Blog Archives - IRONSTRIKES

All the Way My Savior Leads Me

9/30/2017

All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;

For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.
All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread;
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages--
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages--
Jesus led me all the way.

Date: 1875
Author: Fanny Crosby
Music: Robert Lowry

Story:

This beloved hymn came from the grateful heart of Fanny Crosby after she had received a direct answer to her prayer.

One day when she desperately needed five dollars and had no idea where she could obtain it, Fanny followed her usual custom and began to pray about the matter. A few minutes later a stranger appeared at her door with the exact amount.

I have no way of accounting for this, she said, except to believe that God put it into the heart of this good man to bring the money. My first thought was that it is so wonderful the way the Lord leads me, and I immediately wrote the poem.

Bible Verse

Revelation 7:17 - The Lamb…will lead them to springs of living water.

The hymn and story for this hymn was taken from this website: www.popularhymns.com/all_the_way_my_savior_leads_me.php

Keeping it together

9/29/2017

How can we not lose our souls when everything and everybody pulls us in the most different directions? How can we "keep it together" when we are constantly torn apart?

Jesus says: "Not a hair of your head will be lost. Your perseverance will win you your lives" (Luke 21:18-19). We can only survive our world when we trust that God knows us more intimately than we know ourselves. We can only keep it together when we believe that God holds us together. We can only win our lives when we remain faithful to the truth that every little part of us, yes, every hair, is completely safe in the divine embrace of our Lord. To say it differently: When we keep living a spiritual life, we have nothing to be afraid of.

For further reflection...

The Lord is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalm 27: 1 (NIV)

This devotional was written by Henri Nouwen

Change your mind

9/28/2017

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:2

Why is it, every time I have a sore toe, that is the toe that I stub on everything? Why can’t my pain be a little more spread out?

It seems like there is always a corner of a doorway or an edge of a counter top that plague us daily. For me, from time to time, I hit my ankle on the same corner of my bed and I vow that I will never do that again. What about something that trips you up? Is there a rug or sidewalk step that you encounter regularly that you always a fall over? I think we can all relate to this on a personal level. What if that which trips you is not something physical but something more internal?

For many of us, our minds can be that which trips us up. We know God’s promises and we believe in scripture, but for some reason when WE are experiencing distress, then we go into panic mode. Or, maybe you are reading this today and you have not fully given yourself to God because of doubts, addictions, idols, or scars that have not been worked through. He accepts us through these struggles too.

When Jesus called people to repentance, not only did He call them to turn from their wicked ways, but He also directed them to change their thought processes. In the passage above, Paul reiterates this concept by looking at the action of “renewing your mind” as not only helpful in the long run, but transformative or life-changing.

Sometimes, the most spiritual thing we can do is to change our mind. Granted, we are not the ones ultimately doing the “changing” but we if we allow God to have access to the way we think about things, then we will see things His way. That will spur us on to better works, and a more loving approach to those around us.

Prayer for today: God, change my mind and direct my thoughts. I want to live according to your pattern. Amen.

This post was written by Rev DeCrastos.
You can find his blog here: www.ministrysauce.com

You gotta have friends

9/27/2017

A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. Job 6:14

At some point in life we re-examine our most fundamental beliefs. A long process of sorting, examining and questioning takes place. And, in that process, our relationship with God is challenged. It is possible that our relationship with God will deepen and strengthen in the process. But it is also possible that we will find ourselves pulling away from God. We may find ourselves angry with God, or afraid of God, or unable to believe in God at all. This can be a frightening experience. It can feel like the very foundations of life are being shaken.

In times like this, we need many things. But at the top of the list is our need for friends who will accept us even if we turn away from God. We need friends who will not minimize our struggle or discount our feelings. We need people who will not be shocked when we are full of rage at God. We need friends who are able to hear the deep pain behind our words and who know that this, too, is part of our healing. We need people who can see beyond the immediate pain to the healing that can come.

Even when we forsake the fear of God, we need friends who understand, who are committed to us for the long haul, and who plead with God on our behalf.

Sometimes I feel agnostic, Lord,
I just don't know anymore.
Sometimes I want nothing to do with you.
Where were you when I needed you the most?
Sometimes I despair, Lord.
Sometimes I can't seem to hope.

I need friends who will not abandon me, Lord.
I need friends who will be patient and grace-full with my anger and fear.
I need friends who will stay with me as we wait for you to show yourself once again.
I need friends, Lord, who will give me courage to hope again in you.
Send help, Lord.

Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery

Strange teaching

9/26/2017

Dialogue is important. It’s healthy to discuss issues, express convictions, and voice opinions prayerfully. However, when dialogue leads to continually questioning biblical truth it becomes problematic. The reason for this is there are certain teachings that are so central to Christian faith and practice that there’s no need to debate them. In fact, we shouldn’t debate them according to scripture.

The biblical expression for those who keep debating sound biblical doctrine is “morbid questioning.” This phrase appears in the New Testament as a sign of false teaching infiltrating the church (1 Tim. 6:4; 2 Tim. 2:23). There are several passages, but 1 Timothy 1:3-11 illustrates this point well. These verses provide a list of “strange teachings” that directly oppose sound biblical doctrine concerning a right relationship with God.

The list in 1 Timothy 1 includes lawlessness, rebelliousness, ungodliness, sinners (e.g. justification of willful and habitual sin), the unholy and profane, killing of fathers or mothers (e.g. hatred and rejection of authorities), murderers (e.g. hatred of our brothers/sisters), sexually immoral, practicing homosexuals, kidnappers (e.g. the basis of the slave trade), liars (e.g. those who intentionally deceive) and perjurers (e.g. those who distort the truth).

What I have experienced among people who want to “dialogue” is it usually means they want to spend time specifically debating the things 1 Timothy 1:3-11 says not to debate, or even question for that matter. You don’t have to spend much time in certain online “discussion groups” to find ordained pastors debating these very issues. Essentially, it’s an endeavor that undermines scriptural authority. This should concern us, especially when it’s allowed to continue without accountability.

The church needs to lovingly stand firm on these biblical issues. We should absolutely refuse to allow cultural shifts and human reasoning to sway us in our doctrinal positions. Sound biblical doctrine is not up for debate; it never has been and it never will be for those who are sincere about following Jesus.

“Love” is the very thing we keep hearing will be gained through this ongoing dialogue. The irony is 1 Timothy 1:5-6 teaches that “love” is what we lose when we compromise sound doctrine. In fact, minimalizing the effects of sin is the most unloving thing we could ever do. According to 1 Timothy 1, minimalizing sin reduces one’s ability to grasp the fact that God is our only source of hope and deliverance.

The following is a true story that gives us a glimpse into the far-reaching consequences of the ongoing debate of sound doctrine and biblical truth.

A True Story

In January 2016 Crossroads Tabernacle in Fort Worth, TX began praying for prodigals to return to faith in Christ. Much to their surprise, within a few weeks of focusing specifically on prodigals, a young man walked into the church that hadn’t been seen in years. Unfortunately, he was in very bad shape. He was mentally unstable, drug addicted, HIV positive, and desperately lost.

The good news is that in a very short time God rescued this young man, delivered him from his sin and shame, set him free from his addictions, restored him to his right mind, and healed his body. Today, he is pursuing a call to full-time ministry. Pastor Corey Jones and the people of Crossroads Tabernacle celebrate the miracle that God has performed in this young man’s life.

In October 2016 at The Awakening: A National Prayer Conference, Pastor Corey shared his church’s burden for prodigals and invited others to come forward and pray for their lost loved ones. More than 800 came forward out of the over 1,000 in attendance. Over the next three days, people wrote the names of their lost loved ones on a canvass portrait representing prodigal children that had abandoned the Christian faith.

Since the conference, the prodigal portrait has had numerous names added by people all over the nation. Beyond the sadness of the many names covering the portrait, an even more painful truth is that a large percentage of these prodigals are pastor’s kids. We’ve discovered that we are literally fighting for the sons and daughters of countless pastors, evangelists, and leaders in the Church of the Nazarene and beyond. While this reality is sad enough, the consequences are even more profound.

Most of these prodigals aren’t simply struggling with their faith; they’ve completely abandoned it. In the last few years, Pastor Corey has kept a written record of these pastors and their lost children so he could pray more specifically. Of the pastors who have openly shared, the majority goes on to explain the nature of their kid’s choices after walking away from their faith. Specifically, large percentages of these prodigals currently profess to be atheists and/or practicing homosexuals, and the list continues to grow.

You can imagine the heartache of these pastors. Many have shared that they feel demoralized, defeated, and are contemplating leaving ministry altogether. One pastor indicated that every time he preaches he feels the taunts of the enemy harassing him and telling him that the gospel he preaches has no power to save even his own kids. Most of these ministers have no idea that this same attack is affecting so many other pastors and their families.

It’s actually even more disturbing. Another aspect of this battle is that a large percentage of these pastor’s kids had a call on their life to full-time ministry before turning away. In fact, when the data is compiled we’ve discovered that many of them attended one of our Nazarene universities to prepare for ministry. One pastor shared that his son, who went to a Nazarene school to be a pastor and is now an atheist, won’t allow him to mention Jesus’ name in his home.

This is not an attempt to place blame on anyone; it’s simply an effort to demonstrate that this isn’t a random obscure occurrence. Rather, it is more systemic and systematic than we realize, revealing a calculated scheme of the enemy against the church.

Why share this so publicly? Several reasons: (1) To let pastors know they’re not alone in the battle; (2) To call the church to pray for a revival that reaches the hearts of prodigals and restores them to faith; (3) To identify the schemes of Satan to destroy a generation; (4) To call for accountability for the “strange teachings” in our pulpits and universities; (5) To offer hope to all who are praying for their children to return to faith in Christ.

Over the past few years numerous prodigals, who had once abandoned the faith, have been restored to a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ! There are also a growing number of people who walked away from the faith and identified as homosexual, who are now testifying to experiencing complete deliverance through an encounter with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

In Isaiah 49 there is a promise that many of us are claiming as we pray for prodigals. We invite you to join us in this battle: “Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives be rescued from the fierce? But this is what the LORD says: ‘Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save’” (Isaiah 49:24-25).

We are contending against a culture of “morbid questioning” and the Lord is contending with us! Strange teachings are causing our children to turn away from the faith and be taken captive by idle talk and continual debate (1 Timothy 1). We live in an age that believes nothing is settled and truth is relative. Nonetheless, we rejoice in the midst of this unbelieving generation over the fact that God is still calling prodigals home.

(Sources: Pastor Corey Jones of Crossroads Tabernacle, used with permission; 1WordSword Blog, adapted with permission)

This post was written by Rev Brian L Powell. You can find his blog here: brianlpowell.com

No hope

9/25/2017

Then they led him away to crucify him. Matthew 27:31

There are days when we find it difficult, if not impossible, to sustain hope. The day of Jesus' death was such a day. It was a day of despair for all who had put their hope in him. It was a day of unbearable grief for those who had been changed by his love. In such terrible moments hope disappears. Darkness seems to be all that remains. God seems absent.

It is, however, one of the most fundamental convictions of the Christian faith that, in those times when hope seems unattainable, God is at work. In that moment when even Jesus had a difficult time sustaining hope in God's redemptive purposes, God was fighting the decisive battle which would extend the rule of the Kingdom to all peoples. In that moment of terror, the foundations of reality were exposed and God was at work on the deep structures of the world. God could do work at that moment which would have been impossible during ordinary times.

Much the same is true of our moments of hopelessness. It is when hope grows weakest that our foundations are most exposed. It is when the struggle to sustain hope is most difficult that God can work on the deep structure of our persons. It is at those times that God can reach the unreachable crevices of our hearts and work on regions where fear and despair seem to reign.

It is a terrible thing to lose hope. But all is not lost. Though we lose hope, God is still at work. It may be that during our season of hopelessness God will extend the rule of the Kingdom of God into new regions of our lives.

In those times when I cannot hope, Lord,
help me to remember the work which
you accomplished during Jesus' hour of darkness.
Remind me, when I lose all hope,
that all hope is not gone
because you continue your work in me.
Extend the rule of your kingdom
into the deepest regions of my heart
where fear and despair have reigned for too long.

Amen

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery

Uncle Buddy: Fruit Bearing

9/24/2017

Well, amen! Greetings to the reader from John, the fifteenth chapter. As we study this remarkable chapter we study it under the rule of four.

First, we find a branch with no fruit on it at all. This is a branch but no fruit.

Second, we see a branch with some fruit. That is better than no fruit, but it is the poorest condition that a Christian can be in to live at all. Some fruit is the lowest standard that God will put up with.

Third, we see a branch with more fruit on it. That is better than some fruit, but just how much better we are not told. We see that more fruit was not the best that God could do, but that He is able to help us bear "more fruit."

More fruit, as good as it is, is not God's plan; for we see the fourth branch and, behold, it has much fruit on it. And that is coming up to the Lord's standard.

Now let the reader run back over these branches and see the difference. First, no fruit; second, some fruit; third, more fruit; and fourth, much fruit.

No fruit is a dead branch; some fruit is a converted man; more fruit is a holy man, and the branch that bore much fruit is the holy man fertilized and pruned and sprayed and irrigated and at his best for God. He is in the best soil, and in the best climate, and in the best condition that a soul can be in this present world. And that makes him bear much fruit.

And it is the branch that bears much fruit that brings glory to God. For Christ himself said, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (v. 8).

Now here is the secret of bearing much fruit, and it is in the words of Jesus: "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (v. 7).

Robinson, Reuben A. (Bud). The Collected Works of 'Uncle Bud' Robinson (Kindle Locations 2610-2622). Jawbone Digital. Kindle Edition.

All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name

9/23/2017

All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.

Let highborn seraphs tune the lyre, and as they tune it, fall
Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all.
Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all.

Crown Him, ye morning stars of light, who fixed this floating ball;
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might, and crown Him Lord of all.
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might, and crown Him Lord of all.

Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God, who from His altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, and crown Him Lord of all.
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, and crown Him Lord of all.

Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race, ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all.
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all.

Hail Him, ye heirs of David’s line, whom David Lord did call,
The God incarnate, Man divine, and crown Him Lord of all,
The God incarnate, Man divine, and crown Him Lord of all.

Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget the wormwood and the gall,
Go spread your trophies at His feet, and crown Him Lord of all.
Go spread your trophies at His feet, and crown Him Lord of all.

Let every tribe and every tongue before Him prostrate fall
And shout in universal song the crowned Lord of all.
And shout in universal song the crowned Lord of all.

Date: 1779
Author: Edward Perronet
Music: Oliver Holden

Story:

Rev. E. P. Scott was a missionary to India. One day he saw on the street a man of so strange an appearance that he inquired about him, and learned that he belonged to a wild mountain tribe among whom Christ had never been preached.

Mr. Scott prayed over the matter, and decided to visit that tribe. As soon as he reached their mountain home, he fell in with a savage band who were on a war expedition. They seized him, and pointed their spears at his heart.

At once the missionary drew out the violin that he always carried with him, and began to play and sing in the native language, All hail the power of Jesus’ name! He closed his eyes, expecting death at any minute.

When he reached the third stanza, as nothing had happened, he opened his eyes, and was amazed to see that the spears had fallen from the hands of the savages, and big tears were in their eyes!

They invited Mr. Scott to their homes, and he spend two and a half year among them, winning many of them to Christ.

Bible Verse

Philippians 2:9-11 - God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The hymn and story for this hymn was taken from this website: www.popularhymns.com/all_hail_the_power_of_jesus_name.php

Let it shine

9/22/2017

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.-Matthew 5:14-16

I can remember a few months ago, when my family planned a fun day. My wife and I knew that my kids loved playing in the water and in our community there is a big "splash pad" for all ages. We knew our kids would have a great time. I made sure to schedule nothing else and we spent the morning packing a lunch so we could eat there. We gathered all the sun block, towels, toys, and water shoes. The idea was to surprise our kids. Every time we passed this park they commented about it, so we knew it was going to be a welcome surprise.

Then, it was time to leave. It took us about 15 minutes to get to the park and the kids were anxious to find out where we were going. So excited, in fact, that they became angry that we were wanting to keep it a secret.

We pulled into the parking lot and my son smiled and my daughter had a slight awkward grin on her face. She blurted out, "I don't want to play here today. I thought we were going to go to a bounce house". My wife and I looked at each other with shock and frustration. We had planned this outing for days and all this preparation had a purpose.

In the above passage, Jesus gives us a similar mental picture with the concept of a lamp. He has already told us we are the light of the world, but goes on to ask what good a lamp is that is hidden from view. Jesus was talking about preparation and purpose.

We are called to live according to the purpose that God has given us. The Holy Spirit lives within us and we are resourced with so much more than we know. We must seek His wisdom and guidance to have an impact on the world around us. If we are His disciples, called by God, then there has to be a divine frustration when we hide our light.

Let's serve the world today.

Prayer for today: Jesus, lead me to be who you made me to be. Fill me and use me for your divine kingdom. Amen.

This post was written by Rev DeCrastos.
You can find his blog here: www.ministrysauce.com

Letting nothing hinder your prayers

9/21/2017

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. I Peter 3:7

Peter is very clear here.

As husbands we are to:

1. Be considerate as we live with our wife - Do you put up roadblocks to her happiness and to her success? Being considerate is thinking about how to make her life better and easier. Being considerate is acting upon those thoughts. Consideration is asking, "can I do something for you?" and "is there something you need done?" Consideration is trying to anticipate her needs and doing them before she asks.

2. Treat our wife with respect - Being respectful is treating her like she is the most important person in the world. Having the niceties that a gentleman displays: Saying please, thank you, excuse me, etc. To respect her is to honor her. Do you dishonor her with your actions? Do you take her for granted? Do you tell your children how wonderful she is and that they need to respect her like you do? Are you brave enough to challenge your children to treat her like you do?

3. Remember that she is an heir of the gracious gift of life - Most importantly, she is a child of God. The Maker of the Universe, the Creator, has made her uniquely to serve His purposes. Do you treat her like a Christian sister? Do you encourage her spiritual growth? Do you encourage her to spend time with other godly women? Do you offer to take care of your children so that she can have some alone time with God?

"Christian husbands and wives share a common experience of grace and a common destiny of salvation. A husband must honor his wife since she, as much as he, has access to God's grace in Christ. In addition, since husbands and wives are partners together in grace, a husband's relationship with God will be affected for good or ill by his relationship with his wife. When husbands treat their wives with consideration and honor, they are true to the nature of grace. They are acting as God's people, and thus their relationship with God may be deepened through prayer." - Asbury Bible Commentary, page 1193.

Peter is very clear here:

If you don't honor your wife, your prayers will be hindered