Work of Faith, Labor of Love, Patience of Hope

August 23, 2013 by Phil Larson

1 Thessalonians 1:3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father.

Morning greets with wafting noise and odors of coffee and sausage. Before me is a grand day of training and planning and prayer.

What will you do today, Father?

While I am working and busy, will You be changing lives and bringing success to my door? Of course You will. It is Your nature.

While I am praying and listening, will You be speaking kind words to those from whom I need favor and action? Of course You will. It is Your nature.

While I am planning and consulting, will you be dispatching angels to pave and protect the path of provision? Of course You will. It is Your nature.

Father, guard the work of faith. Honor my actions. Enable them and anoint them to accomplish ten times what I can do.

Father, embrace the labor of love. Let it touch hearts with Your heart. Expose Yourself through me and let others see You.

Father, honor the patience of hope. Open the eyes of my understanding. Cause vision to congeal and give substance to faith’s grasp.

Este dia en tus manos, Padre Dios.

Take Time to Battle

August 16, 2013 by Phil Larson

The Lord of Hosts is on Your Side. I would have lost heart had I not believed, The Lord of Hosts is on my side.

In Psalm 24, David declares the Lord of Hosts is Strong and Mighty in Battle. In Psalm 84, the sons of Korah declare the Lord of Hosts has a lovely dwelling place, answers prayer, and is worth our trust for blessing. In Psalm 89, Ethan the Ezrahite declares the Lord of Hosts is mighty and His faithfulness surrounds Him. No other mentions are made of this name of God in the Psalms. It is the most used name for God in all of the Old Testament.

Jehovah Tse-Bah-Wah – The Lord of Hosts, The Lord of the Armies Encamped for War, The Lord Almighty.
Many versions translate this name as the Lord Almighty. Literally, it means the Lord of the Armies Encamped for War. I have seen Him in the watchfires of an hundred circling camps. I have seen Him at Tulakes Elementary where over 97% are fatherless. I have seen Him at Epperly Heights Elementary in Del City where over 97% are fatherless. I have seen Him in West OKC around Eagles’ Crest where the fatherless are 65%. I have seen Him in Matamoros and Moquetito and Gualaneno and Praederas de Rioje in Mexico where anger and strife and drugs and alcohol strangle the citizenry. I have seen Him in East OKC at Tabitha and other congregations, where fatherless homes are 70-80% of the norm. I have seen Him at Life Church in Edmond with the Mentoring Project reaching out into the highways and byways. I have seen Him on the phone as I talk with man after man with fractured backgrounds wanting to help someone else. I have seen Him in Gainesville stirring souls to Christ and freedom. I have seen Him. I have seen Him.

He is the father to the fatherless and the supporter of the unmanned home and the liberator of the captive mind and heart and the One who sets the solitary into families. He is active. He is purposed. He has decided it is time. Enough is enough.

How long, Oh Lord of Hosts, will we turn to legislation and the noise of man to save us? Have we not trusted in the spear of economy and investments? Have they not failed us? Have we not trusted in political process and community action and been skewered in our dependence? Do we not resemble Israel of old-looking to Egypt and Syria and other nations, when You stand above all? Are you not the Lord of Heaven and Earth? Is not all of this subject to Your hand and Your action and Your influence? Has our gospel become so weak in our hearts and mouths that we have forgotten our Maker, our KIng, our Lord, our Warrior, our Salvation, our Banner, our Healer, our Righteousness, our Every Present, our Shepherd, our Provider, our Peace, and The LORD of HOSTS?

Save our hearts, Lord. Battle for our souls. We have become complacent and accepting that our nation and community is subject to statistic. Lord, my house is subject to Your LORDship. Lord over my home. Lord over our homes. Lord over us. Bring us to holiness and separation from statistic. Bury divorce. Bury abortion. Ban it from Your people. Bury fatherlessness. Bury drug and alcohol dependencies. Bury violence and anger. Bury our ills of dependency on anything or anyone else but YOUR UNFAILING LOVE AND POWERFUL PRESENCE.
Cleanse LORD of Hosts and prepare us for battle for Your Kingdom. Your will be done in Heaven and on Earth. Shake us. Stir us. Pull out from underneath us all of our strange gods we have set before You.

Meet Jesus : Heaven Focused Matthew 5:29

August 7, 2013 by Phil Larson

Matthew 5: 29: And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30: And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Jesus is focused. His determination to see us succeed in reaching our eternal destiny on good terms is infectious. When you meet Jesus, you meet determination to get to Heaven, His Father’s throne room. His determination affects everything He says and does. He is focused that we would be there with Him. He is focused that whatever would get in our way would be eliminated. Though it may sound warped when you read these verses, remember He is focused to see you succeed.

ACT! Think of one thing you could eliminate from your week that would help you grow.

PRAY! Father, You are unfathomable. You are so focused to see me grow and live a healthy, productive life that leads me into Your presence. In Your presence is joy, Father. Help me to eliminate in my life whatever leads me away from You and Your presence. Help me to make hard decisions that lead to You.