Genuine Peace

In recent days, God has been speaking to my heart a lot about relationship, what it means to follow Him, walking in peace, and trusting Him completely. This morning I wrote this in my Prayer Journal, “Father, I am often guilty of approaching you as the pastor of a church and not as your child. I approach you as an employee, or a manager, asking their boss for help, not as a child of Yours seeking to know You better.” I wonder if I am the only one guilty of this. Are there others who pursue God for answers rather than relationship?

Jesus tells us in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be trouble, neither let them be afraid.” We are further told in scripture, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).  So, how do I experience this peace? How to I rest in the Lord and offer thanksgiving for the things I am facing? The answer, I walk in relationship with Him.

It is within the context of a relationship with the Lord that I will truly find peace. Within this relationship I learn who He is and that He can be trusted. It is within relationship that I am able to relax and enjoy His presence. If I believe that God is truly sovereign (in total control of His creation, and He is), and if I believe He is Omnibenevolent (all good, and He is), and if I believe He is Omnipotent (all powerful, and He is), then what do I have to fear, be anxious of, or dread? As I get to truly know God, I am free to walk in victory.

My hope and prayer for each of us is that our relationship with God will grow deeper and deeper every day. I pray that our knowledge of God would grow daily. May our confidence in our Lord be unmatched by anything else we might depend upon. Spend time with your heavenly Father. Get to know His heart, His will, and His way. The more we know Him, the more confidently we can respond to Jesus’ simple request, “Follow me!” And as we follow Him, we will discover the peace of John 14:27.

Honored to be your pastor,
Darrell

The Nature of Revival

I mentioned to you, on Sunday, that I will be preaching a revival in Palacios, Texas from May 7 to May 10. I asked you to be praying for me, and for the church, as we seek the face of God. However, it is not for Trinity Baptist alone that we need to be praying, but for our church as well. One thing we know about the church in America, as a whole, is that we need a revival. As I have been preparing for this revival, it has caused me to consider the true nature and result of revival.

Simply put, revival is when God visits His people, in an extraordinary way, to bring a newness of life. This seems to happen when people become acutely aware of their sin and truly repent. It is this repentance that allows for a season of refreshing. In fact, Acts 3:19 offers this exhortation, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” The formula is so simple, but seemingly lost on the church today. We like our lifestyles, we hate admitting when we are wrong, and we have an emotional, psychological, or scientific reason for all our sin. Would we not be better off to simply repent and trust God?

Jonathan Edwards, the great 18^th century preacher, offers the following five marks of revival. First, Jesus will be exalted. Second, The Holy Spirit will move to convict of sin, create a fear of God, reveal our need for a Savior, and to put God’s grace on display. Third, The Bible will be held in high regard. Fourth, sound doctrine will be taught and preached. And Fifth, a love for God and man will be evident. When God moves, these markers will be present.

I hope that we will make revival a matter of prayer. I’m not talking about revival in the sense of a series of services, but true revival that will sweep our land. I pray for the kind of revival that will cause thousands, if not hundreds of thousands to come to the Lord. I pray for the kind of revival that will awaken the sleeping giant that is the church. Will you join me? Will you pray that God will move in our land? Are you willing to pray that He will move in your life first? When we begin to pray toward this end, we can trust that God will answer in His own way and in His own time.

Honored to be your pastor,

Darrell