You Don't Have to Fall

Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.

– 2 Peter 1:10

You shall never fall... Huh? When you think about it, that's quite the statement... Most of us have been tripped up so many times by the enemy that I'm sure you're thinkin'," Burk, don't even go there..." hahaha.

But the Word of God says it doesn't have to be that way. God says... there's something that can keep us on our feet. If He said it, it must be true.. Right? 

What is it? It's Diligence.

If you've never thought about being diligent in anything, you need to start.  You need to realize how important diligence is. You need to come to the realization, and man up to the fact that you simply can't live a life of victory without it.

You can't stand strong on the Word of God if you never pick up your Bible. Just showin' up to church on Sunday morning or Wednesday Night isn't going to cut it. Yet... a lot of believers try to pull this. That's exactly why we have thousands and thousands of churches all over the world filled with born-again people who don't have enough faith to blow their own noses. There is no commitment.  No perserverance.  No diligence.

I remember a few years back, I had ministered to an older lady who was healed of cancer. She'd gotten into the Word, taken a stand of faith for her healing, and had been completely healed. But recently contacted me and said, "Brother Bryan, would you pray for me? The cancer has come back, and it's worse this go round.."

Right away I recalled the scripture the Lord had given me to stand on through my whole cancer ordeal: "No weapon formed against you shall prosper." So I said, "Grab your Bible and look up Isaiah 54:17."

In the background I could hear her whispering to someone, "Hey, do you have any idea where my Bible is?" When I heard that, it took my breath. "Why wouldn't you have your Bible right next to you, when you are goin' through such a battle?"

I'm not trying to be ugly, and I'm sure not trying to make this a leagalistic blog....So, please hear my heart....

Getting into the Word is a daily thing. Daily. The devil's out there 24 hours a day devising ways to trip you up, and destroy you. Jesus is on the throne 24 hours a day giving us power to resist the enemy, and we need to be exercising our faith all times.

If you're going to stand and survive in the days ahead, you're going to NEED a lot more than Sunday school faith. You're going to need some full-grown, mountain-moving faith, and there's only one way to get that: By gettin' into the Word more diligently than you ever have before.

Try out some diligence... Tattoo the Word of God on your heart ; and no matter how slippery, and crazy your situation gets, you won't have to worry about fallin'!

Sorry I missed out on last weeks devotional, I was illustratin' a Children's book and wasn't online much... Have a blessed week and a wonderful begining of Summer.

Burk-ster

Don't Panic!!!!!!!!

Roll your works upon the Lord--commit and trust them wholly to Him; [He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

– Proverbs 16:3

If you are human, and I know you are (well... Most of you? haha) You have had a time in life where you had to make a major decision...

You know what I'm talkin' about:  1.) about to make a change in your job/career... 2) or your church... 3) or even concerning your personal life... 

You KNOW you need divine guidance to make such HUGE decisions. And you're hoping desperately that you are truly hearing the voice of the Lord in regards to your decision.

If that's your situation, READ MY LIPS (or my Blog)... DO NOT PANIC!!! Being led by the Lord isn't some complicated process that only the spiritual "BMOG's / BWOG's" can master.

(That's Big Men of God and Big Women of God ) hahaha

I found that out years ago when I was a brand spankin' new Christian. I wanted to live in a way that was pleasing to God, but I didn't know how to make decisions that were in line with His perfect will for my life.

Then one day as I was studying The Amplified Bible,( I love me some Amplified, CUZ it's Bible on Steroids!!!) I came across Proverbs 16:3. Immediately, I latched onto this verse and began to use it in my every day life--and I can tell you now from experience, it works!!!!!!!

God is no respecter of persons....If it worked for this goofy whiteboy, then it will work for you as well... if..... you'll do what it says. 

Roll your works over on God, commit your ways to Him, trust them wholly to Him. 

He'll start adjusting your thoughts to be like His.... Oh Yah!! Until, you get to a place where you just know the right thing to do. and you do it!!!

Hey like everything else spiritual, faith is involved. One of the requirements is trust, and you won't be able to do that without feeding on God's Word. 

Then as you practice rolling your works upon the Lord and trusting Him, you become more confident in your ability to hear His voice. Start now with whatever problem is bothering you. Pray and trust God wholly with it. In other words, when you pray... Kick that Faith Gear in... and believe you'll receive what you pray for. Stop your worryin' and frettin'... and begin believin'.

Learn this (make it your Hood Habit) that way it doesn't matter whether you've been a Christian 30 seconds or 30 years, your plans shall be established and succeed!! That's Bible Talk!!!

Have a Blessed Week!! See you next Monday!!!

Burk

Power Living!!!

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

– Romans 6:4

POWER UP!!! As a Christian, did you know that you have the same new life God gave Jesus when He raised Him from the dead... LIVING IN YOU? That old man/sinner, you once were has died. Once you received Jesus that you become a new creation on the inside.

You are full of the resurrection life of God!! Super HumongosaurousChristian!!!

Hey, check this out, that sin, disobedience and living a selfish, carnal life will constantly keep that resurrection life from flowing out of you. Sin will separate you from the power of God, even though you're born again. That doesn't mean you're goin' to Hell... it means that Resurrection Life will lay dormant in you... as long as you walk in sin.

You can't overcome sin by trying to stop sinning, it's impossible.... You overcome it, by walking after the new life God has put within you; by spending time in the Word and in prayer, and with God Himself. As you continue to do that, the Spirit of God will strengthen you and enable you to put that sin nature under your feet.

This isn't a Magic Pill.... the Holy Spirit will not subdue those old fleshly habits of yours on His own... and just magically one day disappear.. haha (WOULDN"T THAT BE NICE..) He'll wait on you to take the initiative. Then He will strengthen you to follow through with your decision(s). He will teach you how to walk in the new life that is in you.

Take the first step today by asking for His help. you can say, "Lord, I desire more than anything to experience the power to live by this new life every day. I have made a decision in my heart, I put down the sin that so easily ensnares me. I declare myself dead to sin. In Jesus' Name, I will spend time in prayer and in the Word daily. As I do, I'm expecting to receive a Holy Ghost refreshing in my life. I believe I can begin to live out the resurrection power that You've placed in me!" Amen!

Until next time. Have a Blessed Week!!!

Burk

Dare To Dream!!!

And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee.

– Exodus 3:11-12

Here's the question," Have you ever had a Holy Spirit inspired dream? A dream of doing something really great for Jesus? A dream of being so blessed, you can finance and have a nationwide revival? A dream of leading literally thousands of people to the Lord?"

I Have.... and at one time or another, you probably have too. Then it seems like reality sets in, and we shrink back from it.. Maybe you thought, "Man, that would be amazing, but I couldn't do that, just look at me...? It was probably late night pizza..."

If that describes you, let me tell you something, I have good news for you. If you'll believe God, even your lack of confidence won't keep you from success. What?? You don't believe me...Look in the book of Exodus and you'll see a man who proved my point. His name was Moses.

Moses didn't have a very good self-image... at all. He made terrible mistakes early on in his life and ministry. It was those very mistakes that drove him into the wilderness and kept him there for 40 years tending to somebody else's sheep.

He had once dreamed of being a deliverer of God's people... but not any more. As far as he was concerned, he was finished...a failure...a LOSER!!!!

But God wasn't thinking that at all... In fact, God came to Moses in the wilderness,(Do you remember this Bible Story?) He didn't ask for Moses' credentials. He didn't mention his (Slim) shady history. He just told him to go see Pharaoh and tell him "What's Up?" and to let God's people go.

Here's the kicker....

Moses, even after hearing from God, was still wrestling with his flesh. "God!! Look at me...Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?" he stammered and stuttered .

You know what God said....?  "Certainly, I will be with thee."

You see, it didn't matter who Moses was, where he came from, from social class he was a part of... What mattered was that God Himself was with him. The same thing is true for you today. You don't need a history of successes behind you to answer God's call on your life. You don't need a string of spiritual credentials. All you need is the presence of the Lord to be with you.

Think about that when the devil tells you you're a failure, when he says you'll never amount to anything in life, be able to do what God has put in your heart to do. Put the devil in his place. Tell him it doesn't matter who you are because the living God has sent you.

Then dare to follow your dreams!!!!

Have a fabulous week... Blessings.

Burk