All posts by : Joel Phillips

The Banned Music List

AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Nine Inch Nails, Megadeth, are the kinds that always make the “Devil Music” list.

Oak Ridge Boys, Statler Brothers, Bill Gaither, Tammy Wynette, and a few other notables, don’t ever make the list, but one of the songs they love to sing should. It’s a song originally sung by Lorreta Lynn:

Now let us have a little talk with Jesus,
Let us tell Him all about our troubles,
He will hear our faintest cry,
He will answer by and by;
Now when you feel a little prayer wheel turning,
He will know a little fire is burning,
You will find a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

It’s good to sing about going to God in prayer, and taking our troubles to him. But to sing about having a “little talk with Jesus” is dangerous. Besides the weird notion of a “prayer wheel”, little talks with Jesus often slip into telling God what he needs to do.

People Reminding God?

The Devil would love you spend time in prayer informing God of what you think is wrong, and what he should be doing. Here are some great examples…

• Abraham reminded God that he and Sarah were too old to have kids.
• Martha reminded Jesus to the fact that if he had been in Bethany Lazarus wouldn’t have died.
• The disciples on the Road to Emmaus reminded Jesus how what they had been hoping for wasn’t going to happen.
• The Apostles after the Ascension reminded Jesus about finally establishing his kingdom.
• Peter pulled Jesus aside and reminded him to not talk about going to the cross.

Listen to how God responds…

• To Abraham…“Is anything too hard for the me? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” (Genesis 18:14)
• To Martha…“I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.” (John 11:25)
• To the Disciples…“How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” (Luke 24:25–26)
• To the Apostles…“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” (Acts 1:7)
• And to Peter…“Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Matthew 16:23)

God’s Music

God loves music. He invented it. But there’s a specific song he loves to sing…

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Others may have forgotten about you, but God hasn’t. He is aware of everything going on in your life. Nothing escapes his attention, nor has caught him by surprise. He knows the details of your life because he’s the author and the finisher of it. What makes this even, better is that God is mightier than anything you’re facing!

And while God’s saving you, helping you, and responding to you, he’s singing a song over you. Anything that suggests otherwise is definitely Devil Music!

X = ?

I can vividly remember my first algebra class in junior high. In a monotone voice the teacher introduced himself and then drew “x = ?” on the chalkboard. He then said, “Algebra is about finding out what ‘x’ is worth.” We then began solving different problems. It wasn’t too long before things started getting very confusing for me. I leaned over to my friend and said,

“I don’t think I’m going to like this class.”

I was right. I ended up not liking that class and math in general. It wasn’t until fifteen years later when I earned my Private Pilot’s License that during the training process I learned math could actually be fun and very useful.

What was the difference? Besides having an amazing instructor, I was doing something I loved.

God’s math

Like Algebra, some people understand God’s math, but many don’t. Things like giving, generosity and faith, can be difficult to understand. And when it comes to money and the idea of God prospering His people, real problems begin.

There are those who teach faith as a formula to get rich. Conversely, there are those who teach poverty as a way to prove holiness. Certain ideas, doctrines, and even words have become so hotly contested that people feel about them like I did after that math class…not liking the subject and lacking any confidence in it.

Exponential terms

While I was praying for my family and the year that lay ahead, three words came to my mind: abundance, prosperity, and blessing. At first I wasn’t quite sure why those words would come to my mind, but I felt the insistence of God’s spirit, so I begin to pray:

“God, I speak abundance, prosperity, and blessing over my family.”

I spoke these words over my wife Kathie, each of our children, their spouses, and our grandchildren. As I did I could feel something begin to surge within me. My faith had a passion attached to it that was new and fresh. I was familiar with the words abundance, prosperity, and blessing, but it was like I was understanding them for the first time. I could sense God saying to me that those words were important to Him and should be to me as well.

Understanding the way God calculates things is something he wants us to get good at. This is summarized in the statement…

God loves a cheerful giver
(2 Corinthians 9:7)

God loves it when we become generous. He gets a thrill when we begin to use and apply his mathematical principals. In God’s math class we’ll learn that math is not only very useful…My God shall supply all my needs, but also very fun…Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

I think we’re going to love this class!

In deep waters, You carry me.
Out of land-locked lakes, You call me.
As storms rage, You protect me.
Again and again my life is sustained in the ocean of your love.

When land’s not seen, teach me to trust and even enjoy.
Take me deeper than I think I can go, and my faith will be enlarged.
Baptize me and overflow me with the water of your Spirit.
You’re the Commander of the sea, and Captain of my soul. (JHP)

Fear of drowning

There are people so fearful of water that they never venture into the ocean, or any other body of water. They see the waves and hear the surf, and anxiety grips them. But they have a good reason.

When you’ve almost drowned, you fear being in water, especially water that’s over your head. You lack confidence. You panic easily. The moment your feet can’t touch the bottom and you feel the pull of currents, your mind tells you that you’re going to drown, again.

There are ways of mastering the fear of water. Swim instructors teach people who are fearful of water how they must yield to the water and use their body’s natural buoyancy. Lifeguards tell people not to fight against riptides and currents but to swim at angles through them.

Dealing with fear of the deep

Fear and panic that stems from any prior bad experience can be crippling. There are situations so horrible that they almost suffocate the life out of you. You may still be alive, but you avoid anything and anyone that even comes close making you feel vulnerable again.

You know God has rescued you from deep waters in your life. You felt as if you were going under, but God has brought you out. Yet, now you sense his gentle push back into the deep. You don’t want to go, but it’s actually in the deep places that God will strengthen your faith and teach you things about Him and yourself that you could never learn on the shore.

As the tides, waves, currents, and storms come into your life, learn that God is sustaining you and keeping you. Discover that you were actually meant to be in the deep oceans of life so that you can help others who are like you once were, struggling, filled with fear and panic. They’re drowning and time’s running out. But you now know Who and what will help them, and He’s reaching through you to them.

God’s the Commander of the sea, and the Captain of your soul. When land’s not seen, you’ll learn to trust and even enjoy it. Bon voyage!

In the summer heat of Barcelona

He held his program up to block the light as he squinted his eyes to catch a glimpse of his son. “There he is!” he shouted. Pride filled Jim Redmond’s heart as he watched his son Derek, who was preparing to run the 400 meter event in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

Butterflies filled Jim’s stomach as he watched the runners take to their starting blocks. “Bang,” they were off. Derek was looking good. He was fast, real fast. In fact, he was the favorite to win. But suddenly he heaved upward and halted out of his stride. Grabbing the back of his right leg in obvious pain he fell to the ground. After sitting for a moment crouched down on the track, Derek managed to get to his feet and begin to hobble forward on the track.  But the pain was too much. The announcers told their viewers it was over for Derek.

He couldn’t watch his son from a distance any longer

Jim Redmond pushed his through the spectators and made his way out on the track.  The security guards tried to stop him, but he shouted, “That’s my son out there and I’m going to help him!” They yielded and Jim was able to make it to his son who was now crying in agony.

“I’m here, son,” Jim said to Derek. “We’ll finish together.”

No medals were won, no records broken, but 80,000 people cheered as a father helped his son cross the finish line.

Another father who couldn’t sit still

There’s another moment in time when a father broke through and expressed his love and support for his son. But rather than in a stadium filled with people, it was in a dusty little valley in northern Israel. Jesus had made his way to the Jordan river to be baptized by John the Baptist. And as he came up out of the water the Bible records this,

“Then the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, who I love; and with whom I am well pleased.’”

This is God’s heart for you 

Your heavenly father’s eyes are on you. He is not a stoic, distant, uncaring God who is idly watching you. On the contrary, the race you’re in has brought him to his feet, and along with the stadium of heaven, he is shouting and cheering for you. He presses past anything or anyone trying to stop him to say,

“That’s my kid out there!!! And we’re going to finish this race together!”

January 11, 2013

It was on this day that we buried my dad. Burial for the loved ones of a person who has died can be an incredibly difficult time. It’s so final, so sad, grim even. But this day wasn’t as hard for me as it might’ve been. It has to do with one of my dad’s last coherent sentences before he passed away,

“My righteousness…. . . .is a gift . . …from God”

Dad managed to get those words out in a tone of voice that caught our attention. He mustered extra strength to say it. And as I reflect on that moment, those words sum up so much of what dad lived for. They also made his burial much easier.

Wherever my dad was

Whether it was in the halls or classrooms of L.I.F.E. Bible College during the 60’s; or in the pulpits of churches he spoke at; or just hanging out with me getting ready to eat one of our notorious peanut butter, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches…wherever dad was he would talk about righteousness.

It wasn’t religious talk. It was about a righteousness that God gives us through Jesus Christ. This is what dad lived for, what he died speaking about, and what he was buried with. He chose these words to be placed on his gravestone…

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

Dad had been dying since he was 25

Although my dad’s health had been failing for the last few years of his life, he’d actually been dying since he gave his life to Christ when he was 25. He’d been dying to sin and the old nature.

This is not done through some kind asceticism or self-denial, but by faith. Faith is the only thing that vindicates our spiritual and moral failures. Paul said that we are “justified by faith apart from the law” (Rom. 3:28).

Dad’s determination to teach me these things was not to prepare me for the day of his burial, though it certainly helped, but to prepare me for every day. To realize that the most powerful truths in the world is the one he died saying, “righteous is a gift from God.”

Thanks dad.  See you soon!

My wife writes love songs

In fact, they’re songs about a love affair she’s been having for quite some time now. Affectionate, heart-felt, romantic songs that express her passion, her devotion, her obsession. I suppose I could get jealous because they’re not about me.

Years ago I had to come to the realization that although my wife loved me, there was someone she loved a lot more. She’d let me know it and still does regularly.  When she talks about him her face lights up. Sometimes she get’s emotional and cries at just the mention of his name.  When it comes to anything to do with him, she’s like a kid.

“…the children in the Temple [were] shouting, ‘Praise God for the Son of David.’  But the leaders were indignant. They asked Jesus, ‘Do you hear what these children are saying?’ ‘Yes,’ Jesus replied. ‘Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, “You have taught children and infants to give you praise.”’” (Matthew 21:15–16, NLT)

Wish you could see a video I shot

It’s a video of all the kids who were at our church’s vacation Bible school singing one of my wife’s songs. They’re making all sorts of hand motions and their voices are ringing out, singing…

There is nothing that can separate me from your love,
Nothing I’ve ever done, nothing I’ll ever do,
There is nothing that can separate me from your love,
Your arms are opened wide,
And I am wrapped inside your love.

After I played back the video, those words sank into my heart, “Nothing I’ve ever done…or do…can separate me from you love.” I began to think about all the dumb and sinful things I’ve done, and how hard my heart can get, but how God has redeemed me time and time again, and has continued to wrap me in his love.

I began to cry out…

“Oh, Jesus, I am so thankful for how much you love me. There aren’t enough words for me to tell you what your love means to me.” I sang the same song again, and again…“There is nothing that can separate me from your love. Nothing I’ve ever done, nothing I’ll ever do. There is nothing that can separate me from your love. Your arms are opened wide. And I am wrapped inside your love.”

My wife writes love songs.

Over and over…

God has proven Himself faithful to His people.
Answering their cries.
Delivering them from the enemy.
Working in ways where there seems to be none.

The Lord of mercy.
The God of covenant.
Backing every promise with His Word.

Bringing hope to the hopeless.
Joy to the downcast.
Light into darkness.
And…He never changes.

Let us remember the God we serve
He is a God of miracles. Nothing less.
We come with brokenness, but He is faithful to heal…restore…and set free.

A miracle confounds natural law

A miracle is a baffling reversal of inevitable outcome. It’s statistically unlikely…scientifically impossible…totally Illogical!

A miracle is the result of an act of faith that puts into motion God’s Word, promises, and power. Miracles require people who are daring, audacious, crazy enough to trust God and believe that He is more than able. To believe nothing is impossible for Him.

Problems, difficulties, and impossibilities

That which quenches your soul and presses down on your heart actually sets the stage for God’s intervention. Every problem is a potential for a miracle. God can’t fix what’s not broken. He can’t heal what’s not sick. He can’t save what’s not lost. He can’t forgive what’s not wrong.

No matter what you’re facing, how intimidating it is, how impossible it seems, or how long you’ve been looking at it, YOU’RE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT A MIRACLE!

The elderly pastor noticed a group of long-time members of his church talking before a Sunday morning service. Something seemed wrong. Nudged by the others, one of them approached the pastor.

“Pastor, we were just discussing the fact that something must be wrong with your ministry style or ability.  Only one person has come to Christ in the whole last year, and he’s just a boy!”

The old minister listened. His eyes moistened as he considered what was being said. “Yes,” he replied, “I feel it too.” On that day the minister’s heart was heavy as he stood before his flock. As he finished the message, he felt a strong inclination to resign.

After everyone had left, that boy who had recently given his life to Christ came to him. The pastor’s face brightened as he saw the young man standing in front of him.  “Hello Robert,” the pastor said.  “What can I do for you?”  The boy replied,

“Do you think if I could ever become a preacher, or perhaps a missionary?”

Again the old minister’s eyes moistened, but this time for a much better reason.

Many Years Later…

An aged missionary returned to London from Africa. His name was spoken with reverence. Nobles invited him to their homes. He had helped many people come to Christ, reaching even some of Africa’s most hardened tribes. His name was Robert Moffat. It was the same Robert who years before had spoken to the old pastor that Sunday morning.

F. B. Meyer once said,

“Don’t waste your time waiting and longing for large opportunities which may never come. But faithfully handle the little things that are always claiming your attention.”

A Surprise Announcement

John the Baptist’ father was a man named Zacharias. An angel appeared to him and told him of God’s plans to give him and his wife a son and how great he would become. And this came to pass. John the Baptist was born and became the one God chose to announce the coming of Jesus as Messiah. Jesus himself said that no person ever been born was greater than John the Baptist.

Yet you would’ve never predicted John’s greatness by looking at parents. They were not impressive people. They were not successful people. They were old and unable to have children. But one thing can be said about them: they were faithful. Luke records,

“Zacharias and Elizabeth were godly folk, careful to obey all of God’s laws in spirit as well as in letter.” (Luke 1:6, TLB)

Zacharias and Elizabeth are a picture of a people who might not believe what they are doing is even noticed, let alone making any difference. But they’re also a picture of people in whom the seed of God’s next step lies waiting. People who will see the reward for serving faithfully.

Don’t Forget These Two Names!!!

So the next time you run into someone who doubts you, your style, or ability; or the next time you feel like what you are doing is futile, unnoticed, and ineffective, remember these two names: Zachariah and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth means, “God is a God of His oath, to complete it.” In other words, God will keep His Word to you!

“There has not failed one word of all His good promises.” (I Kings 8:56)

“For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him amen.” (II Corinthians 1:20)

Zacharias means, “The Lord remembered.” In other words, God has not forgotten about you!

“God is not unjust to forget your labor of love.” (Hebrews 6:10)

He’s One of Us

We were halfway back to Jerusalem on our tour bus. Fifty of us had been down to Ein Ghedi visiting the Dead Sea. It was hot, the scenery was pretty desolate, and we were tired.

Out of the bushes stepped a soldier carrying a machine gun in front of our bus.  Rather than swerving to miss him, our bus driver pulled over to the side of the road, opened the door and let the soldier on the bus.

As our bus resumed its movement, every eye was on the young soldier who now stood in front of us. He flung his rifle over his back and made his way to the rear of the bus and sat down. His uniform had the Star of David on it, which meant he was a part of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Sensing everyone’s nervousness, our tour guide got on the intercom and said,

“It’s okay, he’s one of us.”

Interestingly enough, that phrase actually defines the basic IDF structure. When young people first serve in the military, they are put in a squad of twelve others just like them. They will be in this squad for the rest of their military service.

Their training is intense and brings out the best and worse in all of them. Prior to the squad’s first assignment they select a leader from among themselves. This man becomes the squad Sergeant, or “Samal.” They all agree that he will be the best and most trustworthy leader in the heat of battle. They have seen him under pressure. They know him. He’s one of them.

One From Among You

King, Priest, and Prophet were the three main offices of leadership in the Old Testament.  When God gave guidelines for who would fill these roles, there is a striking parallel.

“One from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.” (Deuteronomy 17:15)

“The Lord your God has chosen Levi out of your tribes to minister as priest in the name of the Lord, him and his sons forever.” (Deuteronomy 18:5)

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren.” (Deuteronomy 18:15)

The leader must come from within the people. He must be one of them. This would create a bond of trust. They people knew their leaders understood what they needed because he was one of them. And it prevented the leader from getting prideful. Israel’s best leaders were those who remained humbly dependent on God, never forgetting they were just people. The Book of Hebrews illustrates it this way…

“For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men…he can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness.” (Hebrews 5:1–2)

A leader must be able to identify with the people. To know what they are facing. To know their fears, their needs, and their hopes. And this is what makes Jesus’ ministry to us so powerful and so effective.

“In all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest.” (Hebrews 2:17)

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

Jesus Became One of Us

Jesus understands what you are facing, because he’s faced it. He knows what it is like be attacked by the enemy, because he’s been attacked. He knows what it’s like to be afraid, to be uncertain, to be angry, to be tempted, because he’s also been. But what’s more amazing, is that Jesus knows how to face everything and anything without falling, and He wants to help you do the same.

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

So what’s stopping you? Go to him. Tell him anything. He’ll understand. There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s okay…he’s one of us.

They were telling a small group of us about a problem that had occurred with another person. We all knew the person they were talking about. We could sense their hurt and frustration. We sympathized with them. Someone in our group, who knew the person being talked about really well, spoke up,

“…but I know his heart. You’re misunderstanding him.”

That simple statement changed the whole conversation. And as it turns out, there was a huge misunderstanding that was eventually worked out.

It’s one thing to know who someone is, and another thing to know a person’s heart. When someone says they know a person’s heart, it means they have an intimate understanding of how the person thinks, feels, reacts, what they value, what they like or dislike, etc., and therefore are able to predict what the person would do or say.

Who knows God’s heart?

God’s power is revealed in creation. His holiness is revealed in the law. His awe and splendor are revealed in such descriptions as Isaiah 6…I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Or also in Revelation 1…His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire.

But God’s HEART is revealed in Jesus!

No one has ever seen God. But Jesus, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. (John 1:18, NLT)

The Jews knew who God was, but they only understood God as distant and unapproachable. The letter had rule. Law, regulation, and sacrifice, were the operative words. But Jesus comes and reveals the grace, love, and tenderness of the Father. Paul puts it this way,

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ (Romans 8:15)

When we people talk about why Jesus came to earth, answers often include statements about the “sin problem,” and how Jesus fulfilled the law. This is true, however, what Paul is describing in Romans 8:15 is something so personal, so compassionate, so incredible, that it causes the recipient to cry out, “Abba Father,” or better translated, “Papa God.”

Jesus called his disciples and did incredible things with them, but he also ate with them, slept with them, walked with them, talked with them. He then told his disciples,

I’m going to prepare a place where we can be together forever…and if you seen me, you’ve seen the Father. (John 14:3, 9)

The truth is that Jesus came to earth because it’s God’s heart to be with us, eat with us, sleep with us, walk with us, talk with us. To live with us!

We need to be reminded of God’s heart

There’s tendency to let law, regulation, and sacrifice creep back into our lives. Things start to become routine and religious, rather than relational and heartfelt. Soon God seems distant and unapproachable. It’s possible to know God and to serve God, but to loose the kind of fellowship He wants to have with you.

So if you’re being tempted to feel like God has distanced Himself from you, you’re misunderstanding Him…I know His heart.