THE THIEF OF UNBELIEF!

I run into people all the time that suffer from unbelief…Satan has blinded the eyes and hearts of so many people…He is on the job 24 hours a day…Old Satan just roams around this world trying to see who he can infect with the disease of unbelief…

This world we live in today is so corrupt and evil and so many people suffer from lack of belief in the only One who can save them…

But guess what, that same thief of unbelief has been around for a long, long, time…

In this Scripture we are using for this little message tells of some unbelief…

Mark 16:9–11 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils... And she went and told them that had been with Him, as they mourned and wept... And they, when they had heard that He was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not…

So deeply had they loved Jesus that, after three days, these rugged fishermen were still weeping with convulsive sobs... But when Mary Magdalene reported that He was alive, what did they do? They went right back to weeping… Why? Because of the Thief of unbelief…

Maybe you’re weeping tonight because your body is hurting, your business is collapsing, or your relationships are eroding… In reality, however, none of those are the source of your tears... Because the living Lord has said to you everything is working together for good, because He has said we are to give thanks in all things, because He has given us promise after promise that He is with us and will never forsake us, it is neither your job, marriage, family, finances, or health which cause your tears… It is unbelief… Period...

If the disciples had believed at that moment, like Mary, they would have moved into ecstasy… But they chose not to believe and remained in their sorrow longer than they had to, allowing the thief of unbelief to rob them of their joy...

It has been rightly said that a little faith will get you to heaven, but a larger faith will bring heaven to you… Indeed, you will experience heaven in your heart to the degree that you have faith that the Lord is alive, that He’s faithful, and that everything is working out exactly as He promised…

Jesus told us that He will never leave us or forsake us…so right now, push your unbelief out the window and trust Him for everything, and everything means, leaving nothing out…

Thanks and remember, Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goal…So move forward with an attitude of belief in Christ…and do not take your eyes off of Him…

Don’t let the “THE THIEF OF UNBELEIF,” steal you joy…

Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ

GOD'S AUTHORITY!

Mark 1:22, And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes…

Jesus was not the first person to teach the Scriptures to a group of disciples…The people of Jesus’ day had heard other teachers of the Scriptures…What set Jesus apart was that He taught with GOD’S authority…To many of the scribes, the Scriptures were meaningless, dry collections of theological guesswork, but Jesus taught them as the living words of God…

This is what we need to trust in today…In these hard times of troubles, loss and heartaches, we need to hear the Scriptures and believe them as the living words of God…Why? Because that is just what they are…These Holy Scriptures have been given to us from the breath of God…We need to treat them as such…

John the Baptist claimed that a man could only receive that which had been given to him by God…(John 3:27, John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing, except it be Given him from heaven…”)

When the religious leaders searched the Scriptures, they came away empty-handed…When Jesus read the same Scriptures, the Father gave Him a full measure of His wisdom and His authority…God has given to each of us, His Holy Words of wisdom in the Scriptures…

There is a radical difference between practicing religion and sharing a word directly from the Lord…There is a significant difference between worldly reasoning and guidance that comes straight from the living word of God…

Is it possible to teach a word from the Bible and not from God? Yes! The Scribes and Pharisees did this regularly and left their listeners spiritually destitute…Is it possible to counsel someone with advice that seems appropriate and reasonable and yet is contrary to God’s Word? Yes!

Whenever you teach, counsel, or share a word of encouragement, be very careful that the words you share are indeed from the Lord and are not just your own thinking…otherwise, you could become a false prophet (Deut. 18:20-22)…

God promises to stand by every word He has ever spoken (Isa. 55:10-11, For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater…So shall My Word be which goes forth from My mouth…it shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, and with succeeding in the matter for which I sent it)…

When you share a word that has come from God, you can do so with complete confidence…and complete authority…

Now someone might ask how can I get a word from the Lord…? Well, God has given us His Word, (the written Word), and He has also given us His word of honor…

God tells us in 2nd Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…

The LORD God has a word of instruction for you in His Holy Word…but first you have to open it up, and then listen to whatever it is that the word is saying to you…If you get someplace quiet, and just be still and listen…He will have a word for you, and they will be words of wisdom, that come flowing forward with authority…

Have you been reading the Word of God? I know that in this world that is moving so fast, it is sometimes hard, but, God will help us all find time for Him in His word, if we just slow down a little and listen to that still small voice…

His voice cries out to us from the pages of His Word, The Holy Bible…

Please just take a moment and listen, because I know He has something He wants to say, something special, just for you…

May you be blessed by the reading of His Word…To God be the Glory…

Robert N. Graves.Sr.Fisherman for Christ…

WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?

If you are a Christian, then, no matter what you do for a living, you work for God…No matter who your earthly boss is, no matter what you do to earn money…No matter what you do, no matter who you do it for…No matter how much money you get paid for doing whatever it is that you do…Working for God is the best thing a person can do with their time and life…A real Christian works for God…

There is a great demand for workers for God…Jesus told His disciples, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth laborers into His harvest…” Luke 10:2…

Jesus told His disciples not to say, “There are yet for months, and then comes harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest…and he that reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit unto life eternal: both he that sows and he that reaps may rejoice together…” John 4:35-36…

The apostle Paul told the Christians in the city of Corinth that they were, “Laborers together with God…”

The first work that you can do for God is to put your full trust in Jesus and do things according to His Word…

Jesus was asked this question…”What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said unto them, “This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent…” John 6:28-29…

To put your faith in Jesus means that you believe things will work out better if you do things His way rather that your own way…Jesus said, “The words I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life… John 6:63…

WHAT IS GOD DOING THAT YOU CAN BE A PART OF?

1. Jesus clearly stated His mission…"The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost…” Luke 19:10…

Jesus wants us to inform everyone that He has died for their sins and that He has been raised from the dead and wants to be their Savior and Lord…

2.We can aid those who are seeking the lost… John commended Gaius for the aid he had given to the traveling missionaries of that day…In the same letter John reprimanded Diotrephes for his vicious attitude, not only toward missionaries, also toward those who were aiding them…3rd John 1:5-11…As true Christians, we should join together in the battle to help save those which are lost…The fields are white and ready for harvest…We should aid those who are seeking the lost in Jesus name…!

3. Caring for the sick…Jesus healed a paralyzed man on the Sabbath and was highly criticized for doing so…John 5:8-16…This is a very important mission that we can become involved in as we join together with Christ and other Christians…The world right outside your on front door is full of people, right now, that need our help in their time of sickness…

4. Helping people with the necessities of life…Matthew 25:35-36, On judgment day Jesus will say, “I was hungry, and you gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came unto me…and what you do unto the least of these you do to Me…”

5. Caring for the fatherless and the widows… “Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, To visit the fatherless an widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world…”

6. Caring for your own family members…The Bible teaches, “If any provide not for his own, an specially those for those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse that an infidel…” (1st Timothy 5:8…)

Jesus criticized the Pharisees because they did not care for their own parents…Mark 7:11…

This a very important issue…Many people who confess to be Christians, do not or will not even reach out to help someone who is a member of their own family…I have seen may cases where there is some small feud going on, that keeps family members from loving or helping each other…

YOU CAN WORK FOR GOD WHEREEVER YOU ARE:

Each person who is a real Christian, can work for God no matter where they are…at school, at the office, in the field, in the jail, in the prison, at home, on the job, or any where else…We need to know that we are the hands and feet and mouthpieces of God in this fallen world…He wants us to work with Him, for Him…

YOU CAN WORK FOR GOD AS A CALLED WORKER OR VOLUNTEER:

Allot of people have the mind set that only people who have a so-called supernatural calling from God, can work for Him…But listen, not even a supernatural calling from God guarantees success…King Saul turned out to be a reject…(1st Samuel 6:1)

There is many places out in the world right now that need your help…All you have to do to serve is just get up from where ever you are right now and go looking…The hospitals are always looking for volunteers to help…

It doesn’t matter where you serve, but serve somewhere with the attitude of Christ…and remember, when you work for God, you work as a team member…

Working for God in the right frame of mind, will have heavenly rewards later… The internal reward that we receive on the inside, for serving, right now, is great…It just feels good to help someone who really needs help…

WE DON’T HAVE FOREVER TO WORK FOR GOD: Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work…” John 9:4…

A broken down car or boat can wait months, and even years, to be repaired, but there is only one time that a crop of wheat can be harvested…Jesus said, “The fields are white already unto harvest…”John 4:35…

We also have to realize that we will not live forever to serve God on this earth…We don’t have as much time left today, as we had yesterday…

WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO GO TO WORK FOR GOD?

I had person tell me the other day that they really did not want to go out and work for God…My reply to this person was this…"If you don’t work for God, you will be working for the Devil and you will share Hell with him because that is where he is going… "

Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels…” Matthew 25:41…

Who you work for in the material world may determine what your pay is here on earth…but whom you work for in the spiritual realm will determine where you spend eternity…

AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD…
Glory to God…

Robert N. Graves, Sr...

fisherman for Christ...

OLD THINGS PASS AWAY!

2nd Corinthians, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old thing have passed away; behold, all things have become new…”

Good afternoon...

I was at a meeting yesterday concerning proper operating procedures on the Military base where I occasionally preach …

It was a good time of fellowship…We had several good devotions…had some good food for lunch…It was a really good time…

Every Sunday there are several hundred men and women that will come to the Chapel services and also the Religious Education Training on this base…

In these services the Word of God is proclaimed…These young recruits get to hear the gospel of Christ…They are confronted with the opportunity to make a decision to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior…

Several of the team members at the meeting yesterday were concerned because, some of the instructions that we went over stated that, at decision time, the preachers or teaches were not allowed to cohere or force the recruits, in anyway, to make a decision for Christ…and listen, I agree totally that we should not try to force a decision for Christ in any way what so ever... all we need to do is share the gospel and leave the results up the God...

We must always be aware that we cannot save anybody…Only God does the saving…

Being saved, or making a decision to follow Christ, must come totally from God… Now don’t get me wrong…God needs helpers…and we are His hands and feet and mouth pieces in this world…In other words, we are His servants…But it is God Himself that does all the saving…

There are so many men and women in the services that we are involved in, until it is almost impossible to get to talk to each one when they have made their decision…so we give out information cards…

These cards have a line or place on them so that the recruits can put all their personal information on the card…and also there is a place where they can put a check if they have received Christ that day…

These cards are for the Military Chaplains…They can check out each card and see if the recruit has made any type of decision, and they can follow up with that decision…

Often, some of these young people will walk down to the front of the church service wanting to visibly profess their faith in Jesus…but ONE point I want to make with this little lesson is this…People do not have to walk down to the front of a church to receive Christ as Lord and Savior...An individual does not have to put a check on any type of card to become born again…

You do not become a Christian by just asking Jesus into your heart, although this is certainly a big part…You become a Christian when you are born again…Jesus said, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…” (John 3:3.)

Being born again takes surrender of the persons, heart, soul, mind and strength to God…

Saying a prayer or making a public commitment or signing a decision card will not save you…Only being born again will do that…

The Apostle Paul said that when you are, “In Christ,” the old things pass away…In the moment of your salvation, every sin you ever committed is forgiven…Healing for every hurt you have ever suffered is available…

Love and acceptance are yours despite every failure you have ever experienced…Your past, no matter how difficult or painful, is completely and thoroughly provided for…

SEED PLANTING & GIFTS…

In the life of every person that is born again, somewhere along the path in his or her life, God has been planting seeds…Often the Gospel seed must be sowed several times before it will take root…Often peoples hearts are hard and they do not or cannot listen, until the Holy Ghost does His part in the cultivation of the hard soil in a hard heart…sometimes He uses pain to soften the hard soil…(can i have a witness!)

Sometimes He may use something you and I have said, to inspire the person to go-ahead with their decision…but… it is not us that does the saving…

ONLY GOD SAVES…THROUGH CHRIST…

God plants the seeds and people like you and I come along and water that seed with our words and actions…Remember faith is not just a noun but also an action word…

We must put our faith into action as God’s workmanship…

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do…”

We are God’s workmanship (work of art or masterpiece)…Our salvation is something only God can do…It is His powerful, creative work in us…It is Christ in us…!

Although we cannot save anyone, we are still an important part of a great big team… “The Church…”

Our oneness in Christ does not destroy our individuality…The Holy Spirit has given each Christian special gifts for building up the church…Now that we have these gifts, it is crucial to use them…

Are you spiritually mature, exercising the gifts God has given you?

If you know what your gifts are, look for opportunities to serve…If you don’t know what your gifts are, ask God to show you, but until you know, just start serving in whatever capacity you can find…Often as we serve, our gifts will come to the surface…Then, as you begin to recognize your special area of service, use your gifts to strengthen and encourage the church…

God has given His church an enormous responsibility…”To make disciples in every nation…” This involves, teaching, preaching, healing, nurturing, giving, administering, building, and many other task…

If we had to fulfill this command as individuals, we might as well give up without trying…because it would be impossible…But God calls us as members of His body for His good purpose…

Some of us can do one task, some can do another…Together we can obey God more fully than any of us could alone…

It is a human tendency to overestimate what we can do by ourselves and to underestimate what we can do as a group…but as the body of Christ, we can accomplish more together than we could dream possible working by ourselves…As we work together in the Body of Christ, we can express the fullness of Christ…

Thanks and remember, Do not underestimate yourself and what you can do, “In Christ…”

With Christ in you, you can do many good things, but without Him you are nothing…

We cannot save anyone but we can do our part in helping Our Father with the honor of serving His people in this world…

Rev. Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ…

WHEN DO YOU WORSHIP?

Mark 12:30, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength, this is the first commandment…

Lately I have been studying worship…
A really good question that could be asked is, “What is Worship?”

Have you ever really thought about that subject? I mean really…really, thought about what Worship is…?

The question that we must answer before we can determine, “When do you worship…” is “What is worship…”?

Let see if we can define what worship is…

“Worship is setting your hearts affection and your mind’s attention on the Lord…praising Him for who He is and what He’s done…all the time…”

That, “all the time” part is what I believe separates mature Christ followers from some beginners…

REAL WORSHIP FLOWS FROM LOVE…
Real worship must flow first from love…

In the Scripture text we started with, it says Love the Lord your God with all your what? With all your heart…with all your soul…and with all your mind and with all your strength… That seems like allot doesn’t it, but guess what, “God wants all of you…”

Our Heavenly Farther is not interested in halfhearted commitment, partial obedience, and bits and pieces of our time and money…He desires our full devotion, not little morsels of our life…

So how do we give Him our all…? It takes surrender…

Four times in the New Testament alone, we are commanded to Love our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength…It seems like God is really trying to drive this point home…

But Even before the New Testament, Moses spoke these words to his people…Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NASB) 4 "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Do you do all these things? It really seems like allot doesn’t it…? It seems like it would take much time and effort to bring our lives into union with all these commands…

Moses first of all said we must “love the Lord with all of our heart…” and from the heart of an real authentic worshiper, surrendered love must flow…”

Elsewhere, Joshua, as the eastern tribes return home, gives his people this command…Joshua 22:5, “But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to Love your God; to walk in all His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul…”

Here Joshua briefly restated the central message Moses gave the people in Deuteronomy: Obedience should be based on love for God…

The Israelites had completed their military responsibility, but Joshua reminds them of their spiritual responsibility…

Sometimes we think so much about what we are to do that we neglect thinking about who we are to be…If we are to be who we are supposed to be, then we must do what is necessary to please God… “Love your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart…”

If we know we're God’s children, we will love Him and joyfully serve Him with a heart-felt attitude of love along with a surrendered life and lifestyle…

We must not let our daily walk take away from our love for God…We must not get so wrapped up in our jobs and or pleasures until we forget who we are…We are His…We belong to Him, He has created us for His good purpose…and we, most of all, were created to worship the Lord our God with all of our heart…

We are made in God’s image, so we are a spirit that resides in a body and God designed our spirit to communicate with Him…So when Jesus said, “Love God with all your heart and soul,” He meant that worship must be genuine and sincere…

Worship is not just saying the right words; what we say must come from the right place in our spirit…What we say and do must flow from a heart of surrendered love to our Heavenly Father…

Heartless praise is not praise at all! It is worthless, it’s and insult to God…

So true worship—bringing pleasure to God—happens when you give yourself completely to God…

Offering yourself to God is what worship is all about… It takes an act of personal surrender…

(Romans 6:13 (GW) 13 Never offer any part of your body to sin's power… No part of your body should ever be used to do any ungodly thing... Instead, surrender yourselves to God as people who have come back from death and are now alive... Offer all the parts of your body to God… Use them to do everything that God approves of…

So far, I believe we have found out what worship is and now, we also know that the heart of worship is surrender…

WHEN DO YOU WORSHIP?
Now back to the original question. “When do you worship…?”

I asked one of my church brothers the other day, “When do you worship?” His answer was the same one I have heard many times, from many people, “I worship on Sunday when I go to church…”

Listen, if we are real Christ followers, then we are lovers of God and we need to know that Worship is a lifestyle…It should encompass every path, thought, and affection of our lives…

It is meant for Monday just as much as Sunday…It is, quite simply the one element of our lives that should drive all the others…

I truly believe if we would teach this, “That worship is a lifestyle,” we would all start to live our lives to the fullest…Out of true worship flows the abundant life Jesus has told us we could have, in Him…

I have been privileged to go into many different church services… Some are dead, some are not…Some are on fire, others don’t even give off any smoke…Some are “happy-clappers,” others are what I call the “frozen chozen”…

I personally like to worship with anyone, but I perfer the "happy-clappers..." I love to be in the presence of anyone who get alittle excited about worship... But don't get me wrong...God loves the "Frozen Chozen" just as much as He loves anyone else...

Why are some more alive than others? I believe that for all the good that happens in our corporate worship gatherings, it seems many are content to live off of the often rich experience of Sunday morning, trying to make it last throughout the entire week…Unfortunately, this is one reason so many corporate worship services lack power, urgency, and fire…We have people filling the pews, but those people are empty on the inside...

I believe this is largely because there is a misunderstanding among churchgoers over what worship really is…Yes! It is meant to take place when we join together, but it is also meant to happen when we come humbly before God as individuals 24/7…

I am convinced that what makes corporate worship most powerful is the gathering of Christians who have spent time with Jesus all week and who have learned that, their life is blessed, because they have learned that worship is a lifestyle…It’s not just something they do once on Sunday, but something they do all week long, and then, they come to church charged up with a attitude of praise and worship…

This is what I believe separates churches that are on fire and the ones that don’t even have a spark of life in them…

For me, when I can go to church and have a real worship experience, its then that I am able to experience even deeper moments of intimacy with the Savior in my personal private times…

In those quiet moments, I often feel as if Jesus is right there, only a touch away…It’s then, I can hear, that still small voice of His Spirit…It’s those moments of solitude that I gather strength for weak times that lie ahead…

Worship is not just something we do on Sunday’s at church…it’s certainly more than singing or attending a service, although those are certainly included…

When we worship God, 24/7, it brings Him pleasure…

Thanks and remember...

Worship is a lifestyle…
Worship is not a destination, it’s a journey…

Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do them beautifully…

Worship from a loving heart is beautiful…

Rev. Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ

ARE YOU A ROMANS 1:16 CHRISTIAN?

Good morning and God bless…

I was in a Teen Challenge School, sometime last October…I had the privilege and honor of speaking to a group of young men that were enrolled in this great program…

The morning before speaking to the men, I was in a assembly of young people helping them stuff envelopes that were to be sent out all over the world, telling people about the Teen Challenge program…

The Director was in the room where we were stuffing the envelope, as a matter of fact, we were in a part of his office…

He was and is a very brilliant man…He was a Pastor in an Assembly Of God, church…but now He has moved on to be the director of the state wide Teen Challenge program in Alabama…anyway…

After we had filled the envelopes and all that, he asked me to stay so we could talk awhile and get to know each other…

I really enjoyed talking to a real man of God…But my point in saying all this is for this reason…

As we talked he told me, that he could see that I was a Romans 1:16, Christian…

It took me by surprise, so I asked him what he meant…His response was this, "He could see that I was not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ…" and he was right and my question to you is this…

ARE YOU ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST?

If you are a real Christian, you should not be ashamed of the wonderful hope that we have been given to proclaim…

Lets take a little while and expose what these special verses in Romans mean…To the Glory of God…

The Gospel: The Power Of God

ROMANS 1:16-17... "16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."

I believe these are possibly, the two key verses to the entire Book of Romans… They are essentially an overview of the Gospel itself… The majority of the rest of the book will lay out the specific details; however, this brief summation shows us seven very important factors that we should keep in mind as we read through Romans:

1) POWER OF GOD…
First of all, we should realize, the Gospel itself is a demonstration of God's power… It is actually the most important demonstration of God's power… As awesome, and wonderful as the Universe, the whole of God's Creation is, what God has done through Jesus Christ is His crowning achievement… The Universe in all of its outstanding size testifies to the presence and power of God, yet what He has done through Jesus Christ is even more impressive…

The Gospel is power… The Gospel is the power of God to declare a sinner justified, the power to enable a repentant sinner to become holy, the power to show anyone who will believe it the way to be at peace with God and receive eternal life…

All too often we forget that the Gospel is a Gospel of power… It is filled with the power of God and the Spirit of God Who brings conviction to the hearts of those who hear it..

2) IT’S GOD’S POWER, NOT MAN’S…
I run into people all the time who say, “I saved so and so…I shared Jesus with them and saved them…” But listen, man cannot save another person from the fate of hell…We are saved entirely by the power of God… If any part of our Salvation came through our own efforts, it would be through the power of God AND man… But this is not the case… The Gospel is God's power and His alone… As far as Salvation is concerned, we have only one main responsibility and that is to believe the Gospel…and then go out and share the Gospel with whomever God puts before us…

Although we cannot save anyone, (except maybe from drowning or pulling them from a burning car or house, etc…) we can become the human hands, feet, and mouth pieces of God in serving mankind…That is what He has called us to do by His power…

Likewise, we should remember, that it is God's power in the preaching of the Gospel and our personal witnessing that changes lives, not our own… It is not our eloquence or skills with logic and debate, it is the power of God, present in the Holy Spirit working through the Gospel that we share, that brings a response…

3) IT IS THE POWER OF GOD!

It is THE power of God unto Salvation… This is it; this is the way... There is no other... If you are going to be forgiven of your sins and be justified with God it is going to be through faith in Jesus Christ…

No one will be saved by any other means than the Gospel… Not through a particular church, a certain rite or ritual, by obeying the Ten Commandments, or being a nice person… My friend, this is THE way… Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way… ( John 14:6, Jesus saith unto him, “I am the way the truth and the life…no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me… )

4) EVERYONE THAT BELIEVETH… Salvation is available to everyone that believes… It doesn't matter who you are, anyone can come to God through the Cross-of Jesus Christ…

5) IT CONTAINS RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD!

Before we go any farther, I feel it might be helpful to look at how the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible translates verse 17:

"For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." (Romans 1:17 NIV)

The wording here is a little clearer and closer to what was intended in the original… When we say, "The righteousness OF God revealed," we can misinterpret this to mean that the Gospel is a revelation of God's perfect righteousness, a righteousness that only He possesses, being revealed in order to pronounce the absolute holiness of God in contrast with our own imperfections… In other words, that God's perfection is being revealed to convict us of our shortcomings and show us how miserably we have failed God's standard...

This is the way that many have interpreted this verse in times past…

A German priest or monk named Martin Luther interpreted it in just this way until the Spirit of God showed him what was really being talked about here and it changed his entire life… In fact, his new understanding of this very verse revolutionized Luther's entire view of Christian doctrine, Salvation, and even God Himself, paving the way for the Protestant Reformation…

We are not talking about God's righteousness at all in this verse, but a righteousness that He imparts to the believer... All of us should realize, like Martin Luther did, that if God's righteousness is the standard to which we must measure up to, we're all in a whole lot of trouble! The righteousness referred to here comes FROM God and is CREDITED to the believer, even though he has not earned it or lived up to it… It is a matter of God declaring the guilty sinner as not guilty, not based on what the sinner has done, but what Christ has done…

6) IT BEGINS AND ENDS WITH FAITH…

Again, I believe that the phrase, "By faith from first to last", is just a little clearer than, "From faith to faith." They both mean exactly the same thing…

This is another extremely important proverb of the Gospel to remember as we proceed from justification, to sanctification and, into daily Christian living…

There is often the tendency for many to begin with faith and conclude with self-effort… To start the Christian walk by God's power, and then try to continue it by their own… Much confusion can be avoided by remembering that God's Salvation in our life begins and ends with faith…

7) IT CAUSES PEOPLE TO LIVE…"

"The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17b)...

Although it is true that the believer should "live", in the sense of the way that one conducts their life or behaves, by faith, the word "live" here has to do with the state of being alive…

In other words, those to whom God imparts this righteousness will live and not die…

The Gospel is the power of God and it is a life-giving power...

Without it, we would all suffer ultimate spiritual death and spend eternity in Hell, apart from God…

Therefore, it will be of great benefit to keep these 7 principles of what the Gospel is, in mind as we go through our Christian life and growth…

The Power of the Gospel is…my reason for not being ashamed to share it with others…I see what it has done in and through my life…and will continue to do...

The Apostle Paul’s reason for being unashamed of the gospel…

It is the “Good News” from God Himself…It is the Power of God to save…all who believe…all nationalities, both Jew & Gentile…It is the revelation of God’s righteousness…

The Gospel shows Man’s unrighteousness…

The Gospel shows that the answer is “Faith In Christ…”

How about you? Are you ashamed of the Gospel of Christ?

I hope not, because there is a lot more to being a Christian that just going to church a couple times a week…

We have been blessed with the greatest commission in the world…and that is to…share…

THE WONDERFUL GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST…

When people see you, I hope they can see, hear and then tell you are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ…

Thanks…and remember…

Get around the right people…Associate with positive, goal-oriented people who encourage and inspire you…

Be a life long student of the Gospel…The more you learn the more self-confidence you will have…

Be absolutely clear about who you are and what you stand for…Refuse to compromise…

Truthfulness is the main element of obedient character…

The Gospel is the truth; don’t be ashamed of it…Amen...

Rev. Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ

THE FATAL DISTRACTION OF LUST!

2 Timothy 2:22, "Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

Recently I read a very sad story in book… A leading member of an evangelical church was arrested… According to the judicial record, he allegedly offered a house he owned to be used for prostitution and was also involved in an invitation-only party for customers who were visiting the prostitutes…

Reading this shocking story, my first question was, “How does a believer (or anyone for that matter), get to this point in his life?” A person does not move in a day or even a few weeks from walking with the Lord in a close and personal relationship to participating in a prostitution ring…How does this happen?

A careful reading of the account revealed what I believe to be the starting point to such irregular activities… This disobedient believer was viewing pornographic material online…

As I read the interview of this man’s story, he said, “I didn’t realize how fatal, viewing this pornography really was, after all, the world has a lot of, seeming worst problems…There is famine, disease and war…Why worry about a little lust…”

He was caught in a trap set by Satan…Satan is in charge of the entire pornographic industry…Is it not his job to deceive each of us…? And guess what…he is good at what he does…after all he is the father of lies…and he has all the patience in the world… Some believe, (Including some Christians) that indulging in such conduct is normal, acceptable, and natural, even for a believer... However, nothing could be further from the truth...

The truth is, lust is a big business in our world…Did you know that the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated out-sells all the others every year? The Victoria’s Secret fashion show always grabs national new…Television is filled with programs which, appeal to the temptation of lust…IT’S EVERYWHERE…

As I researched material about his topic the statistics were very stunning…Internet pornography is big business today with over 1 million websites in action…Most of the people who succumb to the temptation of lust are men but not limited to just men…Statistics are that 1 of every 6 woman struggles with an addiction to pornography…

74% of all revenue collected online comes from porn sites which is almost $1.2 billion a year…

Many people believe there are no victims with pornography, but as increasing body of evidence disagrees… Here are some of the problems that result from porn…

1. It causes men to view women as mere sex objects…
2. It lowers moral values and lead to prostitution, adultery and other problems…
3. Pornography isolates sexual fulfillment from a caring relationship with another human being, and makes it essentially selfish…
4. It creates unrealistic expectations of sex and sexual practices…
5. It has been linked to crimes of rape, incest and sexual abuse of children…

The list could go on and on…

Illus…Last year while preaching at a State Park, I met a very nice young man who shared with me his story about pornography…He had been married and had a family…a nice home, a great job…It seemed that he had it all going in the right direction in his life and marriage…He and his wife both attended and worked in the church of their choice…He said their children we doing well in school etc…but then, one day while he was surfing the internet, he stumbled onto a porn site…(Very easy to do, because it is everywhere)…

He said at first he tried not to look, but the images of what had gone into his mind, kept coming up in his thoughts…so late at night he would go to his computer and search out the porn sites…

In a very short time he was addicted to the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh that had come from the lust in the world…

He started looking at his wife different…He said at first he was extra excited when dealing with his wife in a sexual manner, but after a while he just lost interest in her because she did not do the things that the women were doing on the porn sites…and she didn’t look like those sexy women…He said, in time, his wife started to look appalling to him…

Anyway, to make the story shorter, in due time, he lost everything that was so important to him…(Satan had deceived him)…He lost his wife, and this proves that the wife is affected by the actions of the husband and vise versa…

He had lost interested in her, and therefore she seeks attention from another man, and she is caught in an affair with a man from her church…In the process of time, they are divorced, and the whole family is destroyed…The children are devastated and start getting into trouble, one quits school…The man looses his job…They loose their home…when everything comes to the surface, there family name is tarnished forever…The church they had attended starts to break up…on and on, he tells me of the destruction that had come into his life because he indulged himself with, “The Fatal Attraction of Lust…”

The story goes on…

We can see how Satan plants his seeds of destruction into our minds…He wants to destroy our homes, our children, our marriages and our churches…He wants us to serve him and when we do fall into his traps, we become an agent of destruction working for Satan…this should not be…

It’s almost like there’s no way to get away from it…The power of lust and seduction is real…Every day, the Evil one sets bait in front of us…We’re “trophy fish,” that the enemy is hoping to catch…

APPLICATION: So, how are we supposed to deal with all this stuff anyway? How do we resist the pressure? What do we do about it? I’m convinced we have to develop a plan of attack…If we don’t have a plan, it’s just a matter of time before we bite the hook set by the Evil one…

According to God’s Word, this kind of behavior is abnormal and damning…

Jesus said, “I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

You might be saying to yourself, “But what should I do? I’ve tried to quit these activities but I can’t seem to get it out of my head!”
To get something destructive out of your head, you must fill your head with something productive and holy...

Let me suggest some steps that will help you bring your sinful desires undercontrol…

1. Get Right…“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

You need to get your heart right with God before you take any other steps… You need to go to your knees and confess your sin -- all of it… Do not beat around the bush or try to dress it up with pretty language… Just call it what it is and ask for God’s forgiveness... Then make up your mind that you are going to do whatever it takes to prevent it from happening again…

2. Get Away… “Flee also youthful lusts.” 2 Timothy 2:22

In other words, you must separate yourself from anything that makes it easy for you to abandon your commitment to purity! Perhaps you will need to get away from certain people, certain places, and certain pursuits that lure you away from your commitment to obedience…The young man in the illustration, had to get away from computers…whatever it is that is causing you to sin, you must get away from it…Even run from it if necessary…

3. Get Help…“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Proverbs 11:14

Turn to an older and more spiritually mature church leader and let them help you… Find someone with whom you can establish accountability…Find someone to talk to that you trust…

Accountability is very important…Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man’s heart reflects the man…”

Find a small group that is grounded in God’s Word…Get help from each other… Seek out a Christian counselor and indulge in the help that they offer…

You have to have someone in your life that you know very well with whom you can share your temptation…I believe this can be the single most healing step you can take today…Men and women both need to know that, “The lure of lust does not go away…”

It doesn’t go away when you get married…It doesn’t go away when you become a pastor…It doesn’t to away when you become a Bible teacher…It doesn’t go away when you have children…It’s relentless…and one of the ways to deal with this problem is to make yourself accountable…

4. Get Rest…1st Peter 5:8 Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your adversary (opponent) the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour…

I remember hearing this verse when I was a child, and the verse that stuck out was the end of verse 8: Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour… It stuck out in my mind, I think, because you can just picture it, can’t you? It is easy to picture the devil as a prowling, hunting, devouring lion—something to be aware of—something to fear… and guess what? He is after you…!

Peter definitely uses powerful picture imagery here… So powerful that we should all take notice and become watchful for the devil and his schemes in our lives...

But, who will the lion attack first…He will seek out the weak, tired, and often new born sheep…He will seek out and destroy someone who does not have a clear mind, someone who is not staying alert…

When we get too tired, doing whatever it is that we do, it’s then we become easy prey for the attacking lion…Often we get tired and still keep trying to go forward in our daily activities…

So we need plenty of rest…don’t stay up to late at night…don’t over work yourself…get plenty of rest so your mind will be as clear as possible…and you will be able to fight off the lust that Satan puts in your path…

Somebody might say, “Man, I can’t get rest like that, I got work to do…” We all have work to do, but if we get so worn out that we loose our sense of direction, then, chances are, we will lose sight of the reality that the enemy seeks to destroy and kill all that we love and care for…

5. Get Quiet…Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God…” Not only do we need rest, but we need to set aside time to just be still…And know that God is there…We should find time just to sit somewhere and be still and listen to what ever it is that God wants to say to us…We are almost, always to busy…Busy means, being under Satan’s yoke…

6. Get Into God’s Word… 2 Timothy 3:16, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…

Psalms 12:6, The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Does the idea of a guilt-free, shame-free, deception-free life sound nice? Would you like to live every day without the fear of being exposed and ruined? Would you like to be able to give your spouse a kiss that is not also a lie? Would you like to go to church next Sunday without feeling like a hypocrite? Get into God’s Word…

All Scripture is inspired by God Himself…The words of the LORD are pure words…and He has given them to help us learn to get through the struggles of this life…

God’s Word provides guidance…God’s Word, if we read and do what it says, will help correct us, and keep us from making the same mistakes over and over again…God’s Word will instruct us in the proper way to go…

7. Get Real, Magnify The Consequence! James 1:15, Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death…

There’s one thing I’ve noticed about “The Fatal Distraction of Lust…” When we get distracted we seem to get injected with the spirit of forgetfulness…We forget God…We forget He’s there… We forget His presence…We just think about the temptation…

When James says, “When sin is full grown, it gives birth to death…” He’s not just talking about physical death, He’s also and mostly talking about spiritual death…and emotional death, and relational death…

There are consequences when we step over God’s boundary lines…

We need to go forward in life in whatever we do and magnify the consequence of our sins…Remember the young man in the story at the beginning of this message…He lost it all and as far as I know, he has not recovered all that he lost…

We need to be real with ourselves…if we are not careful, we also could lose the things that are really important to us…Often when indulging in the lust of the flesh, we give up the greatest for the least…

Thanks… and remember, Get Real, you and I have been given the greatest power in the world…The power to choose…So Choose the life that is guided by the Hand and Word of God…

He will not lead you astray…

Rev. Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ

TREMBLING AT GOD'S WORD!

Isaiah 66:2 b, But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word…

Do you tremble when God speaks? When was the last time you were physically affected by the reality that almighty God just spoke directly to you? If I can be allowed to guess, I would say never…

Many people want the power of God in their life, but do not go to the source of that power, which is “God’s Word…”

I want to say to whom ever reads this message, that if you want God’s power alive and active in your life, you must go to the front line of that power and walk into it by faith…

Many times in my own pilgrimage on the road of life, I have been touched and weakened by the Word of God…Through reading the Word, it has brought me to the stark reality, of just how small and sinful I really am… It has helped me change direction even when I already thought I was on the right road…It has helped me out of the darkness even when I thought I was already walking in the light…

Has God’s Word ever made you tremble…?

John lost all physical strength when God spoke directly to him, (Rev. 1:17); Paul fell to the ground when Christ met him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4); Moses trembled when God spoke to him (Acts 7:32); and Peter, when he realized who Jesus was, “Fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’” (Luke 5:8)…

Have you lost your sense of awe that the Creator still wants to speak to you, His creation? Do you approach the reading of your Bible with a holy expectation, listening for the life-changing words that God has for you that day? Scripture says that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10)…

Often, as I study my Bible, I feel a sense that God has something to say directly to me through the verses I am reading…So, as you read, take a moment to think about the overwhelming reality that the God who spoke and created a universe wants to speak to you…

Listen, if Jesus could speak and raise the dead, calm a storm, cast out demons, and heal the incurable, then what effect might a word from Him have on your life?

The possibilities should cause you to tremble!
The next time you open God’s Word, do so with a sense of holy anticipation…

The great reservoir of the power that belongs to God is His own Word the Bible… If we wish to make it ours, we must go to that Book and indulge there in!…

Men are longing to have power for fruit-bearing in their own lives and yet forget that Jesus has said: "The seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11)...

They are longing to have power to melt the cold heart and break the stubborn will, and yet forget that God has said: "Is not my word like as a fire?... and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" (Jer. 23:29).

Thanks... stay in the Word, take time to be quiet and remember, obstacles are the things we see when we take our eyes of of Jesus…and you must let God manage you before you can lead anyone else…

Rev. Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ...

A GOOD SINNER!

Romans 3:22-23, New Living Translation 22 We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins… And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done… 23 For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard…

(Illus) "Are you saved, sir?" the pastor asked a gentleman at the close of a gospel-meeting…

"No, I really can't say I am, but I would like to be…"

(Pastor) "Why would you? Do you realize you are a lost sinner?"
" 'Well no', Oh, of course, we are all sinners…"

The pastor said, “But that often means little or nothing… Are you a sinner yourself?"

"Well, I suppose I am, but I'm not what you could call a bad sinner… I am, I think, rather a good one… I always try to do the best I know how..."

"Then, my brother”, said the pastor, ‘I fear there is little use seeking to show you the way of salvation… Good sinners, together with, those living in out right adultery, honest liars, upright thieves, and virtuous scoundrels are far from being ready to submit to the grace of God, which is only for poor, vile, hell-deserving sinners, who have no merits to build on, no goodness to plead, but who are ready to be saved alone by the work of Another, and that One the Lord Jesus Christ…"’

Further conversation brought out the fact that the gentleman was far from being ready to be saved and would, according to his own declaration, rather take "his chances" as he was…

APPLICATION: So many people really feel the same way this man felt…They seem to think they can live any old way they want, doing whatever they want, and without repentance, find the door of salvation…

It is not so…

Once the Holy Spirit of God, concerning our sinful lifestyle, has prompted us, it is then we must make the decision to correct our eternal fate…The choice is ours for the making…We can choose to stay in our sin as the gentleman in the Illustration did, or we may decide to give our life to Jesus Christ…He is the only door to salvation…

Jesus said John 14, 6, KJV, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by Me…”

This verse tells us that Jesus is the only way to find the salvation that God the Father is offering…Jesus is the door…not a sinful lifestyle…

CROUCHING AT THE DOOR… In Genesis 4:7 God is talking to Cain about his sin…but he did not listen…Lets look at a small part of Cain’s story to see if we can get more insight for us all…

“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, BUT you must master it…"

How do you react when someone suggest you have done something wrong…? Do you move to correct the mistake or deny that you need to correct it?

When the Holy Sprit of God speaks to our conscience with conviction, it means we need to make the corrections that are necessary to assist us in keeping inline with the will and direction of God…

After Cain’s sacrifice was rejected, God gave him the chance to right his wrong and try again…(Just like God) God even encouraged him to do this! But Cain refused, and the rest of his life is a startling example of what happens to those who refuse to admit their mistakes…The next time someone suggest you are wrong, take a honest look at yourself and choose God’s way instead of Cain’s…

For Cain to master the sin lurking at the entrance to his desires, he would have to give up his jealous anger (SIN) so that sin would not find a foothold in his life… (The same is true for each of us, we must not give Satan an inch, because if we do, he will be our ruler...)

Sin is still crouching at our doors today…Like Cain, we will be victims of sin if we do not master it…But we cannot master sin in our own strength…Instead, we must turn to God to receive faith for ourselves and faith and strength from other believers…

The Holy Spirit will help us master sin…This will be a lifelong battle that will not be over until we are face to face with Christ…

The bottom line in the message is that we all have sinned and really do fall short of the glory of God…and we must admit our sin to God, and ask forgiveness of those sins… (1st John 1:9)

The only way to a live a life of abundant living and eternal reward is through the forgiveness of sins through shed blood of Jesus Christ…

There is no such thing as a Good Sinner…

The only good sinner is a forgiven one…

Rev. Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ...

CASTING YOUR CARES ON HIM!

1st Peter, Casting all your care on Him, for He cares for you…

Good morning world…

My wife has been on me for years to replace the carpet in a portion of our home…It is old, (Like me…Hope she doesn’t want to replace me) anyway, I told her we would, but it would take some time and some more funds…(Funny how things seem to workout)

Well, when we woke up this morning about 7 am, when my wife opened up the bedroom door that leads into the hall way, she spoke up and said, “Bob, we got trouble…” I looked out into the hall way and I saw foot prints on the carpet…At first I thought that someone had broken into the house and had left tracks on the carpet…But…the hot water heater had busted during the night and the footprints on the carpet where hers made by the water under the carpet…What a mess…water everywhere…much damage throughout the house…

It seems bad, but is it? At first, my instinct was, “Oh no, Just what we did not need.” But very quickly we both started laughing…Now she will get her carpet…

I started thinking about all the people in the world that, have gone through, and are going through, severe floods and weather right now…This little flood we have in our house is not too bad when compared to that…but still…

I prayed, for all people everywhere that are having trouble in their lives and there are many…and I prayed, casting all my cares and concerns on the Lord…He cares and wants to help us all get through whatever it is that we are facing at any given moment…

APPLICATION: As you’ve no doubt discovered, becoming a Christian does not make your problems go away…Being a Christian does not mean that your hot water heater will not blow up…Jesus said Himself, “In this life your will have troubles, but take heart, I have overcome the world…”

One of the great things about being a Christian is that it does give us an Advocate to whom you can take every concern…

In the Text we are using this morning, the Christians Peter addressed were facing persecution…They did not know whom they could trust… A friend, a neighbor, or even a family member could betray them, resulting in suffering and even death…But Peter had walked with the risen Christ, and he had personally experienced the love that Jesus had for His followers…He knew that Christ was in control, capable of handling every trial and that He wanted to do so as an expression of His love…

Casting our care is a choice…It means consciously handing over our anxiety to Christ and allowing Him to carry the weight of our problems…At times this is the most difficult part of trusting God! We don’t like turning over the responsibility for our problems…We have been taught that self-reliance is good and praiseworthy…We may even enjoy worrying…Yet if we are to be freed from the burden of our concerns, we must choose to cast them into the strong hands of our Father…

Peter does not distinguish between little cares and big cares…God does not differentiate between problems we should handle on our own and God-sized needs…He asks us to turn them all over to Him…One of our greatest errors is to assume we can deal with something ourselves, only to discover that we really can’t…

God sees us as His frail child, burdened with a load that surpasses our strength…He stands prepared to take our load and to carry it for us…the question is, Will we let Him…?

So now it is time to make a decision, Will we cast our cares on Him or will we carry the burden ourselves…?

I for one will give Him all my cares and concerns…because I know that, through Him comes strength to face every problem and trial…even hot water heaters and bad carpet…

But remember, we must do our part…He cares and will take the burden away in due time, but somebody’s got to get the water up and put in a new hot water heater…

He gives strength to the weary, power to the weak…and love to the broken hearted…

God bless…and be good…

Rev. Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ

ARE YOU CLAY OR CEMENT?

Jeremiah 18:6, “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord… “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel…”

Listen my brothers and sisters…God knows what He’s doing…He has all power in His hands…He has told us in His Word that, “He will never leave us or forsake us…”

If we know that He is with us, why do we, often have such a hard time doing the things we think He wants us to do for Him? Answer…Because our hearts have become as hard as cement! Not only our hearts but our heads also…

Christians have become so dependant on self until they have lost the power of a simple clay object…

God knows how to bring salvation to your family, your friends, your community, and your world…Therefore, He looks for those who will allow Him to shape them into the instruments He requires to do His divine work.

Clay has no plans of its own, no aspiration for service, nor reluctance to perform its given task…It is just clay…Moldable, pliable, totally submissive to the will of its Master…

At times we excitedly announce to God: “I’ve discovered my strengths and gifts, and now I know how I can best serve You!” At other times we inform Him, “I am aware of what my weaknesses are, so I know which tasks I’m not capable of doing for You…” Yet this is not characteristic of clay…

APPLICATION: God is not limited to working with our strengths (2nd Cor. 12: 9-10)…He can mold us into whatever kind of instrument He requires…When God’s assignment demands humility, He finds a servant willing to be humbled…When His work requires zeal, He looks for someone He can fill with His Spirit…

God uses holy vessels, so He finds those who will allow Him to remove their impurities…It is a noble task, being clay…There is no glamour to it, nothing boast worthy, except that it is exactly what almighty God is looking for…Compliant, moldable, yielded clay…

If your tendency is to tell the Father what you can or cannot do for Him, submit to His plan and allow Him to shape you into the person He wants you to be…

So now you have to decide which you are…Are you clay or cement? If you are clay, ready to be molded for His good purpose, praise God…If you are cement, and your head is hard…you will have to become humble for His sake… If you do not become humble, The Potter will use something already in His hands to humble you, in His own way!

God can take you no matter what, who, or where you are and use you for His good purpose but first of all, you need to become humble…

Many people today tell God what He can do…But we need to become pliable in His hands and let Him do what He already knows how to do…

God can use hard heads and hard hearts, but He first has to make them pliable and moldable for His good purpose...

God uses moldable clay for His good purpose...

When we yield to His power, then and only then will He use us for His glory!

Rev. Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ

ARE YOU GRUMBLING AND COMPLAINING?

Jeremiah 2:6, Neither did they say, “Where is the Lord. Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness…”

In this Scripture, the children of Israel had already forgotten how God had delivered them out of the bonds of slavery…

They had been delivered…They had been set free…They knew which way to travel…They knew they had experienced the hand of God in their lives…but they had turned again to their old ways and had started to grumble and complain and just follow vain worship…and rituals…They had started to run on self once again…HAS THIS HAPPENED TO YOU?

Christianity is an intimate, growing relationship with the person of Jesus Christ…It is not just a set of doctrines to believe, habits to practice, or sins to avoid…Every activity God commands is intended to enhance His love relationship with His people…

God designed worship for us to see Him in His glory and to respond appropriately... For many it has degenerated into “religion,” one more meeting to attend out of habit…God established the sacrificial system so that we, His people, could express our love to Him; but we often diminish our gifts to our Lord into futile attempts to appease Him and to pacify our guilty conscience…

God gave us prayer so we could have conversation with Him, but we often distort this by “saying prayers” and hurry off without ever listening to what is on our Father’s heart…Often when praying in a public service, the one praying is praying to the people instead of God...!

God instituted His commandments as a protection for those He loves, but the commandments can become as pathway to legalism rather than an avenue for a relationship with our Father in which He protects us from harm…

Religious activity apart from fellowship with God is empty ritual…The people of Jeremiah’s day were satisfied to have the ritual without the manifest presence of God…They had become so comfortable with their “religion” that they didn’t even notice God absence…

It is possible to pray, to attend a worship service, or to give and offering yet not to experience the presence of God…? It certainly is possible! And that has been the sad observation on many a Christian experience…

Don’t settle for a religious life that lacks a vital relationship to Jesus Christ…

When God is present, the difference will be obvious…

Just because someone may say in a prayer that they feel the presence of God in a service does not mean it is true…They may be feeling something based on the pizza they ate the night before…

When a church body becomes so focused on a building or some worldly project that they go forward without faith…they are not allowing the Presence and Power of God into their body…When we have or want to have some special fund raiser for a certain project…we are walking in fear and not faith…

When fear intimidates, the faith is contaminated…Remember, without faith it is impossible to please Him…

Often we have a certain kind of faith, but it must be the kind of faith that depends on God, rather that ourselves…

Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ…