Are you just skimming the surface???????

Good morning everyone! I pray your Monday has went well and the sky is the limit for today. Have you ever heard the term "Deepening your spiritual roots"? How do we do that? Can we do it on our own? Do we need help? I think we can do it on our own, but it's harder. Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. I think our spiritual roots get a double dose of miracle grow when we hunger for God and to know Him better. Let's dig into some of the good stuff and see what God can show us.........

Bible Verse: John 14:21 "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him."

We were on vacation in Destin a couple of years ago and Joslyn fell out of bed and was crying. When I got to her, I picked her up, and said, "Jos, what's wrong? How did you fall out of bed?" She said, "Daddy, I think I went to sleep too close to where I got in."

I think there are a lot of people who have done exactly the same thing with their walk with Jesus. They get into Christ and somehow they just seem to go to fall asleep right there. They say, "I'm saved and that's it." "I'm good!" But guys, that's not it. It's just the beginning of a relationship that will last through all eternity. It is just the start of your journey. Now, don't let that scare you. You can do it! There is help out there. Here is an example. We had an awesome woman of God start a Bible study last night. They had women that are at all different places in their walk with Jesus. Some new Christians and some that have been walking with Jesus for a long time. If you look around there are groups like this everywhere. If you can't find one. Give me a shout and I will help you.

Here is the thing I want you to take from this today. God wants to move closer and be more intimate in knowledge of Himself. I don't know about you guys, but I am definitely not satisfied with the status quo of my life. I want to grow deeper and let my roots dig deep into to the heart of Jesus. I pray we can have this desire together! Have a great day and God bless.

Don't miss your blessing........

Good morning friends! I pray you had a blessed Easter weekend. When I sit back and think about the tomb being empty it just makes me smile and think "I am going to get to see Jesus one day!" I must tell you a story about my daughter and son and a play they were doing at the house the other day. Their play was about telling people about Jesus. My daughter would talk about what Jesus did for us and that you come to church to learn more about God and make new friends. Then she said and here's my card with the web address and directions on the back. I think she has been listening to me too much. But, I guess what is awesome about the whole thing is that she actually invites all of her friends to the party! I must ask you. Do you invite people to the party? To church? To hear God's Word. Let's dig into the good stuff and see what God can show us...........

Bible verse: Psalm 119:2 "Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart."

I have heard people say that they would get in church one day but, they couldn't right now. They had too many things they wanted to do. Or they were doing things that they weren't ready to give up that they knew were wrong. They believed that if they lived according to God's laws that they were going to miss out on all the fun things in life. Or the things they thought were fun. Man, I must say that when I finally got my hind end into church. Things got better not worse. Boy, isn't that statement missing the mark. Sure, we might have to give up doing certain things, going certain places, being around certain people. But, when we are stronger God may put us right back into those certain places to be a witness. I am not going to pull the wool over your eyes and tell you everything has been a bowl of skittles but, my life is better now than it was before I was following Jesus Christ. Now check this out. I believe the truth is that if we don't live in according to God's laws, then we are going to miss out! Hey guy's, God didn't write these laws for His benefit. He wrote them for ours. God is not this dictator sitting on the throne saying let's see what kind of laws we can make to make their lives harder. God loves us and wants the best for us. I read once that every time God says "Thou shall not," God is simply saying, "Don't hurt yourself." And then whenever God says "Thou shalt," God is saying, "Help yourself to happiness." We should all remember that God has something special for us. We just have to pay attention to Him, so He can show it to us. Let's clear our hearts today and seek Him with everything. Have a great day and God bless!

Are you a 0 fruiter????????

Happy Good Friday! Tomorrow is the big day of Crusaders for Christ. Well, I hope today's devotion finds you with a smile on your face. Life is way too short not to make lemonade out of lemons. So, stop and practice smiling. I know some of you probably haven't done this in a while so be careful. Don't pull or break anything..........Ok! Now that we have that out of the way. I want to share more about the Crusade and why we are being called to do it. Let's dig into some of the good stuff and see what it shows us........

Bible Verse: Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said unto His disciples, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me."

What does this scripture say to you? Are we supposed to carry our cross to be crucified? Well, back in the day when Jesus walked on this world. Crucifixion was a common method of execution, and condemned criminals had to carry their crosses through the streets to the execution site. So, everyone they passed knew they were a criminal and where they were heading. So, by following Jesus you must have commitment and back then risk death. Even now in some parts of this world people risk death to follow Jesus. Would you follow Him if it meant your life might be taken because of it? That you might be a martyr. Boy, that's a hard question isn't it? We should be willing to die to ourselves and pick up our crosses daily. Matthew 10:39 say's "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Does that necessarily say you must die. I think it can be that the old you dies and you find new life by following Jesus. The more you love all the stuff in your life the less you will love Jesus. This was a real hard one for me when I became a Christian. Because I love stuff! I think society trains us that way. But, the more you love Jesus the less you will love all the "things" in your life. You can have no greater gift than eternal life. Why is it so hard to follow Jesus. I don't know if it really is. I think when do start to follow Him. It might just simplify our lives. I am not saying you have to go back to making your own clothes and riding a horse to work. I think it simplifies things by making all the "stuff" not matter as much. The plasma TV's, fancy cars, $100.00 pair of jeans, etc. It makes us a better person. We start to care more about others. We start to care more about who we really are. Not the outside, but the inside. Pretty much our values and decisions change.

The name Christian has lost a little of its meaning. I mean 9 out of 10 people I talk to say they are Christians. The reason why I say the name Christian has lost a little of its meaning is that people say they are Christians but you would never know it by their lives. 0% fruit! Let's not be a 0 fruiter! I guess my question for us today is. Are you a follower of Jesus? Do you carry your cross? Are you proud to carry it? No matter who you are around? Or, do you only carry it around a certain group of friends but, not others? I must be honest I caught myself a work a few times not carrying my cross. So, let's be real today. We must deny ourselves, our pride, our minds, and what some might think about us. If they are your real friends then they will be proud of you and happy for you. So, I ask you are you proud to be a Christian? Are you a follower of Christ? It is time that you stand on solid ground and declare for once that you are not ashamed but proud to bear the name Christian. It is time we get to pickin' em' up, our crosses that is. Have a great day and God bless.

It's not just wood..........

Good morning friends! Last night we showed the documentary of Authur Blessitt. We talked about the Crusade this Saturday and what the cross should mean to us. Today, I am again going to talk about the cross. I want you to stop reading this and draw a cross on whatever is in front of you. Now, what does that mean to you? Don't give me the holy answer. Give me exactly what it means to you. I know some draw a blank. We seem to have lost the true meaning of the cross. Or maybe not lost just have been de-sensitized toward the cross. We wear them on our necks, see them on the tops of churches, even draw them and don't think about what the cross means. Let's dig into some more of the good stuff and see what it shows us...........

Bible Verse: Matthew 10:39 "He who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me."

We must shout out and be proud of that old rugged cross that Jesus died on for us! The cross symbolizes so much.The crosses wood is not holy but it does represent a truly Holy event, the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on a cross! The cross is a dramatic symbol of that event. A large cross being carried makes a profound and unforgettable impact on the mind of the person who sees it. That person years later still remembers when and where they saw the cross being carried. I remember 13 years ago I saw a man carrying a cross through Harriman and I have never forgot it. Years later I found out it was Authur Blessitt and he has carried a cross across every continent in the world. That was a symbol that was burnt into my mind.

In the Bible, symbols are very important in both the new and old Testaments. The Passover and other events are full of symbols. In the New Testament, the Bread and Wine represent the Body and Blood of Jesus. Baptism and foot washing are other symbols used by believers. In the same way the 'cross' conveys a profound message when it is seen outside the 'normal' place. Out on the road it shakes a person who may have even worn a cross for years around their neck. A person who goes to church sees so many crosses they no longer make an impact, but let the same person leave church and see a person caring a cross and they are shaken. That is what I am trying to show you. The cross should make an impact on your life. We should tie on mind to the cross and what was done on that old rugged cross for us. Let re-focus on the true cross and what it should mean to us. If you are going to be a part of this years Crusade get ready for an amazing journey. If you are unable to, could you please pray for us. Pray for safety and many seeds to be planting in the name of Jesus. Thanks in advance and God bless.

Picking it up.........

Good morning everyone. This Saturday, April 7th is the third annual Crusaders for Christ! Last year we had over 400 people join us from 19 different churches. The Crusade is a 14.1 mile walk across Roane county carrying a large wooden cross. You may be asking yourself why are we doing this????? We are trying to bring the true focus of Easter to the cross and what Jesus Christ did on it for us. We get so caught up in the Easter bunny sometimes that we forget what Easter is truly about. The tomb being empty after a horrific crucifiction. It was just amazing last year and we are expecting appox. 600 people this year. That is just amazing in itself. God deserves all the credit and honor. Can you do me a favor today? I want us to think about Jesus's footsteps. Let's dig into the good stuff and see what it tells us........

Bible Verse: 1 John 2:6 "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked."

What does it mean to walk as He walked? Do we have to find 12 disciples and go out trying to perform miracles? Do we have to be crucified? Do we have to bear all that Jesus did for us? I don't think He expects that from us. But, what we can do is mirror Him and His actions. First, we must obey His teachings and apply them to our lives. We must follow His example of love and compassion. We must also have a love to serve others. There is a book called "In His Steps" by Charles M. Sheldon. The main message of this book is compelling us to remember who we belong to, to remember to walk the Christian walk, and to realize that Christ is in us.

Here is the thing, if you are a born again Christian, then strive to walk as He did. Let us take up our cross and walk in His steps. Let's pick up that cross this Saturday. Let's take one step at a time in the name of Christ. Let us be uplifting to one another. Let us show the love of Jesus to all we encounter. Let us let our light shine so bright that many from far away can see Jesus. Let us be the hand of God reaching out to others here in Roane County, Tennessee or where ever you live. Let us carry our cross 14.1 miles with courage and determination. Let us be happy to carry our cross. Let us be excited to just be able to carry the cross or just to be a part of such a movement. I get goose bumps every time I talk to someone about carrying the cross. Guy's, God is so good and amazing in all He does. I ask you today if you are reading this devotion to please say a prayer for the Crusade and all involved in it. Pray for safety of all who are walking and that seeds will be planted everywhere. Imagine the conversations as people drive by. Pray that our light shines so bright for many to see that we have a risen Savior and that He died for them also! Thank you in advance for your prayers and if your not busy come join us tomorrow at 8:30 am at Paradise Baptist in Rockwood! Have a great day and God bless!

Sometimes we just don't understand........

Good morning friends! I am chillin' out with my 3 year old boy today. I think we might dig for some worms or something. I was scanning through facebook today and saw so much negativity. So many hurting people. Sometimes we focus so much on a foot in front of us that we don't see what is coming ahead. Or, maybe we focus so much on the past that we don't allow ourselves to be happy. Can I tell you that God does have a plan for you. In Jeremiah 29:11 God's Word say's "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Let's dig into a little more of the good stuff and see what God can show us....... 

Bible verse: Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."

I know sometimes we see what is happening to us and don't understand. I know some real bad things have happened to some of us. But, I must tell you that I am going to stand on God's Word and believe it with all my heart. I know I love Him and He will work all the things that have happened in my life for good. Can you believe that? I know your probably thinking "There is no way God can work this out or make good out of this situation" or "Tony, you don't know what has happened in my life." You are right, I don't know what you've been through. But, God does! I want you to read this story about a farmer think about your situation. This farmer had a big brush pile of debris he was going to burn. He noticed a little bird had built a nest in that brush pile, so he destroyed the nest. When he came back days later, he found the bird rebuilding the nest. The farmer destroyed the nest again. But the bird built again, and again the farmer destroyed it.

Finally, the little bird gave up. I can just imagine that little bird going home and saying to his family, "I just don't know why all our good plans of building a home are not working." Well, there was an unseen hand doing something the bird may have thought was bad, but was really good.

Do me a favor read Romans 8:28 again and notice the verse is not saying that all things are good. All things are not good. Now, there are some truly evil things in this world and those thing you must flee from and run to the arms of Jesus. Be strong and courageous, do not fear! He will not fail you nor forsake you. Let's do our best to not focus on those terrible things in this world. Let's focus on God and His goodness! Have a great day and God bless

Facing our Demons Part 1........

Good Monday everyone. I hope you had a great weekend. Well, our church voted yesterday and we are buying a new church facility. God is moving us and I am excited to see what all He has in store for us. We had a great night at youth last night too. A were blessed to break bread with a great meal prepared by The Chance's and then learn about facing our demons from Gods' Word. Let's dig into some of the good stuff and share a little.......

Bible Verse: Matthew 4:3 The tempter came to Him and said "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." "Jesus Answered , ' It is written, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

The Bible is full of stories about people being tempted. Poor Job was in a fierce battle against Satan. Satan tried so very hard to turn Jobs' heart away from God. Many a decent man and woman succumbed to the temptations offered them. Even Jesus was tempted - but, of course He didn't sin. I want us to look at 3 common areas of temptation through the experiences of Jesus. Before I go any farther, it would be great it stay away from temptation if we saw that little guy in the red suit with horns and a pitchfork. Then we'd at least see where the temptation was coming from. But, that's not how it work. Temptation is a lot sneakier than that.

I want to read a couple lines from a fictional book written by C.S. Lewis it's called "The Screwtape Letter's" This book is a collection of letters written from screwtape, a high level agent of the underworld to wormwood, his nephew who is new to the job of tempting humans. This is a story of how demons see us. They refer to humans as "patients". I am going to share with you the first and last line from chapter 2 paragraph 1. From Screwtape "I note with grave displeasure that your patient has become a Christian" There is no need to despair, hundreds of these adult converts are reclaimed after a brief sojourn in the Enemy's camp and are now with us. All the habits of the patient, both mental and bodily, are still in our favor. Is this how demons see us? Just something to think about. Let's remember that this book is fictional but, demons are not guys!

All of us are tempted by things in our lives. Many of us bring bad habits into our Christian lives that provide an easier way for those temptations. What have you carried into your Christian life? What temptations do you struggle with? Are they winning the fight. Do you give in? One of my life verses is 2 Timothy 2:22 "Flee from youthful desires, pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Gather with those who seek the Lord out of a pure heart." It tells us what to run away from! What to run toward and who to do it with! This devotion today is going to have to be two parts. Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow. There is no way I can share everything at once. So, see ya tomorrow. Have a great day, I love you, and God bless.