How do you view the devil??????

Hello everyone. I pray today that this devotion finds you well and with a smile on your face. So many that I have already crossed paths with today do not have a smile on their faces. Does it seem like when you think things are going good, all of the sudden things come crashing in all around you? It seems like the storm clouds have encircled you. Maybe, just maybe it is the devil trying to get you off path. Maybe, he is trying to get you to focus on the pit falls. If he does that you will not be doing the work of the Lord. The devil is trying to get you to focus on him! Let's dig into the good stuff and see what Gods' Word has to say about it.......

Bible Verse: Romans 12:21 "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

Ok, let's get down to the nitty-gritty about Satan. There are two mistakes people make about him. First, they get into demonology. Making movies about them, always studying, wondering, and talking about demons. They get their focus on the wrong thing. Their focus is on Satan rather than on Jesus. The Bible says we're to resist the devil, it doesn't say we're to chase him.  

Then, there are knuckle-heads who make light or always are joking about the devil. They have nicknames for him and think he's a cartoon or fantasy. You know, the little guy with the pitch fork and the pointy tail!

The truth is, we have a powerful adversary, the devil. Peter compares him to a roaring lion! A mature Christian recognizes that he has an enemy. He respects the power of the enemy. Then he holds fast to the power of Jesus Christ to overcome this strong adversary. Here is the thing, I can only speak for myself. But, I feel that the devil is trying to make a mess of my life right now. He is trying to make me question things that should be. He is trying to effect relationships that would disrupt things. He is doing his best to get me off track. Focusing on what is messed up or struggling and not on Jesus. Let's be real with each other today. I know I am not the only one that is being attacked. Is the lion prowling around your life? Are you allowing the devil to tear down what God has built up? Do not question in the dark what God has shown you in the light. Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and break free from his jaws of destruction. The jaws of fear. The jaws of the devil. If you would like, send me a message or email and I will pray for you too! Have a great and blessed day.

Are we listening?????

Good Thursday everyone! Well, I tried to talk my kiddo's out of going to Awana last night. I wanted to see where their hearts were. I wanted to see if it was a priority or would bother their conscience. They both got real upset when I said "Let's stay home tonight and not go to Awana." They both about started a mutiny at "The Ruff House". So, we loaded up and headed to Awana. Got there and the kids ran right in and checked themselves in. It tickles me to see my oldest, Joslyn love God and gathering with her friends at church. Luke is just there for the food! Lol, just kidding. He is learning his Bible scriptures and is excited to go back the next week. This whole subject has brought me to focus on my conscience. Not just my conscience but, the conscience. Let's dig into some of the good stuff and see what God can show us for today.......

Bible Verse: Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

Ok, after David had sinned and done the terrible thing that he had done by committing adultery, he said in Psalm 51:3, "For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me." Can you imagine what it would be like for your sin to "ever" be before you? The deed would never leave your consciousness. It would always be on your mind. Check this out, the conscience is an inner judge that God puts in us that either accuses or excuses us. Here's the thing, it cannot make us do right, but it shows us what is right or what is wrong. And when our conscience is right, we have tremendous freedom. A good conscience will do something for us that a sleeping pill could never do. As I write this, there are a few things that God has brought to my mind that my conscience has been dealing with me about. Things I need to make right. Am I the only one?  What is your conscience "telling" you this morning? Are you listening? Are you right with God? Let's strive to have a clean heart and a clear conscience. Have a great and blessed day! 

Like some hot coals??????

Good Wednesday friends. I was looking on Facebook last night and saw so many people upset or mad at other people. Heck, let's be real I am sure we are all mad, upset, sore at, or maybe disappointed with someone we know. So, my question for us is "What do we do?" I know I can quote some scripture to you and you may say "Tony, you don't know what I am going through" or "I don't know how to forgive this person" maybe even "They don't deserve my forgiveness". We have all been hurt. It is how we handle it that shows who we are. Our first reaction is to lash out or confront. James 1:19 says "My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger." This is easy to quote but, sometimes hard to live. Let's dig into the good stuff and see what else Gods' word shows us.......

 

Bible Verse: Ephesians 4:32 "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

 

Kindness has a way of doing more damage to someone that has wronged you. If you shower them with true kindness it will be like heaping coals on their heads. We must be different than the world. We must show love and kindness and not anger and rage. I have noticed this week that I am on edge. Heck, I have been downright moody! For real! I know if I can see it then everyone should be able to. So, I must step back and examine. I must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Can't just speak it or write it. Must live it! I would dare say that this is not just for me today. Let's be Not Of This World (NOTW). Live different and be different. I pray you have a blessed day today.

True riches........

Happy Tuesday! Stop before reading any further and say "Today is going to be a good day!" Now, you must believe what you just said and get ready for your good day. Try smiling more today. It is really hard to be mad or sad with a smile on your face. I have no clue sometimes of Gods' plan or maybe what He is doing. But, I have to say through being hurt with a bulging disc in my back and all the doctors’ visits and physical therapy. I haven't been able to do what I normally do. I have had to slow way down. This has caused me to see what really matters. I am so incredibly blessed with an amazing wife and two of the coolest kids. I laid in bed last night and thought about my wife. She is so compassionate for others. So caring for those in need. It is like she has a neon sign over her head that says "Come tell me all your heart aches". She is truly amazing and I have realized that I don't tell her enough. Then, I these two knucklehead kiddo's. My daughter is almost 8 and she is blossoming into this beautiful but, sometimes delicate flower. She is in love with the Lord and learning about Him and that is so cool! Next, you have Luke or Bubba if your close to him. He loves to be all boy and pick on his sister. I saw something today that made my heart smile. I dropped him off at daycare and when he sat down to eat without being told to, he lowered his head and blessed his food. I almost forgot he was 3! I sat in my truck for a moment before pulling out and finally realized that all the "things" of the world will one day be gone. They will one day go up in flames. Will you just be left with ashes? What will you have left? Let's dig into the good stuff and see what God's Word says.........

Bible Verse: 1 John 2:17 "And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."

I have a simple question for you today. Do you want to know how rich you are without looking at your check book? Add up everything you own that money cannot buy, that death, disaster, or hardship cannot take away, and then you'll know just how rich you are. I know this is so hard for us to do because of what society has taught us. Now, what did you discover? Hopefully, you discovered that it's time you started laying up true riches. Because all the rest will burn away. I pray that we see things as they are and not how the world wants us to see them. If we are putting all of your labor in this world, it's like rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship. We must take a step back and see what God wants of us and from us.

Matthew 6:19-21 says “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So, where is your heart? Where is your treasure? I know I have some rearranging to do. Let's pray that God shows us what we need and don't need. Have a great and blessed day.

A time of healing and restoration.......

Good morning friends. Today's devotion is going to be a little different and a lot more personal. I announced to my church family yesterday that I was going to take 30 days away from my ministry duties at the church to focus on my family. Some may call it a sabbatical. It was a very emotional time for myself and others also. There is a very real problem in most churches. It is a problem that we don't often talk about and most don't catch it until it is too late. Our pastor cheat on their wives with the ministry. Then we say "I am doing good work to help others." or "God has called me into this ministry and everything will be ok." When the ministry becomes the other woman. This was a seminar class Misty and I went to at a conference. I went but, it didn't really sink in. As I write this today, my heart is very heavy because I know of my other pastor friends that are going through the same thing. Reality is that some don't catch it until it is too late and they end up losing everything. If you are reading this and are involved in your church, please help your pastor, other leadership, and teachers in the church. They worry so much about others that they forget about those closest to themselves.

The bottom line is that if our families in our churches are strong, our churches are strong. If our families in our church are struggling, our churches will be struggling. I told the church yesterday that somehow we get the order that God had intended for us all messed up. It should be God #1, Family #2, and Church #3. This is why I decided that I needed to step away from everything to focus on my family. I pray that everyone reading this understands how important the family must be. I thank God that He has opened my eyes to see the reality and importance of family. I have studied about time away and it is biblical. Let's look at some of the good stuff and see what God say's about the subject........  

Bible Verse: Leviticus 25:1-5 And the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. What grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, for it is a year of rest for the land.

Ok, I know this is about the land but, I think it means so much more. Both the Israelites and the land benefited from the time of rest or sabbatical. In my reading I found the Hebrew word Shmita, the Sabbatical year, and it literally means "release". In other words, a Sabbatical is a scheduled time to release the ground from producing its normal crop, which would also relieve the worker from his or her seasonal work cycle. A time of healing and rest for both land and worker.

Then, In the New Testament we find Jesus breaking away from his ministry routine. Now, the scriptures don't say the length of Jesus' retreats but the word "often" in Luke 5:16 kind of gives us a clue into his strategy. The value of these "mini-retreats", maybe 2 to 3 days in the mountains, show his disciples the importance of recurring rest to revitalize self, and reconnect with God. In the book of Acts we find the apostle Peter on a personal retreat at a beach house next to the city of Joppa (Acts 10:6). I know these examples are to focus on rest and re-charging the batteries but, I believe they can be so much more too!

I will close with this. I saw in the eyes of so many youth yesterday morning, questions. So, last night I sat down with them to explain and then gave them a time to ask questions. It was a very emotional time but, a happy time also. After some tough questions were fielded. So many of them shared about our time together over the years or maybe months. It was so humbling to hear how God has changed so many of their lives! I am so very proud of them and before I left for my time away I gave them a charge. We are going through the book of romans. Chapter by chapter. I told them that I expected them to be studying and reading and working very hard while I was away. They all promised to be in God's Word and learning. If you are a youth leader that is serving with me and standing in the gap. I want you to know how grateful I am for you and how much I appreciate you. You guys are the backbone of the Potter's House Youth Ministry! Thank you for allowing God to use you in such a mighty and powerful way. I pray everyone reading this has a great and blessed day. 

 

 

 

Are you in FOCUS??????

Good Saturday everyone! One more week until Tennessee football cranks up. I am excited but, worry for some of these young men. See, God has given them talents and abilities and they are using them. Then, all of the sudden the world starts getting more attractive. Next thing you know they have their eyes off football and on things that will cause them trouble. They lose focus of one thing to take a better look at all the stuff the world throws at us. Guess what? Sometimes they get so focused on the world and what it says is fun that they end up losing something they love, football! This may not make since to you but, I want us to dig into some of the good stuff and see what God wants us to see and to focus on........

Bible Verse: Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

So many people are seekers their whole lives. They go from one to another seeking what makes them happy or what makes them feel good! Do you know what the problem with many of us is? Our faith is something we try to attach to our lives. Let's look at what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, "No man can serve two masters...". The question to you today is "Do you believe that?" We need to have just one goal in your life, and that is to know Jesus Christ personally, powerfully, and passionately. Everything else will flow out of that. Have you ever been around someone who is really like this?

Alright, I know what you’re saying, "Hold up a bit Tony. I've got other things to do! I've got a job. I've got to rest. I've got to have my chillin' time. I have to have my hunting time. We have travelling ball. I've got to have friends. I have too much going on. I can't just narrow my interests to one." I know you are thinking right now that I am crazy but, when you bring your life into a burning focus, a focus on Jesus Christ. Now here is the cool part! All of these other things will contribute to the main thing. A Christ centered life! So here it comes. What is the burning focus of your life? Let's make it Jesus, and sit back and watch how he gives us so much more! Have a great and blessed day.

 

Don't be a Lone Ranger........

Does faith in Jesus Christ make you any different than anyone else? Different yes, better no! If you are born again you are a new creature. I saw a young lady over the weekend that hated life. She felt she was forced to go to church and she hated everything it was about. She was even writing in her journal about how much she hated it and herself. Then someone knelt down beside her and shared how much God really loved her and to listen to the words of the praise songs that were being sung. The girl finally stood up and was reading the lines on the overhead screen about how much Jesus loves her. This young lady had so much hate built up in her you could feel it. Well, a good friend of mine brought the Word after the worship music was over and brought it hard. At the end of the service the alter was full of young people and leaders too! Lots of praying and decisions were happening. Well, later that evening someone told me that the young lady got saved and I said "Really!" They said "Sure did!" Then they said there she is and pointed to a girl that was smiling from ear to ear and walking with a purpose. The first words out of my mouth were "That's not her". They said "Yes, it is". I looked again and saw that this young lady was truly born again! I say all this to encourage you to stand strong! Do not let the world put duct tape on your mouth! Live a life worthy! Let's dig into the good stuff to see what God has to say about it......... 

Bible verse: Philippians 1:27-28 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

Now check this out, Paul is writing to some friends of his, Christians in the town of Philippi. They were going through some rough times, heck probably just like you are going through. They were being treated badly because they believed in Jesus. Guess what? Paul could relate, he was writing this letter from prison for the same exact reason.

Now, this letter is full of encouragement for believers, but Paul was also urging his friends to do better. To live better! It matters how we live, he said, because people are watching. They're looking to see if faith in Jesus makes any difference in the lives of those who trust Him. I mean what's your salvation worth to you? Show its worth in how you live. And don't make it a "personal thing." Stand for what you believe together. Firmly. Fight for it together, so close that you seem like parts of the same person. Man, this is how we are to be! Be fearless. Bond together! We shouldn't be lone rangers out there. There is some super human strength when we come together.

I ask you today. Does standing and fighting and sharing real life with other Christians make us stronger? How can it makes us fearless? I am praying today for God to help unbelievers see Jesus in you and the people in your church. Take a second today and write down a few of the ways you do or could "stand firm in one spirit" and "be as one" with other believers in your life. Have a great and blessed day!

Tapping into the source.........

Good morning everyone. Boy what a week! We were blessed to see 7 young people accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and 5 young people re-commit their lives to the Lord. It is really hard to explain to people how the Holy Spirit was moving. What is awful is some people never experience this feeling. I don't understand why. Why they don't experience what the Holy Spirit can do in their lives. Why aren't we all tapping into the source? I don't know about you but, I want more! Do you? Here is one reason maybe we aren't seeing anything happening. Who knows? Well, God brought me to this scripture so I am going to share it. Let's dig into the good stuff.......

Bible Verse: John 15:4-5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

 I have a tree in my back yard that one year didn't grow one leaf. Really, it didn't have one leaf on it all year. I thought is was dead and talked to a tree company. The guy that came out said "This tree is not dead, it is just not getting what it needs to grow. We had many things happen that year. Not a lot of rain and a frost after the buds bloomed. So, we didn't cut it down. We gave it some love and the next year it was as green as ever with tons of leaves!

Check this out! You'll never see a fruit factory. Now, you'll see factories for making clothing, cars, and computers, but not a fruit factory. Instead fruit is grown in an orchard. It is dependent upon life.

There is no fruit without life. The only way that fruit is going to ripen and grow is in the right climate and with the right nutrients. Just like we can't grow bananas in Alaska, we can't grow and produce the fruit of the Spirit unless we're in the place where the Spirit can produce His fruit in us. And that place is walking and abiding in the Spirit. So many times we walk and the Spirit is nowhere to be found. We all do it at times. We just need to be real with ourselves. Whatever we do in our power will come back void. Whatever is done in the spirit will be blessed! Can you do me  favor? Read Galatians 5:22-25 today and ask God to help you seek to be in the Spirit to produce the fruit He desires in your life. Not what you desire. but what He desires. Thank you for your time and have a bless day! 

Confidence in the Lord??????

Good Saturday everyone! How is your walk going with God? How is your life going? I have to tell you that there have been times in the last few years, heck really this year too. That things have been upside down. Kind of felt like they were falling apart. Have you ever felt like this? I mean I kind of felt like chicken little and I wasn't just saying "The sky is falling" it real looked like it was. Really I think it might have been! See, I am a fixer. Well, I like to think I am. I think I can fix anything. I think I can fix any problem. Do you hear those words "I"? I wasn't leaning on the Lord. I wasn't trusting in Him. That brings me to today's verse. How about we dig into the good stuff and see what Gods' Word shows us...........

Bible Verse: Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."

I must say that I tell people to trust in the Lord with all their hearts all the time. Then when I see myself not doing that, it’s kind of like a gut punch. I felt or feel like a hypocrite. I guess it got me asking myself some questions. Examining myself. Do I have confidence in the Lord? Or, Do I think that I have to fix things? Hey guy's, this is the real deal. I don't think I am the only one that struggles with this. Why am I not confident that the Lord will show up and show out in certain things. I think He will be there in other things but, don't give Him a chance in certain ones. The bottom line is this! There must be complete confidence in the Lord to take care of us because this complete confidence will lead to constant compliance and obedience. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us we are to trust with all our heart (not just part of it), and we're to acknowledge Him in all our ways (not just some of our ways).

God want's all of our lives. You can't say, "Lord, I want Your will in my social life, but I don't want Your will in my work life."  Or, "I want Your will in my church life, but I don't want Your will in my relationships." You just can't do that. If He's worth part of it. He's worth all of it. This is so hard to do isn't it? You have probably been told your whole life that if you want something then you have to go out there and get it. I believe in working hard but, we also need to let God guide what we are seeking. Let's Him sort through some of our problems. Let Him be at the center of every decision and watch how or decision making skills change. Wow, did I just say that? Yes, I did! Now, I have to live it!

My question for you today is. What are you holding onto today? Give it all to Jesus. Obedience will bring incredible blessing. Let's the Lord be part of decision making in our lives. Really, let Him be the center of our decision making. I pray you have a great weekend and God bless.

You are valuable!!!!!

Good morning everyone! I want to talk to you about value today. So many people lately that I have been dealing with have no self-worth. I want to address this today. To the ladies young and older. You are valuable. You are beautiful. You are exactly the way you are supposed to be. God made you and God loves you. Stop trying to live up to the world. To the guys young and older. You don't have to always act tough. You may need to break the mold. You might have been treated a certain way when you were growing up that now you treat others the same way. It's time you realized that you are loved in a way you might not even be able to understand. Unconditionally!!! Let's dig into the good stuff and see what God's Word shows us..........

Bible Verse: Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Some people think that they need to earn love. Maybe because that is what they have been taught growing up. Check this out. There is this one little word called grace. It is free! You can't do anything to deserve it. God gives it to us. No if's, and's, or but's!!! I think grace is the most beautiful word in the Bible other than Jesus. Grace is why God loves us when there is nothing lovely about us. We are not loved because we are valuable. We are valuable because we are loved. Is that not cool? In 1 John 4:10 it says, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." That, by brother from another mother or sister from another mister, is God's amazing grace. I must say that I love Him for His grace. It is all Jesus. It's not the church. It's not good deeds. Now, this sound be the best news that you've heard today! Right. Maybe, it is time that you realize that you are so valuable that God sent His Son to die for you. And Jesus came voluntarily. He loves you. He died for you. You are very valuable to Him. Worth more that piles of gold and jewels. Remember that today! Have a great day and God bless.

The wrath is revealed.........

Good morning everyone. I hope this devo finds you in a good place. Been a hard road for us since early July. I hurt my back and wasn't sure if I was going to have to have surgery or not. Well, last week the doctors told me they think physical therapy can push the disc back in. Been praying a lot! I guess I need to say it has been hard yet, a blessing at the same time. I have been able to spend extra time with the kiddos'. I want to talk a little bit about God today. Really about God’s wrath. Let's dig into some of the good stuff and see what it shows us.......

Bible Verse: Romans 1:18-19 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

We have been going through Romans 1 for the last four weeks and dissecting the Word. I thought it would be boring and yet everyone has really liked it and is eager for the next week. I want to talk about last week’s verse. In Romans 1:18-32, Paul describes why God gets so angry with human society. The idea of suffering "the wrath of God" should terrify us. But, so many say "I know it's wrong but, I am going to do it anyways!" Does that not sound crazy? In these verses Paul shows how human culture falls, step by step, into chaos and destruction.

Here's the thing the truth is being replaced with lies. It all starts with the one powerful lie: There is no God. Or better yet, the God of the Bible is not really God. If there is a God, He is different. Less powerful, less good, less holy, less interested in us, not so serious about sin. God is a loving God. Yes, that is true but, He is also faithful to His Word. But check this out, we eliminate God or downgrade Him by changing what we mean by the name "God" or what we think God is like. Forget what the Bible says he is.

To believe that lie is a choice and a stupid one at that. Why? Because God is not hiding. He made Himself plain to everyone. He's available for examination. To disbelieve Him requires a strategy to hide from Truth. So many have set out to prove the Bible wrong only to find how right it is and give their lives over to Jesus. C.S. Lewis did! Kirk Cameron did! There are many others too!

I have a question for you today. Do you think God's anger against sinful humans is justified? How has He made Himself plain to us? Please read Romans 1:18-32 today and ask God to give you wisdom and insight into it. Then make a list: Write down ways in which God makes Himself plain to people. Is He plain for you to see? Are you really looking for Him? Have you seen Him lately at work? I hope this touches your heart as it has mine. Have a great day and God bless!