NO ANSWER?

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

I really don’t like not having an answer. Call it pride, call it arrogance, but those who know me well know that if there is a question or need, I like to at least have a line or an avenue to get it answered or resolved.

That brings me to this morning. I have a situation that right now has no clear cut answer. Now don’t get me wrong, I have made lots of suggestions, investigated a lot of possibilities, vetted a lot of potential solutions, yet none, and I mean none of them are passing the muster so to speak.

And I don’t like it.

I don’t like the confusion. I don’t like the uncertainty. I don’t like the anxiety and I especially don’t like “not knowing” what to do.

But it is at times like these that I "know that we know" we need to trust GOD even more; we need to pray even more.

Why?

Because God knew we'd need help in prayer. With our limited human perspective, we cannot know all aspects of the situations facing us. But the Holy Spirit understands our needs and burdens—as well as the "big picture." He carries our requests to God even when we can't adequately express them.

So we can’t let apathy seep in. We can’t let frustration take a grip. We can’t let the naysayers and the angered push us to caving in or settling for less. We can’t write GOD off, we can’t quit BELIEVING, TRUSTING, PRAYING, BEING OBEDIENT, SEEKING PURITY, and CHASING after HOLINESS.

We can’t quit nor lose hope.

Psalm 17:4

I'm staying on your trail;

I'm putting one foot

In front of the other.

Jesus tells us to persist until we see the answer; HIS ANSWER, not ours. That is the tricky part.

Therefore we are to keep on asking until it’s given to us. We’re to keep on seeking until we find it. We are to keep on knocking until the door is opened. Ask, seek, and knock are all present tense verbs here in the original Greek, which means that they speak of continuous or habitual action.

So our faith, our trust, our seeking and our pursuit of the answer through Him must be perpetual.

Matthew 7:7

[ Ask, and It Will Be Given ] “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

So if you are like me today, faced by an insurmountable task, an unanswerable question or an “unresolvable”dilemma remember:

God will make a way

Where there seems to be no way

He works in ways we cannot see

He will make a way for me

He will be my guide

Hold me closely to His side

With love and strength

For each new day

He will make a way

He will make a way

Have a blessed weekend.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney

SOUL ANCHOR

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

I have got some folks who are dear to me facing some pretty rough stuff today.

They include some long-running consequences that won’t seem to let go; some unforeseen news, a report that included the “C” word; tough things, unsettling things, crippling things. It’s the kind of “stuff” we really don’t have a “good word”, a quick fix or a soothing serum.

We just don’t.

But GOD does.

Lamentations 3:25

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

Though things may be troubling, stormy and unsettling around us, the truth of Jesus, the promise of Jesus, the FAITHFULNESS of Jesus and the grace of Jesus can be counted on to see us through.

2 Corinthians 4:16

So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.

Not a day goes by where HE is not right there with us, holding us steady, understanding our pain, offering His solace and keeping His promise.

Joshua 1:5

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

No one will stand.

No consequence will be too great. No sickness too powerful. No news too numbing to cause GOD to be shaken or shuddered.

It is this hope we grab when life gets difficult. It is this hope that protects and ANCHORS us to the TRUTH that is HIS grace.

Hebrews 6:19

This hope is a safe anchor for our souls. It will never move.

It is the hope I offer to you and my friends today.

It is the right word for the “wrong times” in life.

Have a blessed day.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney

REJUVENATE!

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

ARE YOU SEEKING?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

“There is power in the name of Jesus.

There is hope; there is strength, and victory to claim.

There is healing in his holy presence.

There is power in His name.

Wednesdays can be “wearying” can’t they? You’ve kick-started your way into another week on Monday. Kept climbing on Tuesday and here you are perched at the plateau of yet another Wednesday. Yes the weekend is there but off in the distance. So here you are surveying yet another day on the job, in the class, on the search, or maybe in a funk.

The thought can make one’s mind a little fatigued can’t it?

So grab a little power won’t you?

Rejuvenate! Rejuvenate in the Power of the NAME of JESUS!

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

…May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.

Don’t leave today without spending some time with Jesus; “There is power…” for you for this day.

I believe far too many times we sachet into the day ill-equipped and under-energized because we have decided to face the day on our own.

Why?

When Jesus is standing by ready to infuse his endless power into our minds, hearts and spirits?

Like I mentioned yesterday, we let too many “other” things distract us and those distractions are DRAINING. Jesus asks us only to “allow Him” to provide the much needed wisdom, energy and direction for the day!

Why is it we find grasping this gift so challenging?

Well, I am not letting it slip by this morning. Won’t you join me in THIS prayer for this potentially “wearying Wednesday”…

1 Thessalonians 1:12

…pray that our God will make you fit for what he's called you to be, pray that he'll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely.

Rejuvenated? I think so!

I love you all.

Be blessed.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney

BEWARE OF THE "BLINKY"

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

ARE YOU SEEKING?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

It was SRO at FREEDOM last night. Great sharing and fellowship. New faces. Old faces. Some doing awesome in recovery. Some others still trying to find their stride. But sadly, even though we were busting at the seams, there were many former faces missing from the group.

I will be truthful here. That saddens me.

Now I am realist. I am sure that some had legitimate reasons for being away. I am sure there are some that would prefer to do anything but listen to my ramblings. But I do know that some needed a jolt of encouragement, a breath of FREEDOM, maybe a hug or a shoulder and for what ever reason, they were distracted from being where they needed to be.

Got me to thinking about how crafty and distracting the enemy can be. Subtly he pulls us away from those things that are good and helpful, those things that give us energy and instill life and he manipulates us to trade them for something less. We need to be on guard.

2 Corinthians 2:11

...After all, we don't want to unwittingly give Satan an opening for yet more mischief...

But it is not just recovery folks who struggle with distractions. We all do. I know I do. Ask my wife. If the REDS or the BROWNS are on and she wants to discuss the kids or her day, I had better pause the game or fall prey to my limited attention span and immaturity.

But like I said, I am a realist. I know that life has a way of keeping our eyes of Jesus. I know that this world is loaded with blinky lights, loud noises and pretty “stuff”. We are all going to “get distracted”; suffer from some A.D.D. moments.

What I am encouraging us all to do, at least here at the outset of the day before the blinky things and the whirly gigs start to dance and flutter, is to just set our mind on GOD before the nuttiness begins.

Proverbs 4:24

Keep your eyes straight ahead;

ignore all sideshow distractions.

Watch your step,

and the road will stretch out smooth before you.

Today’s road with its myriad of choices will BENEFIT from this pause and focus; trust GOD on that. He wants to make your way clear today. He wants to help you make the BEST decisions, to be there to warn you when you are about to go awry, and to keep you “straight”.

Luke 3:5

…the crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.

And while I know I recently shared this verse, I wanted to again this morning. This is for my folks who missed last night’s fellowship especially.

Here is our chance. Let’s shed the distractions and engage GOD.

Ephesians 1:15-16

…ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do

I love you all.

Be blessed.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney

Pastor GDelaney

WHATCHA WEARIN?

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

ARE YOU SEEKING?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Well it’s the first day of school here in Xenia today. My son is all set to sport some new duds. Distressed skinny jeans, cool matching kicks, cool shirt. Got a little mousse in the hair and little AXE spray under the pits; he is ready to rock and roll. Unfortunately for him, he inherited a bit of the "fashionista" gene from his grandpa and when it comes to first day school clothes, he wants to rock his finest.

Plus he gets to see "Carly" for the first time since June, so he knows he needs to be looking dapper.

Sadly, when I was a kid, my mom laid out my school clothes until I was like 14 I think. I know…pretty lame. But the Delaney mom's wanted and continue to want their men looking good.

But this got me to thinking about that great scripture about “clothing” in Colossians today.

Colossians 3:13-14

…dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

We need to as proud to wear this EVERY day, not just on special occasions like the first day of school. We need to embrace compassion, keep our cool, be gracious and most of all show love each and every day. We need to be excited to “wear this wardrobe” GOD has designed for us; wearing it as proudly as those new crisp denims on that first day of school.

So what do you say?

Let's dress up a bit this morning shall we? Lets make sure we put on that all-purpose garment this morning, love.

John 13:34-35

"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."

Now you are "looking good"!

I love you all.

Be blessed.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney

CRTL/ALT/DEL

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (MSG)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

I used to be in the computer business.Now before anyone gets carried away, I was on the SALES side of this business.My motto, which was passed down from my boss was that “computers were for selling, leave the fixing to someone else.”So when it comes to the technical end of these wonderful tools of technology, my abilities restrict me to the “shallow end” of the technology pool.

Usually my answer for end user questions was “reboot”.

You know…reboot.

Reset.Start over.Clear the “cache”; recycle the RAM or something like that.

I loved the “REBOOT”.

Were you aware that each and every day GOD gives us a chance to reboot?Yep he does.

Lamentations 3:22-23

22 The Lord's love never ends;

his mercies never stop.

23 They are new every morning;

Now I know I share that verse quite a bit in the DISPATCH, but it is such a powerful truth.I am texting back and forth yesterday with a good friend, a hard worker, a struggling “recoverer”who’s bad Wednesday was seeping into her Thursday.This verse reminded her to pause and remember.Wednesday had no power over Thursday and Friday was in the distance.

Matthew 6:34

… Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I believe far too many “todays” are ruined by our “yesterdays” don’t you think?

That is why daily GOD encourages us to reboot!He encourages us to set our sights and energies for what is ahead of us, not what is behind us.

2 Peter 3:13-15(NLT)

13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

So if yesterday was a disaster, reboot.If this week has been forgettable, then forget it. Reboot. Start fresh. Make every effort to make today better. Set your sights forward. Remove your eyes from the rear-view mirror and focus on the windshield!

GOD will help you. He is waiting to clear the deck. He is standing by to reboot. All together now...CTRL/ALT/DEL...

Psalms 19:12-14

…Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh! Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over your work; Then I can start this day sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin. These are the words in my mouth; these are what I chew on and pray. Accept them when I place them on the morning altar, O God, my Altar-Rock, God, Priest-of-My-Altar.

Have a blessed weekend.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney

THE GREASED POLE

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

ARE YOU SEEKING?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

“I’m stuck”

Unlikely.

We are rarely ever “stuck” when it comes to our walk with Christ or our recovery. We are either progressing or we are regressing. We are either climbing or we are slipping. Rarely if ever are we “just stuck”.

Granted we may feel that way from time to time.

But I saw a quote from Greg Laurie recently that describes our Christianity. He likens it to a a climb rather than a walk.

Laurie says it this way… “It has been said the Christian life is like a greased pole: you are either climbing or slipping.”

Therefore rarely are we stagnant.

We have really“good” days; days where we are close to GOD, and feel like we are smack dab in the middle of His will. Our decisions are good, our countenance is fresh and our faith is solid. Those are the climbing days right? We are PROGRESSING!

But conversely we also have those days where we don’t look, act, sound or behave much like one who is “in Christ” much at all.

Slipping right?

So what to do?

Simple.

Ask GOD each day to help to keep you climbing and protect you from regressing.

START BY:

Colossians 1:9-10

…asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works….pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

Pray that for yourself today. Pray it first thing.

Open your heart to the WISDOM. Open your SPIRIT to HIS will. Dedicate yourself to “LIVING WELL”, that means obediently. (Something I could have used more of just yesterday…J) This will sharpen your focus to the things of GOD and when we do that we more tightly align with HIS plan for us today and that in turn keeps us growing and progressing in our faith!

2 Peter 1:5-9

So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet; no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus…

I love you all.

Be blessed and PROgress!

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney

OUR HANDLE

 

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

ARE YOU SEEKING?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Ever been experiencing a crisis and you seek a little help from a friend or colleague and their answer is “have faith”?

O that little “singy songy” answer that we “Christians” banter around rather flippantly at times.

Job not going well?

Have faith!

Marriage in the toilet?

Have a little faith!

Confounded and frustrated by circumstance?

A little faith with turn that around!

But come on!

When we are in crisis we don’t want to hear that “singy songy silliness” do we? We want someone to put their shoulder out there and let us cry on it. Or we want that friend or colleague to wave the “Jesus-wand” and FIX IT for crying out loud.

But the truth is. That little “singy songy” phrase is just what we really do need. When life isn’t perfect there is no better encouragement than to exercise our faith.

Fact is, when the trouble comes or the job evaporates or when the report is ugly or the eviction notice is posted on the door, we must turn to faith; the faith God has given us.

Hebrews 11:1

…the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…

Or as Peterson puts it…

Hebrews 11:1, 2

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see.

You see faith is the “handle” on what we can’t figure out on our own. It is the access point to GOD that we grab on to when life starts to slip through our fingers. It is the door that opens our mind to the truth that in spite of how bad things may look at the moment, GOD has got a “handle” on all of it.

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.

You see, it is by our faith that we are to manage ALL things in life, not just the bad stuff.

Galatians 3:11

The just shall live by faith.

It doesn’t say we live by feelings or frustration by trauma or trial. The WORD doesn’t say that circumstances sail our ship.

It says simply live by faith. In other words TRUST GOD and leave the rest to Him.

Proverbs 3:5

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own.

So, here it comes…”have faith” today…

I love you all.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney