Heartfelt Thanks

Trivia question: What president declared the last Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving?

a) James Madison

b) Millard Fillmore

c) Andrew Johnson
d) Abraham Lincoln

Article written by JT (Internet Ministries)

Have you ever given an expensive present to someone who never thanked you for it? Most of us are guilty of the same indifference toward our gifts from God. God blesses His children in many ways - from our talents and resources to the assurance of eternal life in heaven. Yet how often do we half-heartedly acknowledge our gifts, then quickly forget the Giver?

In Luke 17, we read a story of Jesus' interaction with ten lepers. In this passage, we have the opportunity to watch as one of the lepers fully realizes what Jesus had done for him, and we witness the exuberant thanksgiving that resulted.
To be sure, lepers were the outcasts of all outcasts. They were considered so detestable and contagious, they were prohibited from even approaching people for conversation, resorting instead to covering their mouths and yelling "Unclean!" so people would be aware of their presence.
Leprosy was not only a terrible physical disease, it also prevented people from social interaction. They were excluded from Temple worship and were separated from their families and communities. Leprosy left its victims utterly alone and without remedy for their disease.
Leprosy is not unlike a condition that is afflicting us, though ours is much graver. While the lepers were separated from Temple worship and the presence of God by their fleshly disease, we are eternally separated from God by our sinfulness. The commonality does not stop there. For both the lepers and us, our separateness finds healing exclusively through the power of Jesus.
When Jesus came to the lepers' village, they kept their distance and shouted to Jesus at the top of their voices, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" (Luke 17:13). When Jesus saw them, He instantly knew of their plight, misery, and isolation. Jesus also knew that the only way they could return to their homes and families, according to the Law, was to be declared clean by the priests. "Go and show yourselves to the priests," Jesus told them, and the lepers went immediately (see Luke 17:14).
As the lepers traveled to the priests, they noticed that they were being healed! The wonder that came over them in the midst of their deliverance must have been tremendous. Perhaps they began to run even faster, anticipating their reinstatement into community, into family, into life! While the ten lepers celebrated, one was so overcome by the completeness of his healing, he turned and immediately rushed back to Jesus, before he even reached the priests. While returning to Jesus, the leper began praising God in a loud voice, without inhibition or restraint. When he finally reached Jesus, the leper fell down at His feet, continuing to offer praise and thanksgiving to Him.
When this Samaritan leper returned, Jesus was struck by the fact that none of the Jewish lepers did likewise. "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Jesus queried (Luke 17:17, 18). Only one out of the ten lepers showed Jesus the gratitude He deserved. How often do we, too, fail to give Jesus heartfelt praise for our blessings?

How can we live a life that is truly thankful?

First, we must consider the depth of our greatest blessing. The leper's story of miraculous healing is remarkable - to see such a disease immediately eradicated in some one's life is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Yet when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are healed even more completely! We were eternally separated from God by our sins, but Jesus has made forgiveness possible through His obedient sacrifice on the Cross.

Second, we need to make thanksgiving a priority. The leper didn't wait to return to Jesus until it was convenient or until after he visited the priests. He went immediately to Jesus. The priests did not heal the leper, and he knew it. He returned to the only One worthy of his worship and thanksgiving.

Third, thanksgiving should be offered from the outpouring of our hearts. There was intensity in the leper's worship because he was aware of his inefficacy to provide the healing he needed. How much more wonderful is the eternal healing for those who follow Christ? Let our thanksgiving be an enthusiastic celebration of Christ, who healed our direst need when we could not.
Finally, we must be consistent in our thanksgiving. The more intentional we are about offering thanks to God, the easier it becomes to see His blessings in our lives. That is why we are repeatedly commanded in the Bible to be thankful in all things. No one can bless us like our Heavenly Father. Let us be diligent in thanking Him for His grace and goodness.



Trivia answer: Abraham Lincoln....More than 200 years after the first Thanksgiving, President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. Congress finally made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941.

A Prophecy to Dig those Wells

Heidi forwarded this email to me. This is a prophecy by Bill Burns on exactly what I preached yesterday at church. I wanted to post it on my blog. Dig those wells....

THE TRUMPET by Bill Burns -- November 23, 2009:

The Lord says to you today, have you heard My Word? Have you heard My exhortation? Rise up My people. Gather yourselves up and dig for the waters of this season. Dig for the anointing that you have lost. Dig new wells of great and strong anointing, for indeed the anointing will bring the glory and the presence of My kingdom upon your life. Dig and drink. Sing to the well. Dig and drink. Dig and do not stop. Are you thirsty? Then dig. Are you thirsty? Then take a drink. For you will find that there is a river of life that flows through My kingdom where trees are planted. Therein lies the mystery and the secret of the promise of My living water. So I say today let all dryness be gone. You have walked through the valley of the shadow of death; you have walked through the wilderness; you have walked through the dry places, but now you are coming to the place of living water where springs bubble up out of the depth of My kingdom. Therefore, I say unto you, dig and drink. As you drink, life will again enter in to your temple. As you drink, wellness will again come. As you drink the powers of darkness will leave. As you drink the glory of the kingdom will manifest in you, and you will become strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. So, I say, drink. It is the season for the digging of the wells in the pattern and the type of those that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob dug. Use your faith as a shovel and dig and drink, says the Lord.

A Strong Warning against Falling Away

Hebrews 6:4-6 is a difficult verse to swallow and I understand why it could be confusing.
I did a little research on it and I thought I would share it on my blog.

Some of my commentary is based upon The Full Life Study Bible.

Hebrews 6:4-6 says, "4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame."

Here the author of Hebrews discusses the consequences of apostasy (falling away from the faith). He presents "falling away" as a real possibility. A falling away is an abandonment, withdrawal or turning from what one has formerly turned to. It means to sever one's saving relationship with Christ or to withdraw from a vital union with and true faith in Him.

Individual "falling away" is possible only for those who have experienced salvation (v. 4-5) "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come..."

The Bible issues urgent warnings about apostasy, designed both to alert us to the deadly danger of abandoning our union with Christ and to motivate us to persevere in our faith and that one of the dangers of falling away is not to "renew them again to repentance." Does that mean I can never be saved again if I fall away? That's what it sounds like. One thing that we have to remember.....one of the rules when it comes to forming doctrines or interpretations of scriptures is not letting one passage of scripture form a doctrine. But what do other scriptures from the Bible say about it?

There are plenty of other scriptures that let us know if we fall away from Christ we can come back to him if we repent and he will receive us. A great example of this is the Parable Jesus told us about the prodigal son. (Luke 15:11-24) The son fell away or left the Father, but when he came to his senses, he repented and came back to His Father. Any time we repent of our sin and come back to the Father, He receives us again into the family. Another scripture that supports this is, Romans 10:9-10 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation...... 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." Rom 11:23 "...for God is able to graft them in again." James 5:19-20 "19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins."

The example of Simon Peter.
Matt 16:16 "Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matt 26:74-75 "74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly."
In John 21:15-22, Jesus restores Peter.


If apostasy continues on its course unchecked, individuals may eventually reach the point when no second beginning is possible. Those who once had a saving experience with Christ but deliberately and continually harden their hearts to the Spirit's voice, continue to sin willfully, and refuse to repent and return to God may reach a point of no return where repentance and salvation are no longer possible. There is a limit to God's patience. This point of no return cannot be defined in advance. Therefore, the only safeguard against the danger of ultimate apostasy is found in the admonition: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." (Heb 3:7-8, 15) and repent

It must be emphasized that while apostasy is a danger for all who drift from the faith and fall away from God, it is not made complete without constant and willful sinning against the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Those who genuinely become concerned about their spiritual condition and find their hearts desire to return to God in repentance can have sure faith that God will receive them back.

The Advantages of a Daniel Fast

Here I am on day thirteen on the Daniel Fast. In the book of Daniel, chapters 2 and 10, Daniel describes two examples of his personal fasting and the dramatic results.





Daniel 1:12-13 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.”




Daniel 10:3 "I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled."





What is the Daniel Fast?



1. The Daniel Fast is a partial fast. They ate, but only vegetables and water. The Daniel Fast requires abstinence from party or junk foods. If you want to see what The food guidelines are for the Daniel fast click here. The Daniel fast drastically restricts normal food intake by cutting away many of the foods you commonly eat to satisfy your appetite.




2. The Daniel Fast is an extended fast. It is longer than one day. These young men fasted for ten days. Daniel fasted for twenty-one days in chapter ten. It is a good fast to do if you have to work and need the energy. If you determine to fast for a certain time, keep it. For example, if you determine to fast 10 days, don't stop on Day 9.

What are the results of a Daniel Fast?

In the book of Daniel, there are four results of the Daniel fast.

1. Healthier and Better Nourished (Daniel 1:12-20) Learn the Effects of the Food You Eat. Why are some foods good for you, and other foods not? What does certain food do to your body? If we really knew, there would likely be some things we would never eat again.


2. Spiritual Insight, Knowledge and Wisdom (Daniel 1:17; 5:12) Daniel had the God given ability to understand and interpret dreams. He was able to have a spiritual insight and understanding that the other people were not able to have. Having this gift caused him to be respected, admired and promoted in the Kingdom.


3. Integrity and Character (Daniel 6:4) Daniel had the discipline to resist certain foods and this caused him to have the discipline in his personal life. He was a man that exhibited integrity. God is more concerned about who you are than what you do.


4. Answered Prayer (Daniel 10:2-12) God answered Daniel's prayer when he fasted for twenty-one days. Daniel didn't receive his answer to prayer immediately. It came after his twenty-one day fast. This should remind us to be committed to our prayer and fasting time. If we say we are going to fast 10 days, don't stop on day 9.

Daniel experienced some incredible results because of his desire to fast and pray. Remember that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Have you ever done a Daniel Fast?

What results have you experienced when you have fasted?

God's Payment Plan

I wanted to share a personal testimony with you about one of the miracles of God that has happened to us during this sabbatical and Daniel fast.

As many of you know we have had a couple of physical ailments this year with Heidi's back and Taylor's eye. Thank God they are doing well! With these injuries we have acquired some medical expenses. We do have insurance and thank God for that, but we have to pay twenty percent of the bill. All the many doctor, x-ray and hospital bills have been piling up. We just tell them to put us on a payment plan and we will eventually pay you back.

This morning I was reading day seven in Jentezen Franklin's devotional book "Fasting Journal." The prayer focus was on prosperity and finances. He had me list out some specific financial needs to hold up in prayer throughout the day. I wrote one thing down...."hospital and doctor bills for Heidi and Taylor." Ten minutes later, Heidi called me crying on the phone saying "You are not going to believe this!" She had called Clarion North to set up a payment plan for the Hospital bill of $1,200.00. As it turned out, the gentleman signed us up for financial assistance and said that we qualified to have our whole hospital bill paid for. He said that our account balance was zero and that a procedure that Taylor has to have next month will be paid for as well! Praise the Lord! God has an incredible payment plan!

How has this happened? I attribute it to prayer and fasting. Jesus just didn't pray when He came to this world, He fasted. One of the things that fasting does is unlock God's miracles. Jesus fasted because He knew there were supernatural things that could be released only that way. The disciples couldn't cast out the demon from the boy because they didn't fast and pray. We could be missing our greatest breakthroughs because we fail to fast.

• What do you need a breakthrough in?

• Have you ever prayed and fasted?

• Tell me about your miracles you have experienced that has been directly related to fasting.

First Week of Sabbatical

I wanted to give you an update on my first week of my Sabbatical.

I spent seventy-two hours (Thursday night to Sunday night) at Zionsville Presbyterian Church at the Great Banquet. There I shut myself from the outside world, ate some good food, and refocused on Christ and His love for me. If you haven't ever experienced a retreat like The Great Banquet, Emmaus Walk, or Discipleship Walks, let me encourage you to. They are great retreats to remind you how much God and other people love you.

Next, I went to our sacred campgrounds in Hartford City to a Prayer Summit. The Prayer Summit is a prayer retreat for pastors to get away and spend time with The Father. There were about thirty pastors that gathered to pray, praise and eat. What a marvelous time we had in the presence of God as He spoke to us and refreshed us in the Lord. Many pastors including myself laid burdens at the lap of the Father as he loved us and blessed us with his presence. What a refreshing time! This is going to be on my calender for next year.

Part of the Sabbatical is taking care of the body God has given me by eating healthy foods and resisting the bad ones. We are made up of body, soul and spirit. Today I am starting a twenty-one day Daniel Fast. I said goodbye to the fudge rounds I love so much! Daniel gave up the king's delicacies so that he would be healthier, stronger, and empowered by God. If you are interested in knowing about a Daniel fast click here for more details.

I look forward to coming back from this short sabbatical refreshed and rejuvenated. Blessings to Kirklin Assembly of God. Thanks to everyone who sent kind letters to me this past week. They touched me so much! Blessings!

God Spoke to Me

Yesterday I read Psalm 19:1-4. It says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."

I was doing my morning ritual of letting the dogs out. I was enjoying the bright stars and thinking about Psalms 19 about how the heavens declare God's glory and how they speak to us. While looking into the heavens, a bright star shot across the morning night sky. I sat there wondering if that just happen. As I continued to watch there were several other stars that ran across the sky. It was like watching a fourth of July fireworks.

Psalm 19 says that God speaks to us through the skies. I believe that God was speaking to me. What was he saying? First of all, He was letting me know that He was smiling on me as I start my first day of my sabbatical. Secondly, He was letting me know that He loves me and knows me. Thirdly, He was letting me know that He is still active in our world. I woke the kids up so they could see this phenomena and share with them about how the heavens declare God's glory.

God speaks to us through the heavens. The next time you look up into the sky open up your ears God maybe speaking to you.