Power Of Prayer

"...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." - James 5:16

I would like to take a little time this week to talk about the most important thing in the life of the Christian, but it is also the most neglected, and that is prayer.  Here is what E.M. Bounds had to say about prayer: "We can do nothing without prayer. All things can be done by importunate prayer. It surmounts or removes all obstacles, overcomes every resisting force and gains its ends in the face of invincible hindrances."

You might be asking yourself right now how I can be so sure that there is power, when those that have been born again, begin to pray.  I know that there is power in prayer because of what our family has experienced over the last several weeks.

Many of you know that our youngest son, Brayden, was hospitalized a couple of weeks ago due to the fact that he had been vomiting for over a week with no end in sight.  I will never forget how I felt on Wednesday July 4, 2012; I literally felt like I was watching my little boy slowly die.  I will also never forget that day for another reason, because that is when God's people began to pray for Brayden.  First, we sent out a message to the prayer chain at our church and asked them to pray for Brayden and for wisdom for the doctors that were treating him .  Then we began to post on Facebook about the situation and asked our brothers and sisters in Christ to please pray for Brayden.  It was so amazing how quickly the Lord began to put things together and answer the many prayers that were being made for Brayden.

The next day, on Thursday July 5, Brayden was transferred to a Roanoke hospital and their pediatric unit.  We could not begin to imagine how tremendously the Lord had blessed us with this move until we talked with one of Brayden's doctors on Saturday.  On Saturday morning as the doctor came by to talk with us the conversation turned to spiritual things.  We found out that this doctor was a Christian as we talked with him, but I must admit that I was not expecting what he said to us.  Once the doctor found out that we were Christians, he asked us to pray for him because his knowledge was limited.  He went on to tell us about how that he would pray over his patients and ask the Lord to show him what to do.  When I heard this, it literally brought tears to my eyes.  God in His sovereignty and divine providence had given us a doctor that was a Christian!

On Sunday July 8 they did a endoscopy and colonoscopy on Brayden so they could see what was going on with him on the inside.  Again, we sent out something on our prayer chain at church and began to ask our pastor friends to have their churches pray too.  We also put out a request for prayer to our brothers and sisters in Christ on Facebook.  We could not begin to imagine how many people were praying for our little boy and how far this prayer request had traveled.  After the procedure we finally had a diagnosis of what was happening and what was causing Brayden to be sick.  It wasn't what we were expecting or even what we wanted to hear, but it definitely wasn't the worst that we could have heard.  Even with hearing this bad news, God wasn't done working in the situation.  The next day as Brayden's doctor came by to talk with us more about the diagnosis, we were totally in awe at what happened next.  As the doctor finished talking with us, he went over and closed the door and had prayer with us all.

Through everything that has happened to Brayden over the last several weeks, the only thing that I can say about it all is that Jesus Christ has been so good to us and that our family stands in awe of our Savior!  My mind cannot even begin to comprehend how good God has been to us through everything.  The Lord has been so gracious and merciful to us through all of this and it has been an amazing blessing how He has shown His sovereignty and divine providence in this situation.  It is our prayer that Jesus Christ has been glorified through all of this and that He will continue to be glorified as our family moves forward.  Words cannot express how much we appreciate all of our brothers and sisters in Christ praying for our little boy.  We stand in awe at how the Body of Christ has responded to us over the past several weeks. It is our prayer that this situation can be used to show our family and friends that are lost without Christ their need for Him before it is eternally too late.  Again, thank you all so much for the prayers, first and foremost, and the cards, visits, calls, and gifts that were sent to Brayden!  We have been humbled by the tremendous show of prayer and support from the Body of Christ!!!

How do I know that there is power in prayer and that prayer really works?  I have experienced firsthand the results when Christ's people get on their knees and intercede to Him for another family in Christ!

My Failure

"All that the church and its members need for the manifestation of the mighty power of God in the world, is the return to our true place, the place that belongs to us, both in creation and redemption - the place of absolute and unceasing dependence on God." - Andrew Murray

I just want to share a quick thought this Sunday before church.  I was reading a passage by Andrew Murray this morning in my devotions and I came across this quote and the Lord just spoke to my heart about it.

Do you desire to see the power of God manifested in your church?  What about you personally, do you desire to see God's power manifested in you and through you?  I would hope that we all would answer yes to both of those questions.  

I can honestly say that I truly long to see God's power manifested in our church and in my life personally, but I can't honestly say that I have really seen it.  When I don't see it in our church or in my life, I get very down and very discouraged.  Why don't I see it?  It is a very simple question that has a very obvious answer.  I don't see the mighty power of God manifested in our church and in my life personally because the church is not in the right place, and neither am I.  That is a pretty tough pill to swallow, but it is the truth.  When I do not see the power of God manifested in my life, it is because I am not in the right place, the place that belongs to me and the church both - the place of absolute and unceasing dependence on Christ.

What about you?  Are you in the place of absolute and unceasing dependence on Christ?

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, forgive me for not being in the right place, a place of absolute and unceasing dependence on You.  Help me to be in that place of absolute and unceasing dependence on You so that Your mighty power would be manifested in and through my life.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Faithful In Prayer

"Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me." - Psalm 66:20

During my 10 years in the ministry, I have found that the most important church service is also the most neglected and poorly attended service, the midweek prayer and Bible study.  If you were to announce that you were having some form of entertainment you would be amazed at the turnout, but announce that you are meeting to spend time in prayer and hardly anyone shows up.  Why is this?  The answer is simple, Christians do not have the right priorities.  Even in our unfaithfulness to God, He is still faithful to us.

Let's think about our prayer lives for just a moment.  Think about how faithful God has been to hear our prayers even we have not been so faithful to commune with Him in prayer.  Notice what Charles Spurgeon says about this: "Oh! it is marvellous that the Lord should regard those intermittent spasms of importunity which come and go with our necessities. What a God is he thus to hear the prayers of those who come to him when they have pressing wants, but neglect him when they have received a mercy; who approach him when they are forced to come, but who almost forget to address him when mercies are plentiful and sorrows are few."  If we are honest, we all would have to admit our neglect to be faithful to God in prayer; we only call on Him when we are desperate.  Even with that said, God is still faithful and merciful, not only to hear, but also to answer our prayers.  I must admit, I am so guilty of doing this very thing.  When things are going good I tend to slack in my prayer life, but then when things take a turn for the worse I am calling out to God for help.  Let us purpose in our hearts that we are going to be faithful to commune with God in prayer just as much when things are going great as we do when things are going wrong.

Now, let's turn to another aspect of our prayer lives: what about the character and nature of the prayers that we offer to God?  Here is what Spurgeon said about the nature of our prayers: "In looking back upon the character of our prayers, if we do it honestly, we shall be filled with wonder that God has ever answered them."  Let us be totally honest about the character and nature of the things that we pray for.  Sadly, most of the prayer requests that you hear from Christians during the midweek prayer service are very inwardly and carnally focused.  We have gotten away from getting on our faces before God and crying out to Him for the spiritual needs of those around us.  Yet, despite our inwardly and carnally focused prayers, God is still faithful to hear and answer our prayers.

I pray, that because God hears our prayers such as they are, it will touch and stir our hearts to be more faithful to God in our prayer life.  I pray that it will stir our hearts to be more spiritually and eternally minded when we approach our Heavenly Father.

Playing Church & Playing Games With Christ

"But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know who thou oughtest to be have thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." - 1 Timothy 3:15

I just want to share a quick thought with everyone today.  I have been observing the landscape of our churches over the last several months, especially in the last week or so.  I have come to the conclusion that we have a lot of people in "American Christianity" that are simply playing church.  Now, I am sure that to many of you this does not come as any surprise or new revelation.

In light of remarks that were made by our President last week, we have begun to see a separating of true Bible believing Christians and those that profess the name of Christ, yet openly disobey His Word and make no apologies for it.  This division is only going to get clearer as we get closer to Christ coming back for His Church.  The bottom line is that we are going to find who is truly following Christ and who is just playing church and playing games with Christ.  Like I said before, the sad reality is that we have so many people today who are just playing and pretending, not ever taking what Christ has said seriously.

If you are saved, the Bible says that you will stand before Jesus at the Judgment Seat of Christ and give an account for everything that you have thought, said, done, or things you should have done but didn't.  My question is, do you really believe this?  I am convinced that the majority of those that profess Christ don't really believe this, because if they did it would scare them to death or at least change the way they live.

The world looks at professing Christians and the Church today, and they see something that is not real.  A friend of mine said this the other day, "Sinners and God have something in common, they are looking for something real."  We must show and reflect that Christ and the Church is real to us!

The bottom line is that professing Christians have become good at playing church and playing games with Christ, just as good as a politician is at playing politics.

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me, that when others see my life, they see something real!  By Your grace, help me not to play church or play games with the Christ.  I pray that in every thought, every word, and every action I will be reminded of the fact that I will stand before Christ at the Judgment Seat to give an account.  Give me the strength to stand for you in the days that lie ahead, no matter the cost!  In Jesus name, Amen!

Where Is The Church?

"And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also." - Acts 17:6

Over the last several months I have been burdened by a single question, where is the Church?  The Church in the book of Acts is accused of turning the world upside down.  Sadly, the only thing that the Church could be accused of today is selling out.  We are such a far cry from what the Church is supposed to be as read in the book of Acts.

Have you ever heard another church member recalling a story that ended with one of these statements:

"That church split over the color of the carpet!" or "The deacons meeting ended in an actual fight!" or "She walked up and slapped the pastor across the face!" or "She actually flipped the pastor the middle finger in a business meeting!"

You might be thinking that those statements sound extreme and that something like that would never happen.  I can tell you from personal experience that these things do happen.  The last example of someone flipping the pastor the middle finger in a business meeting actually happened to me last year.  Many Christians could share stories with you that defy the imagination.  Let me emphatically say that church is not supposed to be this way!

All you have to do is look around the community that you live in and you will see people that are hurting, people that need someone to love them and care about them, people that need someone to show them Christ.  Where is the Church?  We have gotten so caught up in our theology, our programs, and ourselves that we have quit being the Church!  What will it take to break our hearts for people in our communities?  What happened to  Christians helping their neighbors with a need?  What happened to Christians donating their time to the food bank or homeless shelter?  What happened to Christians just showing a simple act of kindness so that they might show and reflect the love of Christ?  Now please don't misunderstand me, I am not saying that we should do all of these things in place of witnessing and sharing the Gospel of Christ with the lost.  We must do all these things in conjunction with witnessing and sharing the Gospel of Christ with the lost.

May God break our hearts for those in our community!  May God so burden our hearts and our souls that we will start being the Church by showing a radical love and compassion for those in our communities.  I am all for having the right theology and doctrine, but those things are worthless if it doesn't radically change our lives and compel us to show unbelievable compassion to those in our community.

‎"The knowledge that God has loved me to the uttermost, to the end of all my sin and meanness and selfishness and wrong, will send me forth into the world to love in the same way." - Oswald Chambers

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, I pray that You would break my heart for those in my community!  Break my heart for their souls, their needs, and their burdens.  Help my to show them Christ's love in every way imaginable!  Give me a radical love and unbelievable compassion for those that are lost, those that are hurting, and those that just need to see that someone cares.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Hiding His Word In Our Hearts

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." - Psalm 119:11

First, let me say that it is good to be back blogging!  Last week we had a Prophecy Conference at FBC with Dr. Billy Martin.  It was a great week, but I did not have the opportunity to update my blog at all last week.

I want to share something that has been heavy on my heart over the last several months.  I have observed that our churches seem to be severely lacking when it comes to God's Word.  The statistics are very disturbing to say the least.

• Only 16% of churchgoers read the Bible everyday.

• Only 32% read the Bible at least once a week.

• Only 37% say that reading and studying the Bible has made a significant difference in the way they live their lives.

We must do something about this!  As I said, the statistics are very disturbing to say the least.  Just a little over 1/4 of our congregations are reading their Bibles only one time each week.  It is no wonder that our churches are in the shape that they are in!  Could you imagine only eating physically one time a week?  Most of us couldn't even imagine eating only one time a day.  We all know that if we skip eating that we are not going to grow physically; in fact, we are going to get weaker.  Why is that we do not apply the same standard to our spiritual lives?  How can we expect to grow spiritually if we are never in God's Word, or if we just read it once a week?  We are spiritually starving ourselves to death!

The most disturbing of these statistics to me is that only 37% say that reading and studying the Bible has made a significant difference in the way they live their lives.  This should not be!  If you are truly a child of God, every time that you read God's Word, it should radically change you!  I truly believe that what we have in many of our churches is a bunch of lost people trying to read the Bible and understand it, which is the problem.  I hear so much about how people say that they cannot understand the Bible.  Now let me be very clear, even as a Christian, you are not going to understand everything you read in the Bible, but you should have a general understanding.  As a child of God, when you read His Word it should convict you and stir your heart, it will change you!

I believe one of the biggest contributing factors to this epidemic is that many pastors and churches push reading your Bible through every year.  I have heard countless preachers talk about how many times they have read their Bible through during their lives.  I have even heard them make condescending remarks about those who have never read their Bibles through during the year.  It is not important whether or not a person reads their Bible through each year, but rather it is more important that they read their Bibles everyday.  We must encourage our people to get in God's Word everyday, even if they only read a few verses each day.

I will be the first to admit that I don't spend time in God's Word like I should, and if you are honest you would have to admit the same.  Purpose in your heart, that moving forward you are going to spend time in God's Word each day, but more importantly, that you are going to allow His Word to radically change how you live.  Get in the Word!!!

"The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver." - Psalm 119:72


"Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction." - Psalm 119:92


"O how I love thy law! it is my meditation all the day." - Psalm 119:97


"How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" - Psalm 119:103


"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." - Psalm 119:105


"The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple." - Psalm 119:130


Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me to spend time in Your Word each day!  Father, I pray that as I read and study Your Word each day that You would radically change my heart and my life to look more like Christ.  Father, give me a burning desire for Your Word!  In Jesus name, Amen!

What's That?

"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." - Acts 17:11



I apologize that I have not been blogging over the last several days.  I am trying to get back into my normal morning routine, so here we go!

Today, I want to do something that is a little different than normal.  Have you ever heard the words exegesis and eisegesis?  If you are like most of people, you are probably saying to your self right now, "What's that?"

Exegesis - an attempt to discover the meaning of the text objectively, starting with the text and moving out from there.

Eisegesis - to import a subjective, preconceived meaning into the text.

I am afraid that most of us have been taught to interpret the Bible through eisegesis, by bringing our own preconceived ideas and beliefs of what we have been told the text says.  However, that is absolutely unscriptural to do so.  Notice above in Acts 17:11 that the Bereans received the Word with all readiness of mind and that they searched the Scriptures daily to see if what they were being taught was accurate.  What a huge difference we see in how they received and studied the Word than what you see in our modern day church culture!

When we interpret the Bible through eisegesis we start with an idea or conviction, then we search for Bible verses to prove our point.  This is very dangerous because we can take verses out of context to support just about any point of view.  We see this so much in many of our Evangelical and especially in our Fundamental churches.  When we interpret the Bible through eisegesis alone, we are going to have a twisted view of Scripture.

We must learn to interpret the Bible through exegesis, where we attempt to discover the meaning of the text objectively, without bringing any of our preconceived ideas about the text.  I want you to notice what Francis Chan has to say about exegesis: "I was taught to interpret the Scriptures through exegesis alone.  Start with God's Word; pray that the Spirit gives you clarity; then study to see what the text actually says.  The Holy Spirit inspired the writing of the Bible, so who better to help us as we seek to understand it!  Scripture tells us that the Spirit not only inspired the Bible, but also illumines it for us today."  If you will honestly and sincerely study the Bible through exegesis alone, it will surprise you how much of the Bible that you were actually misinterpreting before and taking totally out of context.

You and I can easily pursue just about any lifestyle we desire and then find Scripture to show everyone that it is alright to live that way.  We see this being done by many Christians in our churches today, and we also see it being done by many pastors from behind the pulpit.  Here is the question that I have for you, what would it look like for you and I to live exegetically?  If you and I were to start with Scripture and allow it to dictate our actions, how would you and I live?

The bottom line is that we have so many Christians and even pastors today that are interpreting the Bible through eisegesis and not exegesis.  As we approach God's Holy Word, we must lose all of our preconceived notions and beliefs about what we have been told that it means, and we must search the Scriptures for ourselves through exegesis alone.

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, as I read Your Word, help me to lose all of my preconceived ideas about the text and allow Your Spirit to guide me in understanding.  I pray that as I read through Your Word that the Holy Spirit would open my eyes to what the passage is actually saying and help me to apply that truth to my life.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Questioning God

"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.  Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?  But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased." - Psalm 115:1-3



Colossians 1:16 says "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him."  However, we live as though God is created for us, to do our bidding, to bless us, and take care of those we love.

Psalm 115:3 says "...our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he pleased."  Even in light of that, we constantly are questioning God.  "Why did you make me this way?"  "Why did You allow this to happen?"  "Why are there so many starving children in the world?"  "Why is my family so messed up?"  The answer to all of these questions is simply: because He is God.  Have you ever stopped to consider that God should be asking us why so many people are starving?  Our culture has the attitude that God owes us, His creation, an explanation for why He does what He does.  However, we are in no place to demand that God gives an account of Himself to us.  What is so sad about this is that this attitude has crept into the Body of Christ.  We are constantly questioning God as to why He does this or that.

Look at what the Bible says in Daniel 4:35, "And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?"  Wow!  That is a pretty sobering statement!

Listen to what Francis Chan says concerning this: "Can you worship a God who isn't obligated to explain His actions to you?  Could it be your arrogance that makes you think God owes you an explanation?"  Ouch!!!  This is so true though, it is only our arrogance that causes us to think God owes us anything!

I want to challenge you today not to question why God is or isn't doing something in your life, but rather to simply trust Him and obey Him.  You and I should worship Jesus Christ simply because of Who He is, not because of what He can do for us or even what we want Him to do for us.  When David's baby, he had with Bathsheba, died because of David's sin, he did not question God why, he simply worshiped.

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me not to question You or to demand that You do things the way I think they should be done.  Help me to trust You, obey, You, and simply worship You because of Who You are.  You are worthy of my obedience and my worship no matter what!  In Jesus name, Amen!

Church Bulletin Bloopers

I wanted to do something a little different today.  Since it is Monday, I thought it might be a good idea to get the week started off with a little humor.  Here are some announcements that actually appeared in various church bulletins or were announced during church services.  ENJOY!

"The Fasting & Prayer Conference included meals."

"Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale.  It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house.  Bring your husbands."

"Don't let worry kill you off - let the church help."

"For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs." (one of my favorites)

"Next Thursday will be tryouts for the choir.  They need all the help they can get."

"A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall.  Music will follow."

"The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility."

"This evening at 7PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the church.  Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin."

"Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7PM.  Please use the back door."

"Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled.  Proceeds will will be used to cripple children."

I hope that this helps to get your Monday and your week off to a great start!

Pastor Clint

The Source Of Our Problems

"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom." - Proverbs 13:10



A preacher friend of mine quoted this Bible verse in one of his posts this morning on Facebook and I decided to go read it and meditate on it for a little while.  As I thought on this verse, the Lord began to speak to my heart about writing something on it today.

It is so sad to see that there is much contention in many churches today and in the lives of many Christians today as well.  Why is that?  What is the reason for it?  The answer is pride, it is the root of all contention.  Pride is at the root of the problems and contentions that we have with others, whether it be in the church or outside the church.  Pride comes natural to us because of our flesh and our lusts.  We don't want to be wronged, we don't want to be corrected, we must have things our way, we are going to give someone a piece of our mind.  We manifest all of these attitudes because of pride.

The Bible tells us that God resists the proud.  In Proverbs chapter 6, we find that a proud look is something that God says He hates.    In contrast, the Bible tells us that God gives grace to the humble.  It also says that God is near to those of broken heart and a contrite spirit.  In light of this, there are several questions that come to mind.  Where is our humility?  Where is our brokenness?  Where is our spirit of contrition?

The solution to this problem is simple; if we want to get rid of contention in our churches, our homes, and our individual lives, we must get rid of our pride.  If we are dying daily to ourselves, our flesh, and our lusts, then there is no reason for us to have pride in our hearts.  However, in "American Christianity" the problem is that we do not die daily to all of these things.  Is it any wonder that we lack the power of God in our churches, pulpits, and our individual lives?

If you look to the middle of the word "Pride" you will find "I" and that says it all!

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me today to die to my flesh, my desires, and my lusts.  Help me to deny myself and to surrender all to Christ.  Forgive me for my sin of pride in my heart and cleanse me from it.  Give me a spirit of humility, brokenness, and a contrite heart.  Lord, help me to remember, it isn't about me but rather it is ALL about Christ!  In Jesus name, Amen!

Standing In The Gap

"And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.  Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin-; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written." - Exodus 32:31-32



Without a doubt, the prayer in these verses is one of the greatest intercessory prayers offered in all of Scripture.  The Lord is ready to totally consume the children of Israel because of their sin against Him.  Their sin of idolatry has brought the wrath of God upon them, and rightly so.  They had just been delivered by the hand of God Himself from the bondage of the Egyptians, delivered at the Red Sea, their every need has been provided for, and now they have forsaken the Lord for a golden calf.  Even though they deserved the wrath of God to come upon them, Moses stood in the gap for Israel and interceded to God for them on their behalf.  Moses even told God that if He would not forgive Israel for their sin to blot his own name out of the Lord's book.  WOW, now that is a man that had a burden for the people he was leading!

Where is are the Moses' of today?  Where is that kind of intercessory prayer today?  Even the Apostle Paul was willing to be accursed that Israel might be saved.  Unfortunately, our prayers today have become so self-centered that we have no time to intercede to God for others.  Are we willing to stand in the gap like Moses did for Israel?  Are we willing to intercede to God for those around us that are lost?  Are we willing to intercede to God for those who have backslid on Him?  Have you ever considered that you might be the only one standing in the gap interceding for another person?

We are in desperate need today of people who are willing to stand in the gap and intercede to God just like Moses did!  Lord help us to see our need to stand in the gap and intercede for our homes, our churches, and our nation!

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, when I pray, help me no to simply offer a bunch of self-centered prayers, but help me to stand in the gap and intercede for those around me.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Pastor Clint's Recommended Reading List

Here is a recommended reading list that I have put together to be a help to Christians who want to grow closer to Christ in their walk with Him. These are books that have greatly influenced me and my ministry. It is my prayer that your heart will be stirred and challenged as you read through these books. - Pastor Clint

• Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman

Note: This is quite possibly the best book I have ever read. It should be REQUIRED reading for EVERY church member and maybe even a prerequisite for church membership

• Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do To Stop It by Ken Ham

Note: This is a MUST read for ALL parents and ALL pastors! You can't afford not to read it!

• Radical by David Platt

Note: This is one of the stirring books that I have ever read

• Radical Together by David Platt

Note: This is a wonderful book for churches to read together after reading Radical

• Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala

Note: This is the BEST modern day work on prayer there is out there

• When Worlds Collide: Stepping Up and Standing Out In An Anti-God Culture by Mike & Daniel Blackaby

Note: This is a MUST read for all youth in your church! I would also recommend it to anybody working with young people and pastors as well. A tremendous book!

• Serving As Senders by Neal Pirolo

Note: This is absolutely the BEST book on a church's relationship with missionaries period! This should be REQUIRED reading for ALL pastors!

• Gospel by J.D. Greear

Note: This is a great book for any church member who feels like they sruggle in their walk with Christ. It shows how we must go deeper into the Gospel as we live the Christian life. A MUST read!

• What Is A Healthy Church Member by Thabiti Anyabwile

Note: Don't let the Author's name scare you off. This is an excellent book for ALL church members and would be an excellent book to give potential members. Also would be great to teach in Sunday School.

• Heart Disease In Christ's Body by Jack Van Impe

Note: This is was written in 1984 by Dr. Van Impe before he developed his modern day associations. I would HIGHLY recommend this book. It is TREMENDOUS!

• The Well by Mark Hall

Note: Written by the lead singer for Casting Crowns. This is a VERY stirring and convicting book! An excellent read! I would HIGHLY recommend this book!

• Humility by Andrew Murray

Note: This is one of the most convicting books that you will ever read!

• Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe

Note: A classic! Not much else needs to be said about this one.

• The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel

Note: This is one of my favorite books. You will find it very convicting!

• Transformational Church by Ed Stetzer & Thom Rainer

Note: This is a very good book to take the spiritual temperature of your church.

• If You Only Knew Me: Seeing Your Pastor From A Different Perspective by Jerry Beaver

Note: This is a MUST read for ALL church members and ALL pastors!

• God Has A Wonderful Plan For Your Life: The Myth Of The Modern Message by Ray Comfort

Note: Another book that is a MUST read for ALL church members!

• A Skeptic's Search For God by Ralph Muncaster

Note: If you have an atheist friend or someone that relies on science, or agnositc, you MUST give them this book. Absolutely the best book out there on the subject period!

• Hell? Yes!...And Other Outrageous Truths You Can Still Believe by Robert Jeffress

Note: This is a great book to give to a person that has trouble with Hell or other controversial subjects in our culture today.

• Driven To The Edge: A Biblical Examination Of Suicide by Randy Raynes

Note: This is the only book to date that I have come across that deals with this subject in a Biblical manner.

• Stop Dating The Church by Joshua Harris

Note: This is a great book for those who seem to have trouble making the commitment to a local church.

• I Am A Fundamentalist by John R. Rice

Note: This book is out of print and very hard to come by, but if you can find it, get it! Dr. Rice's position on many things in the book will surprise you. A MUST HAVE!

• More Than A Carpenter by Josh McDowell

Note: This is another excellent book to give a skeptic, agnostic, or atheist. This book is on a more basic level than some others, but it is excellent!

• Thinking Outside The Box by Charles Keen

Note: This is another great book on missions! The name of the book says it all.

• One Heartbeat Away by Mark Cahill

Note: Hands down the BEST book to give to ANY lost person! It presents the Gospel in a very Biblical way!

• Power In The Pulpit by Jerry Vines & Jim Shaddix

Note: This is a tremendous work on expository preaching! This is a MUST have for ALL preachers!

Have Pity

"Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me." - Job 19:21


 

It has been said that no one in all of Scripture, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, suffered like Job did.  It has also been said about Job's friends, that with friends like that, you don't need enemies.  What we read in Job 19:21 is one of the saddest statements made in Scripture.  Job is desperate as he cries out for his friends to have pity on him.  What stands out to me about this verse is the total lack of compassion and mercy shown by Job's supposed friends.

What about us today?  There are people in our churches today who are suffering.  Are we willing to show them mercy and compassion and really be there for our brothers and sisters in Christ when they need us?  There are also multitudes that are lost without Christ in our culture today.  Are we willing to speak the truth in love to them?  Are we also willing to show them mercy and compassion by showing them the love of Christ that they desperately need?  I'm so afraid that those in the church, as well as in the world, think that we see them only as a number.  "We have led this many to Christ this month.  We have given this much to missions this past year or we support this many missionaries."  You and I must be willing to invest ourselves into the lives of those who are in need, whether those needs be spiritual, physical, or emotional.  We must be willing to cry with others, to share their hurts, and cry out to the Lord on their behalf.

It seems to me today that way too many Christians are in the category of Job's supposed friends.  They are merciless, they are without compassion on those who are hurting and in need.  Too many times we spend so much time condemning others that we fail to show them Christ's love, mercy, or compassion.  Now I am not saying that we accept their sin and overlook it, I am saying that these people who are hurting need someone to just love them and show them Christ.

Will you show mercy, compassion, and the love of Christ to those that are hurting?  May God break our hearts especially for those that are lost in the world and desperately need Christ to save them before it is eternally too late!

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father. break my heart for those around me that are hurting and desperately need Your love!  Please forgive me for my failure to show Christ's love to these people.  Help me to show mercy and compassion to those in need, whether they be in the church or in the world.  May I make a difference in the life of someone else for Your honor and glory!  In Jesus name, Amen!

Startling Statistics

  

This is not going to be somewhat of a different blog post for me.  Yesterday I received something in the mail about a retreat for pastors and their wives.  As I began to look through the information I came across some very startling statistics concerning pastors and the ministry in general.  I want to pass this information along because it indicates that something is drastically wrong in our churches today.

I must be honest, I can relate to much of what is said and in some cases I am one of those statistics.  So here we go, below are some very startling, eye-opening, and disturbing statistics about pastors and the ministry.

What Pastors Are Struggling With In Their Ministries

• 1,500 pastors leave their churches every month in the U.S. because of conflict, burnout, or moral failure.

• 80% of pastors believe pastoral ministry has affected their families negatively and 33% say that being in the ministry is an outright hazard to their families.

• 82% of pastors in the U.S. said they would leave the ministry if it were financially feasible to do so.

• 80% of pastors feel unqualified or discouraged in their role as pastor.

• 80% of pastors spend less than 15 minutes a day in prayer.

• 70% of pastors do not have a close friend, confidant, or mentor.

• 70% of pastors say the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons.
• 50% of pastors have considered leaving the ministry in the last three months.

• 40% of pastors report a serious conflict with a parishioner as least once a month.

• Almost 40% of pastors have had an extra-marital affair since the beginning of their ministry.

• 23% of all current pastors have been fired or forced to resign in the past.

• The average pastoral career only lasts 14 years.

• 66% of church members expect a minister and family to live at a higher moral standard than they do.

Again, as I read these statistics I am struck by this recurring thought, "Something is drastically wrong with this picture."  We must turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to these realities!  It is causing major harm and damage to the cause of Christ.  People must realize that pastors ARE NOT super human or some sort of spiritual giant that does not face the same struggles that they do.  We are only human!  We face the same struggles that our church members face.  We fuss at our children just like they fuss at theirs.  We argue with our wives at times just like other men in the church argue with theirs at times.  There will probably be some pastor out there that will say that I shouldn't be saying these things, but hey, I'm just being honest.

I am not trying to have a pity party for pastors and get everyone to feel sorry for us.  I am trying to get people to see the reality and seriousness of the situation.  As I read through this, I came to the realization that I am a statistic.  What about you?

He Gave

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16


This is the most famous and well known Bible verse that there is.  Most of us learned this verse in Vacation Bible School or Sunday School as children.  I would even dare say that many if not most people that are lost could even quote this verse.  I'm afraid that most of us as Christians take this very familiar verse for granted when it comes to some of the powerful truths that it teaches us.

I want to draw your attention to the words "that He gave."  This tells us how much God truly loves not just the world as a whole but how much He loves you and I as individuals.  God the Father loved you and I so much that "He gave."  Have you truly thought about that weight of those three words "that He gave" or have you been guilty of just glossing over it?

The reality of John 3:16 is that God completely, absolutely, and totally gave Himself for us!  He took on the form of a man in Jesus from Nazareth, left the glory and splendor of Heaven, to be rejected by His own people and then to suffer, bleed, and die on a cross.  Think about it, God, the Creator of the entire universe became a curse when He hung on the cross; He was taking all of the punishment that you and I deserved for our sin.  God Himself, the Person of Jesus Christ, gave up everything for you and for me; He literally gave you and I everything when He gave Himself as that perfect sacrifice required for our sins to be forgiven.

The question to you and I today is: if God gave Himself absolutely for us, then shouldn't you and I be willing to absolutely give ourselves to Him?  We must be willing to completely and totally abandon everything for Jesus Christ!  The sad reality is that most Christians know very little if anything at all about giving up anything for Christ.  We are so worried about the consequences of what we are giving up to follow Christ.  However, the truth is that when we grasp the reality of John 3:16, that God totally and absolutely gave Himself for us, we will have no trouble giving ourselves absolutely to Christ, no matter the consequences.

There have never been three more powerful words than "that He gave!"


Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for giving Yourself completely and absolutely when You hung on the cross to pay for my sins and take the punishment that I deserved.  Help me today and everyday to totally, completely, and absolutely give myself to You.  May I totally abandon myself to You and Your will.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Dwelling Together In Unity

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for the brethren to dwell together in unity!" - Psalm 133:1


"The devils are united as one man in their infamous rebellion, while we believers in Jesus are divided in our service of God, and scarcely ever work with unanimity." - Charles Spurgeon

The Bible says that it is good and that it is pleasant for the brethren to dwell together in unity.  The Bible goes on to say in Psalm 133:2 that it is like a precious ointment upon the head.  With that being said, why is that we cannot seem to dwell together in unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Please don't misunderstand me, I am not talking about yoking up with those that promote and teach false doctrine; neither am I talking about yoking up with those who are not saved.  I am talking about Christians who agree on the fundamentals of the faith.  In the New Testament, Jude exhorted his readers to "earnestly contend for the faith."  He did not say contend for the issues, he said contend for the faith!

Is it any wonder that we do not see people coming to Christ when the Body is divided?  Is it any wonder that people want nothing to do with the Bride of Christ?  Our enemy, Satan, and all of his cronies are most definitely united in their cause to destroy the name of Jesus Christ.  Why is it that we feel that we must attack others in the Body who don't cross their t's and dot their i's the way we do?  Again, I am not talking about those who are in doctrinal error.  This was the problem at Corinth, they were divided with one saying they were of Paul and another saying they were of Apollos.  Unfortunately, not much has changed since then.  Today in the Body of Christ we have all sorts of cliques and camps proudly touting who they are of: I am Sword of the Lord, I am Hyles-Anderson, I am in the camp meeting crowd, or I am BBF.  Please don't misunderstand me, I am not trying to pick on these specific groups, but rather I am just using them for examples.  Sadly, the reality is that if someone doesn't do what we think they should be doing or do it the way we think they should, we want to separate from them and ostracize them even when there is no Biblical reason or mandate for doing so.

Does it bother you that people are dying lost and spending an eternity in Hell because the Body is too busy fighting among themselves?  May God convict our hearts of this terrible wickedness and sin!  We have the truth that this lost world needs, but they are not hearing it because we are too busy fighting with each other.  I know that I am running the risk of being labeled a compromiser by my IFB brethren, but that is okay because I quit worrying what "the brethren" thought a long time ago.  I am ONLY concerned with pleasing Jesus Christ and being obedient to Him.

There is absolutely something wrong when you see the level of vitriol that is present among the Body today, especially coming from "men of God."  This attacking one another has got to stop!  How can we say the love of Christ dwells in us and then turn around and go after another brother in Christ just because it doesn't agree with our opinions or personal preferences?  All of this is done under the pretense of taking a stand.  My question is: taking a stand for what?  Where is the humility?  Where is the meekness?  Where is the brokenness?

I can't help but think about what a hot time it is going to be at the Judgment Seat of Christ as we have to give account to Christ for the discord that we have sown in the Body.  How many people have died lost and are now burning in Hell because of the lack of unity in the Body?  Do we even care or does it even bother us that our lack of unity and our discord is hindering us from sharing the Gospel with those that are in desperate need of salvation?

May the Lord forgive us for our lack of unity and may He forgive us for the way treat other members of His Body!  I pray that we would ask the Lord for meekness, humility, and that our hearts would be broken!

Vagabond Christianity

"When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth." - Genesis 4:12


This coming Sunday morning at Fairystone Baptist Church I plan to preach a message entitled "Vagabond Christianity."  I do not want to give away my entire message, but I just wanted to share a quick thought with you.  I was very intrigued by the word "vagabond" as I was reading through this chapter.  After Cain murders his brother Abel the Lord tells Cain that he will be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth.

What does vagabond mean?  How is that significant to us in our walk with Christ?  Websters 1828 Dictionary defines vagabond as someone wandering, with no settled habitation, no certain direction, and driven to and fro. Do you see the relevance and significance now?

I can help but wonder how many people we have in our churches that are simply vagabonds.  They are wandering, they have no settled habitation, they have no certain direction, and they are driven to and fro.  Does this describe you?  Is this an accurate description of where you are spiritually today?

There are so many people in our churches today that are simply existing, they are wandering into the middle of nowhere in their spiritual life.  They literally are floundering and starving to death spiritually because they are vagabonds.  I'm afraid this is why we are not seeing the spiritual growth in our churches like we should is because of this very thing.

If you read on in Genesis 4, you will find one of the saddest statements ever made.  The Bible says that Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.  Unfortunately, that is the end result of "Vagabond Christianity."  Examine your heart today and ask God to show you if this describes in you spiritually today.  Are you a "Vagabond Christian?"

Prayer For Today:

Lord, please help me today to examine my heart to see if I am vagabond in my spiritual walk with You.  Help me Father to be rooted and established in Your Word everyday.  I desire to grow closer to You each day and to have a higher level of intimacy with You than I presently do.  If I begin to wander and stray towards being a vagabond, I pray that You would open my eyes and show me through Your Word.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Choices

"Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him." - 2 Corinthians 5:9


Your life is a series of choices.  You make them from the time that you wake up till you go to sleep everyday.  You make the choice to get out of bed in the morning and this starts a series of choices that you will make the rest of the day.  Some choices you make will be good and some will be bad.  As a Christian, you must strive to make choices that are pleasing and honoring to Jesus Christ.

I must say honestly that I am very disturbed and troubled by the choices that many in our churches make today.  These are people that have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ.  Even though with their mouths they profess Christ, they make choices that show Christ in not really a priority in their lives.  Jesus Christ demands preeminence in your life, He will not settle for second place.  Are you giving Christ preeminence in your life?  Do you skip out on church to do other things?  Do you neglect to spend time in God's Word each day because you have more pressing things to attend to?  Do you fail to spend time every day in prayer because you are too busy?  If you are going to tell the world that you are a Christian and that Jesus Christ is your Savior, YOU MUST MAKE HIM PREEMINENT ABOVE ALL ELSE, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS!  This is a choice that you and I must make in our lives everyday.  Do the choices you make show Jesus Christ to be preeminent in your life?

I'm afraid that far too many of us are making choices that show how little we really think of our Savior and how little He really means to us.  Jesus Christ, God Himself, took our sins upon Himself and suffered our punishment on the cross that we deserved, and saved our wretched souls from eternity in Hell.  In light of this, why is that we choose not to make time to read His Word, why is it that we choose not to make time to pray to Him, and why is it that we choose not to make it a priority to be faithful to His Church?  If Christ has really done for us what we say He has done, then why do we choose to put other things and other people before Him?

If you sincerely want to lead and model a life that is pleasing to Christ, then you must make choices that are pleasing and honoring to Him.  CHRIST DESERVES NO LESS THAN PREEMINENCE!

"Life is a series of choices between the bad, the good, and the best.  Everything depends on how we choose." - Vance Havner


Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me today to make choices that are pleasing and honoring to you.  Help me to make Jesus Christ preeminent in my life.  May I put you above all other things and above all other people.  I pray that the choices I make each day will show the preeminence of Christ in my life.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Pastors Conference

Yesterday I arrived in Jacksonville, FL for the Pastors Conference at First Baptist Church. I will be here through Sunday night for the conference.

Unfortunately, the hotel we are staying at does not provide free wi-fi in our room. I will be posting short updates to my blog during the next few days. Lord willing, I will get back to posting the devotional thought on Monday or Tuesday. God bless!

Pastor Clint

Pondering Your Path

"Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.  Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established." - Proverbs 5:25-26


What are you focused on today?  Are you focused on your job, your family, or yourself?  E. Stanley Jones made the statement "Whatever we focus on determines what we become."  That is so true!  If you were to look at me and my life, you probably would have no problem determining what my focus is on.  As I look at people in our churches today, I can pretty much determine what their focus is on.  The Bible tells us that our focus should be on the Lord Jesus Christ, His Word, and His House.

I would like to challenge you today to ponder who and what your focus is on, and to ponder the path that you are on spiritually.  I'm afraid that far too many of us have our focus on things and people other than Jesus Christ.  Here are some convicting questions that you should ask yourself each day.  Am I focused completely and 100% on Jesus Christ?  Am I focused on God's Word?  Am I focused on being faithful to God's House?

Are you willing to ponder the path that you are on?  If we will ponder our path and then make our focus on Jesus Christ, His Word, and His House, we can have our ways established.  Maybe the Lord is trying to get your attention today.  Is He dealing with you about being more faithful to His Word?  Is He dealing with you about being more faithful to His Church?

Today, ponder the path that you are on, focus 100% on Jesus Christ and make Him preeminent, that your ways may be established.

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me today to ponder my path.  May I focus completely and 100% on you and make You preeminent in my life.  Help me to be more faithful to Your Word and to Your Church.  As I focus on You Lord, establish my ways and direct my path.  In Jesus name, Amen!