GOD IS IN THE REMODELING BUSINESS

   The process of remodeling transforms the inside of a house or business in order to update it, make it more modern and effective, and save the cost of buying something new. Remodeling takes what already exists and re-configures it into something different. If any   of you have remodeled your home, you know how disruptive it can be. Dust, dirt, and chaos seem to take over. But in order for the new to be made manifest, the old must be dismantled.
   Many Christians are looking for a blessing but don't want to go through the remodeling process in their lives. Yet, brokenness is the key to your break-through  to your knowing God in a deeper, more glorious, more amazing way. God is not going to bless you if He can't remodel you. In order to remodel you, He has to tear old, sinful character qualities out and put new ones in.
   Brokenness is not an emotional experience of an event. Brokenness is an act of the will.(surrendering your will to God) To be broken means to say yes to what God wants despite what you want. To be broken is a decision to humble yourself and acknowledge your need for help. Brokenness occurs when God strips you of your self-sufficiency and gets rid of your pride so that the life of Christ can be made manifest in you. Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 4:11, "We who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." We undergo problems, difficulties, and frustrations so that the life of Christ may be made known through us. It's how we react during this construction process, that gives us the opportunity to let our lights shine to others.

Following Jesus Into the Storm

Mark 6

A Prophet Without Honor

6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. ² When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? ³ Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

⁴ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” ⁵ He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. ⁷ Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

⁸ These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.⁹ Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. ¹⁰ Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. ¹¹ And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

¹² They went out and preached that people should repent. ¹³ They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

John the Baptist Beheaded

¹⁴ King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

¹⁵ Others said, “He is Elijah.”

And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”

¹⁶ But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”

¹⁷ For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. ¹⁸ For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” ¹⁹ So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, ²⁰ because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.

²¹ Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. ²² When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” ²³ And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

²⁴ She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”

“The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.

²⁵ At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

²⁶ The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷ So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison,²⁸ and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. ²⁹ On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. ³¹ Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

³² So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. ³³ But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. ³⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

³⁵ By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. ³⁶ Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷ But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

³⁸ “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

³⁹ Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³ and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴ The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

Jesus Walks on the Water

⁴⁵ Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

⁴⁷ Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. ⁴⁸ He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, ⁵⁰ because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ⁵¹ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, ⁵² for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

⁵³ When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. ⁵⁴ As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. ⁵⁵ They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶ And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Psalm 10

¹ Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
    Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

² In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
    who are caught in the schemes he devises.
³ He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
    he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
⁴ In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
⁵ His ways are always prosperous;
    your laws are rejected by him;
    he sneers at all his enemies.
⁶ He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
    He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”

⁷ His mouth is full of lies and threats;
    trouble and evil are under his tongue.
⁸ He lies in wait near the villages;
    from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
⁹     like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
    he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
¹⁰ His victims are crushed, they collapse;
    they fall under his strength.
¹¹ He says to himself, “God will never notice;
    he covers his face and never sees.”

¹² Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
    Do not forget the helpless.
¹³ Why does the wicked man revile God?
    Why does he say to himself,
    “He won’t call me to account”?
¹⁴ But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
    you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
    you are the helper of the fatherless.
¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked man;
    call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
    that would not otherwise be found out.

¹⁶ The Lord is King for ever and ever;
    the nations will perish from his land.
¹⁷ You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
¹⁸ defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
    so that mere earthly mortals
    will never again strike terror.

   In the book of Mark, chapter six, we read that the disciples got into a boat, at night, and took out across the sea. In their obedience to Jesus, the disciples ran directly into a storm. Their obedience literally took them into the nucleus of a disaster. For John the Baptist, following Jesus cost him his life. The Lord chose John for such a time as this. Following Jesus doesn't mean you will loose your life. It does, however, mean the enemy will try to attack you. The devil does not want you to share the good news, so he will send you trials. 
   I wish I could tell you that following Jesus means you will never have to face any storms. I wish I could tell you that following Jesus means that the waters of life will always be calm. I wish I could tell you that following Jesus means life will be rosy and all of your days sweet. But I can't!
    These disciples were following Jesus, and they ran right into rough-seas. The disciples discovered, as many of us have also discovered, that you can be both in the center of God's will, and still in a storm.
   There is a lot of preaching today as well as many Christian books that tell you that if you follow Jesus, than you will never have to face any challenges in life. That wasn't true for Jesus, or for anyone else I know who has followed Him. Following Jesus doesn't offer immunity from troubles. What it does give is the opportunity to experience Him in the midst of the trouble.   Life comes with troubles, regardless of whether or not you follow Jesus. You get to choose if you want Him to join you in your troubles, or if you'd rather go through them alone. Most of my life, I tried to go at it all alone( without God). I had my family, friends, Church Body, and co-workers that gave me little nuggets of wisdom, but I didn't consult God in my troubles. Now that I have learned a little bit, and struggled through life without God steering my ship, I have  finally learned to completely surrender to God's will and plan. The struggles are still there, but now I can rest knowing that God is in control and has joined me in the struggles of life. I have never understood why some wicked people prosper in this world, but as we see in Psalms, God will JOIN us. Our rewards in heaven will far out weight the materialistic things we think we loose out on here on earth. 
   Let God join you, help you, and see you through the struggles of this life.

PUTTING PURPOSE TO YOUR PAIN

“You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here’s why. 

 It’s because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single *victim* of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he’ll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody. 

CNN’s article says that if the body count “holds up”, this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer’s face on all their reports for hours. 

 Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer’s identity? None that I’ve seen yet. Because they don’t sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you’ve just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.                                                                                                                                                                             You can help by forgetting you ever read this man’s name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem. You can help by turning off the news.”      -Morgan Freeman

    I don't have an opinion on gun control, nor do I want to make that my focus here.  I am, on the other hand, an advocate for Jesus Christ. I may not agree with everything Mr. Freeman stated, but I do agree with the stance that we created this monster. Media is informative at times, and equally destructive at times. The problem is not something that we can't fix, but we all have to take a hard look in the mirror and ask ourselves . . . . . ."Have I contributed to the state the world is in today?" We all have to take ownership in the Nations condition. The United States of America has turned its back on God. We have accepted the ways of the world, instead of standing up for the Truth's that are spelled out in the Word of God.

    Where do we go from here? Why does bad things happen to good people? Why do we suffer hurt, pain, and disappointments?  I'd like to point to the Word of God to answer some of these questions.  I will talk about our role in changing our Nation later, but right now let's PUT some PURPOSE to our PAIN.

2 Corinthians 1:3-24

New King James Version (NKJV)

Comfort in Suffering

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. ⁶ Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. ⁷ And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

Delivered from Suffering

⁸ For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹ Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, ¹⁰ who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, ¹¹ you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many. 

  If you just glance at these passages, you see that a version of suffering was referred to 7 times.  We see in the scriptures just how bad life can hurt. We understand that, at times, our lives can be very painful. We can take off our Sunday suits, make-up, plastic smiles, and all the things that we put on to mask the hurt, but deep down we are all afflicted. We all hurt. we all need to be comforted. In these scriptures, Paul establishes the fact that life can be painful. In John 16:33 Jesus tells us "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” If you look at verse 8, you see that Paul's situation got so bad that the only way it could get worse is if He died. Notice he talks about OUR affliction . . . . he wasn't alone, he was taking about everyone around him being afflicted. Paul, in my view, is one of the most spiritual Christian's that ever lived, and he was ready to give up. 

   Praise God that there was another word that was repeated several times . . . . COMFORT.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says - No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. With trouble God will always bring a way of escape, a way out. The problem is that we get so focused on the problem, that we can't see the way out. It says in Paul's scriptures that God sends you a comforter in times of trouble. It's possible to get so wrapped up in your problem that you don't see the comforter there with you. We talk about how bad our problem is, we moan and groan over it, until it has consumed us. It's like being in a cold room where there is a comforter on the bed, and not using it. You talk about how cold it is, you feel how cold it is, but you don't pull that comforter over you. God is sovereign, He is in control, and nothing happens to you without passing through God's hands first. In other words, whether God caused it or allowed it, it got to you for a reason. The bible never talks about fate, luck, chance, or any other faithless words. Everything happens for a reason! Let me show you how God works through the story of the fiery furnace. God did not deliver the three Hebrew boys from the fiery furnace, He joined them in it. In the midst of there affliction, he comforted them and joined them. If God has not taken you out of a bad situation (affliction) yet, let Him  join you in it so the effect on you will change. The fiery furnace was hot, it was still fire, but the effect on them changed because God joined them in the midst of there affliction. The Bible tell us in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9  tells us that -We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. The circumstance may knock you down, but it shouldn't knock you out if you are claiming your identity in Christ. When you are going through your affliction, that is not the time to run from the Lord, it is the time you should be running to the Lord. God knows you are in pain, but through that pain, He wants to birth out of you the manifestation of the Life of Christ. Let God be your comfort. Let Him help you. Ask Him to join you in your affliction. God will comfort you in your situation, so that you can then comfort someone else in there affliction. The time is now to get on your knees and pray for God to join you in your circumstance, so that when He does, his life will be made manifest through you. There will be bad times, hard times, and despair, but God will be with you through all of it. Be comforted today knowing that God is sovereign, He is in control, and if you let Him, He will join you in your affliction just as he did at the fiery furnace.

Prayer Lessons

A while back, I was having a hard time in my prayer life. I felt like I had to force everything that came out of my mouth. Everything seemed stagnant, stale, and impersonal. At this moment, I realized I needed an infusion in my prayer life. I needed God to breathe a fresh breath on our relationship, and I knew it would only come through prayer. As I began to pray for God's help to rekindle our communication line, He showed me something that was hiding in plain sight all along. The following reawakened my prayer life, and put the focus back on our relationship. This week our church is joining together for a week of prayer, Let us all pray for a deeper love relationship with our Father God.

Matthew 6:9-13

New King James Version (NKJV)

9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.[a]

Take it Personally: The first thing Jesus teaches us to do in verse 9, is connect to God relationally.  So often we greet Him with distant, impersonal names. We punch out prayer greetings that we hear other people pray, but never put thought in to who God is to us. He wants this to be a name that is spawned from your affection to Him, not a prefabricated name that is impersonal.

Name Tags:   Look at the next thing to consider after you establish your personal relationship, your greeting, and the benefit you have in honoring God's names. We call Him righteousness and remember that He is the one that has made us righteous. Jesus teaches us to honor God's name's, in which He has many, each expressing a different facet of His magnificent being. In  Verse 10, Jesus let us in on the real secret to our relationship with God- In other words, we need to pray and seek God's agenda first. "Your kingdom come. Your will be done", does not suggest that we come to God with our laundry list of request first. We have to align our lives with God's will and then we won't ask for things that He doesn't want for our lives. We will be connected to His plan, if we ask for HIS will to be done first.

Fresh Bread:  Ask god to meet our needs. To provide his presence and provision in every area of our life. We should depend on Him for everything! Bread gets stale and spoils if not eaten. We need to ask for fresh bread daily. In Psalms 121 its expressed in this way "I look up to the mountains . . .does my help come from there?My help comes from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth."
Shockproof:   Where Jesus takes us next is a touchy area. Verse 12 exclaims that if we want our hearts to be propelled by God's breath, then our hearts must be right with God and other people. Our culture has become desensitized and shockproof, our consciences become looser and more self-justifying. The word of God states this truth-"You'll will be forgiven to the degree you forgive other people" Matthew 6:14-15. Most of us are looking for God to move, before we are willing to move. This thinking won't get us far.

Fighting Words: God does not tempt us, this is us asking for His help to endure temptations the devil brings to us. Sometimes we think of our prayers as a pleasant, dreamy meditation, but sometimes our prayers should be more like a street fight! we need to attack the devil using the weapons God has given us. ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.Ephesians 6:10-11,18
We must take back what the devil has stole from us!

Happy Endings:  We must have faith in God's ability to act. This phrase reminds us that God can do anything, and He has what He needs to get it done.¹⁴ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 
1 John 5:14-15
We must have complete confidence that our Father can do what He says He will do.

Luke 11:9-13

English Standard Version (ESV)

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 

10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 

11 What father among you, if his son asks for[a] a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 

12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 

13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”