Monday Morning Minutes

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7

Horatio Spafford was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters and a son. He was also a devout Christian and faithful student of the Scriptures. At the very height of his financial and professional success, Horatio and his wife Anna suffered the tragic loss of their young son. Shortly thereafter on October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost every real estate investment that Spafford had.

In 1873, Spafford scheduled a boat trip to Europe in order to give his wife and daughters a much needed vacation and time to recover from the tragedy. Spafford sent his wife and daughters ahead of him while he remained in Chicago to take care of some unexpected last minute business. Several days later he received notice that his family’s ship had encountered a collision. All four of his daughters drowned; only his wife had survived.

With a heavy heart, Spafford boarded a boat that would take him to his grieving Anna in England. It was on this trip that he penned these now famous words…

When sorrow like sea billows roll; it is well, it is well with my soul..

What do you do when all of a sudden, the floor beneath you in your life has disappeared and you suddenly have no place to stand.When the storms of life have unexpectedly taken you by surprise and hit with unbearable force crashing upon the peaceful shores you once knew. Where do you go when all you want to do is be left alone and disappear from the existence of others and all you are left with is deafening silence all around?

Storms enter our lives in many different ways and take on the appearance in many forms. While we can avoid the storms that we bring on ourselves, we cannot avoid the storms that life brings to us unexpectedly. These storms such as sickness, crippling accidents, loss of loved ones, family problems, financial problems, emotional problems and spiritual problems cannot always be avoided. Since we cannot avoid these storms, we must learn to face them but we never have to face them alone. Jesus has promised to never leave or forsake us and help us to face these storms with assurance and peace knowing that He is in our midst to see us through to the other side.

I love the story in Mathew 14 when Jesus appeared to His disciples in the midst of the storm, “their storm” while they were in the boat on the sea. Beginning in verse 22 we read:

Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

Did you notice that Jesus appeared to them in the midst of the storm, “their storm”, in a way that they weren’t expecting for they did not recognize Him. Many times I believe Jesus enters these personal storms in our lives that we fail to recognize Him or what or who He chooses to send to help in our time of need. Please don’t miss these opportunities friend for our Heavenly Father knows what we have need of even before we ask Him but He so much more desires that we trust Him with full confidence in what He is doing in our lives. Like Peter, we should never doubt that He will save and deliver us in the midst of the storms. We just need to keep our eyes fixed on the Savior and not the storm. For when you do, like Peter, you will hear the Savior say, “Don’t be afraid, Take courage, I am here!” for He who calls to you is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23)

Reflection: How God has proven Himself faithful to deliver you through previous storms in your life?

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 7:9, II Thessalonians 3:3, Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11-13

For His Kingdom,

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. – Ephesians 5:15

Last month my wife and I flew out to North Carolina to visit our son and daughter-in-law in the beautiful mountain area of Asheville. We always love visiting them for we have such a great time and are dreading the day when its time for us to leave and return home. When we returned home this time, everything seemed to be in order as we left it or at least it appeared to be. But the next morning when the sunlight began to ease into each area of every room, we suddenly were met with “fine lines” of silky cobwebs hanging from within corners, from light fixtures and every place we seemed to turn. This year in East Texas we’ve had an unbelievable amount of rain and we’ve seen more of our share of spiders, grasshoppers and many other little insects around our home and some have found a way to enter in uninvited. It’s amazing how these unseen “fine lines” can become visible only when brought into the light.

There’s are other “fine lines” within the life of a believer that I would like to focus on today. Fine Lines that every believer must identify and be able to overcome when faced in their Christian walk as they live each day. There’s a fine line between contentment and greed in the life of a believer. The line that separates between the “things” that we want and between the “things” that we need. In other words, between enough is enough and where our desires feed to accumulate more and more which ultimate will never satisfy. As each day passes, and I fall more in love with Jesus, I find that it really doesn’t take much to satisfy me for nothing satisfies like Jesus. As artist Fernando Ortega says in his song, “….you can have all this world, but Give Me Jesus”.

There’s also a fine line between the fellowship and association with the lost of this world while reaching out in love. Many a believer has slipped away slowly and have been consumed in the lost ways of this world with good intentions of winning them over. You see, temptation is always present and we must truly guard what enters our mind and guard our hearts when we associate with this world and its ways. I John 2:6 reads, “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” We, as believers in Christ, must draw from the power of the Holy Spirit within us when seeking out the lost of this world. Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Even Jesus himself had to get away and spend time with the Father each day for he continually had the crowds and mobs of people that were wanting his attention.  There was a time in my life when I had much zeal but so little wisdom when it came to sharing my faith with others. It was like I was running a 100 yard dash and leaving Jesus at the starting blocks. We must walk at His pace, in His time, and go where He says go and stay when He says stay. 

There’s also the fine line of hiding our eyes from the darkest of this world’s insanity and the worst of this world’s profanity. If we’re not careful, we will surely miss that one single person that is in need of us. I can also testify that I have been in jobs before when it was almost unbearable to go to work and listen to the filth and perversions from so many around me. Often I believe they would say things to see how I was going to respond and to see if they could hit that certain “righteous” nerve to get me riled up. (much like the Sadducees and Pharisees of Jesus day would do to try and trap him) If this sounds like you my friend, be encouraged that you are making a difference where you are for if they didn’t see Jesus in you, they wouldn’t be spouting off things as they are. Just love them like Jesus. You don’t need all the answers to all the questions, just simply show them the love of the Lord and pray for them. You might just be the answer to their prayers.

Yes, there is a Fine Line for the life of every believer we must walk, but with the help and power of the Holy Spirit within us friend, God has promised us victory over every circumstance in our lives. The apostle Paul said, “Thanks be unto God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ…” (2 Corinthians 2:14).

For His Kingdom,

“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure– pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” – Luke 6:38

There is a story which I heard awhile back involving two men. One man was trying to teach his alcoholic friend the evils of alcohol and its potential to do harm to his body. He put one worm in a glass of water and another worm in a glass of whiskey. The worm in the water lived, while the one in whiskey curled up and died. “All right.” asked the one friend to the other, “what does that show you?” “Well” the other friend replied, “it shows that if you drink alcohol, you will not have worms.”

Clearly you can see that the one friend although observing the illustration, did not get the lesson his friend was attempting to teach him. Very often in our spiritual walk, we hear or read certain truths from God’s Word yet fail to fully understand what God truly wants to teach us and more importantly wishes to do in our lives. Such is the case I believe with our opening scripture. Jesus, in Luke 6 was teaching a multitude of people a key principle in the life of a Christ follower. He was basically saying in Tarjick translation, “whatever your need, plant the seed”. So often in our Christian life we wish for God to bless us with this or that whether its finances, health, land, children, houses, a better job, even a deeper walk with Him yet have not planted any seeds yet as an act of our faith. In Genesis 8:22, God said that “While the earth remains, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Let me explain. A farmer wishing to have a bountiful crop can pray for God’s favor and blessing upon his land to bring forth fruit or vegetables in due season. But unless that farmer has adequately “by faith” prepared the soil and planted seeds within the ground, all the praying, fasting, verse quoting, revival attendances will not do him one bit of good in seeing his request met. This is the principle law of the harvest: Whenever you have a need, plant a seed. Galations 6:9 reads “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap”.  Allow me to  furthermore mention that this not only applies to the blessings of God. If an individual sows seeds of dishonesty, rudeness, disloyalty, meanness, dis-respectfulness, etc., that is what they will ultimately reap within their lives. If you sow criticism in life, you are going to reap criticism from other people. If you sow kindness, you’re going to reap kindness. It’s the law of the harvest. If you plant apple seeds, you don’t get pears; you get apples. If you sow with generosity, you will reap generosity.

When Jesus was speaking with another multitude of people in John 6, scriptures tell us that there was a “need” for food to feed over five thousand individuals. Jesus asked Phillip, one of His disciples,  what they should do to remedy the problem only to test him for He already knew what he was going to do. He wanted to see how Phillip would reply and yes, Phillip immediately looked at the problem only in the physical sense of meeting their present need as opposed to the spiritual and one of faith. But the Bible tells us that there was a little boy who had a “sack lunch” consisting of only five loaves and two fishes (sardines and crackers if you will). Jesus took the loaves and fishes and the Bible says that He lifted them to the heavens and gave thanks and then distributed to them that He had previously asked to sit down and get ready to receive the blessing which was about to come. You see, we have to be in a place of expectancy before God is ready to “distribute” our need to us. Oftentimes we miss many opportunities of God’s blessings in our lives because we are unwilling to be in a faithful place of expectancy. James 1:6, 7 reads “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord..” If you have truly asked for a need in your life my friend and have by faith planted a seed of faith, I truly believe with all that is within me that God will meet that need. Why?, Because He has done so in my own life and in the life of my family. I could give you testimony after testimony of the faithfulness of God in our lives. You see, God is committed to His Word and watches over it to see that it is performed (Jeremiah 1:12). He told us that He is also a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

So might I suggest to you today my friend that if you have a need in your life right now, whether it be a physical healing, a financial need, family issues of some sort, etc., begin to earnestly seek and ask God what seed you could plant as an act of your faith, and watch God do something miraculous in your life to meet that need. I’m in complete agreement and will stand with you friend for whatever your need might be. (Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. – Mathew 18:19)

Remember this…“Your Need is in The Seed” you sow.

Let me also in conclusion invite you to send me your prayer requests by clicking here and I would be honored to agree with you in prayer for whatever your need might be. Nothing, absolutely nothing is too difficult for our Father above to do and accomplish for you in your life.

For His Kingdom,

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates.- Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Today is Father’s Day. I wish to take the time to dedicate today’s writing to each and every man who has taken on the role of being a father. I read at one time that anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad. It saddens my heart when I hear yet another story of a father who has left his family and children and gone Awol (absent without official leave). I believe that the strength of a home, society and nation is directly in correlation with the existence of having a strong father figure within its walls. Personally, I am thankful for my dad, Richard J. (Dick) Tarjick. As I’ve written before, dad never knew the love of an earthly father here on earth but I truly believe he did a remarkable job of raising four kids and always being a great provider for us all in the family.

In Genesis 3, we read the scenario where Adam & Eve have been snared and lied to by the enemy and tricked into eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In verse eight we read. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. And in verse 9, God calls out to Adam. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” Did you see that? God called out to Adam, the man of the house. The one in whom was He had placed in charge and gave dominion to back in Chapter 2. Scriptures tell us in Chapter 2 and verse 16 that God commanded Adam “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Although it was Eve which first took the fruit and tasted it and gave it to Adam, God held Adam responsible for allowing sin into their “household” if you will.

Men, we are responsible for our families. God has given us this role and title and does not take it lightly at all when it comes to leading our families in His ways. I truly believe a great majority of the issues we are seeing and experiencing in our society today is due to the lack of men who have forsaken their calling as Men of God and have left that responsibility to their wives or more tragically, have left and forsaken their families altogether.  Here are just a few examples I came across while preparing for this writing:

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) – 5 times the average,
• 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes – 32 times the average.
• 85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average.  (Center for Disease Control)
• 80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes –14 times the average.  (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)
• 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average.  (National Principals Association Report)

And these are just the highlight of statistics that I came across. Men, if you love your families as I do, please answer the call that God has given you and step up the plate and be the father that they are so desperately needing you to be. I’ve heard some men say, “Well, I’m just not going to tell my children what to think or what to believe. They can choose to think for themselves”. My friend, if we as fathers don’t lead our children in the ways of the Lord and direct them in the way they should go, this world surely will and the world’s way always leads to death and destruction. Yes, the choice is ours as it was for Adam from the very beginning my friend, but the price we will ultimately pay in the end will cost us more than we fail to realize. It’s time to rise up O’ Man of God and take back our rightful place in our homes, jobs, cities, societies and world. Who’s with me?

For His Kingdom,

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. – Hebrews 4:12

Not too long ago, I purchased myself a new knife. It was a Kershaw knife. One thing I like about Kershaw knives is that they are made in the United States. Another great characteristic of all Kershaw knives is their use of materials for their blades. They only use the highest quality steel for each and every knife they manufacture. When I received my new knife in the mail, I was so excited to open it up and gaze upon its looks as they are quite awesome in appearance. Well, as I removed the knife from its well packaged enclosure, I quickly popped open the blade, and immediately cut myself as all Kershaw knives come razor sharp from the factory. And when I say, razor sharp, I mean very razor sharp! Although, it was only a small cut, it was still a cut nonetheless and I still cannot believe that it happened so fast.

Immediately, I thought about the opening scripture from Hebrews which tells us that God’s Word is sharper than any two-edged sword, knife, tool or the like when believed, executed and acted upon. The Word of God is powerful and effective and can actually divide between soul and spirit, joint and marrow. When I used to read God’s Word before I came into the revelation of how powerful it could be, I would approach it as if I was simply reading a book, a novel, or just another history text about past events in the past. But when I allowed God to show me as I asked Him to reveal Himself to me in His Word, man did it ever become more alive to me than ever! You see, a person has to be hungry for God and His Word and be open to what God through His Holy Spirit wants to show you and reveal to you as you read and meditate upon it. Psalm 107:9 tell us that “He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

My question to you my friend today is “Are you hungry?” or “Are you thirsty?” or are you as I once was, just simply playing the game of being a Christian. Occasionally speaking “christianese”, looking the part, blending in but knowing within my heart that there was so much more to this walk of faith that I wasn’t experiencing. James 1:22 reads “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Did you hear that? James says that we deceive ourselves when we read or listen to the Word without acting upon it. God’s Word is alive and will never return void when believed and acted upon but will accomplish for which it is sent for God’s purpose. (Isaiah 55:11)

As sharp as that Kershaw knife is, it compares not to the sharpness, accuracy and miracle working life changing power that God’s Word has. If you answered yes within your heart earlier, I’d like to pray for you that God would give you a fresh new revelation of Himself to you today my friend.

“Heavenly Father, I thank You that You love me the way You do. To the point of sending Jesus to shed His blood for me and paying the penalty of sin in my life. Today, I accept all that You have for me and willfully submit myself to You asking that You would reveal Yourself to me in a new, fresh and living way from this day forth. Please forgive me for all my sins and know that from this day forth, I willfully turn from my selfish desires that have kept me in bondage for so long. I thank You Jesus for saving me and look forward to my new adventure each day as I live for You. In Jesus name, Amen.”

For His Kingdom,

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.  – Proverbs 14:12

We’ve all been there…we’re driving along to our intended destination. A place we’ve never been to by way of GPS, Google Maps, etc. We’re trusting these devices or phone apps because we’re quite sure they know the way much better than we do. Why, because once again, we’ve never been to our desired destination but with certainty know it exists and have put our faith in these “external” methods to get us there. When all of sudden, we have an idea that if we turn here or there, we might just be able to shave some time off of our schedule and arrive much earlier than expected only to soon hear or read, “at the next exit, make a U-Turn”. It didn’t take me long after hearing this voice on either my phone or GPS in our truck to disable the voice command feature. Why, simply because men do not like to be told what to do. Men are like, “me lost?…no…I’m know where I’m going…just hang on..I believe this area looks familiar.” It looks familiar due to the fact that you’ve circled it two or three times already; much like the children of Israel in the wilderness. A trip that should have taken thirty-five days but ended up taking forty years! Why, simply because they were a stubborn people that would not take God at His Word and put their total trust in Him in their circumstances.

Friend, so often in our lives we are tempted and more so than not, choose to go our own way and choose that broader path instead of taking God at His Word trusting that what He has promised, He will certainly do. Why do we do this? I simply believe we have a problem with waiting. We like to see what I call “microwave results”. We want to voice out a prayer and immediately want to see God move in our situation. And when we do not see our intended results in our expected time, we so easily begin to drift away from faith and begin to choose our own path or try to make it work ourselves only to end up miserable and disappointed.

I like what Bro. Tony Evans says of faith. He says that “Faith is pretending that God is telling the truth”. The scriptures tell us in Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it”. God is committed to His Word. He cannot lie. It goes against who He is past, present and future.

God also has given us His Spirit within us friend to guide us and help us know His way and paths to choose in our lives. Just recently, our daughter was blessed with a new job. She had made the choice to be a stay at home mommy and raise her first child, our grandson. Yes, there were many new decisions which needed to be made in order to adjust to their new lifestyle in regards to missed income. But God always came through and met every need in their lives and they never missed a meal and always had a roof over their heads during this time. Many years ago, she had considered becoming a teacher and had put it off due to other opportunities but now has returned to that career. She successfully passed her teacher exam and is now a certified teacher and has just recently been hired as a kindergarten teacher. Another school district had interviewed her for a teaching position during this same time but she told me, “it just didn’t feel right”. I asked her where her peace was in regards to this dilemma and she told me it was with the school district which hired her. Proverbs 16:9 reads, The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. The will and purpose of God should never be one of fear, doubt and especially a troubled heart within. God will always give you a peace within when making a choice or decision when you fully trust and wait upon Him. You cannot look to natural circumstances to base your decisions in regards to knowing and living in God’s will. God tells us “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.” Isaiah 55:8.

So friend, if you’re in a situation right now which you are unsure about which path or choice to make, just simply ask God to give you His peace within and know that with certainty that He will never lead you in the wrong way. And if you’ve recently taken a wrong path or made a wrong choice, know that God’s Grace allows U-Turns and is right there to guide you with His internal GPS, “God’s Positioning System”, and get you back on the right path for your life.

For His Kingdom,

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. – Galatians 5:1

Today, I am reflecting on what today is…Memorial Day. Today, we remember those who have died while serving in our country’s armed forces. These brave men and women who courageously lived, served this great country and ultimately paid the high price with their lives in order that we may remain a free nation under God. Truthfully my friend, it repulses me when I hear others bad mouthing this country or taking part in the burning of our American flag all in the name of “free speech”. Truthfully, I believe as a nation, many have taken their freedoms for granted for many, many years and have become insensitive and are living in a state of apathy. Living with the mindset that “as long as it doesn’t affect me, my family or my way of life, why should I care?”

My father served 20 years in the United States Air Force and I am extremely proud and honored to live knowing that as his son. At the school district where I have been employed for the last 15 years, many of our students both young men and women choose to enlist in the armed forces simply because they wish to serve this country. I am filled with a great sense of pride and applaud them for their unselfish desire to enlist, go and help defend the freedoms that you and I are able to enjoy on a daily basis.

When Jesus went to the cross, He also did so unselfishly knowing what He was about to endure and the price He was about to give for our freedom, His life. He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane the night He was taken “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” – Mathew 26:39. Because of what Jesus did at the cross, you and I have freedom that is beyond compare. Jesus said that “If the Son has set you free, you are free indeed” – John 8:36.

My friend, today may we reflect on what this day means once again knowing the sacrifices that others have given for our freedom in this country while offering up thanksgiving to the One who has given us total freedom for all eternity, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank You for all who have served and continue to serve in our armed forces.

For His Kingdom,