January
1st, 2015, marked the beginning of the year that I turn fifty years
old. Many tend to look at that
number with apprehension and concern.
Some call it middle aged, which is actually unscriptural. We’re promised 120 years according to
Genesis 6:3, the 70 to 80 is a curse that only applied to the generation of
Korah who followed the golden calf crowd, so technically speaking, I still have
ten more years to go until I am the middle age of 60. And so it is true for
everyone. What are you believing
for? I want to live a long life,
following the Lord, fulfilling His purpose, till I see Him face to face! He’s promised us longevity of life. It belongs to every one of us too!
Choose to live and live big for Him.
As
I am thinking about turning 50, to be honest, I am excited about it. After my
birthday, I am looking forward to the next fifty years. There is still so much to do and so
many dreams to achieve. In fact we
should never stop dreaming about what’s next. Press toward the prize!
As
this year started though, I must admit that there were a few “hiccups” that I
have had to deal with. These
hiccups made me think I needed some more duct tape for my body and some WD-40
to grease my joints! What happened
you ask? Hiccups like a trip to
the ER with chest pains and I got a hearing aid for my left ear! Through it all, God is good and the ER
trip turned out to be nothing! In fact, there were no heart problems at all,
but what a night! Honestly,
the hearing aid has changed sound to me so much that it brings tears to my eyes
just to describe how much I can really hear now.
This
June marked the month that I moved from the age of 49 to 50. This birthday is
no different than any other one.
It is what it is… another birthday. But… and there is a but here, the thoughts of this change of
age has caused me to look back over these past fifty years in retrospect and
consider where I have been and everything that has happened in my life. These things, good and bad, have shaped
me into the man that I am and brought me into the season that I am in right
now.
There
is so much to be thankful for.
Since graduation from high school and then Bible College, I have had the
privilege to travel around the world many times, minister in many states and
nations, speak and minister to thousands upon thousands of teenagers and
adults. I have worked for and served many famous people, and I have had the privilege
to meet and even become close friends with many famous and well-known
people. I have stood in many
pulpits and preached, I led worship for thousands, I have recorded many albums,
and I have received many awards, royalties, and endorsements, and much, much
more.
But
in looking over the past 50 years, what matters the most, are the relationships
that are so sweet and dear. And
even much more than all of that, the literal thousands that have come to the
knowledge of Christ Jesus being their Lord and Savior, the thousands filled
with the Holy Spirit, and many others receiving a touch from the Lord for
healing or breakthroughs in their lives. Now, we are pastoring the sweetest
congregation I know. I don’t think
I really understood fulfillment until we started being the lead pastors of the
church we started. People are so
special and they are the reason why I keep doing what I do. Ministry is all about people. It's about serving people and helping
people. It’s not a business. The day that the ministry becomes a
business, rest assured, it is no longer the ministry.
To
say God has been good is an understatement right now. He has been very good to
me and my wife and boys. We are overwhelmed by His goodness that He has shown
in our lives many times over. Oh
sure, there have been down moments over the past 50 years, from being told I
had a lung disease that I was healed of, to driving my car under a semi-truck (in
and out the other side and walking away from it) and other moments too. But I want you to know without a
doubt, I have always made the choice to be OVER IT and NOT under it.
NEVER give up your joy and peace over a
circumstance or a feeling. It's only temporary. “Rejoice, and again I say
rejoice” is what we are told in Philippians 4. It’s all up to you to stir it
up! You can be over it or under it!
There’s a great quote that says this, "By perseverance the snail reached the ark." We need to
be like that snail in everything! Persistence is a habit and so is quitting! Never quit. I know I have never quit.
As
I sit here now and write these words, being thankful for my family and blessings
that we have, it just overwhelms me.
Again, God is good! So
good! All the time, He is
good! And you know what? All of you who are reading this have so
much to be thankful for too! And
all of you, as do I, have so much that is ahead for you! There are things to be done! Greatness is upon your lives, run your
race and never stop, until you see the Lord face to face. In Jeremiah
29:11 (HCSB), the Lord Himself tells us all, “For I know the
plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare,
not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
As
I turn 50 there are some things that I have written that mean a lot to me that
I want to share with you right now. It’s entitled The
3 Things I Have Learned In Life So Far. No matter what your age,
these things, I believe, ring true.
A good friend and
mentor in my life used to make this statement when he would minister, “It’s what you learn after you know it all
that counts.” That is so very true. In life, you should always be
learning and always be growing. After all, if growth stops you will find
that decay will set in to your life. It’s vital in our walk with the Lord
that we are growing! Jesus told us to
seek the Kingdom.
Matthew 6:33 (New
Living Translation) “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and
live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
The Amplified
Bible reads, “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom
and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these
things taken together will be given you besides.”
We should desire
strength in our lives. The Lord is our strength in all things. We
always grow stronger as we are seeking after the Lord. Even in our
struggles, in the hard and dark places, we always will find peace, joy, and
victory as we seek Him.
Isaiah 26:9
”With
my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will
seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of
the world will learn righteousness.”
We need to
remember what Proverbs 10:24 says, in the Amplified Bible (AMP) "The
thing a wicked man fears shall come upon him, but the desire of the
[uncompromisingly] righteous shall be granted."
What you dwell on
can be a powerful force in your life; in your thoughts and in the words you
speak. It can drive your emotions and push your flesh to react in bad and
totally wrong ways.
The other day the
Lord reminded me of an episode of The Andy Griffith Show. When ole Barney
would get all worked up and flustered with Andy, he would say things like,
"Nip it! Nip it in the bud!" Or, "Tick a lock, Ange!
Tick! Tick a lock!" Our attitude always will determine
our altitude, spiritually and naturally.
James 1:4 says,
"But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect
and complete, lacking nothing."
Sometimes our
flesh can be uncomfortable, but you’d better "Nip it!" and you’d
better, "Tick a lock!" Don't you allow the work of patience
that is being worked in you, to be undone by circumstances and outside
influences. The enemy wants you to complain and say the wrong things.
But YOU need to
speak the Word to the mountain. YOU need to speak the Word to the
circumstance. And in PRAYER, speak the Word regarding anything and everything
and not what you think is happening. Let the Lord do the work. You
relax in Him! Flesh is deceiving. The Lord wants you perfect and
complete, lacking nothing. There are things going on that you cannot
see. Don't tear it down. You can't get across the river by kicking
the rocks that you are suppose to use to get to the other side.
One of our
missionaries wrote, “Remember, if the
going is real easy, we need to beware that we may be headed down hill. There's
always free cheese in the mouse traps, but the mice ain't happy there.”
There are times in
which I find myself “between a rock and hard place.” When I do, I remind
myself of three simple things that really reset my compass. Make a note
of them and allow them to speak to you and reset your compass. I call
these points:
The Three Things I
Have Learned In Life So Far
1. This is the day the Lord has made – make the most of it.
The Bible says, in
Psalm 118:24
”This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice
and be glad in it.”
It’s HIS
DAY! He told you to rejoice and be glad! He didn’t say to be a
whiner or a complainer. He said it’s HIS DAY, you rejoice and be
glad!
In Psalm
34:8
it says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the
joys of those who take refuge in him!”
It’s important you're giving your best attitude, integrity and loyalty where
you serve, where you work and in your relationships right now! Know that you're not healthy enough to
quit and take another job if you are not.
You’ll always be
better off being faithful and having the best attitude. You’ll always be better off reminding
yourself of His goodness and His promises rather than your trouble.
2. God is smarter than I am.
Stop and think
here. There are over 7 billion people on the earth and only one with my
fingerprint. God made you special and unique. Get it in your
head that He’s watching over you. Jesus said in Luke 12:7, “And the
very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more
valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”
He’s got it
together. His blood was shed. You are the redeemed. He has
whatever you think is so huge and overwhelming, under control.
Jesus told us in
Matthew 6:25-31, “25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about
everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to
wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look
at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your
heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they
are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and
how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in
all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God
cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the
fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What
will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts
of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he
will give you everything you need. “
Enough said!
And lastly,
3. Jesus has
whooped the devil.
The real fight is
in your mind and heart. It’s the flesh versus the spirit. Colossians 2:15
says that Jesus, “…spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of
them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Ephesians 1:19-23
tells us about Jesus, “19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His
power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated
Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all
principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all
things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
Jesus whooped the
devil. Whooped him! Won the victory! He put the enemy under
His feet and Jesus gave that victory to you! He made you MORE than a
conqueror. He could have just made you a conqueror. That’s pretty
good! But the Bible says in Romans 8:37 that He made you MORE
THAN a conqueror!
Always remember
that you have the will of God before you all the time. His Word is His
will. Believe it and speak it. When things come in on your thought
life, remember to do what 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge
of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Amen!
Don’t be a
quitter! Run your race! I will! Let’s be just like Paul when his days were drawing to a
close, he spoke to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (Modern
English Version) (MEV) “I have fought a good fight, I have
finished my course, and I have kept the faith. From now on a crown of
righteousness is laid up for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give
me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His
appearing.”
Let us all run our race and reach
for that prize, that high calling in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let’s fight to the finish! So in that day in which we will stand
before Him, we will hear Him say, “Well done good and faithful one.” Amen.
