NS Ministries

Perhaps the most effective weapon Satan uses against us if the spirit of doubt and his favorite words are “What if?”

What if God doesn’t love you?

What if God won’t forgive you?

What if God’s promises are for someone else?

What if God is so far away from you you’ll never reconnect with him?

What if …? What if …? What if …? And the what if’s keep coming and coming until you finally believe in them.

Give me your imagination for a moment or two.

In your imagination picture yourself standing at the edge of a vast waste land and in the distance you can see the silhouette of a man slowly walking toward you. Minutes later the man walks out of the waste land and instantly standing next to him is a well dressed man who looks to be in his early 40's.

Deep inside you know the man who has just stepped out of the waste land is Jesus. The well dressed man turns is head toward you and as your eyes meets his a cold wind blows into your face and you then know he is the Devil. Suddenly you can hear them talking to each other.

“If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things.” “Go away from me, Satan! It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” So the devil left Jesus, and angels came and took care of him." (Matthew 4:9-11)

Suddenly the man turns looks directly into your eyes and says, “Give your entire life to God and follow me. Stand against the devil and do not listen to his what if's because when you do  the devil will run from you. Come near to me, and our Father will come near to you.”  (based on James 4:7-8)

“I ask only one thing from the Lord. This is what I want: Let me live in the Lord’s house all my life. Let me see the Lord’s beauty and look with my own eyes at his Temple. During danger he will keep me safe in his shelter. He will hide me in his Holy Tent, or he will keep me safe on a high mountain. My head is higher than my enemies around me. I will offer joyful sacrifices in his Holy Tent. I will sing and praise the Lord.” (Psalms 27:4-6)

For many the Lord's house/Temple is a building such as a church yet the Apostle Paul writes that we are the Lord's Temple. Jesus referred to his body as the Temple when he told the religious leaders he would rebuild it in 3 days.

If we are God's house/Temple how, then can we live within ourselves as the Psalmist asks the Lord? Perhaps the 4^th chapter of Ephesians can shed a little light on how this is possible.

"I know that you heard about him, and you are in him, so you were taught the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught to leave your old self—to stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self becomes worse, because people are fooled by the evil things they want to do. But you were taught to be made new in your hearts, to become a new person. That new person is made to be like God—made to be truly good and holy." (Ephesians 4:21-24)

That new “new person” Paul is referring to is the Spirit Person who comes to life when they turn their lives over to Jesus. Only when we sacrifice our broken spirits and lives can the Holy Spirit come into our lives and make it possible for God to call us home. And when he does he brings with him all the beautiful things that make his home the most beautiful home on earth. You may think they are made of gold and silver but they are more valuable than even those! They are made of Joy, Hope, Love, and Peace!

And one more thing of great importance – God's home/Temple is THE most powerful and protected Fortresses ANYWHERE!   

“Lord, hear me when I call; have mercy and answer me. My heart said of you, ‘Go, worship him.’ So I come to worship you, Lord. Do not turn away from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger; you have helped me. Do not push me away or leave me alone, God, my Savior. If my father and mother leave me, the Lord will take me in. Lord, teach me your ways, and guide me to do what is right because I have enemies. Do not hand me over to my enemies, because they tell lies about me and say they will hurt me. (Psalms 27:7-12)

There are times when the most important conversation we have is with ourselves. That does not mean we should go around talking to ourselves. You've no doubt heard the saying – sticks and stones may break my bones but words and names will never hurt me. First of all it is not true words and names can scar us for life and are among some of the most devastating forms of abuse known to humankind.

A more truer rendition should go like this – sticks and stones may break my bones but words and names will either break or heal me, especially those words and names I use on myself.

There is no more powerful force on earth than the power of a praying person! There is no other way on earth to move God than prayer! May I give you a piece of advice? When you find yourself overwhelmed by the burdens of normal life and those that come when your life is anything but normal begin praying – but when you pray if possible put your prayer words on paper or on your computer because there are times when God answers our prayers using our own words. Not only that but they become words of encouragement and building blocks of faith for the future.

“I truly believe I will live to see the Lord’s goodness. Wait for the Lord’s help. Be strong and brave, and wait for the Lord’s help.” (Psalms 27:13-14)

Of all the blessings we need and of all the blessings God provides us with near the top of the list and just below Jesus as our greatest blessing is the blessing of patience. In our “New York – gotta have it now – fast food and faster relationship” world patience is just as hard to find as the proverbial needle in a haystack. In fact if you look for patience in our world you'll not find it and if you do it will only be in a dictionary.

“Wait for the Lord's help,” the Psalmist writes. And with his “a day is as a thousand years agenda” God asks, “You'll need a powerful dose of Divine Patience. Ask then make ready and room in your agenda to receive it.”

Lord, I need patience!

And suddenly a day becomes as a thousand years!