Basing My Life On The Facts Not The Feelings

Sometimes, I feel tired.

Sometimes, I feel that I’m spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m failing to meet the expectations of others.

Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed with all that needs to be done.

Sometimes, I feel inadequate for the tasks that lay in front of me.

Sometimes, I feel discouraged.

Sometimes, I feel depressed.

However…

I know that God’s approval matters more than the approval of others.

I know that He equips those whom He calls.

I know that I am adequate and can do all things through Him who gives me strength, even when I’m tired.

I know I am redeemed.

I know I am forgiven.

I know I am strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

I know that moving forward in faith is the only right choice.

I know that I must live by what I know to be true - the unchanging truth of the Scripture.

I know the One in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return.  ~ 2 Timothy 1:12 NLT

I know!

Do you?

I am sure!

Are you?

My Response to the Orlando Shooting

Several people have asked me for my opinion or response to the Orlando Nightclub shooting.

First and foremost, my response is one of horror and outrage.  This is the largest mass shooting in U.S. history.  As Christians, we shouldn’t just pretend it didn’t happen.  We shouldn’t just ignore these people.  We should not be silent.  Silence infers that we think they got what they deserved.  God forbid that anyone claiming to represent Jesus ever think that.  No one deserves this. 

Is it possible to condemn the actions of the shooter without condoning the lifestyle of the victims?  Absolutely!

Was Jesus able to eat and celebrate with “sinners and tax collectors” without condoning their actions which broke the law?  Absolutely!  (Mark 2:15)

Jesus was able to see past actions and lifestyles that were contradictory to Scripture and see the intrinsic worth of every human life.  This mass killing is not an issue of sexual orientation.  This is not an issue of radical Islam.  This is an issue of sin and brokenness.  This is a result of evil that is running rampant in the world.  This is a loss of 50 intrinsically valuable human lives.  It doesn’t matter if the victims were LBGTQ or a group of Christian pastors. Every single life on this planet is absolutely precious.  Every life lost is a tragedy.

As a Christian, I should “mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15)  I should not let political, religious, or sexual issues stop me from mourning with these families.  If I can’t do that, then there is a problem in my heart.

This is an opportunity to show the world the love of Jesus.  It’s time to lay down our condemnation and judgment towards a segment of society that we typically disagree with and mourn with them.  Let’s not be angry at them.  Let’s be angry for them.

Christians have an opportunity to show love and compassion to two groups of people who desperately need to see the Savior; the LBGTQ and Islamic communities.  It’s time to reach out a hand and care for these hurting people.  It’s what Jesus would have done.

I welcome your thoughts.

How are we treating each other?

Ephesians 6:10-18 describes the armor of God.  It is intended for Christians to defend themselves against the enemy.  The enemy, Satan, is described as a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour. God did not leave us defenseless.  We have the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of His righteousness, and so on.  The only offensive weapon in the list is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Why is it that some Christians wield the sword against each other?

Some of the most vicious criticisms I have received in the last year have not come from non-believers, but from other Christians.  I am reminded that Jesus suffered the worst persecution from the “religious” people of His day.  He was more accepted by those who were not even religious.  I am feeling that today.  My non-Christian friends treat me better and encourage me more than some of my “Christian” friends.  Why is that?  Aren’t we supposed to be united in purpose?  Aren’t we to be of one hope and one faith?  Don’t we have the same goal?

Let’s stop being petty.  Let’s stop finding fault with each other over things that just don’t matter.  Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  The world is watching our behavior.  We need to be salt and light.  We need to treat each other well and take care of each other.  We need to have something they would want.   

Perhaps we need to remember what Paul taught in Philippians 2:3-4.  “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Let’s assume the best in each other.  Let’s build one another up.  We are in a war and we are to be fighting side by side against our adversary – not fighting each other over things that really don’t matter.

Ultimately, we all answer to our Father for how we treat each other. Every believer should remember that our Father places far more importance on our showing love than He does on our being “right” on every issue.

1 John 4:20-21 "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister."

We can have disagreements.  We can have discussions.  However, there is a way to do that and it’s much different than the way most Christians do it.  We can even agree to disagree – as long as what we are disagreeing on isn’t spelled out in Scripture. (Which is almost never the case.)

Ghandi is credited with saying “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

What would the world be like if all the Christians actually treated one another with love and respect?  Wouldn’t the world take notice and think – “wow, they’re different.”

Authority

Authority is a principle that’s known to most people.  Some people appreciate it because they understand that without any authority in our lives, things would be chaos.  Yet others, detest the idea of anyone having authority over them.

Authority is seen all through Scripture.  It is an attribute of God.  It is a part of His nature. He has authority over everything and everyone.

I was reading through the book of Matthew this week and thinking this week about the authority of Jesus.  Jesus continually demonstrated His authority.  Matthew 7:28-29 comes right after Jesus has preached the Sermon on the Mount.  “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law."

Jesus taught with authority.  In the culture of that day, most of the teachers quoted other people.  Jesus didn’t quote anyone. He just spoke the truth and did it with authority.

In Matthew 8 we find the story about Jesus calming the storm.  You remember the story.  The storm was raging and the disciples were afraid. Jesus was asleep and they went and woke Him up.  Jesus then rebuked the winds and the waves and it immediately got calm.  The disciples were amazed that the even the winds and the waves obeyed Him.

That chapter goes on to tell the story about Jesus driving the demons out of a man and into a herd of pigs. In this story, the demons recognized Jesus and obeyed Him.
In Matthew 9 we see Jesus healing the paralytic man.  In this story, Jesus shows His power over sickness and disease.

Then He calls Matthew to follow Him.

As I thought through these passages, I came up with these ideas.  If I really believe Jesus had authority over the wind, the waves, the demons, and sickness, how could I not follow Him?

This is not a “have to” follow Him.  This is - “WOW! God chose me to follow Him!”  This is - I “get to” follow Him.  What is there to be afraid of?  Everything is under His authority.  He created it all.  He’s in control of it all.

And He calls me to follow Him, just like He called Matthew. So what are my choices?  I have the freewill to choose to get up and follow, or to refuse and go my own way.  But I must choose.
 
I choose to get up and get moving and follow Jesus.  There’s more to having a relationship with Jesus than just praying a prayer.  There’s more to it than just studying His Word.  Although both of those things are important, I’m saying there’s more.  There’s obedience and action.

If you continue to read through Matthew you find that Jesus calls 12 disciples. Then in Matthew 10, He tells them that He is sending them out like sheep among wolves.  He is cautioning them about the world in which He is sending them into.  This is true today as I go out as a disciple of Jesus. The world wants to tear me apart. Sometimes it is even people in my own family that come against me. But what choice do I have – I either follow, or I turn my back on Jesus.

My decision - I simply have to follow Jesus – it’s all I want to do.  I trust Him completely. I believe everything He has promised me.

In Matthew 24, Jesus tells us that many people will turn their backs on their faith, but he that endures to the end will be saved.  It’s all going to be worth it.  It might not be easy, but the rewards will be amazing.

Soul Searching

I’ve spent the last month doing some real soul searching.  I was wrestling with God about continuing on in my current job.  I want more than anything to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.  At age 55, I am still wrestling with where is He leading me?  Am I where I am supposed to be?  I am finding that this is really a lifelong pursuit of God and seeking to stay in the center of His plan for my life.

How can I know that I am doing what I am called to do?

The first thing to consider is, am I walking with God?  Am I seeking to grow in my relationship with God? Am I spending time in the Word and in prayer?  Am I seeking to know Him and not just seeking to know about Him?  Am I taking advantage of opportunities in my church for Bible study and growth? 

Proverbs 3:5-6  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

I need to be willing to surrender my will to God’s will.  I need to be committed to doing whatever it is that He desires for me to do.  I can’t try to manipulate God.  I can’t tell God what my plans are and just expect Him to put His stamp of approval on them.  Jesus died for me, I should be willing to live for Him.  When I surrender my will to His, He will direct my steps.

Romans 12:1-2  “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

I need to be willing to be obedient to what I already know to be God’s will.  God reveals a lot of what His plan for our lives is through His Word.  Do I know His Word?  Am I living obediently to all I know? If I don’t obey what I already know to be true, why would He want to reveal any more of His plan for my life?  Obedience is a key beginning step.

Another key step is to seek the input of godly advisors in my life.  I need to seek out men and women who I know have a close walk with the Lord.  People I know will give me sound Biblical and godly advice.  I am trying to surround myself with five people who are living in close obedience to the Lord.  Then when they give me advice, I need to listen! 

Proverbs 11:14  “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.”

I have been created to fulfill a specific role in this world. (And not just me - you were, too.) There is no one else who can achieve completely what God has created me to do. God has gifted me to perform some specific ministry/ good works which I alone was created to do. 

Ephesians 2:10  “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

I need to pay attention to how God has gifted me.  His plan for me will most likely be related to the gifts He has already given me. 

1 Peter 4:10  “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

I need to be quiet and listen to God’s Spirit.  I need to pray and I need to lay my heart out before the Lord, but then I simply need to shut up and listen.  I need to pay attention to what God might be saying to me.  I need to ask the Lord some key questions and then be still.

•What is my next step in my job?
•What is my next step in my ministry?
•What is my next step for my marriage?
•What is my next step for my education?
•What is my next step for my finances?

I need to spend time meditating on these kinds of questions.  I need to listen and allow God to speak to me.  Then I need to write down what He speaks to my heart - I can’t trust my memory!  What an amazing experience as His Spirit guides my thoughts and words.  I long for those times when He speaks to me like that!

John 10:27  “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

I need to listen to the Spirit, but I also need to listen to my heart. 

Psalm 37:4-5 "Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."

As I am walking with the Lord, He will actually allow me to do things that I love to do.  When I am close to Him, He shapes my desires so that I desire the things that He has already called me to do. 

For example, I never knew that I liked to speak to groups of people about my faith.  As I sought Him, He opened the doors for me to speak at a women’s retreat.  I never knew I could have that much fun!  Then pretty soon I got another opportunity and then another and then another.  His plan is amazing and exciting!  I have the most fun in life when I am doing His will.  All that is because He is changing me and my heart to want to do the things for which He created me.

God often shows His plan for my life by lining up circumstances in obvious ways. And, He also shows me what is not His will for me in the same way.  He’s a master of opening and closing doors.  This is not to say that every open door is definitely God’s plan for me, but it does help give me some basic direction.

Does all of this mean it is easy to discern God’s will for me?  Not always.  But it does give me somewhere to start?  These principles help guide me in my pursuit to do and to be exactly what He wants me to do and to be.  As I seek Him with my whole heart, I will find Him.

More information on my ministry at carolhorner.com

A fresh look at the garden

Easter was different for me this year.  I know it was a couple of weeks ago, but I am still thinking through some things I was studying that week.  Really thinking through what my sin cost Jesus.

I read through the account of the events preceding the crucifixion and this year my attention was caught on the garden.  Specifically from Mark 14. 

In Mark 14:34 Jesus says, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” Jesus is so sad, upset, etc. that he felt like He was going to die.  Yes, He knows He is going to die on the cross.  But, right here, in the garden, at that moment, He felt so much agony that He felt like He was dying. 

It goes on in verse 35 and tells us that He fell to the ground.  He collapsed under the weight of this burden and there He prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 

Jesus was a real human person. He was saying here that His soul is killing Him and then He took a couple of steps and fell on His face and asked His Father to take this away from Him.

In verse 36 He says, "Daddy, all things are possible for You, take this cup from me."  He's saying "I know You can do anything.  Can't you find another way to do this?"  Jesus was so upset that He was sweating great drops of blood (Luke 22:44)  The gospels tell us that Jesus made this request of His Father three times.

I’m imagining my own child saying, "Mom, I feel like I’m dying right now. Come on.  You can do anything. Don’t make me go through with this. Take this away from me."  I’m picturing her screaming out to me three times to help her, to not make her go through with this.  What would that have done to my heart?

But Jesus also says, not My will, but Yours be done.

So what was God’s will?  Isaiah 53:10 says, “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him.”  (Isaiah 53 is a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah.)

Jesus is begging God and says "not My will but Yours be done."  And God the Father looks down on His Son and says, "it is My will to crush You. You are going to be that guilt offering." 

God sees Jesus crying out for Him. He sees Him sweating great drops of blood. He sees Him in agony.  He hears Him begging for another way. But it is God’s will to crush Him, so that He can save me (and you).  God looked at us and loved us so much, He crushed His own Son.  He allowed Him to beaten and crucified for me. 

And Jesus willing went through with the plan. The plan that had been in place since the creation of the world. 

So, how can my response be anything other than praise?  How can I want anything or anyone else?  

Everything is about the cross.... my salvation, my joy, my rest, my peace, my security.

What’s my legacy going to be?

I just finished taking a graduate course in evangelism.  As a part of the course, I was challenged to write a "Vision Paper".  What are my plans for carrying out the Great Commission?  How am I going to be obedient to God’s command to reach others with the gospel?  How am I going to live my life?  As I thought about this, I thought about the idea of "what is my legacy going to be?"  And that led me to thinking about Abraham.

There was only one person in Scripture that God referred to as his “friend.”  And that was Abraham.  (James 2:23)  Abraham was from the Ur of the Chaldeans.  He loved God completely.  He obeyed Him with questioning Him.  I sometimes have hard time relating to Abraham because his life of complete faith in God is so amazing.

However, if we take a closer look into the life of Abraham, we find that he was not perfect. But, he persevered with God and he became a godly man.  Genesis 15:6 says that he “believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

When Abraham was 75 years old, God told him to leave his family, his homeland, his livelihood, and move to a new land.  This required a lot of faith, but Abraham didn’t waiver.  (Would I be able to do the same?)

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;

I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.”  (You can read the whole story in Genesis 12)

So what did he do?  He left his family and went on his journey. “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8).  He trusted God and he went.

He made some mistakes along the way. The end of Genesis 12 tells us about how Abram got into trouble because he lied and said Sarai was his sister instead of his wife.  This is an example of Abram’s fearing man instead of trusting God.

Then there was time Abraham and his nephew, Lot, split up.  Abraham told Lot to choose which piece of land he wanted and in doing that Abraham gave up his rights to the land God had promised him. Peace was more important to Abram than being right.  (Ouch – can God say that about me?) 

Next we find Abram wanting to help God fulfill His promise.  God said he would be the father of many nations, but Sarai was barren and they were old.  In their impatience to wait on God, they made a horrible mistake.  Abram slept with Hagar, Sarai’s handmaid, and she bore him a son, Ishmael.  This act of disobedience still plagues the world today.

Sometimes I make mistakes similar to Abram.  And, like Abram, I have to reap what I sow.  This doesn’t mean God is finished with me.  It only means that sin has consequences, and even though God forgives the sin, I have to live with the consequences of my actions.

God, in His own time, fulfilled His promise to Abram and Sarai.  Abram was 100 years old when Isaac was born. Sarai was 90 years old.  When it seemed impossible, God stepped in and did the supernatural.  It’s the way He often works.  God gets all the glory because there’s no doubt it was God at work. 

Then, after that long wait to get Isaac, God tells Abram to offer him up as a sacrifice.  Try to imagine that.  You’ve waited for what seems like forever for God to fulfill a promise to you and now He’s asking you to give it up. Abram obeyed God.  Hebrews 11:17-19 tells us that Abram believed God could raise him from the dead.

Just as Abram was about to plunge the knife into his son, God stopped him.  God said, “Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Genesis 22:12).  It is interesting to note that God says, “Now I know”.  I was not until Abram was willing to give up his only son, that God knew that he would be completely obedient to the end. 

What about me?  What’s God asked me to give up?  Have I been obedient?  Did God call me to something?  Did I obey? Did I walk away from my calling, or stand firm for Jesus?

Abraham’s legacy – he believed God!  What’s my legacy going to be?  What’s my story going to look like when my life is over?  Did Abraham make mistakes?  Yes.  What is he known and remembered for?  His faith.

Thoughts on prayer ...

When I think about prayer, I think about some of the great people of prayer that I have read about. There’s George Muller who started each day with several hours of prayer. He was begging God to meet the needs of his orphanage. Martin Luther devoted 2 – 3 hours to prayer each day. There are many more, Susannah Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, etc… I think about a lady that took care of me as a child, Theresa Berkebile. One time when I was staying with her, I witnessed her on her knees in her bathroom early in the morning praying. I know she prayed for me.

Then I started to think about the prayers lives of a lot of people I know. They will say that prayer is important to them, but if asked how long they pray, most would say less than ten minutes. And, I would venture to say that most would not really find satisfaction in their prayer lives. It’s just something they see that they need to do. They feel guilty if they don’t, but their prayers are shallow. Many aren’t anything that they really need God to take care of. Many are so vague, they would never even know if they were answered.

Why the difference between Luther, Muller, Edwards and people today? Why could they pray for hours and we get fidgety after 10 minutes?

Do we really pray prayers that show our dependence on God? Do we ask Him to do the supernatural? Do we really trust Him? Do we really believe He listens and hears every word? Do we really believe that prayer changes things?

Do we acknowledge our need for God? Does our prosperity affect our prayers? It seems unnecessary to pray for our daily bread when our pantries are full of groceries and our checkbook has plenty of money in it. Are we really relying on God to take care of us? Or are we the rich person that Jesus spoke about?

Then I think about how the world of technology has affected us. We rarely have conversations with people any more. Go to a restaurant and watch how many times the people sitting around you are on their phones during their meal. And conversations themselves are changing due to the text message/ Twitter mentality. Can we sit and have really have meaningful discussions anymore?

We are a society that is on the go. We are so busy! There’s never enough time in the day for everything we need to do. Where does God fit into a life that is already that busy? We say prayer is important, but isn’t it one of the first things we cut from our schedule?

Is prayer about changing God? Or changing me?

I want more than anything else in the world, to “know” God – intimately, deeply, and passionately. In order to do that, I must spend time with Him. I must seek Him wholeheartedly. I must be disciplined to not cut that time short. I must remember what I am doing. I am speaking to God - the God that created not only the universe, but the God that created me. He is the same God that parted the Red Sea, that saved Daniel from the lion’s den, that spoke to Moses from a burning bush, and that raised Jesus from the dead. I must never forget who He is - never take Him for granted. I must never take my relationship with Him lightly. Praying to God is a privilege. It demands my full attention, my concentration, my honesty, and my heart.

Praying today that I will have a heart that earnestly desires to spend time in the presence of God.  

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"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God".
Philippians 4:6

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2 "Come near to God and He will come near to you."
James 4:8

"The point of prayer is not to get answers from God, but to have perfect and complete oneness with Him." ~ Oswald Chambers

Women’s Day

We have a tradition at our church where the women do the entire service one Sunday in October in order to help celebrate appreciation for our pastor.  I was honored to be asked to give the sermon.  The link below will take you to the video at YouTube.

Living by Grace

Be different in order to make a difference

The world we live in measures success by things like how many “followers” do you have and how many “likes” did you get.  Success values results and production.  The end result is all that counts no matter what you have to do to get there.

It’s all about the “return on investment.” and it doesn’t matter whether the investment is money, time, or talents.  We measure our success by how many came to our event, how much money we raised, or how many raised their hands to accept Christ.  My success isn’t about the results. Jesus didn’t measure the disciples success by their results. He gave them grace when they failed. He had patience with them while they were learning.

Success for the disciples (and for me) Is an internal thing, not an external thing.  It isn’t something that can be seen or measured.  It’s a matter of changing me.  It’s about my character becoming what it needs to be.  It’s about continually being conformed to the image of Christ – because that is the ultimate goal for my life.

The world would have me sacrifice my character in order to reach my goals. What Jesus wants to do is refine my character. He knows if I handle what’s going on in my life from an eternal perspective, I will be what is changed.  As I change and am different, I can then make a difference in the world around me.

Forget success based on measurable results. Success is about character transformation. Let God transform you into the person He created you to be so that you can impact the world in the way He imaged you could from the start.

What is missing?

I think we’ve lost our fear of God, our reverence for Him.

We’ve remade Him in our own image. Jesus has become our “bro”, our friend, our problem-solver, the “big guy upstairs.”

That’s not who He is. He’s the eternal, everlasting God of the universe. He is holy and righteous and demands our worship… and deserves our worship.

He is the One for whose glory I live.

Psalm 9:1-2
“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of your wonders.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praises to Your name, O Most High.”

We, as a body of believers, lack conviction and intensity.  We lack whole-hearted worship. We miss the idea that when we worship, we are coming into the presence of the Most High God.

We need to reread Isaiah 6 and see Isaiah’s response to being in the presence of God.  We need to reread Revelation 1 and see John’s response to being in the presence of God.

A.W.Tozer said “The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.”

The Apostle Paul wrote “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”  (Romans 1:21)

Lord, help us keep a proper perspective on who You are.  You are the creator of the universe. You are almighty, infinite, omniscient, and sovereign.  You choose to have a relationship with us – Your creation.  Help us to to come to You with an attitude of awe and reverence.

Some thoughts from this morning

I come to God in complete surrender. I have no rights. My rights were nailed to the cross when I accepted Jesus as my Savior. It’s all about Jesus – His glory, His mission.  Knowing and loving Jesus is the goal of my existence.  And so because of this, I study the Word, pray, seek, press on to know Him better every day.

Surrender. Then surrender some more. Sometimes it is surrendering the same things over and over again. Other times God reveals new things in my life that need surrendered – things I didn’t even know were a problem.

The more I surrender, the more I discover I need to surrender, and so the more I surrender. And the more I surrender, the more I discover it is really  a moment-by-moment practice of surrendering.  Then I need to remember to keep my hands off – leave it on the altar. 

God is constantly working in the midst of my crazy life. God is preparing me for His purposes. He is working in me so that He might work through me.

Be faithful in wherever He has me. Be faithful in my job. Be faithful in the Word. Be faithful in prayer. Be faithful in reaching out to others. Be faithful in teaching. Be faithful as a wife and a mom. Represent Jesus well everywhere and all the time. Be faithful in the small things. God is shaping me and remaking me into the vessel that He is going to use. Relax and enjoy the process.

Surrender my desires. Surrender my wisdom. Surrender everything. Trust God with everything. Surrender the desire to be comfortable. Surrender the desire to know the plan. God’s going to get me from Point A (here) to Point B (who knows where). I don’t need to know the details on how.

It’s not about “just doing it” or “gittin er done”.  It’s about waiting and growing. It’s about trusting and obeying. It’s about letting God be God.

He who has promised is faithful. God will not break His Word. Nothing is impossible for Him.

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I put my hope.”  Psalm 130:5

Passionately Pursuing Jesus

It seems like I started this project a long time ago!  My second book, "Passionately Pursuing Jesus," is officially published. It is available from Amazon. 

Here’s a preview:

What gets you excited? When you get up in the morning, what can't you wait to do? Who can't you wait to see? Who do you long to spend time with? Who do you seek when you need advice? Who or what can't you live without? What inspires you? Have you discovered God's calling on your life? What's the most important thing in your life? Are you satisfied with your passion for God? Are you satisfied in that relationship? Or, are you seeking more? How do you love God more? How do you seek Him above anything else? How do serve Him better?

This book will attempt to answer those questions. So, won't you join me in "Passionately Pursuing Jesus"?

Here’s a direct link to the page on Amazon.

http://smile.amazon.com/Passionately-Pursuing-Jesus-Carol-Horner/dp/1511658819/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436451741&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=passionately+pursing+jesus

All proceeds from my books go to missions.

Pray for your Pastor

Ever have one of those days when you feel like you are supposed to pray for someone and you don’t know why.  I’m having one of those today and it is for my pastor. Our church is blessed with a pastor who loves God with his whole heart.  He brings the Word every week and doesn’t hold back. You can tell he’s sought God and heard from Him.  He preaches with passion and conviction.  I am so glad that I get to sit under his teaching each week, but I know that he also needs prayer.

As I was thinking through just what to pray for him this morning, I came up with these ideas:

• I pray that he will love Jesus with his whole heart, soul, mind, and strength and that the “ministry” never steals him away from his first love.
• I pray that he will continue to lead with passion and conviction.
• I pray that he will continue to walk in confidence.
• I pray that he will continue to be a good “shepherd” caring for his sheep with love and compassion.
• I pray for his encouragement. I pray for protection from the attacks of the devil. I pray for protection from people who might seek to discredit him, slander him, or speak evil about him.
• I pray that his teaching and preaching will continue to be bold, convicting, encouraging, anointed, and Christ-centered.
• I pray that God will protect him from burnout.
• I pray for his rest spiritually and physically.  I pray that he stays physically healthy.
• I pray for his study time and his prayer time. I pray that God will minister to him through his Word.
• I pray that he takes time to have fun, do things he enjoys, spend time with his wife, and that he takes time to find solitude.
• I pray that God will raise up people around him to assist him, serve him, encourage him, and pray for him.  And, I pray he allows people to help him.
• I pray that ministry, teaching, preaching, and leading will never become a chore for him, but that it would always be a joy and a blessing to serve the Lord.  I pray that he will enjoy every aspect of leading, whether hard or easy, for the glory of God.
• I pray that he will be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit in his own life.  That he will continue to grow in grace, truth, and character.
• I pray that God will abundantly provide for him and his family.  I pray that they lack nothing.
• I pray that God will give him wisdom and direction. 
• I pray that he will have godly friends that he can receive encouragement from. 
• I pray that he will walk humbly with God every day of his life.

Pastors are people, too.  They need our love and support.  They need our prayers. They work long hours and are a blessing to the people they encounter every day. 

Take some time today to give thanks for your pastor and to pray for him.

Be careful what you pray for

My devotional time this morning was in 2 Kings 20-21. The story of King Hezekiah. In 2 Kings 20:1 God tells Hezekiah to put his house in order because he is going to die. Hezekiah prays and reminds God that he has walked faithfully with him his who life. He cries and prays for his life to be spared.

In verse 6, God says that He has heard his prayers and seen his tears and that He will heal him.  God tells Hezekiah that He will give him 15 more years to live.

What happens next? Hezekiah gets proud. He welcomes visitors from Babylon. He shows them all this treasures (vv 13-18). Isaiah rebukes him and tells him that he is going to lose everything. (vv17-18)

When Hezekiah dies, his 12 year old son, Manasseh, takes over.  That means Manasseh was born in the “extra 15 years” that God gave Hezekiah.  In 2 Kings 21:9, it says that Manasseh led the people astray and “did more evil than the other nations that the Lord had destroyed.”  It goes on in verse 16 to describe how he shed innocent blood.

Because of Manasseh’s sin, God brought judgment on Israel.

So the last 15 years of Hezekiah’s life was an absolute disaster. God answered his prayer even though it wasn’t in Hezekiah’s best interest. He gave Hezekiah what he asked for even though it meant a disaster for the nation of Israel.

Perhaps the reason God was going to take Hezekiah home 15 years earlier was because He could see what the future was going to bring. It was God’s will to take him before all these problems.

When we pray, we need to be sure to be seeking God’s will and God’s best solution to problems and issues. He is so much wiser than we are. We can’t see what tomorrow holds, but God can. We need to trust in His love and care for us.

Publishing is scary

I am working on a new book.  The title is “Passionately Pursuing Jesus”.  It is quite different from my first book.  This book is at my editor and should be available in a few weeks.

This must be the year that God is teaching me to lay aside all my fears.  Writing is scary – especially the stuff I have written.  I’ve tried to insert personal stories from my life as examples and that is not easy for me. I’ve always been a fairly private person.

Publishing a book is scary because I will answer to God for what I write. I must be sure it is filled with His truth. What I write could affect someone for eternity. I have prayed over these books.  I’ve asked the Lord to lead me in my writing.  I know God can use these to impact the lives of other people.

I have no idea who will pick up my books and read them. I want them to be a clear message from God to them. It’s all about God getting glory and honor and praise. I pray that He hides me behind the cross and that people only see Jesus. I pray for them to be a blessing in the lives of others.

Writing the material in “Passionately Pursuing Jesus” is scary because it puts my life under a microscope. Do I walk every day like what I wrote about? Do people see obedience and faithfulness in my life? They will watch me to see if I am living up to what I wrote.

Writing the truth will bring attacks from the enemy. The calling on my life to stand for Jesus makes me a marked target. Satan will do anything to make me fall. If he can get me to fall, it will discredit anything and everything I’ve written, said, or done. I need to be sure to put my armor on every day. (Ephesians 6)

Publishing this book is scary because someone (probably lots of someones) isn’t going to like it. I can’t take their criticism personally. For some it will be too short and for others, too long.  For some it will be too much from the Bible, and for others not enough…..  too serious, not serious enough… too much application…too personal… I just need to trust it is what God wants it to be.

It’s scary because some people will read it and apply it. They will take what I’ve written and believe it and act on it. It needs to be truth not opinion. I need to take it seriously. Once the book is published and people purchase it, it’s out there.  I can’t take it back. There’s no undo. It has to be right the first time.

I am praying that God will help me accurately deliver truth.  God’s Word has the power to transform lives. I am praying to be bold, transparent, honest, courageous, and humble. I am praying that I will stand strong no matter what.  I am praying that I will only care about what my Savior thinks. I am praying that can live out what I’ve written.

I welcome your prayers….

Humility

Humility is not a very popular word. In fact it is often associated with weakness or a lack of assertiveness. However, it is really the opposite. Pride and humility are also opposites. A proud person wants to do things that will bring importance or attention to himself. He thinks what he does is what makes him special. A humble person understands that his worth comes from God. He understands that it has nothing to do with what he does, but has everything to do with who he is.

Writing about humility is humbling, as I am no expert. However, I see humility as a key to living a powerful Christian life. It is crucial to pursuing Jesus. It is in humility that we take a correct attitude before God. Without humility, it is impossible to live the Christian life. No matter what our gift is or how good we are at what we do - whether that be teaching, writing, singing, leading, preaching, or counseling - these are all worthless without humility. They are hollow. They are meaningless. Without humility no one will see Christ in us. We may proclaim to know him, but they won’t see him living in us.

Humble people are satisfied doing what God has for them to do. They are content. They understand that it’s Ok to ask for help. They don’t insist on having everything done their way. They are selfless people and are seen as putting other people’s needs ahead of their own (Philippians 2). They refuse to take credit where it is not due. They recognize that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father (James 1:17). They do their best to help others succeed. They are understanding and patient. They are quick to forgive others and they are quick to admit their own mistakes. They see themselves accurately. They don’t have a false overinflated view of themselves, but they also don’t put themselves down. They are often quiet, but they know when to speak up. Humble people serve others. Humble people realize who God is in relation to who they are.

In Matthew 23, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for wanting the seats of honor at a feast. He told them that they should pick out the lowest seat. We are quick to condemn the Pharisees but how often do we do the same thing? Do we maneuver for the front of the line at the store? Do we pick the best seats at a meeting or a church service? Heaven forbid someone else sit in our pew! Do we seek our own wants and desires at the expense of others, or do we put others first? We need to learn to be humble. We need to learn to honor one another above ourselves. The Spirit doesn’t make us humble, he enables us to humble ourselves as we give him control of our lives.

Humility is vital for Christians We can only receive Christ as we humble ourselves and admit our need and our unworthiness. Jesus was the perfect example as he humbled himself even unto death. We see the humility of Christ in his servant’s heart. Mark 10:45 tells us that he came not be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for us. He did not seek his own glory. He did not insist on his own will. He demonstrated humility, time and time again. He washed the disciples feet, he kissed Judas at the last supper, he loved his enemies and forgave them even from the cross.

And what did Jesus get for his humility? He was crucified for our sin. He got the death penalty we deserve. He willingly took that penalty. He could have called down angels to save him from the cross, but he chose the Father’s will and he chose to die. He was then raised from the dead and exalted by God and now sits at the right hand of the God in a place of authority. Therefore joy and power come through humility. We have a confidence that is based on Jesus’ love for us. Our sin was so great, but the blood of Jesus took it all away. Why – because his love for us was even greater!

 

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me.”
Jeremiah 9:23-24

Intimacy with Jesus.

Jeremiah 29:13 states, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” I need to choose to seek God with my whole heart. This can’t be a half-hearted approach. I have to go all-in. I can’t hold anything back.

In order to obtain intimacy with Christ, I need to purposefully remove things from my life that will hinder my relationship with him. I need to choose what is best.

God invites me in James 4:8 to "Draw near to God and He will draw near to me.” Drawing near is a choice I make.

I desire an intimate relationship, not a legalistic relationship. Too many people I talk to today treat their relationship with Jesus like one more thing to scratch off their to-do list each day. They read their Bible – check. They prayed this morning – check. They have reduced their relationship with God to a meaningless list of dos and don’ts. And that’s all there really is to their daily Christian life. They have completely missed the purpose that God has for them. There’s no seeking, no yearning, no meditating, no intimacy.

Intimacy with Jesus can be intimidating. When I get close to Jesus, I can’t hide my inadequacies or my sin. He knows me completely. When I come into His presence, all of a sudden I see everything that is wrong and nasty about my life. Sometimes it is easier to flee than to pursue intimacy. And Satan doesn’t help things. He tells me that I am unworthy. He tells me that I am not good enough and that I need to get my act together. When the truth is I can’t do it myself. I have to allow Jesus to work in me and through me.

Pursing intimacy with my Savior may require me to leave my comfort zone. It may require me to do things that I never really thought about before or things I never wanted to do before. It may be a struggle, but it is what I need to do. I need to lay aside anything that would hinder me from this pursuit.

I need to spend time seeking what the Lord’s desires and purposes are for me. Then ask myself if I am truly interested in the same thing? If not, why not? Am I interested in a relationship with the Lord or am I only interested in what he can do for me? If I am only interested in what he can do for me, then what I really want is the “genie in the bottle” who grants my wishes, not the God of the universe who wants what is best for me.

In Luke 10, Jesus tells Martha that she is worried about many things, but that only one thing is needed. What was that one thing? Intimacy with Jesus. This is still true today. My day can become filled with so many things to do that it easy to overlook that “one thing”. And yet, it is the “one thing” that I must not overlook. It is the “one thing” that will get me through my daily struggles. It is the “one thing” that I need. It changes my heart and empowers my life. It keeps me from being overwhelmed. I need to lay everything else aside and make sure I focus on that “one thing” every day of my life.

Commitment

What is commitment? Do we really understand what it is to stand for God? We understand John 3:16 - that God so loved the world that he sent Jesus to die for us. We understand that God loves us, but is it really that simple. God loves you and just accept him as your Savior and everything will be wonderful from now on.

As I am writing this, ISIS is all over the news for having beheaded 21 Christians. As I sing “Oh, how I love Jesus”, is that really enough? Is loving God enough? Do I really know how to love God? Is my love real? Would it withstand a test like the one these men were put through?

His love for me is enough to take away all my sin. His love for me is enough to clean up the mess I’ve made of my life. His love for me is enough to get me through anything. His love for me is enough to save me and present me blameless before the Father. The question here is not about His love for me, but rather about my love for Him.

Do I have enough courage and backbone to really stand for Him in times of trouble? Is my love for Him strong enough that I would be willing to die for it? People around the world have that kind of faith. People are dying for Christ. Am I willing to be that kind of Christian? Or if the going were to get tough, would I take my light and hide it under a bushel? Am I a person who takes my faith seriously enough that I would willingly die for it?

Thoughts like this are difficult. It’s hard to honestly examine my own life and faith. As I take a hard look at where I am, what I am doing, am I okay with what my life stands for? Perhaps if I were really honest, I’d tell you that I need to be down on my knees weeping over my own sin, my own lukewarmness, my own lack of conviction.

Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) There’s no other way to get to heaven. You have to go through Jesus. And what else did he say? “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

I’ve thought a lot lately about what it means to pick up my cross. I think it means different things for different people but I keep coming back to the idea that I need to humbly lay my life down for the message of the cross. The cross was messy. The cross was harsh. The cross doesn’t look nice, or happy, or lovely, or comfortable. The cross was pain. The cross was necessary to purchase our redemption. The cross is offensive. The cross is the power of God.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

I’ve heard a lot of teaching against the idea of cheap grace. Where we take the forgiveness of Jesus like a “get out of hell free card” and then go and do whatever we want. Jesus never taught that idea. Our faith in Christ was always supposed to be costly – that’s how we know it is real. If we want safety and an easy life, then we don’t really want to be a Christian.

For too long, Christians in America have had it easy and we’ve gotten comfortable. We’ve taken so much for granted. We’re soft. We want an easy faith. We want a “free” faith. It’s time to see that that kind of faith doesn’t stand in a crisis. The church was built on the blood of martyrs. The persecuted church across the world is growing and strong. It’s time to take our stand. It’s time to be serious about our faith and quit playing games.

That’s where my heart is today. I’m done with living a life of comfort. Jesus loved me so much he chose to hang on the cross and die for me. He demands no less of a commitment from me. How committed are you?

Oh, How He loves me

Pause and think about this idea for just a moment. How much does God the Father love Jesus? Now try to understand what Jesus was saying in John 15:9. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” Take how much God loves Jesus and think – that’s how much Jesus loves me. Then it says to remain in his love. Or in other words, abide in his love. Walk in his love. Be strengthened by his love. Be confident in his love. In the words of the songwriter – Oh, How He loves you and me! It should take our breath away just to think about it.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” Wow – Paul is asking us to imitate his life because he is imitating Christ. Would I be able to say such a thing! Do I love others the way Jesus loved people? Does my life look anything like Jesus’ life? Am I even striving for that? Does it matter to me? Am I even concerned about other people?

It’s not about being intelligent. It’s not about what I know. It has nothing to do with whether I read through the whole Bible last year. It has nothing to do with how many verses I memorized. It’s about who I know. Do I really know Jesus? It’s about how I live. Is my life patterned after my Savior? Romans 8:29 tells us that our ultimate goal is to be conformed to the image of Christ. Am I getting any closer to that goal?

I pray that God will break my heart for the lost, that he will give me a true love for other people, and that he will help me live out the things that I know to be true. I pray that I will be seeking to build others up in their faith. I pray that God will allow my life to demonstrate the love of Christ to the point that when others watch me, they will get a glimpse of Jesus.

What about you? What are you praying for God to do in your heart and life?