About Hearing God Speak by Angie Wahl

Sometimes people share profound statements with you that stay with you and affect you so much that they seemingly come to mind again, and again. It is like you can’t get them out of your head and you know they must be shared. Recently Angie Wahl, our V.B.S. Director, Choir Leader, and our Marketing Coordinator shared such a statement with me. I asked her to frame the words in a devotional, and now here it is for you to think about. Very well said, and extremely profound.
Enjoy!
Pastor Fred

Proverbs about the Character of Fools - Part 3

Oh how honest reflection promotes humility. These Proverbs about foolishness are fuel for soul-searching. Of course a few things I have been reminded about me I haven’t shared with you, I have confessed to the Lord. How grateful I am for His grace and unconditional love. How appreciative I am of you who read this, that you respect my candor and honesty more than you jump to categorizing me. Let us see one another not only honestly, but through His lens of mercy. Here are 5 more Proverbs and 5 reflections.

Proverbs about the Character of Fools - Part 2

I have decided to personally reflect on each of these Proverbs for two reasons. One, it gives me some parameters of what I can say for the next 14 devotionals. Two, it keeps everyone from guessing who I am talking about. The Bible works best as a mirror, not a magnifying glass. I am working on the specks and logs in my eyes, you can work on yours. If you are like me, so be it. If better or worse, so be that too. But, we will all let God be the judge. I may miss some of my faults and weaknesses as will you. Let us try to keep it real and learn and grow together. Here are the next 5 Proverbs about the character of fools.

Proverbs about the Character of Fools - Part 1

As convicting as the Proverbs about our righteousness were, of equal conviction will the 55+ Proverbs about foolishness be. The wisest thing I’ve ever done was to surrender my heart to Christ. This fool needed to do that. Ever since, I have been a work in progress. Lord, please help me to keep progressing and to live by grace in humility, and yet be empowered to serve you. My accountability to Him is reflected in my character. My character is the basis for my reputation. My reputation affects my witness. My witness is my purpose. My purpose is to reflect Him. I must be aware of my old sin nature at all times, so I can avoid foolishness. Here are the first five proverbs about the character of fools.

The Blessings of the Righteous - Part 13

This is the last of the 13 devotionals on “The Blessings of the Righteous”. Writing these has greatly blessed me and opened up fresh faith for me. I see my position in Christ affecting my choices, feelings and reactions more and more. I hope you too have seen this freshness in your life. Just considering righteousness should not make us feel so self-conscious that we miss His blessings. I cannot dwell on my failures, shortcomings and weaknesses. I must snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, not snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Christ has won our battle. We are free in Him; we are His joy, despite our “humanness”. Keep your eyes on Him and Look up. Here are the final 4 verses from Proverbs about our blessings. Enjoy and receive.

The Blessings of the Righteous - Part 12

The blessings of the righteous are many. We should count our blessings often. In this life we have three choices… obedience, rebellion or carnality. Or put another way, we can be spiritually grace-oriented, or lost or saved, yet weighed down with this world and its temptations, hopelessness and worldliness. That is why we must constantly remind ourselves of who we are and whose we are. I have put this in other devotionals and it bears repeating. We must be conscious of our position in Christ. Be in Him.

A Big Smile...

"One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake." Luke 8:28

Jesus asked his disciples to “go over to the other side” of the lake. The Sea of Galilee was subject to fierce winds and sudden violent storms that came without notice. Consequently, most boats would hug the shoreline so the crews could reach land quickly if a storm came up. The disciples were asked to take a risk; they were justifiably afraid. They might have refused to go. Nonetheless, they were willing to go over to the other side and get out of their comfort zone. Because they were willing to take a risk, we have this wonderful story of God’s miraculous intervention.

The Blessings of the Righteous - Part 11

I often remind myself that righteousness is living my life based on the blessings of God, given to me because of my position in Christ Jesus. I am forgiven and a child of God who has received grace not from my own doing but because of what Christ did. My righteousness is only in Him. His righteousness has been imputed to me.

Blessings of the Righteous - Part 10

The fact is, as Scripture says, “the rain falls on the just and the unjust.” True. We live in a broken, sinful and fallen world. Bad things happen to good people. Life can seem unfair. Those facts do not change the truth of God’s blessings on the righteous. When I count my blessings I often consider all the things I have been protected from that I don’t even know. God is with us and for us constantly. He loves us.

The Blessings of the Righteous - Part 9

Some days are more action plan days and some are mere reflection days. Whatever day it is, you still must do what you must do. Even on action plan days, I must reflect and on reflection days, I must act. Today is Friday, my scheduled day off. This afternoon and this evening I plan to celebrate my wife’s birthday with her at dinner and a movie. Early this morning I attended a church/school administration meeting. I am now at the coast writing. Salt air and ocean sounds help me reflect. It is always a good day to consider His Word. So, I will write this devotion, again reflecting on 5 proverbs that speak of the blessings of the righteous.

The Blessings of Righteousness - Part 8

The more I read the 60+ Proverbs that can be categorized as the Blessings of Righteousness, the more I am personalizing them. I am finding them to serve as positive reinforcement for what I am and should be doing, and not indictments of my shortcomings. I am greatly encouraged by the number of times I am reminded of what God has done, is doing, and will do in my life according to His Word. In this set of five I cannot help but bring some reflection on what they mean to me. I, like you do not live perfectly, nor do I handle every situation in my life well. But, I do believe in His Word and am a work in progress. I am making progress over time, and I am blessed to say at least by His never failing grace and mercy to me and to us. I believe that my Lord is at work in me, and in all of us who are in Him. He is in us, He is living and active, as is His Word.
Let me share 5 things I believe from these blessings.

Hope for a Mess Up like Me

"And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will."" Acts 13:22

I mess up all the time. As a husband and as a parent, I make lots of mistakes. As a friend, I fall short. As a worker, I don't always live up to expectations. And as a Christian, one who hopes to be more and more like Christ, I leave much to be desired on a daily basis. Maybe you are like me, and perhaps you ask yourself the same nagging question that I struggle with. How can God use someone as flawed as I am for His divine purposes? Well, let me tell you, friends, there is HOPE!

The Blessings of the Righteous - Part 7

Some of the blessings are intangible, some even mystical. They are deep and cause us to search our souls. I just now encouraged someone who lost their mother. She felt support and strength from her Christian friends. Even at a distance, she knew they cared and were there for her at this difficult time. It is part of who we are. We should be able to feed off one another’s righteousness. We should be connected at our sore and know that “the just live by faith” and that we trust Him to get us through it all not only as an individual believer, but together. When one hurts we all hurt, when one rejoices, we all rejoice. We share pain and loss, victory and blessings. We are the Body of Christ. There is something righteous in the corporate sense of that. There is power and hope. We are not alone in our righteousness or our unrighteousness. Isn’t that comforting?

The Blessings of the Righteous - Part 6

As we continue hearing the blessings of the righteous, the question could cross our minds that asks, “So the life of the righteous is always smooth, easy and trouble free, right?” Wrong! While it is true that we are blessed beyond measure, we still live in a broken, sinful world. We too, ourselves, still have an old sin nature and broken people in a broken world equals brokenness. Though it is not perfect, it is improvable. We can make a difference. Things change, people can be transformed, miracles happen and God intervenes. So we have hope. I think a bigger question for us might be, “Does all of life have to be uphill?” No it doesn’t. When we remember who we are and whose we are we can be grateful. Gratefulness, probably the first step towards actualizing the blessings of the righteous.

The Blessings of the Righteousness - Part 5

There are definite blessings and benefits to being a believer, not only eternal life and forgiven sin, but here and now blessings, and benefits, too. Many promises of the saved life are regrettably never actualized for several reasons. Primarily obedience and rebellion or sin, by our choice to wallow or be captive in it, prevents us from this joy-filled, spirit-led, victorious Christian walk. Our enemy also keeps reminding us of our weakness, failures, and shortcomings. We also get full of ourselves with pride, arrogance, and selfishness. Our enemy feeds this with the passion of this world and lots of distractions and confusion. We must resist and surround ourselves with good news, good people, and goodness. This spiritual battle is real and we cannot depend on anyone, or the church, to protect us. We are fully equipped at salvation to be victorious in this life. Not constantly, but most often. We have to pursue righteousness and be vigilant as we work out our salvation knowing we are blessed because He says so, so we know so. I am a lifelong work in progress, but I must commit to maturing in Christ and make progress in being who I am in Him.

The Blessings of the Righteous - Part 4

Growing up in the 60’s, I had the privilege of living a year of my life in my van and also a year of my life in a Christian commune. These two experiences allowed me to live in the community when I was a Youth Coordinator at West Canoga Baptist Church in the San Fernando Valley. I also lived with minimal rent expense and was able to go to school full-time, and work a part-time job. My Youth Coordinator position only paid me a $25.00 gas allowance (gas was .53 cents a gallon) and a $150.00 monthly stipend. I worked at a local Exxon station during part of that time, and washed tennis courts part of that time. I was lovin’ life, serving the Lord, and so blessed. I was also keenly aware of my righteousness in Him. I was very disciplined for my age and especially during my time in my van and the commune when there was no T.V. and non-stop time living the Christian lifestyle. We were in the midst of the Jesus Movement and I gotta tell you, it was sweet.

God Was Not Created For Us, by Alejandra Mouzis

I recently started reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  I cannot seem to get past the first two chapters.  I keep reading those two chapters over and over.  I truly want to grasp and learn everything I can before moving forward.   This is a new concept for me.  I move so fast that I do not stop and learn from every experience before moving on to the next event or circumstance.   Is this not how most of us live our lives?

"Don't we live instead as though God is created for us, to do our bidding, to bless us, and to take care of our loved one?"

This statement alone has changed my way of thinking almost immediately!  I cannot believe one sentence could change a life.  Colossians 1:16, "For him all things were created:  things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. "

I have questioned God most of my life.  I have spent 12 years as a single mom and struggled to get by with a baby boy.  After my father died, my mom came to live with me.  I now had to financially support all three of us.  Many, many times throughout my life, I have asked the question ... why?  Why did my dad have to die so young?  Why is it so hard for me to get by when others seem to have so much?  Why did my car breakdown and forced ne to take the bus to work every day.  Why, why, why?

As I read these chapters, my life flashed before my eyes.  But, all along the answer to my WHY question was simply this:  .... because He's God.  He has more of a right to ask me why so many people are starving?  Why are their people with no homes or clothing?  Why are there people who don't know me?  We are in no place to demand that He give an account to us.  Can we be that arrogant to think God owes us an explanation?   God owes us nothing and we owe Him everything!

My prayers are now, "God.  I know things are going to happen today that I cannot change and do not understand, but please use me to do whatever you need done today!" I have been asking that question in the mornings and, although I work lots more than a 40 hour week, I seem to have lots of time to do things for other people and to do His work.   I have time to help friends in need, able to provide a home for someone in need, able to help my church home in whatever capacity they need and when they need it.

Just two weeks ago, Gerry and I fly up north to visit friends.  Although we thought it would be nice to get away and spent time with friends, God had other plans.  He needed me to spend quality time alone with my friend who was hurting.  While our husbands were out for the day, she and I went hiking through the redwoods and found ourselves talking about issues in our lives and it was a great opportunity for me to share how Go has changed my life.  God was present and He used me! 

It's amazing how my life has been transformed  all because I asked Him to use me?  Does that mean that I don't have problems in my life.  Of course not, I struggle with issues every day.  But, God is in control and he is using me for His plan!  When that happens, my own issues seem to work themselves out.  Imagine that!

"Life is about serving God with the gifts he has given each one of us.  Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.  If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.   If anyone serves, they should do so  with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever, Amen. " (1 Peter 4:10-11)

if you do not have a Church home, Grace Harbor Church invites and welcomes you to join us at 10:00 a.m. Sunday mornings.  Come see what God  is doing!

By:  Alejandra Mouzis, new council member

The Blessings of the Righteous - Part 3

Until they were categorized, I didn’t realize there were more than 60 Proverbs about the blessings of the righteous. I thought of Proverbs as primarily cryptic snippets of wisdom to remind me of the moral fiber of my Christian life. Proverbs served me mostly as goods that pricked my conscience and spurred me to the higher road I know I should be on. I am now freshly challenged, hopefully like you, to reconsider righteousness as a blessing and a responsibility. I am thinking of it this way… I need to think more often of my position and let that affect my disposition. I am no more perfect than I have ever been, but I am more aware than ever of my need for personal discipline. So, here are the next five blessings of the righteous. Remember, this is you and me we are talking about here. Hope you are encouraged by this teaching from God’s Word about Christ’s righteousness in us. We are righteous.

The Blessing of the Righteous - Part 2

Before we can truly appreciate the blessings of being the righteous, we must understand that we are. We are righteous before God because of Jesus Christ. His righteousness supersedes our righteousness. This means we have access to these blessings, but only when we constantly remind ourselves of our position in Him. Of ourselves, we do not deserve these blessings, but to glorify Him they are imputed to us at the moment of our salvation. Being aware of our righteousness helps us stay focused on who we are in Him.

Here are five more blessings compiled by Florence Brownfield, from her book, The Wisdom of Solomon.

The Blessings of Righteousness - Part 1

We have much to learn about righteousness. We as Christians misunderstand much about righteousness. Our enemy, satan wants us to believe we aren’t and can’t be righteous. Our Lord and Savior Jesus, blesses us with righteousness when we first believe and receive salvation, and the Holy Spirit. The fact is, God has made Christians righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. Righteousness is not self-righteousness. It is not earned. It is not being right. It is not being perfect. It is our position before God, with the blood of Christ as our covering. So we are righteous in Him. We miss so many blessings and so much empowerment from God, because we play this performance game about our righteousness. We need to get in touch with our righteousness and do better at who we are in Him, again, not to earn anything.