truth – Page 13 – The Arrow Preacher

Find your Peloton

June 3, 2018June 3, 2018 thearrowpreacherLeave a comment

Find your Peloton

In life one of the hardest things we may ever do is find where we belong. My whole life has been one train wreck after another in my search for my place. As tough as it can be to admit, there are some personality types that are more difficult then others to find that place. Romans 14:8 “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”

The journey starts with prayers and focusing on your relationship with God. When we turn our focus to God we will eventually find our path. When we find our path from God the rest will eventually find a way. I have spent a lifetime trying to figure out my place, and some days I still feeling like I’m trapped under water unable to breathe. I’ve spent so much time wishing to be loved by someone in return. I’ve spent years searching for friends that would accept me for who I am. I’ve wanted to feel like I’ve belonged, to find a peloton where I belonged. In cycling I have learned the term peloton means a group of cyclers. While I still haven’t found where I belong in this life, I do know where I belong is with God.

For years I begged to give up something for God to put me where I belonged. I may have found my path by listening to the guidance from God, but I still haven’t found the love I’ve been seeking my whole life. Giving up isn’t something I’m accustomed to, but I will admit, after all this time I find myself beaten down and discouraged. Loving someone with all my heart and being forced to watch them leave without any true reason why is crushing. I haven’t recovered and even after all this time, I still wonder what’s next. I have prayed for my time to come and wondered if I’d find what I seek before the end. I have wondered if I would ever leave something to be missed when I’m gone. I pray and have hope that one day I will find my place. I have prayed to God that I would go the distance no matter how far I’d have to go. I’ve prayed to God to shape me and give me the tests so I could pass.

I’ve have given my blood, sweat and tears trying to get where I belong. I have felt like I’ve been stuck in a dream world unable to wake up from my nightmare. I have wandered in the dark for many years, and despite trying to wake up from my sleep, I still feel trapped. The darkness covers my world in sadness and despair with only small glimmers of hope sprinkled around me. As I try to grab on to a sparkle it’s snuffed out like grabbing onto a snowflake. While with enough snow the sun glistens brightest the day after a fresh snowfall, it does however take a good amount of snow. Before I have seen the sunrise on many snow days, the dirt and grime floods the snow and melts to slush quickly.

It takes time to find our place in this world, and a lot of pieces have to be moved before it’s our time to shine. Much like a marathon it takes time to move, position, and wait for the right moments to move to the front. When life is a marathon we must be patient and precise as we move around the bored. The future is always a question, but in the darkness we can find the light. The days that come are always a gift from God. God will always take care of us, and no matter the darkness covering our lives, God’s light will always make the darkness flee. The Devil wants you to feel alone, and he wants you to feel like you don’t have anyone in your life. While we may not have someone to fill our heart, there will be people we can turn to. Don’t let the silence keep you from joining a peloton. Don’t let the ride scare you. You need to get up and get out there, and you may accidently find what you seek if you just take a chance.

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The Wake Left Behind

June 2, 2018June 2, 2018 thearrowpreacherLeave a comment

The Wake Left Behind:

A ship, a boat, even a kayak will always leave a displaced wake behind. No matter our actions both good and bad, our decisions have impact on the world around us. The truth that’s as real as gravity itself, that no matter what we do we cannot escape. Galatians 6:7-8“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” Not only will we have earthly consequences but spiritual as well. We are all connected on this planet, and our decisions, our actions will always come with repercussions. We cannot go through life doing whatever we want thinking no one else is affected. Our very presence affects change, just like as one person after another enters a pool, the water level changes. While I’m not suggesting that for every action there is a large impact, I am suggesting that we must be conscious of how we behave.

I knew someone once who was incredibly blessed. They had a good family, a good job, a good home, and yet something seemed to be lurking in the darkness. One day they lost their job, and everything changed. As if the whole world had changed overnight they decided they didn’t want to have any connections to anyone. Eventually they would give up their new job in a slew of bad decisions. They would give up their spouse, their home, and walk away from any responsibilities to anyone. They would live a new life being able to come and go as they pleased, answering to no one, and believing their decisions affected no one but themselves. Sadly, while like communism it looks good on paper, reality rarely matches the concept.

See, we live this life all connected. There will always be people who care about us, and despite what we may often believe a life of self-destruction does hurt those who care for us. The emotional pain as we watch from the sidelines unable to change a person’s heart is horrible. I have had to sit by and watch, and as I’ve felt powerless to change anything it’s truly heartbreaking. All we can do is pray for those in need. Pray for the lost and hope one day they find what they seek. It’s not easy when you’re wounded and you hide from the pain in worldly things. When the answer is in front of us all along, Jesus Christ. Job 22:23“If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored; If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,” We must realize how lost we are, and change our ways. It’s never to late to change the ways we affect those around us. We make a choice every day and we alone hold the power to our actions. We cannot change what happens to us, but we can change how we react to it. Everyone falls, and sometimes we turn away from God, but this is folly. We always have a choice and when we choose the Lord, we will find the peace we’ve been searching for. Life is cruel sometimes, but we can either live with peace in our hearts, or be lost at sea. Lamentations 3:40“Let us examine and probe our ways, And let us return to the LORD.”

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Left Behind

June 1, 2018June 1, 2018 thearrowpreacherLeave a comment

Left Behind:

I look to the heavens and I pray to you. I fall to my knees in desperation hoping for something to change. I have looked around and I have felt like I have been left behind while everyone else moves forward. I have been waiting and today I just don’t feel like I can keep moving forward. When I look in the mirror today I struggle to see what you do. My God please show me the way, please help me see what you do. Today I look in the mirror and I see a shattered reflection.

Feeling like everyone else has moved forward in their lives while I am left behind. Feeling like I’m invisible and that my feelings don’t matter. Of course these feelings are spiritual warfare at it’s best. Many before me have faced challenging times, and many before me have lost more then I could imagine, and yet here I am feeling sorry for myself. Alas I long for the feeling of being useful and feeling wanted, yet I struggle in my own understanding of my trials. 2 Corinthians 12:10 “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” The days come when we stumble as I have, and when my faith isn’t as strong as I wish it to be, but where there is weakness, there is hope. I have seen the darkness creep in and I have chosen not to flee. Even as I feel my hope dwindle beneath the pressure of lies, my soul is warmed by the voice of light from above. Isaiah 41:10“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

My God, my God I trust in you, but I feel sorrow and pain. So many have left, and so few remain. My God I feel alone and lost in desperation. I don’t know where to go, and I don’t know where to turn. I’ve tried to many ways, and failed so many times. My Lord I feel blind traveling the maze. Please light my path and guide my feet. Show me a sign and answer my prayer. I’ve waited so long, how long must I be made to wait. What must I learn, or do to prepare? My God you are Holy and I am not, and I ask you now, please deliver me from my suffering. I have been left behind and alone I sit. I’m not weak though today I don’t feel strong. Please show me who I am, and tell me my quality. I trust you my God and you’ve never forsaken me. Through my deepest valleys you’ve protected me along the way. Now I fight a new kind of war, and it’s one for my darkest emotions.

Psalm 43:5“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” I resist the pain and the lies from below. I stand on my armor and hold fast in the attack. I shall pray upon you my God and renew my strength. Isaiah 40:31“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” The world may leave me behind, but I trust you my God, you will always be with me.

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Life and Liberty

May 31, 2018 thearrowpreacherLeave a comment

Life and Liberty:

A road changes, merges in the lanes of traffic, and the symphony of people coming and going crescendos. We come and go, managing the chaos the best we know how. We merge left, then fight, and the traffic smoothes. The ebb and flow maintains serenity as a pattern courses through the very veins of our lives. Freedom is the umbrella we all live under, and yet, as we have the power to life and liberty, it’s the pursuit of happiness that eludes many. Why do we find in a country with overwhelming amounts of wealth, do so few actually obtain happiness? I think one key factor to happiness is we as Americans don’t truly appreciate what we have, and thus, we are always reaching for what we don’t have. If we are driving in traffic, and we have no set destination, how then are we able to set course? I for one have struggled for many years finding the road in which I was meant to take. Although I encountered traffic jams over and over in my life, and even a few 10-car pile-ups, I would not have finally found the correct expressway. Proverbs 3:5-6“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

The Lord will guide us, and smooth our path. We must trust in the process however, because we don’t always see or understand the why. We always have the ability to throw ourselves off the rails, and when we do, we cannot be surprised when the off road adventure ends in disaster. It’s in those moments when we fall flat on our face it’s in Psalms we find our shortcomings. Psalm 37:23-24“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.” Have you ever considered your GPS when it redirects you because you made a wrong turn, which is kind of like God telling you, you’re off course? I have often considered myself a constitutionalist trusting and believing in our founding documents held no higher except by the Holy Bible. I spent years getting ready for military service, and then years in service of this country. During that time I swore an oath to uphold those documents and fight any enemy that sought to destroy them. During that service I had the distinct honor to fight along side heroes. Those heroes all came to the fight for different reasons, but we found something in common, something no one would ever be able to take from us, brotherhood/sisterhood. We found family and in one of the most dreadful places, I realized happiness was found in life itself.

We recently celebrated Memorial Day, and I have had mixed feelings for this particular holiday now for many years. On one hand I love being able to celebrate the beautiful lives that have loved this country so much that they fought for and died in the pursuit of keeping this blessed nation safe and free. It takes a lot of effort to keep a nation free after more then 200 years. We’ve always been lucky here in the United States by having natural boarders that limits the ability of an aggressive nation to wage war on our shores. Sadly the world is a lot smaller then it used to be and enemies no longer grow from afar, but live right here in our very neighborhoods, and have begun to attack our way of life. The constitution and our flag now mean very little to so many citizens who live here, and I’ve seen as homegrown terrorism has sprouted like weeds in the garden. I’ve seen schools become battle grounds instead of places of education, and as one person after another disrespects the flag, I am sickened as I think how many of my brothers and sisters have been under one, buried after serving this great nation. I have not only lost friends during time of war, I have given the eulogy for friends lost in combat. Memorial day is a special day for us in this country to stand in honor of the fallen men and women who’ve given their lives so that we may stand and have life, liberty, and pursue happiness.

Happiness is found within life itself. Happiness isn’t the next raise, the next beer, or the fancy car. It’s not the next girlfriend, or the bigger house, or whatever you can fill in the blank: “If I only had ______ I would be happy.” You see, if you didn’t put Jesus in that blank you’re never going to find happiness in stuff. Happiness is knowing Christ, and finding yourself content in whatever situation you find yourself in. Happiness is seeking and trusting in God and not wanting, that you may have peace in your life. Psalm 23:1 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” We know the Lord will always provide, and Paul knew also. Philippians 4:11“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” As I have watched in horror as people I cared for died in war, I found that happiness was found in life itself. I found happiness in relationships, in the people we have in our lives. I have found how important relationships are because they are short. I have found how important appreciating your blessings, because life can change in a moments notice. Where do you find your happiness? Are you still pursuing happiness, or have you figured out what true happiness is? Life is to short and we must embrace the time we have. Love, and live because the day may come when you look back and realized the importance of time itself and the people around you is what makes life special.

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Port Holes

May 30, 2018May 30, 2018 thearrowpreacherLeave a comment

Port Holes:

Life as we see it can be so narrow, so limiting based on our own feeble perceptions. Not long ago I was on a boat tour of Cape Cod and while I was below deck I found some old fashioned port holes and while I looked out I realized how small and narrow the view was. It got me thinking about our own view of life and how we sometimes view life through portholes of our own doing because we don’t want the full view.

When we are in the middle of the forest sometimes it’s hard to see the grand scale of the world around us. When I was below deck and I was looking through that tiny window I started thinking how bad the view was. I decided to brave the weather and go back up top. When I got there I looked around at the cape and realized how beautiful it was. The catch was however that it was uncomfortable on deck since the wind was heavy and it was quite cold. Is that the way life is sometimes? We choose our narrow view because we feel it’s better then the alternative? I think there are many reasons we would choose to limit ourselves to the world around us. Some reasons for living below deck can be emotional pain, voluntary ignorance, sheltered lifestyle, and maybe even fear.

2 Corinthians 4:18“as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” Life isn’t easy but often we bring our own struggles to our front door. We see what we want to see and accept what we want. We want to feel we have a free pass to sin and ignore the consequences. We want to believe what we do and ignore any evidence that may prove us wrong. We want to walk our own path and we alienate anyone that tries to help, to include God.

Life isn’t as easy as taking a few steps to the top deck and all of a sudden everything is crystal clear. Life is far more complicated then that, and so is the puzzle that makes up our perspectives. We can only remind ourselves to remain faithful and trust in the Lord. We will often go through our day-to-day life with the perception that our way is right and others are wrong. We will allow fear to guide our actions, because we don’t want to face that fear so we avoid it. We want to think we are in control of our own path, that we don’t have to answer to anyone else, and we let whatever we want to influence our decisions. We want to believe that we know what’s best for us, and we push away anyone that might have the courage to tell us differently. Proverbs 14:12“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.[a]”

We must resist going through life looking through tiny portholes. We must learn to take the chance and view the world with unobstructed eyes. We must learn to recognize our own path and determine if we are missing out on so much more. There are often people in our life that try to help us, and we must have the wisdom to listen rather then close ourselves off from the world. We must learn to live in the world with eyes wide open yet never conforming to it. We must learn to see the truth instead of hiding from it. We must learn to come to God and trust that God wants us to see the troubles of this world, to see the sick in this world, to see the downtrodden, and the weak, because we are God’s hands and feet. We cannot make a difference if we hide below decks. We cannot expect to preach about the world if we have never seen it. When Jesus spoke he was accepted to have authority. We must get out from our shadows and experience the world, see the world so we may one day have the ability to stand up and preach to the world with authority. We must never conform to it, but if we are to speak we should speak from knowledge. Be sure to speak with truth on subjects you ought to speak of and those you don’t, leave alone. You may not have the protection on deck as you do below, but if you are the captain of your own ship, then as Captain Kirkonce said,“Risk is part of the game if you want to sit in that chair.” Take a chance and step out from the shadows. See the world for the good, the bad, and the ugly. We may get hurt, we may fall, and we may have great stories to tell, but we don’t experience anything looking through that tiny porthole.

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Man On The Run

May 29, 2018 thearrowpreacherLeave a comment

Man On The Run:

For many years as a child I felt as if I were running. I was running away from bullies. I was running away from my pain, and my fears. I ran from my gut instincts, and I felt as if I was made to run forever. When life would get bad I would run and push the deepest pain into the recesses of my heart, and I’d carry on running. There’s another type of running that I’ve done a lot in my life and that’s running from God’s calling of me.

We are all made for a purpose, and what that may be isn’t going to be spelled out all the time, but if we are patient, and if we listen, God will tell us. Psalm 138:8“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” As a young boy I found comfort sitting in the pews of my church. I found comfort with the ear of my priest, and those few members who looked after me like one of their own kids. For as long as I can remember I’ve been in scripture, and I’ve asked tough questions. I have had a thirst of knowledge regarding God my whole life. When hard times hit I put my head down and punched through life unwilling to face more hardships. The thing I didn’t know back then, was all that running I would end up on the path God wanted me to regardless of my best efforts.

Where are you running to, or what are you running from? When our life is in the hands of the Lord can we truly be surprised when we eventually come full circle? I spent years saying I wasn’t cut out for ministry, and that it would me a mistake for me to tempt that journey. I spent years struggling with God as I’ve tried to come to grips with my hardships and my trials, searching for a reason for my pain. I searched for an absolution and even though the pain is still very real, the path now makes perfect sense.

My God has been making a masterpiece in me. I’ve been shaped and groomed for years for this path. God has laid the groundwork carefully, tirelessly, and has cried and hurt right along side of me. When babies teeth they hurt, and there isn’t a thing their parents can do but to be there and hold them while they cry. I am reminded of King David’s struggles in 2 Samuel 15:30-37 David’s eldest child has overthrown the kingdom forcing David to flee to avoid bloodshed. David could have gone anywhere, but he chose to go to the Mountain of Olives. A spiritual place so he could be close to God. When in need he ran to the one place he knew he could be closer to God. He went to the mountain peek, and prayed to God. He asked for forgiveness of his mistakes and sins, and he sought to repent for the errors of his ways.

Psalm 3“3 Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. 3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. 4 I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. 5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. 7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.”

David prayed to the Lord on that Holy place and prayers were answered. While we may pray and not hear the answer right away, that doesn’t mean God doesn’t hear us, and it never means God is ignoring us. We may not always see the path God has laid out for us, and we may not always like the path laid in front of us, but we must always have faith in God. We may not like what we see but that doesn’t mean it’s not what is best for us. We must remember what faith is. Hebrews 11:1“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” When you’re on the run always remember where you can turn. Always remember that we can run away from our destiny, but if it’s God’s will, it’ll always catch up to us.

I still don’t always understand why things happen, but I am slowly getting to the point in my life where I trust God is working things out. This doesn’t mean we won’t have pain, and it doesn’t means we won’t be punished if we are the cause of our own struggles. We cannot expect to always be safe from trouble, but know if trouble comes we have the power of God on our side. Sin affects everyone and no one makes it through this life without being broken a time or two. We cannot expect to run forever but when you’re tired of running you can rest assured that Jesus is waiting for you with arms wide open. If you haven’t found God’s path for you don’t fret, just continue to pray, and get into the word. God will present the path to you when the time is right. Just keep the faith, and never stop living in Christ.

The Common Cold

May 28, 2018May 28, 2018 thearrowpreacherLeave a comment

The Common Cold:

Something that has always bothered me was how far we’ve come in medicine and technology, and yet we still cannot cure the common cold. The cold is a common virus that infects more then a billion people every year. The most common viral infection is rhinoviruses. Though there is no cure for the common cold, we generally have to rest, drink lots of fluid, and help with the symptoms. Are we doomed to go through life one cold after another, or is there a secret cure out there someplace? A little secret about me, is that I don’t get sick very often. I’ve had less then 2 colds in 10 years. I have always considered myself to be more or less a mutant with my ability to stay healthy. Alas this week my immune system finally succumbed to darkness. I have been fighting off this cold for days now and it’s taken so much out of me I sleep every few hours. I have often wondered in times like these how people do this every year. The same goes for those who don’t know Jesus Christ, the one true cure for eternal death.

John 14:6“Jesus said to him,“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the cure to sin, the overcoming of eternal damnation, and yet with the cure right at people fingertips, people run away from it as if it were the plague. The gospel is for everyone, the cure is for everyone who can give up themselves for the truth. Our salvation was paid for by the ransom of a life, and our cure was bought by the blood of the one true Son of the Father. As much as people have searched for a cure for diseases that effects the human race, we turn our backs on the one cure that matters most and that’s for salvation. Billy Graham once said that sin is a disease. If sin is a disease then we allow it to spread unchecked throughout the world when we stand quiet, idly by while loved ones pass on without ever knowing the truth, which is Jesus Christ. “The cross is office because it confronts people.”(Billy Graham) We as a society don’t want to admit that we are sick. We don’t want to admit we’re sinners, and we don’t want to admit we need help. See, we’re in denial. The sad truth is if we don’t realize the truth soon enough, the fate of our illness could very well be sealed.

The thing with illness is if left unchecked without treatment it can grow out of control and by the time something could have been done, it’s too late. One thing the experts say about the flu is it’s better to get help early on. The flu if left unchecked much like cancer can be lethal. Sin is just as lethal, but it’s the eternal kind. If we aren’t careful sin infects us and like the common cold it spreads to everyone we come into contact with. It spreads like a wildfire uncontained, uncontrolled, and before we know it, everyone around us is sick or dealing with the ramifications of our actions. Unlike the common illness staying locked away in our rooms won’t prevent the spread of sin. Sinful actions send out ripples to our surroundings affecting everyone. The only cure for sin is for us to turn to the Lord and ask for the healing power of the Holy Spirit to cover us. When we turn to Christ it’s like having a limited vaccine. We have revulsion to sin, and even though we can fall off the rails, we can always get back on track. Following Christ will often cause us convictions to amplify in the presence of sinful actions. That doesn’t mean we don’t still sin. Find your cure in the Lord and step away from the plague that’s covering our land.

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Drop Anchor

May 27, 2018May 27, 2018 thearrowpreacher2 Comments

Drop Anchor

When the storm hits, sometimes you just need to drop anchor and turn to God. The storms that hit our lives is an inevitability, and no matter how well we prepare, or think we’re prepared, we can’t always prepare for every single contingency. All we can do, is hope and pray, and hunker down and wait for the storm to pass. Now dropping anchor isn’t always the best thing to do when you’re out on the ocean in a storm, but sometimes you have no other choice. When the wind is strong, the seas are tall, and it seems like there is no hope just remember God is always with you. Psalm 61:2 “From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” The tough days will come no matter how badly we try to prevent them, and sometimes it’ll seem like more then we can take. In your darkest hour call upon the Lord and find peace. Hebrews 6:18-19 “18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,” Find that peace to weather the storm.

The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place at times. We can feel as if we are tossed upon the waves, and sometimes we are. When it rains and the thunder rolls don’t worry for the Lord is with you. God’s mercy won’t leave you, and in all things God is working for the good. While even in the worst of circumstances, hearts are broken, and pain runs deep, there are still blessings to be found. The anchor of our soul is a metaphor to be grounded to the Lord. Allow yourself to praise God for the good and the bad. We don’t always understand why we are allowed to go through the horrible times, but some day those answers will be made clear. Having faith when the pain is deep may be tougher then it sounds. I myself don’t always get it right, but no matter where we are, or what we are going through Jesus has never left our side, and never will. We can be as broken as can be, we may be more lost then we’ve ever imagined, but casting that anchor down into the blackness of the water is much like tossing your faith out into the Cosmo’s and trusting it lands on something. Our faith runs deep and makes a connection with the Father we are anchored to Him, just as our anchor is tossed into the black sea and it hits bottom tethering us to the ocean floor. We cannot see the anchor on the ground but we know it’s there, just as we must have faith in Jesus Christ and that anchor is there even if we can’t see the other side.

Remember that God is always in control no matter how bad the storm. When we have nothing left, and everything is falling away, trust in the Lord. When you have lost everything, people, jobs, friends, remember that God’s got you in the palm of His hands. Remember when the sails are torn, the crumbled life is all you have, God will rebuild better then it was before if you have faith. God guards our soul, our heart, when you’re tossed upon the waves. Don’t loose your anchor and trust that it’ll do its job. Life will sometimes be heavy, and it’ll hurt, and you may end up broken, but God fixes broken things. In God all things are possible, and he promises peace at the end of the ride. Don’t let the storm toss you around, trust in God to be your anchor and never give up the fight. The thunder rolls, the wind howls, friends leave, family forsakes you, there is always God. Sometimes you just have to wait out the storm. Baton down the hatches and trust in the Lord God with all your heart.

Man Overboard

May 26, 2018 thearrowpreacherLeave a comment

Man Overboard

We can be traveling along life and it can feel like smooth sailing. Without any warning, a huge wave hits your ship, and you’ve been knocked overboard. You in the water being pounded on by wave after wave, you can barely stay afloat with your head above the water. How terrifying it must be to be helpless unable to do anything to save yourself? The thing is, life is the vast ocean. While we are tossed among the waves often, sometimes we are knocked overboard, and that’s when we are at our rock bottom, the very worst situations in life. People who suffer with addictions, or depression, or anxiety can often feel as if they are never in control of their own lives. How do we help those in need? How do those in the water accept help? We will tackle both areas in today’s post.

First things first, those in the water must be willing to receive help from others. If you are the type of person that would grab onto another person in the water just to save yourself, I’d say you have some soul searching, and you and God need to have a long discussion. Sacrificing someone else to save yourself is the epitome of selfish. I realize self-preservation is a strong motivator, but we cannot drag others down with us. You in the water must be willing to accept the help from others. You must be humble enough to realize your situation, and accept the help when it’s offered to you. When that life ring is tossed to you, it’s up to you to grab it. No one will do that part for you. There will be plenty of people in your life who will help you, and some of them you may not know till you actually call out to them. God gives us the way to resist our temptations, and he answers our prayers, but not always in the way you’d expect. If you try to stay in the water and you push away ever rope thrown to you, or you continue to plunge back into the water of your own decisions, you must realize your own culpability in your situation. We all must realize that we must first want to help ourselves before we can ever accept help from others. If you are in the water of your own accord, you must realize and accept your own need for help, and then be willing and humble to accept it. Matthew 7:7“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” And then in James 1:5“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”Seek wise Godly counsel, but never stop swimming.

Sometimes people fall away from God. When we try to live life our way, do things the way we want to do them, and when we turn our backs on God, the turbulent ocean is only a matter of time. We must realize that our way is never going to be the right way. When we start to tell God that we can do it better, we are asking for trouble. The Devil will surely give you your sinful desire, and make sure you dig yourself in deep. The path of man who live in the world will surely lead to destruction, and time and time again we see the result of the sinful worldviews. When we are the ones living in sin we must understand that those who are trying to help really truly want to save us from our own actions. We must not lash out in anger, because we aren’t truly angry with them, we are angry with ourselves for getting ourselves into the ocean to begin with.

On the flip side, if you’re the one standing in the boat and you toss out the rope, all you can do is pray the person in the water grabs it. We want to make sure we are offering help, but not enabling people to continue making poor life choices. There is a fine line between offering continued help over and over, and enabling someone to keep living their crucible. We must pray they honestly want the help, and pray they find their way back to God. We can be an example, we can be a shining light, but the choice to fix the relationship with Jesus must come from within their own heart. It’s not easy watching someone spiral downward and be powerless to stop it, but sadly it happens far too often. I’ve watched loved ones do just that, and I had no choice, but to stand and watch in horror as they would loose almost everything they worked so hard for. The same could be said for me though in my own past. I have made choices that were beyond questionable, and I have hurt those in my orbit, and I had to live with the consequences of my stupid, selfish, (self judgment) actions.

We all make stupid mistakes but all we can do is be there and toss out that rope. All we can do is try to lift up one another and shine as Jesus would want us too. 1 Thessalonians 5:11“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Never give up hope on someone, for Jesus Christ never gave up hope on humanity. Jesus knew the waters would be rough, but his death, his words, his life, have given us eternal hope, and that hope is eternal. We must love one another, and never give up on that love. People sin, people make mistakes, and people hurt people, but always remember, hurting people hurt others. Find a way to endure, and remain in your convictions to be strong for those around you. One day, you will need help, and perhaps it will be paid forward. Seek counsel, be counsel, and always let counsel stand up with unyielding clarity of biblical principles. When you stand upon the true word of the Lord, you can never go wrong in any situation. Forgive one another and do not spite someone for their mistakes of the past. When you see someone who’s fallen overboard and seems to have turned their back on God, or just down on their luck, lend a helping hand. Put a little love, empathy, and sympathy in your heart. It’s not for us to judge, just to love.

When you aren’t sure how to get back to where you were, the secret is, you’re just one step away.

One Step Away, By Casting Crowns

It doesn’t matter how far you’ve gone
Mercy says you don’t have to keep running down the road you’re on
Love’s never met a lost cause
Your shame, lay it down
Leave your ghosts in the past ‘cause you know that you can’t go back
But you can turn around
You’ve never been more than

One step away from surrender
One step away from coming home, coming home
One step from arms wide open
His love has never let you go
You’re not alone (not alone)
You’re one step away
You’re one step away

It’s Looking At Me!

May 25, 2018 thearrowpreacherLeave a comment

It’s Looking At Me!

My day started early. I was up at 0630 hours and even then I wondered why I keep doing this to myself. I know it’s good for me to get out and be social. The feeling of going out on my own never sits well. I often found myself on adventures alone in my youth but now I struggle. I’ve realized my fear has been conditioned and as a result from a particular mindset. Can we ever be rid of fear? Is the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself? The Apostle Paul spells out fear in Philippians 4:6-7“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”Fear comes to all but in prayer me, and all of you can slowly come to face fear on our terms. We know where our true power comes from, God almighty. “God, I cannot endure this, it’s just to much.” This is a prayer I’ve heard often. I’m afraid of being alone, going into places where I won’t be accepted. For so many years making friends was difficult for me. After years of bullying, I became unsure of myself. I was shy, and reserved, because I wanted to be accepted. The flip side is my desire to have a battle buddy with me. The knowledge of someone being around if it ever hit the fan. All these things fall under fears, mine, and perhaps yours. The thing about fear is it comes in all shapes and sizes. Fear can keep us alive and spare us from danger. Fear can also prevent us from living if we aren’t careful. How do we embrace the good fear, and rid ourselves of the bad fear? Stick with me, and we’ll make this journey together.

The fear of going out alone which for me is a two-pronged attack has been a constant challenge since my military days. The judgment and unknown have beaten me down filling me with anxieties, and great discomfort. I am not comfortable calling it a fear because I am able to go out and even if I don’t like it I can always maintain. 1 Corinthians 10:13“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” We must rely on God to take our fear, turn it into courage, and stand firm.

We must learn to feed our minds with positive, uplifting, and empowering scripture. Proverbs 23:6-7 “Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy;[b] do not desire his delicacies, 7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.[c] “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.” We become what we put in, and that includes how we feed our minds. We must learn to be weary of the coveted deceptions of the Devil. Fear and lies are two of the biggest tools the Devil uses to ensnare us in his trap. Find scripture that fills your soul and memorize it to heart. Do not be so concerned with numbers, and chapters, it’s the verbiage, the words that matter. The heart and soul of the voice of God coming off the page and entering your heart must be a major step for all of us to face our deepest fears. Fear is a slave, and if we want to be free, we must learn to break the chains and then the only one that can do that is God. The blood spilt from Jesus, which covered the whole of the Earth, we must know that our freedom is found in Christ alone. We can never be free without Jesus. Romans 12:1-2“12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.[b] 2 Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[d]” and Ephesians 4:20-24 “20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self,[a] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” We are reborn in Christ and we become heirs to the Kingdom, so with royal blood and the power of the Holy Spirit, what then do we fear?

As I move forward in my life in my walk with Christ, I find myself being put in new experiences. The lobster is looking at me. No it’s not alive anymore, but it’s something I’ve never done. For instance, on my recent Wounded Warrior Project; Soldier Ride, I came face to face with a lobster. I’ve never eaten lobster before but I finally got to try it. Breaking the shell, wearing the bib, the whole works, and I didn’t let the fear of it interfere with the experience. I was in no way afraid of the lobster, but I saw others who were afraid to try it. We cannot be intimidated and scared off so easily. When fear is staring at you, be sure to take that contest and don’t be the one to blink first. Control your fear, and do not let it control you.

We need to learn to push beyond our fears, our dispositions, and embrace life beyond our narrow-minded view. I’ve met so many people who won’t ever try even slightly exotic foods because they can’t stop over thinking their challenge. While lobster has always been a goal of mine to try, I will admit for a moment I was take aback when I saw it staring back at me. Fear of moving into the unknown is a dangerous slope because once you justify one fear, where does it end? If you are right with God, and you believe in Jesus as your savior, what do we truly have to fear in this life? Don’t let fear stop you form experiencing the joys and wonders of this world. Don’t be afraid to try, and don’t be afraid to explore. This world is a beautiful place with so many small wonders to experience, how can we look back at our lives and be satisfied if we’ve let fear keep us in bondage? Live life, and don’t be afraid to take those chances, and trust in your God. My God is with me every minute of every day, and I am never afraid of being forsaken. Yes failure may come but failure is just an opportunity to grow. “Anybody can try, only those with the will, will succeed.”(Arrow Preacher)

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