Careful or fearful?

This is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it! I hope you will as well.

First of all, to all of our West Memphis First Assembly family, God has given me a message for Sunday morning that I am very excited about. It is simply called, "Nevertheless…" Please make plans to attend one of our two services Sunday morning (8 am & 10:30 am). I believe God is going to do some awesome things in our lives!

I have talked with several people lately that are battling fear. Because of this, I have been studying and reading a lot of material on fear. This morning I was reading something from Author Bob Gass that ministered to me in a great way. Those of you that are regular readers know that I love to share things with you that have blessed my life. That is the purpose of this blog. Not just to share my heart and my writings, but to share things that have blessed me and "spurred me on." I believe the following thoughts from Bro. Gass will do just that to you today.

I Samuel 17:37 "The Lord… will deliver me."

Fearful people often excuse their fear as just being careful! They say, "I'm not afraid, I'm just being careful. You can't rush these things, you know." Doubtless King Saul wouldn't have admitted he was afraid to face Goliath, yet behind all his talk of "calculated risks" and discussions about "what was best for the nation," he was just plain scared. As you evaluate your response to the risks you face right now, ask yourself: "Am I careful or fearful?" You must wrestle that question to the ground!

You see:
(1) Careful is thoughtful; fearful is emotional.
(2) Careful is fuelled by information; fearful is fuelled by imagination.
(3) Careful calculates risk; fearful avoids risk.
(4) Careful wants to achieve success; fearful wants to avoid failure.
(5) Careful is concerned about progress; fearful is concerned about protection.

Saul was fearful; he did nothing. David was careful; he moved forward and killed the giant. And in that moment something significant happened. The Israelites suddenly got the courage to fight. The Philistines, who moments before had been beating their chests, suddenly ran for cover. One act of bravery, just one, gave everybody else what they lacked - courage. And that's the heart of leadership! Leaders instil courage in the hearts of those who follow - not just by their words, but by their actions.

So if you want to be a leader, you have to go first! In stepping out, you'll give the gift of courage to those who are watching. And depending on your situation, your one act of courage may change everything around you for the better!

Blessings!

Pastor Rusty

Romans 8:28-God is in Control

No matter what's happening in my life – good, bad, or ugly – God's purpose is working in me. Whenever you have a problem where you can't understand the purpose, it becomes very difficult to handle.

You know the most difficult kinds of questions of life are, "Why is this happening to me?" When the problem is there that's kind of a freak accident and it doesn't have any rhyme or reason to it. It just doesn't make sense. Those are the kind of situations that are the most difficult to handle.

On the other hand, when you see a purpose behind your problem it gives you enormous hope. It also gives you enormous power to endure it. And God says, I am working in your life and I have a purpose no matter what's happening.

God is doing good things in my life even when the situation is bad, even when I don't feel it, even when it doesn't make sense, even when I have no understanding. When the situation is bad, He is still doing good things in my life.

I want us to look at a couple of verses that we've looked at many times here at First Assembly of God. But we keep coming back to these verses because they're so profound, they really explain what life is all about. I hope by now if you've been a believer for some time that you've memorized Romans 8:28
"We know that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose." This is such a significant verse I want us to look at it word by word.

Notice first what it does not say. It doesn't say, "All things work out the way I want them to." We would like that and we'd like to interpret it that way but that's not what it says. It doesn't say, "All things work out the way I want them to."

It does not say, "All things have a happy ending on earth." Because that is not true. All things do not have a happy ending on earth. Reality teaches us that not every patient gets well, that not every couple that gets married lives happily ever after. Reality teaches us that not every business decision makes a million bucks, not every problem is resolved. So we know that's not true. All children don't get straight A's and become captain of the football team. What does it say?

• First it says, "We know that God causes all things to work together for good." What that means is we don't wish, we don't imagine, we don't desire, we don't have false hope, we don't have positive thinking. It just says, We know. It's not a wish or a desire. It is a certainty. We are confident of whatever comes after this. "Hope is not the same as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well. But hope is the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out."
  


• "… that God causes…" There is a grand master designer of the universe. And there is a plan that is in action and history is His story. There is no such thing as fate. There is no such thing as chance. There is no such thing as luck – good luck or bad luck. There is no such thing as karma, or "I just happen to fall into it." That is not true. There is a master designer. We make mistakes for sure. We make many mistakes. But God never makes mistakes.
  


• "We know that God causes all things to work together for good."
  
  What does "all things" include? Does that include illness? Yes. Does that include unemployment? Certainly. Does it include divorce? Some of you have a question about that one, but yes. Does it include a miscarriage? Does it include failure? Does it include freak accidents? Does it include the stupid decisions that I make and the mistakes I bring upon myself? Yes! Absolutely, yes! Everything fits into God's plan. The good, the bad, the indifferent. The things that I do, the things I don't do. The things that I control, the things I don't control. All things work together for good.
  

Notice: It doesn't say, "all things are good." And it does not say God causes all things. God does not. God does not cause rape. God does not cause war. God does not cause famine and poverty. God does not cause leukemia and cancer. To attribute those things to God is to turn God into a monster. God is not a monster. God is incapable of sin. It doesn't say God causes all things. We bring a lot on ourselves.

• But it does say that "God causes all things to work together for good." It's not by accident and it's not separate. They work together. It goes back to that illustration about baking a cake. When you're baking a cake you've got to have some flour and some raw eggs and some Crisco and some sugar and some salt and some vanilla. Any one of those things by itself doesn't really taste too good. Have you ever tasted flour? Crisco? Maybe the sugar some of you might say is ok. But none of those things on their own tastes good.
  

There are a lot of things in your life that are difficult to swallow. They're bitter going down and you choke on them. "Why is that happening?" Not all things in your life are good but they all work together for good. When those elements are put together – just like the element of the cake are put together it produces a cake and the cake is very good. God wants to bake a cake in your life and He wants to take the elements in your life, even the things that are distasteful, bitter, and He wants to work them together.

• Notice the qualifier of this great promise. It is not for everybody. It says "… those who love God…" All things do not work together for good for everybody. In fact, if you are thumbing your nose to God, walking out the back door and saying, "Forget You, God!" all things are not working for good in your life. In fact, all things are working for bad in your life. This is not a promise to everybody. It's a promise for those who love God and want to have a relationship with Him and who are trying to live according to His purpose.
  

This morning if you are reading this blog and you are facing an impossible situation, the next verse is for you. Jeremiah 29:11 God says, "I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future."

You may think that what God is doing in your life right now is painful and is to no avail but God says, "My plan is good. You just don't see it. You need to trust Me. You need to have hope because it's a plan to give you a hope and a future."

If you have walked away from God. And you think, "I was close to God at one time but I can't get back to Him," then the next verse is for you. Philippians 1:6
"God began doing a good work in you and I am sure He will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again." God starts something in your life and what He starts He finishes. You may say you're too far beyond hope. You're not. You've walked away from it but when you come back and say, "God, I'm going to give You the mess, give You the pieces. Give me Your peace." Then that which He started, He finishes in your life. And He keeps on keeping on.

I pray that you have a HOPE-FILLED day today! Blessings!

Pastor Rusty

Do not WORRY about your life

Scripture:

Matthew 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? (26) Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (27) Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (28) "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. (29) Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. (30) If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (31) So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' (32) For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. (33) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (34) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Observation:

Because of the ill effects of worry, Jesus tells us not to worry about those needs that God promises to supply. Worry may (1) damage your health, (2) disrupt your productivity, (3) negatively affect the way you treat others, and (4) reduce your ability to trust in God. How many ill effects of worry are you experiencing? Here is the difference between worry and genuine concern-worry immobilizes, but concern moves you to action.

Planning for tomorrow is time well spent; worrying about tomorrow is time wasted. Sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference. Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God's guidance. When done well, planning can help alleviate worry. Worriers, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. They let their plans interfere with their relationship with God. Don't let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God today.

Application:

Imagine never worrying about anything! It seems like an impossibility; we all have worries on the job, in our homes, at school. But Paul's advice is to turn our worries into prayers. Do you want to worry less? Then pray more! Whenever you start to worry, stop and pray.

By nature, I am a worry wart. I often am tempted to "worry about my life." And just as often, I have to go running back to the Word of God. My daily theme verse is from Psalm 118:24 "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." This reminds me that since God gave me this day, He has also given me the provision for this day.

Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us THIS DAY our daily bread." THIS DAY...God wants me to understand that there is great POTENTIAL in THIS DAY. There is great POSSIBILITY in THIS DAY. There is great POWER in THIS DAY. There is a great PERSON who is in charge of THIS DAY! That is the key...make a decision to trust God THIS DAY.

Regardless of what I face, I need to understand the importance of leaning on Jesus THIS DAY. I need to spend time in His presence THIS DAY.

A Swedish proverb says, "Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow." A Scottish Proverb says, ""What may be, may not be."

A bassoon player came up to his conductor, Arturo Toscanini, and nervously said that he could not reach the high E flat. Toscanini just smiled and replied, "Don't worry. There is no E flat in your music tonight." Many of our worries are like that-- unfounded and unnecessary. Why do I spend my times worrying about the "E flat's" that I am fearful of? Often, I am anxious about something that never comes to pass.

Worry is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster and belief in defeat...worry is wasting today's time to clutter up tomorrow's opportunities with yesterday's troubles. A dense fog that covers a seven-city-block area one hundred feet deep is composed of less than one glass of water divided into sixty thousand million drops. Not much is there but it can cripple an entire city. When I don't have anything to worry about, I begin to worry about that.

J. Arthur Rank, an English executive, decided to do all his worrying on one day each week. He chose Wednesdays. When anything happened that gave him anxiety and annoyed his ulcer, he would write it down and put it in his worry box and forget about it until next Wednesday. The interesting thing was that on the following Wednesday when he opened his worry box, he found that most of the things that had disturbed him the past six days were already settled. It would have been useless to have worried about them.

I must make up my mind daily to "not worry about my life." How? Fill my mind with God's Word, and daily make a decision to spend time in God's presence.

As Author Bob Gass says, "God doesn't want to be your Sunday get-away; He wants to be your permanent residence. We think of God as a deity to discuss instead of a place to dwell, but God wants to be much more. He wants to be the One in whom "we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). When God led the children of Israel through the wilderness He didn't just appear once a day, then abandon them. No, the pillar of fire was present all night and the cloud of smoke was present all day. Our God never leaves us. He promised, "I am with you always"(Matthew 28:20)."

David said, "I'm asking God [Yahweh] for… only one thing: to live with Him in His house my whole life long" (Psalm 27:4)." That's nice" you say, "I'd love to live in God's house too, but I'm stuck in the real world." No, just the opposite; you're only one decision away from your Father's presence. You don't need to change your address - just your perception. Wherever you go today, whatever you face today, remind yourself, "He is with me!"

Prayer:

"Lord, I need your help today. You said in my daily text that it is the heathen that worry about their lives. I am not a heathen, and don't want to act like one. Please forgive me for being anxious and filling my mind with worry. I choose today to come into your presence. I choose today to remember that this day you have made for me, and my responsibility is to rejoice and be glad in it. Since you gave me this day, you have also made arrangements for the provision for this day. I know that, but the way I express it is through thanksgiving. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness to me, THIS DAY. In Jesus' name, amen."

Peace Beyond understanding

This week I have been studying the dangers of worry and anxiety. In my study I came across an article on God's peace that I wanted to share with you on my blog. The author is Rick Renner (Sparkling Gems from the Greek). Please take a moment to read through and meditate on the following words. I truly believe that they will speak PEACE into your life!

Are you tired of letting the devil get you all stirred up? Has it been easy for the enemy to throw you into a frenzy of panic and anxiety? Maybe it doesn't happen continually to you, but every once in a while, something happens or someone says something that pushes a button inside you and throws you into a tizzy! When this occurs, do you say and do things you later regret? Do you feel sorry that you allowed the devil to get to you again?

If what I just described sounds familiar, I have help for you today! In Philippians 4:7, the apostle Paul writes, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

As we begin our study today, I want to draw your attention to the word "passeth" in the verse above. It is the Greek word huperecho, which is a compound of the words huper and echo. The word huper literally means over, above, and beyond. It depicts something that is way beyond measure. It carries the idea of superiority; something that is utmost, paramount, foremost, first-rate, first-class, and topnotch; greater, higher, and better than; superior to; preeminent, dominant, and incomparable; more than a match for; unsurpassed or unequaled. The second part of the word "passeth" is the Greek word echo, which means I have, as someone who holds something in his possession. It can be translated to keep; to possess; to have; to hold; or even to acquire.

When these words are compounded into one, they form the word huperecho, which Paul uses in Philippians 4:7. This Greek word denotes a peace so superior that it is held high above all other types of peace. This is a peace that transcends, outdoes, surpasses, excels, rises above, goes beyond and over the top of any other kind of peace. The implication is that people may try to find peace in other places, but there is no peace like the peace of God. The peace of God completely outshines every other attempt to produce peace, causing it to stand in a category by itself. There is absolutely nothing in the world that can compare with the peace of God.

Paul continues to tell us that this peace surpasses and excels above "all understanding." The word "understanding" is the Greek word nous, the classical Greek word for the mind. This word refers to the ability to think, to reason, to understand, and to comprehend. It also depicts the mind as the source of all human emotions. In Greek, the word "mind" represents the inner powers of a person and thus the place from which a person rules and controls his environment and the world around him. The Greek word emphatically depicts the mind as the central control center for a human being. Therefore, it was understood that the condition of the mind is what determined the condition of one's life.

Then Paul tells us what this powerful peace will produce in our lives! He says that this peace "shall keep your hearts and minds." The word "keep" is the Greek word phroureo, a military term that expresses the idea of soldiers who stood faithfully at their post at the city gates to guard and control all who went in and out of the city. They served as gate monitors, and no one entered or exited the city without their approval.

The apostle Paul uses this word phroureo to explicitly tell us that God's peace, if allowed to work in our lives, will stand at the gates of our hearts and minds, acting like a guard to control and monitor everything that tries to enter our hearts, minds, and emotions. When God's peace is ruling us, nothing can get past that divine "guard" and slip into our hearts and minds without its approval!

This is the good news you've been waiting for! It means you can refuse to allow the devil to access you, throw you into a state of panic and anxiety, or push any button inside you any longer. When the peace of God is standing guard at the entrance of your heart and mind, the devil has lost his access to your thought life and your emotions!

Taking these Greek words together, Philippians 4:7 could be understood in the following way:

"And the peace of God — a peace so wonderful that it cannot be compared to any other type of peace; a peace that stands in a category by itself and rises far above and goes beyond anything the human mind could ever think, reason, imagine, or produce by itself — will stand at the entrance of your heart and mind, working like a guard to control, monitor, and screen everything that tries to access your mind, heart, and emotions."

By using this word, Paul tells us that the peace of God will keep and guard your heart and mind! God's peace will surround your heart and mind just as a band of Roman soldiers would keep dangerous nuisances from entering a city or from breaking into special, private places. In the same way, peace keeps fretfulness, anxiety, worry, and all the other wiles of the devil from breaking into your life. When this peace is active in your life, it surpasses all natural understanding. It protects, guards, keeps, and defends you.

Nothing compares to this powerful, protective, guarding peace that God has positioned to stand at the entrance of your heart and mind! When this peace operates in you, it dominates your mind and your life. Since what is inside you is that which rules you, peace rises up and conquers your entire being. It stands at the gate of your heart and mind, disabling the devil's ability to disturb you by preventing his attacks from bypassing and slipping into your mind. The devil may try his best to find access to your mind and emotions, but this guarding peace will paralyze his efforts.

So make sure Philippians 4:7 is a reality in your life. In every situation you face today and every day, let God's supernatural peace rise up to dominate your heart and protect your mind and emotions. If you're tired of the devil getting you all stirred up and throwing you into a tizzy, it's time for you to let this supernatural peace go to work and start monitoring, guarding, and approving what does and does not get access to you!

Blessings!

Pastor Rusty

Worry Warts!

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. I hope you will as well.

We started looking at the Dangers of Worry yesterday. I would like to share with you a short devotion that I read today from Author Bob Gass. It ministered to my life, and believe it will yours as well.

Did you know that 'worry-warts' usually have a higher than average IQ? But they also tend to have a bad case of the "what ifs." "What if I wreck the car… or get sick… or lose my job… or don't measure up to the challenge?" Now, most of this stuff never actually happens, but the fear of it overwhelms them and prevents them from living life now.

Chronic worry will steal your joy because worry is just fear that's unpacked its bags, signed a long-term lease and moved in. You can't be joyful and fearful at the same time; they're fundamentally incompatible.

How you act - reveals what you believe! By living in fear you're demonstrating that you don't trust God enough! Furthermore, when you serve God out of fear instead of gratitude, you end up feeling like a martyr, envying and resenting those who are living in joy. Jesus said, "I say these things… that [you] may have the full measure of my joy within [you]." Notice, He didn't pray that you'd be happy and escape trouble. No, He prayed that you'd have the same joy He had. "What kind's that?" you ask. A joy firmly grounded in your relationship with Him. A joy that's not subject to negative emotions within, or adverse conditions without.

David said: "Be glad in the Lord, and… shout for joy" (Psalm 32:11). So, when you can't think of a solitary thing to be happy about, be glad that you're still held securely in the everlasting arms of God!

Blessings!

Pastor Rusty

The Dangers of Worry

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. I hope you will as well.

Last week we looked at the blessings of encouragement. This week I want us to examine the dangers of worry and how to overcome it.

When worry comes knocking at your door, stop it on the porch, otherwise it'll move in and take up residence. The Word of God says that we can, "Throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are His personal concern" (1 Peter 5:7).

Isn't that wonderful; God really does care, about the things that worry you and prey on your thoughts. He cares about them more than you do. Not a single nagging, aching, worrisome, gut-wrenching, blood-pressure-raising thought escapes His notice. Because you are His personal concern, you never disappear from His screen.

Worry is like a rocking chair; it uses up all your energy, but where does it get you? Leo Buscaglia writes, "Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy."

Dr Charles Mayo of the famous Mayo Clinic says, "There's a growing mountain of evidence to suggest that worry is the chief contributor to depression, nervous breakdowns, high blood pressure, heart attacks and early death. Stress kills. I've never known a man to die from hard work, but I've known a lot who died from worry."

Author Bob Gass says, "Mathematically speaking, it doesn't make sense to worry. Psychologists tell us that roughly 30 percent of what we worry about never happens; another 30 percent has already happened; 12 percent is about unfounded health concerns, and an additional 20 percent involves 'sweating the small stuff'. That leaves only 8 percent. Think about that! We worry 92 percent of the time for no good reason at all, and if Dr Mayo is right, it's killing us."

What qualifies as a worry? Anything that drains your tank of joy… anything you can't change… anything you're not responsible for… anything you're unable to control… anything that frightens and torments you… anything that keeps you awake when you should be asleep. All of that 'stuff' needs to be transformed from your worry list to your prayer list!

What's the answer? "Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected… and the God who gives peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:1-8). That's God's answer to worry!

Give each worry, one-by-one, to God! The more you practice doing this, the more exciting your walk with Him will become. You'll be amazed at how easily He handles things that overwhelm you. Always keep these three things in mind: (1) He's able to handle it. (2) He's willing to handle it. (3) He's waiting for you to give it to Him.

Blessings!

Pastor Rusty L. Blann

Never Give up!

Often we give up way too early, and easily. Just like Joseph in the Bible, God has placed dreams within you that haven't come to fruition yet. I have a word of encouragement for you today. Never allow yourself to think it's too late! Never, ever give up!

Joel 2:28, "Your old men shall dream dreams."

Robert Lopatin thought it was too late. As a boy, he'd dreamed of becoming a doctor, but instead he graduated from college and went into his father's hardware business. Twenty-seven years later when his father sold out, Robert had the option of retiring.

But one day at a friend's wedding, he talked to a young medical school graduate, and suddenly he remembered his boyhood dream. It was still buried deep within him. So at 51, he decided to go back to school and become a doctor.

It took enormous commitment, but he did it. At 56 he graduated from Einstein College of Medicine, and now he serves at a medical centre in the Bronx. He loves it - even the 100-hour weeks and the graveyard shifts. He says, "I feel like I died and was born again."

Colonel Sanders had the construction of a new road put him out of business in 1967. He went to over 1,000 places trying to sell his chicken recipe before he found a buyer interested in his 11 herbs and spices. Seven years later, at the age of 75, Colonel Sanders sold his fried chicken company for a finger-lickin' $15 million!

Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and didn't read until he was seven. His teacher described him as "mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams." He was expelled and refused admittance to Zurich Polytechnic School. The University of Bern turned down his Ph.D. dissertation as being irrelevant and fanciful.

The movie Star Wars was rejected by every movie studio in Hollywood before 20th-Century Fox finally produced it. It went on to be one of the largest grossing movies in film history.

When NFL running back Herschel Walker was in junior high school, he wanted to play football, but the coach told him he was too small. He advised young Herschel to go out for track instead. Never one to give up, he ignored the coach's advice and began an intensive training program to build himself up. Only a few years later, Herschel Walker won the Heisman trophy.

When General Douglas MacArthur applied for admission to West Point, he was turned down, not once but twice. But he tried a third time, was accepted and marched into the history books.

Margaret Mitchell's classic Gone with the Wind was turned down by more than twenty-five publishers.

Richard Hooker worked for seven years on his humorous war novel, M*A*S*H, only to have it rejected by 21 publishers before Morrow decided to publish it. It became a runaway bestseller, spawning a blockbusting movie and highly successful television series.

In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance. He told Presley, "You ain't goin' nowhere… son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck." Elvis Presley went on to become the most popular singer in America.

Dr. Seuss' first children's book, And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street, was rejected by twenty-seven publishers. The twenty-eighth publisher, Vanguard press, sold six million copies of the book.

Is there a dream in your heart? Has life buried it? Have others told you it's too late? Don't you believe it! Robert Lopatin became a doctor in his mid-50s. Grandma Moses took up painting at 75, and had a celebrated 26-year career as an artist. Noah started building the ark at 500!

Pursue your dream no matter how far-fetched it may seem, for your dreams are like your children - they're your offspring; they're the joy of your present, and the hope of your future. Protect them! Feed them! Encourage them to grow, for as long as you have a dream you'll never be old! Determine to never, ever give up! Keep your dream alive!

Blessings!

Pastor Rusty L. Blann