This week I have been in Phoenix Arizona for training. While here I have had time to observe; here is my assessment of our culture: We are missing the message! USA Today reported this week that New Orleans was making a comeback because the French quarter was re-opening a strip joint. Hundreds of people dead due to the blast of God and you considered opening up a strip joint a measure of success? That is missing the message.
The prophet Isaiah said this in Isa 6:9: You have seen but you have not perceived; this is the unfortunate state we are in right now. The signs are plain; God is judging us for ways that are not good. We see the signs yet we don’t perceive them, instead we have legislators who are passing laws, which as base and wicked, morality is scoffed at, economically we are in a shambles and God is not lightening the pressure.
God has been pleading with this country through judgments and we as a nation are for the most part missing the message. Man tends to rationalize away judgments, which are obvious. In my last post I connected behavior (input) with quality of life (output); we as a nation are not considering our ways carefully and truthfully we ought to be.
In the book of Job, chapter 33, God informs Job that he pleads with man through judgment. Listen up, our God pleads with man through judgments, he uses the rod of correction to make people aware of his views on their behavior!
It is unfortunate that as a country we have lost Gods favor due to casting His laws and standards behinid us; II Chronicles 7:14 states the following: "If my people which are called by name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, I will hear from heaven and heal their land". I pray these words do not fall on deaf ears; the counsel is clear, that we need to repent for our way, humble ourselves, seek His face and He will bring healing to our land. It is much easier to laugh and ignore the message but I fear the consequences of ignoring the message will only spin us into more and more chaos.
If one struggles with sin in their life and they cry out to God for forgiveness and deliverance you feel for them and you want to help them in any way you can. However, when one revels in their sin and flaunts it without shame what can God do except judge. Let us realize the state we are in as a nation, let us humble ourselves and turn from this self destructive path we are on! God promises that He will hear our prayer and He will come down and heal our land.
God Bless
Pastor Frank R Anderson
The Second Great Comission: Luke 1:17b "...to make ready a people prepared for the Lord"
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Thursday, September 22, 2005
What does it all mean?
What does it all mean?
Our beloved United States of America has been assaulted with everything from an unprecedented assault on one of our own contiguous States to economic woes and a great divide in our moral makeup to a hurricane of biblical proportions. Are we to read anything into this or are all of these things simply the ebb and flow of life?
I want to draw your attention to the scriptures for a period when Israel was experiencing much grief; during the time of Haggai the prophet of God spoke through the His prophet and said this…
(Hag 1:5-11) Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
Consider your ways… God points them in the direction of their own behavior to explain natural phenomenon (famine). Simply put, their own outcome was intrinsically linked to their relationship (or lack thereof) to God.
I have worked for several years in the quality department and one of the things that is repeated time and time again is your product is only as good as your process. In light of this little axiom this is what God is saying here, “Your quality of life is only as good as your hearts towards me”.
From time to time it is important for us to consider our ways…let me also say this: Prov 26:2 - “…The curse causeless [without a reason] shall not come”.
I have no intention of being a “Disaster Monger”; but let me put this to you for your careful consideration. When the Lord said, “Consider your ways”, did he mean it for just Israel alone or did he mean it for the entire world? The answer to that is very simple, it has been made available for the whole world to read, therefore, it is for the whole world. When I see the profound devastations that came upon Louisiana and I consider the words of people like the Mayor of New Orleans, Mayor Nagin, I shudder. His advice is; “America, we are a party city, GET OVER IT!” Let me take pastoral liberty to wholeheartedly chastise him for his reckless statement. If he truly cared for the people he would say something a little more meaningful and penitent such as “God save us, we desperately need your help; help us to change our ways!” This would go much further in the efforts to cheer the heart of God and to rebuild his city.
Rev Frank R. Anderson
Our beloved United States of America has been assaulted with everything from an unprecedented assault on one of our own contiguous States to economic woes and a great divide in our moral makeup to a hurricane of biblical proportions. Are we to read anything into this or are all of these things simply the ebb and flow of life?
I want to draw your attention to the scriptures for a period when Israel was experiencing much grief; during the time of Haggai the prophet of God spoke through the His prophet and said this…
(Hag 1:5-11) Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
Consider your ways… God points them in the direction of their own behavior to explain natural phenomenon (famine). Simply put, their own outcome was intrinsically linked to their relationship (or lack thereof) to God.
I have worked for several years in the quality department and one of the things that is repeated time and time again is your product is only as good as your process. In light of this little axiom this is what God is saying here, “Your quality of life is only as good as your hearts towards me”.
From time to time it is important for us to consider our ways…let me also say this: Prov 26:2 - “…The curse causeless [without a reason] shall not come”.
I have no intention of being a “Disaster Monger”; but let me put this to you for your careful consideration. When the Lord said, “Consider your ways”, did he mean it for just Israel alone or did he mean it for the entire world? The answer to that is very simple, it has been made available for the whole world to read, therefore, it is for the whole world. When I see the profound devastations that came upon Louisiana and I consider the words of people like the Mayor of New Orleans, Mayor Nagin, I shudder. His advice is; “America, we are a party city, GET OVER IT!” Let me take pastoral liberty to wholeheartedly chastise him for his reckless statement. If he truly cared for the people he would say something a little more meaningful and penitent such as “God save us, we desperately need your help; help us to change our ways!” This would go much further in the efforts to cheer the heart of God and to rebuild his city.
Rev Frank R. Anderson
Sunday, September 11, 2005
The Rich Young Ruler
I have come to learn something in the kingdom of God; everything we are or ever will become is a direct result of how we responded to the Lord in some area of our life. Consider with me Hosea 6:3 "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." In another translation is reads something like this: "then shall we know if we respond unto the Lord…"
The Rich Young Ruler
Read with me to the account of the rich young ruler; consider for a moment that this young man seemed in earnest about the Savior, see him as one who was a follower of the Lamb but we will ultimately learn who he really was by how he responds to the Master. Mark 10:17 "And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions."
This Follower of Jesus Receives a Strong Word
Let me describe this young man for you; this young man was one who was an earnest seeker of Jesus; he was so earnest he came running and kneeled before Him, this was certainly an act of worship. He is a type of someone who is very devout and enthusiastic. However, things will change dramatically for this young ruler when the Master speaks into his life in a most personal and profound way. The Master will speak directly into his life the thing he needs to hear more than anything else in the whole world and the end result is he turns his back on the Lord then walks slowly and sorrowfully away. What a tragedy, what a loss, if this young ruler had understood the full impact of this response to the Lord, if he had only embraced the word of the Lord he could have been transformed and brought into a greater light and glorious liberty.
One Who Does Not Make the Grade
What could have been the reason for this young mans turn about; what could have possibly stopped this young man from following hard after the Lord? Make no mistake about it, this was no casual serendipitous inconsequential meeting with the Lord, this was going to be an encounter that would forever change this man, and not for the good. He became the recipient of that word which is sharper than any two edged sword as we read in Hebrews 4:12-13 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." I have found that the Lord can speak what we really need to hear; it can be very challenging, yet He can drop a word into our spirit that has the power to transform us, if we let it. In a word, the problem here is this meeting with the Savior turned out to be an entreaty for this young man to forsake what proved to be the idol of his heart. The scripture clearly tells us that where our heart is there is our treasure also. This man obviously chose the security of money, wealth and goods over the Savior. It was more important to Him to have the security of wealth than performing the will of God; therefore wealth was his idol.
We Need to Search Our Own Souls
However, before we quickly condemn this man for his foolish choice we need to ask ourselves the following question: "If the Lord was speaking to me that day in the dusty road as I was kneeling, what would He say? Would that word which is sharper than any two-edged sword be able to separate me from the things I hold most dear? What would He ask of me, and perhaps more importantly, would I be able to give it?" In my time in the kingdom and in the ministry I have seen many a dear saint walk wholeheartedly for the Lord, witness; give their testimony; pray for others; minister charitably to others in money, goods and time. And yet when they have this same type of encounter where the Lord speaks to them with that two-edged sword concerning the one thing they really need to hear more than anything else, so many times, (too many times) the reaction is much the same as this young man, they are unwilling to embrace the one thing they need to hear more than anything else. I am sure for most of us we yield by the grace of God to the will of God in loving obedience. We must commit ourselves to the Word of the Lord; make it a life policy to always favor the Word of the Lord and commit to it.
What Can Happen When the Savior Come to Us?
I would like us to consider some of the things that can happen when the Lord comes to us to deal with some difficult issue in us. He can ask us to lay a relationship on the altar, He can ask us like this young man to give sacrificially, He can ask us take the road less popular, He can ask us to surrender any one of a thousand things most dear to us. The important thing isn't what He asks us to give, the important question is will we be willing to give it? What is the key here, what posture do we need to be in to do the right thing when He comes to us? How do we put ourselves in the posture of being obedient to the word of the Lord? It is really quite simple; "He that is faithful in the least will be faithful in much." The principle here is this: if we learn to be obedient to the Lord in the every day simple affairs of life we will most likely make the right choices in the big things too. A person who is accustomed to not complying in the small affairs of life really does not stand much of a chance in the large issues, like the young man in our story. Obedience is an everyday issue, choosing to do what is right choosing to be obedient to the scriptures and the Word of the Lord. For this saint obedience becomes a way of life, they do not balk or draw back when the Lord comes to them to deal with issues in their lives.
Conclusion
This story is truly tragic; it is the story of a man who was knocked off course by the word of the Lord. Not because of the devil, not because of the world, not because of others but perhaps because he had not been accustomed to responding obediently to the Word of the Lord. He was able to keep the letter of the law, however he had never learned the beautiful art of responding to the Lord. Let me finish with the verse we started with: Hosea 6:3 "Then shall we know, if we [respond to the Lord] follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." My dear friends let me exhort you today, it is not only important to hear the Word of the Lord; it is paramount that we respond to it.
God Bless You,
Reverend Frank R Anderson
God Bless You,
Reverend Frank R Anderson
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Wonderful Transformation
Wonderful Transformation!
2 Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord". This verse has been a source of comfort to me for many years; it bespeaks of the expectation of the saint to be changed from our vile state to the glorious representation of the Lord Jesus Christ through the revelation of His glory.
The Conversion Of The Sinner
Let me state that this is an experience that is much different that the one experienced at our conversion. There is, of course, an immediate change that takes place in the heart of the believer when he or she is born again of the Spirit of God; the scriptures in Colossians 1:13 tells us that when we are converted we have been translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His dear Son. I can still remember the first time I witnessed this glorious conversion on the face of a young man; he came to the altar with a desperate look of despair and longing, yet while at the altar, in humility and repentance, he met with the Lord. When he returned to his seat he was literally a changed man; his face shone with the wonderful peace and joy of Jesus, I will never forget that sight.
We also see this conversion illustrated in the life of the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus; Acts 9:3-5 "And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks". Upon this conversion the apostle Paul immediately changed his direction and occupation. Acts 9:6a "And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?. . ." While riding on the way the Lord shone from heaven and the bright light knocked him from his horse and in a moment of time this hardened heart was changed. Paul had been kicking against the conviction of the Holy Spirit who was dealing with him about the road he had chosen. This is our conversion experience where we repent and in a moment of time we are changed and given new desires to please God.
The Transformation Of The Believer
Conversion is a beautiful experience indeed; however, there is something even better; it is the glorious hope of the believer to have their vile bodies changed to be like His glorious body. Phil 3:20-21 "For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." This bodily sanctification brings us into alignment with 1 Thessalonians 4:4 "That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;" God wants to enable us to fight the good fight of faith in the realm of our bodies, keeping them pure; meeting with the Lord enables us to do this. I think His purity is one of the virtues I most admire about the Lord; He is so worthy and altogether lovely because He is so pure. Today there is a bigger challenge than ever before for a saint to remain pure, therefore we need to seek the Lord for a fresh revelation of His purity, remember we are changed into the image we behold!
This hope is of course not confined to the realm of our bodies but the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 applies it to every aspect of our being; "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." This is the glorious hope of the believer.
The Keys To Meeting With The Lord
Some have tried to convince me in the past that it is impossible to get the victory in every area of life; 1 Thessalonians 5:23 clearly does not agree with that mindset. God's desire for the believer is to transform us from the creature we are to a worthy representation of Himself in body, soul and spirit. How is this going to take place? As with anything else there are keys to meeting with God and having His transforming power working in our lives; I would like to list several for you here.
Firstly, one of the keys to meeting with the Lord is to walk in loving obedience to His will. One can never overstress the importance of walking in obedience to the Lord. I can remember the entreaty of a dear saint who has now gone on to be with the Lord, she would entreat her students to walk "in loving obedience to the Lord". This is a very important point since one who walks contrary to the will of God for their lives will not experience His transforming power. Consider with me the prayer of Paul in Colossians 1:9, 10 - "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;". Two points to ponder; "That ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will" & "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing". I think we can sum this up by saying that ye might walk in loving obedience to the will of God. In addition to this, 1 Peter 1:22 tells us that we purify our souls in obeying the truth. Additionally, we have this promise in the book of John 14:23 23 "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Here we see the Lord expressly promise us that He will reveal Himself to us and we will be changed into that image we behold, if we walk in "Loving obedience".
Secondly, that we might seek His face. If there is one thing I have learned of the Lord, it is that He takes great delight in those who seek His face. As humans those who continually need our help and attention stress us; however the Lord takes pleasure in those who continually seek Him. Consider Jer 29:12, 13 - "Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." The Lord expressly promises to those who seek His face, that He will be found of them.
Thirdly, those who meet with the Lord need humility. There is a boldness which is good, such as what Peter prayed for when he wanted to preach the word of God in the book of Acts. However when approaching to the Lord there needs to be in the heart of the believer almost a sense of desperation; "Lord if you do not meet with me nothing will change", there is this sense of deep need in ones heart. This type of humility comes from no other means other than by suffering. Psalm 34:18 "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." At times the Lord allows His people to suffer to work out this beautiful character of humility. If you find yourself in this pit today, take courage the Lord is preparing you to approach to Him in humility and He promises He will be near to you and He will save you.
In conclusion let me summarize for you, the scriptures are clear that our glorious hope is to be changed into His image; not just saved but transformed into the image of our loving God. The first step in that journey is to walk in loving obedience to the will of God; the Lord is very impressed with obedience. The next step is to invest time into seeking Him; our God is worthy and takes great delight in those who seek His face. Finally, we have the beautiful gift of humility and desperate need. One who is approaching must not come as the Laodiceans; "we have need of nothing"; but rather certain desperation of spirit acknowledging His ability to meet the need. My dear friends we are told that the church will be without spot or wrinkle at His appearing; the only way for that to take place is for there to be a tremendous revelation fo the Lord Himself and the transformation fo the Bride into His image. Let's make our private time with Him effective lets approach in obedience and humility as we seek His face. And let's believe that the Lord will meet with us and reveal Himself to us.
God Bless You,
Reverend Frank R Anderson
2 Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord". This verse has been a source of comfort to me for many years; it bespeaks of the expectation of the saint to be changed from our vile state to the glorious representation of the Lord Jesus Christ through the revelation of His glory.
The Conversion Of The Sinner
Let me state that this is an experience that is much different that the one experienced at our conversion. There is, of course, an immediate change that takes place in the heart of the believer when he or she is born again of the Spirit of God; the scriptures in Colossians 1:13 tells us that when we are converted we have been translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His dear Son. I can still remember the first time I witnessed this glorious conversion on the face of a young man; he came to the altar with a desperate look of despair and longing, yet while at the altar, in humility and repentance, he met with the Lord. When he returned to his seat he was literally a changed man; his face shone with the wonderful peace and joy of Jesus, I will never forget that sight.
We also see this conversion illustrated in the life of the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus; Acts 9:3-5 "And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks". Upon this conversion the apostle Paul immediately changed his direction and occupation. Acts 9:6a "And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?. . ." While riding on the way the Lord shone from heaven and the bright light knocked him from his horse and in a moment of time this hardened heart was changed. Paul had been kicking against the conviction of the Holy Spirit who was dealing with him about the road he had chosen. This is our conversion experience where we repent and in a moment of time we are changed and given new desires to please God.
The Transformation Of The Believer
Conversion is a beautiful experience indeed; however, there is something even better; it is the glorious hope of the believer to have their vile bodies changed to be like His glorious body. Phil 3:20-21 "For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." This bodily sanctification brings us into alignment with 1 Thessalonians 4:4 "That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;" God wants to enable us to fight the good fight of faith in the realm of our bodies, keeping them pure; meeting with the Lord enables us to do this. I think His purity is one of the virtues I most admire about the Lord; He is so worthy and altogether lovely because He is so pure. Today there is a bigger challenge than ever before for a saint to remain pure, therefore we need to seek the Lord for a fresh revelation of His purity, remember we are changed into the image we behold!
This hope is of course not confined to the realm of our bodies but the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 applies it to every aspect of our being; "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." This is the glorious hope of the believer.
The Keys To Meeting With The Lord
Some have tried to convince me in the past that it is impossible to get the victory in every area of life; 1 Thessalonians 5:23 clearly does not agree with that mindset. God's desire for the believer is to transform us from the creature we are to a worthy representation of Himself in body, soul and spirit. How is this going to take place? As with anything else there are keys to meeting with God and having His transforming power working in our lives; I would like to list several for you here.
Firstly, one of the keys to meeting with the Lord is to walk in loving obedience to His will. One can never overstress the importance of walking in obedience to the Lord. I can remember the entreaty of a dear saint who has now gone on to be with the Lord, she would entreat her students to walk "in loving obedience to the Lord". This is a very important point since one who walks contrary to the will of God for their lives will not experience His transforming power. Consider with me the prayer of Paul in Colossians 1:9, 10 - "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;". Two points to ponder; "That ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will" & "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing". I think we can sum this up by saying that ye might walk in loving obedience to the will of God. In addition to this, 1 Peter 1:22 tells us that we purify our souls in obeying the truth. Additionally, we have this promise in the book of John 14:23 23 "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Here we see the Lord expressly promise us that He will reveal Himself to us and we will be changed into that image we behold, if we walk in "Loving obedience".
Secondly, that we might seek His face. If there is one thing I have learned of the Lord, it is that He takes great delight in those who seek His face. As humans those who continually need our help and attention stress us; however the Lord takes pleasure in those who continually seek Him. Consider Jer 29:12, 13 - "Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." The Lord expressly promises to those who seek His face, that He will be found of them.
Thirdly, those who meet with the Lord need humility. There is a boldness which is good, such as what Peter prayed for when he wanted to preach the word of God in the book of Acts. However when approaching to the Lord there needs to be in the heart of the believer almost a sense of desperation; "Lord if you do not meet with me nothing will change", there is this sense of deep need in ones heart. This type of humility comes from no other means other than by suffering. Psalm 34:18 "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." At times the Lord allows His people to suffer to work out this beautiful character of humility. If you find yourself in this pit today, take courage the Lord is preparing you to approach to Him in humility and He promises He will be near to you and He will save you.
In conclusion let me summarize for you, the scriptures are clear that our glorious hope is to be changed into His image; not just saved but transformed into the image of our loving God. The first step in that journey is to walk in loving obedience to the will of God; the Lord is very impressed with obedience. The next step is to invest time into seeking Him; our God is worthy and takes great delight in those who seek His face. Finally, we have the beautiful gift of humility and desperate need. One who is approaching must not come as the Laodiceans; "we have need of nothing"; but rather certain desperation of spirit acknowledging His ability to meet the need. My dear friends we are told that the church will be without spot or wrinkle at His appearing; the only way for that to take place is for there to be a tremendous revelation fo the Lord Himself and the transformation fo the Bride into His image. Let's make our private time with Him effective lets approach in obedience and humility as we seek His face. And let's believe that the Lord will meet with us and reveal Himself to us.
God Bless You,
Reverend Frank R Anderson
My Introduction
This is my attempt to launch out into the blogging world! Let me begin by saying the content on this blog will be scriptural based. About myself - I have been an ordained minister since 1994, 7 of those years I was a Senior Pastor in Penn Yan, NY. Since approximately 2000 my family and I have taken annual trips to Central America as missionary teachers; we feel ultimately we are called to Ireland...
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