Andrew Golden's Blog, page 38

Flip The Table

Jeremiah 7:13-15

13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;
14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

Matthew 21:12

12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

While thinking today, I thought of what we could do as Christians to open the eyes of the world. People are so complacent. They just go with the flow. As long as they go to church and the preacher pats them on the back, everything is okay. While the Israelites thought this too and just like us, they strayed from God. Look what they did to the temple. Let’s just say that when you have a loving God threating to turn you over to desolation and the saviour of our souls flipping tables over, you may have crossed the line. So I had a thought. It’s time to flip some tables. It is time preachers bring back those messages that make the enemy hide. It is time that the men and women of God take back their homes. Kick the enemy out and raise their children the right way. We are to raise them according to the word of God. Christians, stop hiding and being ashamed of who you are. Take a stand and declare you are a child of the one true God. If you are sick and tired of the enemy setting at your table, flip it over, grab him, and throw him out of your home. He has no where to set or hide under if you flip it over and throw him out.

Burden Of Proof

Galatians 6:4-8

4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another

5 For every man shall bear his own burden.

The world has put us on trial. They have asked us to prove that we are what we claim. They want us to carry the burden of proof for our salvation. We’ll we shouldn’t have to prove it. They should see the evidence in our daily lives. They should see the love of Christ in us. They should no longer see us in a life of sin as we used to be. They should see us smiling and spreading the good news of God. For us it should never be a burden. It should be a blessing. The blessing and salvation of eternal life. We should provide our evidence with a smile because the burden of our sin was taken by Jesus on the cross. He carried our burden of sacrifice so we no longer had to. He is our evidence and proof that our salvation is no burden.

We Do Our Work For His Glory

Colossians 3:17

 

 

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

 

Many will stand and claim of the works they have done. They will then get people to go out and profess how great they are. This is a problem. We should be confessing how great our savour is. When someone does a work for God it should be to glorify his name. So, when you stop to help someone do not go around telling people how great of a deed you have done. Just simply tell who ever you have helped God bless you and leave it at that. Our whole work is about glorifying his name.

The Rich Man

Luke 16:19-21

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

It seemed the rich man had it all and the poor man had nothing. The rich man never had to worry about food, but the poor man would had been satisfied with the crumbs from the table. The rich man had it made. Then death came and the one thing he needed he lacked. He needed to be ready for heaven, but he had neglected to prepare. The poor man who had nothing was prepared. In this life he had nothing, but in the next he was given everything. The moral of the story, worry about if you are ready for the next life. We spend to much time trying to get riches and fine things. They will all fade away. The next life is eternal. Do not be the rich man who gained it all in this life only to have nothing in the next.

Pray From The Heart

Romans 8:26-27

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Have you ever tried to pray and all you get out is God and you break down in tears and start crying? You will stay in that state for what feels like a lifetime. Everytime you think you are done, another wave of emotions hits you. However, when you are finally done and get up you feel as if you have given God your every need. You feel that you have told him the very thing you needed help with, but you never muttered a word. That is because in that broken state of letting it all out, you are doing something that we forget to do. We are crying out from our heart. You are holding nothing back and giving it all to God. You are laying it all out and you are not even speaking. It is an amazing feeling when you do this. Trust me I have prayed like this so many times since my son was born. I know when I finish praying, God has it all under control. So when you feel like you can’t find the right words to say while praying and you are trying to hold back tears, let it out. Break down and let your heart tell God exactly what you need.

Do Not Get Discouraged

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

It seems everywhere you look, people are getting discouraged. Preacher are preaching to nearly empty buildings. The member are suffering. Just look at the gas prices and baby formula shortage. At times we all stop and think, God where are you at? When are you going to help us? I had this same feelings. I wonder when God is going to intervene on behalf of his people. Then yesterday I watched my kids play. I watched as my youngest crawled and my four year old tear through the yard with what seemed like unlimited energy. I began to remember when the four-year old was unable to be laid on his stomach over just having heart surgery. I remembered that before him being told we would never have children. I remembered setting down with my wife and crying because our cabinets were bare. Instead of standing there in discouragement I began to thank God. You see I realized that even though times are hard and it  seems there is no end in sight, God is still there. When you look at the world and all its trouble you be discouraged. However, if you keep your eyes on Jesus you will see he is with you through these hard times. I promise that if you keep your eyes on him, you will never be discouraged.

Good Intentions

Romans 7:19-21

19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

We all have great intentions. We all have the intention to serve God without making a mistake. We all plan to use our voices for the kingdom of heaven. We all plan to do nothing but good. However, as soon as we get started we find that it is nearly impossible. We find that we stumble and fall. That is because no matter how good we are, the enemy knows what we struggle with and how to use it. Think of it. How many times have you been trying to talk about the word of God and someone walk up and start telling a vulgar joke? No matter how hard you try you end up turning that conversation away from God. It is that easy for the enemy to pull our attention from God. We have to learn that evil is always present. We have to push through and ignore the very thing that is distracting us from our work. By doing this, our intentions become actions and works. With works and actions, people see us for people who do more than just talk about God. They stop seeing us for the people who just talk about the good we would do.

Realizing God’s Plan

Colossians 3:15

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

This morning I woke up to find my four year old son had decided to climb in the bed with us last night. He does it almost every night but this morning it hit me hard because he has an echo today. These days are tough on us because after 6 procedures done on his little heart, we constantly worry about them sending us back for another. I laid there and stared at him wondering how today would go. Then I remembered that God is in control. I remembered that his will would be done regardless and that nothing could happen without his approval. It gave me peace in my heart. I began to relax and know that with God controlling our path in life, it would all be okay. You see trouble rises. It is hard to have that peace when all you do is think about the worst that could happen. However, when you see that God is the guiding hand in your life, nothing can come against his plan. So, if you are facing something that is terrifying you, stop and turn to God and know he is in control. After you realize this, be thankful of what God has brought you through. Be thankful of what he is going to bring you through.

No Problem Is Too Big Nor Too Small

Ephesians 3:20

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

1 John 5:14-15
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

How many times have you been praying for something and then that little voice starts telling you how selfish you are? It points out how many have it so much worse than you and that you should stop praying for what you need. Then when you start praying for someone else that same voice tries to tell you that people have it worse than the person you are praying for. That voice will make you think those people are just being needy and you will actually start to get annoyed with them. I know this because I have been there. I have been the one asking God for help and I have been the one praying for someone else. The thing is, it does not matter how big nor how small the problem is. If you feel you need to pray about it, then do it. If someone asks you to pray about something then do it. Ignore that voice. I learned to ignore it after being in the hospital many times with my son. I know people had it worse than we did. I did not care what that voice was saying to me. I prayed day and night. I begged God to heal my son. I learned to ask people to pray no matter if it was a major surgery or something small like a cold. I learned to ask without fear of being judged nor mocked. You have to come to the conclusion that many will have it worse than you and many will have it easier than you. Pray for them anyways. Just remember that no matter how great the need may be, God is willing to listen. No matter how small the need may be, God is still willing to listen.

Take Them Kids To Church

Luke 18:15-16

15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.


Have you ever been setting in church and a kid start screaming? Have you ever been setting there listening to the message and a kid take off running from their parents? Your first thought is probably, I wish they would get that kid under control or just keep them home. Well, how do you think that kid is going to learn? They learn by being in church. They learn when that parent catches them and sets them down not to get up. We have spent so much time thinking that if kids are a distraction, they should be left at home. That is the farthest thing from being right. I have been preaching and my own child jump up and start running around. I just keep preaching while his mother runs him down. Children are the future of our church. By bringing them, they learn and grow. It does not matter how loud those children get. Take them to church.