Greg’s Blog

God Works the Night Shift

It’s 3:00 A.M., the house is quiet, your family members are asleep, it is warm, it is dark, and you should be asleep . . . but your mind is racing, your heart is pounding, and worries overwhelm you.

You might be thinking about the pressing needs of a tomorrow that will find you unprepared, or it may be an area of concern—financial, relational, or employment. You may even find yourself continually in a place where you are out of hope and out of peace. A place that points to a spiritual separation from God that leaves you vulnerable and open to attacks of anxiety and the enemy.

There is something about this part of the night that seems to magnify all of these problems, and I am not sure exactly why that is. Maybe that is why the psalmist said “He guards us from the flaming arrows at night.”

Pray, and let God worry

I am convinced that we need God’s help, not only when we are alert and awake but even when we are sleeping. I think that it’s a great thing to end the day in prayer, as you get ready to go to sleep. I know that I do. It has been said that God works the nightshift, and it is so true.

But the best place to start is back at the beginning of each new day. Start your day in prayer, committing your decisions, your challenges, whatever you are going to face that day to the Lord. And then, as I suggested, end your day with prayer too. In each instance, our prayer should be, “Lord, here it is. I commit it to You.”

It reminds me of a quote from Martin Luther, “Pray and let God worry.” I like that. Not that God worries, but the idea is that you should pray about it, rather than worry about it.

Is something troubling you right now?

Let me ask you right now, is there something troubling you? Is there something eating at you? Bothering you? Irritating you? Causing you to be afraid?

Pray about it, right now. Just say, “Lord, I can’t handle it.” Philippians says, “Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. And the peace of God that passes all human understanding will keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”

So don’t worry. Pray. You will sleep, and live, much better.

Cell Phones and Bibles

Have you noticed how much cell phones are a part of our lives now? It seems like everyone has them, even the children.

My granddaughter Stella has a Dora the Explorer toy phone where Dora asks you a question. Then when you are answering, she seems to become disinterested and changes the subject quickly. Then she says she is your best friend and hangs up!

I was a bit offended until I reminded myself that it is, after all, a computer chip I am interacting with, not the real Dora (who herself is simply a drawing).

Next, they will have cell phones for dogs and cats, though I am not sure the latter would ever use them.

Rudeness

I was with some friends the other night and everyone was reading texts and e-mails on their iPhones, so I texted them a question. I figured that wold be the best way to communicate.

When cell phones first came out, they were enormous, about the size of a World War II walkie talkie with a battery life of about eight minutes. Now they are so small and powerful, with the ability to check e-mails, play video games, take photos and videos, and send text messages.

Sometimes they even make phone calls! (Though mine does not do that function particularly well and often drops calls)

We take our phones with us everywhere, we consult them constantly, and we panic when the battery begins to fade. We can’t seem to live without them!

What if we treated our Bible like our cell phone?

Someone sent me an e-mail that asks the fascinating question, “What if we treated our Bible like our cell phone?” So check this out.

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purse or pocket?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go . . . Hmm, where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

Makes you stop and think, where are my priorities?

And no dropped calls!

The Gift of Salvation

Tonight in Orange County, I want to talk about the amazing gift of salvation.

Did you know that this wonderful gift we call salvation takes care of our past, present, and future?

1. Salvation covers our past. As a result of believing in Jesus, I am saved from my sin. That’s because salvation is a gift from God. The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).
2. Salvation takes care of our present, as well. He is saving me from the power and control of sin. As the apostle Paul wrote, “Who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us, in whom we trust that He will still deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:10).
3. Salvation is also for our future. In other words, God has saved me from future judgment. Scripture tells us, “And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved from eternal punishment by his life” (Romans 5:9-10).

We will learn a lot more tonight at our Bible study in Orange County, as we unpack and discover the gift of salvation, purchased for us by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Knowing God’s Will is not Always Easy

Let me say something that may surprise you: The will of God is not always easy to discern.

Most of my Christian life is one of faith, where I read Scripture and pray for wisdom. Then I make decisions and act on them, hoping that I am in His will.

I hope that is not a disappointment to you.

Mission: Impossible

You may have thought that I get a message from God every day, just like on Mission: Impossible (cue theme song).

“Good morning, Mr. Laurie. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, involves leading a person named Joe Smith to Christ. He will be pumping gas at the station across from the church at 1:35 p.m. today. This message will self-destruct in five seconds.”

Supernaturally, naturally

In real life, the chances are that I will see my “idiot light” come on, and then pull over to get some gas. Old Joe will be standing there and say, “How ya doing?” And I will find myself smack dab in the middle of the will of God as I share Christ with him.

This is also true of the Christian life, in general.

Emotions will come and go. Some days, you “feel” more spiritual than others. Some days, you are very encouraged, and other days you are discouraged.

Hold the course

The best thing to do is just hold your course.

It’s not unlike marriage. You cannot expect have a euphoric high every day, where you heart flutters whenever your mate walks into the room.

I have been married to my wife Cathe for 35 years now. If I still felt the way around her that I did when I was first getting to know her, it would be absurd.

Imagine this: your spouse walks in the room and your heart flutters, your mouth goes dry, and your mind goes blank. My wife would think I was having a heart attack!

No, we have been married all these years and we have made a life-long commitment to each other. The same is true of our commitment to God. Those emotions come and go, and come again.

The Christian life is one of faith, not mere feeling. Scripture says “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).

So hold your course today.

Good News in a Bad World

The title of this post is also my topic this Sunday at Harvest.

As we come not only to the beginning of a new year, but also the end of another decade, we see a world that is in chaos. Anyone who is hoping for a man-made solution to our global ills, and thinks that mankind will somehow create a Utopian paradise, needs to wake up and smell the coffee.

This war on terrorism has not stopped, even for a New York minute. We have to face the facts that there are evil people willing to do the worst things imaginable. There are so many difficult challenges we face as a nation and a world in this coming year.

Yes, we live in a world filled with bad news.

Good news for modern man

After I first became a Christian, I was given a modern translation of the Bible called “Good News for Modern Man.” Reading Scripture transformed and continues to transform the way I think and live.

This Sunday, I want to share with you a story from the Bible that shows Israel in dire straits. They were experiencing an economic meltdown, among other things.

We will see the problem, the promise, the people God chose to bring that promise, and the proclamation of good news that changed everything for them. Good news that could change us as well.

It all happens Sunday morning at Harvest. Our services are at 7:45 A.M., 9:45 A.M., and 11:45 A.M. at Harvest Christian Fellowship. For more info on how to get to Harvest, click here.

Also, all of our services are live and webcast at Harvest.org.

And don’t forget to check out my weekly column at WorldNetDaily, along with my long-form weekend devotion.