are deceived by thinking and saying "I don’t have to trust any more." Are they really saying, "I don’t have to submit myself to any person?" Father, forgive us for not understanding your ways. Sept. 19: "Flaunting a gift springs from a desire to be admired. But the result is always the opposite; people dislike us." Sept. 21: "In Old Testament days, chariots and horses were two means of protection and/or escape. Today our chariots and horses come with different labels, shapes, and forms; even so, they are still visible means of help, escape, or protection. Yet are these really a source of safety? No. "The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord." (Prov. 21:31). Christians, for the most part, cannot boast in the name of their God. What do I mean when I say "boast in the name of our God"? To boast means to have confidence in, to trust in His name. A name represented a person’s character. God’s name represents His character, His attributes, and His nature. To know His name is to know Him. To boast in His name is to have confidence in who He is! Sept. 22: "I have My sheep, I have My lambs, I have My ministers and My ministries, I have My servants, and I have My sons. I have you and I love you. I love your faithfulness and fruitfulness. I love what you do, I love what you have become, I love you, My child." Sept. 26: I am made complete in Jesus. I am made full in Christ. I am become a new man after God which is in righteousness and holiness, and through the spirit daily I am being saved. "Not one good thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you" (Joshua 23:14). Sept. 27: "Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake. (Matt. 5:11) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." O God, it hurts so much. Thank you for sustaining me, my blessed Savior. Sept. 28: "Build upon the Word. Line upon line, don’t abandon or ignore what I have already said." Yes, Lord, that is what I have done and will continue to do; but people do not like it or understand. September Newsletter 1999 | Why Am I So Miserable | Life and Death Pastor's Journal September 1998 | Righteous Jealousy | Called to Be Watchmen Part 1 of 3 Revised: August 29, 2007 . |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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I
am going to be sharing with you thoughts from my journal over the past few
years. This is to show you how the Lord has brought about His Word in my life to
minister to you and to show you how real this walk can be. Please read and
understand by the Spirit about ...