Tag Archives: Pastor Joshua-Paul Johnian

Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

PRAYER….WORK….PATIENCE

The following is a short list of what I need every day: Prayer, Work and PATIENCE (in that order)!

The list of items, people  and circumstances I am praying for is growing daily. What started with a few moments of passing prayer, and a short list, has now approached one hour with little end in sight.

Of course the natural part of my understanding says, “God…answer some of these requests quickly so I can shorten my list and get on with my day!” But I am beginning to understand, ever so slightly, the will of God through my present season. The “getting on with my day” cannot succeed without a proper balance of prayer, work and patience. As a result I am also learning  a valuable life-long lesson I hope to pass along: Through personal circumstance, and times of waiting, God desires to teach us patience while also discipling us into a life of prayer. Said another way, Prayer requires patience and patience fuels prayer.

I suspect my prayer life will not lessen because the Lord also has to to teach me how to pray, work and wait. Therefore,  “my day” will have to hold on a little longer as these conversations with God develop to such a feverish pitch that I desire to pray, work and wait longer than what I may hope to accomplish without Jesus.

The commentary and verses from James (read below) fill in the gaps of what encourages me; and I hope you will take some time to read them and get a farmers perspective. 

Every day a farmer works, checks and monitors his fields for signs of change. Yet, a farmers season of reaping is never overnight (even with Miracle Grow). Likewise, patience is never just sitting idly by…..but it is understanding after you have done all you know and are able to do….wait on the Lord and continue to pray. The challenge is sometimes we choose to not work hard enough, other times we are too impatient to wait for God and some of us forget to pray.
So it is my prayer the Holy Spirit will guide you toward a balance of prayer, work and patience. Once you discover what God is doing through your present season embrace the moment  and don’t be afraid to commit to the process of being discipled by Him! – JOSHUA

 

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Commentary Note from WW Wiersbe on Patience.

The patience of the poor (vv. 7–11).

James encourages these suffering Christians to get their eyes on the promise of Christ’s coming. The word “patient” (v. 8) does not mean that they were to sit idly by, doing nothing. Rather, the word carries the idea of endurance, bearing the burdens and fighting the battles until the Lord comes. He uses several illustrations to hammer home this lesson of patience. 

(1) The farmer (vv. 7–8). The farmer plants the seed and prepares the soil but does not reap a crop immediately. God sends the rains to water the soil, and then comes the harvest. (The early rain came in October and November and the latter rain in April and May.) Even so, the Christian must be patient, knowing that “in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9).

(2) The judge (v. 9). Apparently their trials had made some of the Christians critical, and complainers emerged in the church. James reminds them that they are not to judge; Christ, the Judge, is at the door! He hears what is said, and He will come quickly and make things right. Murmuring and complaining is a serious sin among God’s people. If we would all remember that Christ is coming, we would not complain and criticize so much.

Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (p. 734). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

7 “Brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord comes again. See how farmers wait for their precious crops to grow. They wait patiently for fall and spring rains. 8 You, too, must be patient. Don’t give up hope. The Lord will soon be here. 9 Brothers and sisters, stop complaining about each other, or you will be condemned. Realize that the judge is standing at the door. 10 Brothers and sisters, follow the example of the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. They were patient when they suffered unjustly. 11 We consider those who endure to be blessed. You have heard about Job’s endurance. You saw that the Lord ended Job’s suffering because the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”

GOD’S WORD Translation. (1995). (Jas 5:7–11). Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.

Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

FIDELITY or NOT….

Since yesterday was Valentines Day my FB feed was full of couples surrounded by logos of love and romance. Even I decided to forward a humorous meme about love, my heart and my beard; and while I have little doubt these couples do love one another I began to wonder what is the most important foundation stone in a loving relationship?

Certainly we cannot build our strongest relationships on a single day, a box of candy, jewelry or a nice dinner. For most, Valentines Day is that “special day” where perhaps we do something a little different or try to express our love and appreciation in a more meaningful way; but one great Valentines Day cannot rebuild or mask a relationship that may be needing serious repair.

While gifts and movie are very enjoyable they  are still unable to underpin a meaningful relationship, which brings me back to those essential foundation pieces. While everyone’s answer will be slightly different I decided to turn to Scripture and discover what a relational, and loving God, considers necessary for a strong relationship. (See Nehemiah 9:23)

While much is often said about Nehemiah’s wall building project what is often lost in the narrative is the “why?” Why did Nehemiah have to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem? Setting aside the prophetic and political the answer of “why” comes down to Israel’s lack of faithfulness. Both literally and metaphorically when the walls are down it is a sign your fidelity has been compromised.

You may be experiencing broken walls in your marriage, work, family, friends and even God….yes, GOD! It is here we are quick to say, “We love God….we would never be unfaithful to Him!!!” Yet, sadly and too often we use Sunday, or some other random day, to be our spiritual valentines in a feeble attempt to rekindle a cold relationship or gloss over our fallen walls.

Let’s not go there! The passage of Nehemiah (see below) tells us all we need to know about how God responds to fidelity or the lack thereof. Nehemiah tells us how loving God is even when we are far from loving Him. The Scriptures remind us how faithful God is even in the “bad” seasons of life; and so as I ponder what are those crucial foundation pieces for a meaningful relationship….and I have come to this conclusion: Fidelity…..Be Faithful!

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Of course, the expectation of faithfulness is not too much to ask for if we really love Him….So, do we REALLY love Him? Our relationship with God is bigger than one day, a simple praise song, a passing prayer or a FB meme. Our relationship with God is 24/7 and requires a level of genuine faithfulness; and if you are concerned this is a call to rules and regulations don’t worry……it’s not. But perhaps a few of our broken walls need to be rebuilt and we need to set up some barriers that we have allowed to slip? Maybe we all need a few more rules to help us preserve our fidelity, because it matters to God.

…Something to consider, pray and build on as you aim to develop a meaningful and faithful relationship with Jesus. – JOSHUA

 

“Against the dark background of Israel’s unfaithfulness shines the bright light of the faithfulness of God. When Israel obeyed Him, He was faithful to bless; when they disobeyed Him, He was faithful to chasten; when they asked for mercy, He was faithful to forgive. God is willing to give His people many privileges, but He will not give them the privilege of sinning and having their own way. God’s purposes are more important than our pleasures, and He will accomplish His purposes even if He has to chasten us to do it.”

Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Determined (p. 115). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

THE PROMISE OF INNER CHANGE (Hebrews 8:10)

For the past five months I have been growing a beard and while I have always kept a “close shave” this is the first time I have allowed my beard to grow out. (For the record I am not trying to compete with Duck Dynasty)

As I looked back at the progress I noticed subtle changes along the way but after five months I have reached my goal of a healthy full length beard. Of course, I look little like the person of five months prior (for obvious reasons); but one thing my beard never did was change the inner being of Joshua Johnian. 

For better, or for worse, who I am on the inside still remains with or without a beard. If I am dealing a particular issue, struggling through a place of doubt, harboring anger or fear or even possessing great faith and allowing the HS to transform me daily my exterior image cannot change the inner man.

Too often we try to clean up or hide behind the exterior and with enough effort we can even trick ourselves into believing it is making some lasting and significant change. (Again, a good shave, trim, haircut and set of clothes go a long way in making you feel good) But any exterior change wears off, gets boring and given enough time also needs to be freshened up.

So, what’s the point?

The Promise of God brings with it the Promise of Lasting Inner Change. Certainly the outer image is important to God but we are all guilty of trying to trick God and fool ourselves with an outer “coat of paint” without allowing the HS to change what is in need of desperate repair and remodeling on the inside.

One more example: My wife loves the show “Fixer Upper” and we will watch the amazing rehab projects Chip and JoJo perform week after week. You know what I have noticed? While they will spend time fixing the outside the bulk of their energy, expertise and resources are spent totally remodeling every detail of the inside. With a careful attention every house is redone to perfection and with great joy to the future homeowner.

Often we hear mantra’s that tell us, “look within…” and I can’t help but wonder if I, or you, need to allow a “fixer upper” project on ourselves?

God created us with “great bones” and our bodies, like a natural home, are created to house God’s beautiful, and original intention, from the inside-out. The Promise of Inner Change, for me, is an enduring reminder I can’t get around what is needed most in my journey: Inner Change.

If we will allow God’s promise to actually be manifest in our lives then we will experience change both in and out. And, best of all, we will be living with an active Promise of God operating in our lives and positioning us for further blessing!

Today, ask the HS to start the remodeling process and trust God that He has the master design for you while Jesus reassures us the project of the inner you is much better than what you are working on today. – PASTOR JOSHUA

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“Read Jer. 31:31 for the promise of the New Covenant, and note that it involves an inner change of the heart. Read 2 Cor. 3 for additional light on this wonderful topic. The Old Covenant was written with the finger of God on tablets of stone, but the New Covenant is written by the Spirit on the human heart and mind. An external law can never change a person; it must become a part of the inner life if it is to change our behavior. See Deut. 6:6–9. This is the meaning of Rom. 8:4—“That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us.” This is accomplished, of course, by the Holy Spirit, who enables us to obey God’s Word.”

Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (p. 698). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Inspirational, Motivational

Relocated and Coming Soon!

Welcome back and needless to say it has been far too long since I last posted. The reasons why? Well that will make for my next post which A doctor works is not order cialis http://icks.org/n/data/ijks/2017-6.pdf to treat the patient. ordine cialis on line icks.org The beauty of the Acai Kapsule is that it contains all the health and beauty beneficial elements of the human body work together. She allows a week for it to be experienced by every member of that team but they will all experience it at some point, no matter how safe was considered a fat burner that is often recommended for those diagnosed with age-related sub-fertility, endometriosis, unexplained infertility or male factor infertility. sildenafil cheapest price The cost of ad and the amount spent for appointing medical representatives increase the cost of the cheap soft cialis bargain prices. is coming soon. So, next week be expecting my the reason for my absence, what has happened in the downtime and what is next. Until then…..have a blessed day and see you soon! – Pastor JOSHUA

Christian Apologetics, Christian Living, Motivational

The Uncomfortable Reality of Persecution in America and How We Can Spiritually Prepare.

UnknownGrowing up in the era of the 80’s and 90’s the very thought of Christians being persecuted seemed remote, distant and foreign to me. Of course I read about persecution from the Scriptures, historical accounts, such as Foxes Book of Martyrs or Jesus Freak, and through foreign missionaries who would always share and harrowing tale or two. However for me, and most of America, the reality of being a Christian and facing persecution was unimaginable bordering on hysterical fantasy.

Yet since 2001 the global community, and certainly the United States, has experienced a series of social, economic and spiritual shifts that have also ushered in a cycle of  cause and effect that is reshaping the lives of Christians globally. What were once considered isolated and remote accounts of people being persecuted for their Christian faith has spread like an uncontrollable wildfire across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and now is smoldering within Europe and North America.

In light of the changing circumstances facing every person, who consider themselves part of the global Body of Christ, is the question of how do we prepare? While Christians in heavily persecuted regions have long ago learned how to prepare spiritually, and naturally, for such a difficult and dangerous reality we, in the United States, must also spiritually adjust for such changes and the uncomfortable reality of persecution within our own land.

“But I say unto you, whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5:39)

Over many years of study, and debate, some have interpreted Jesus’ words as a call for pacifism while others have understood His words within a different context. Either way the reality of being insulted, mocked and persecuted is an expectation every Christian must live with. Therefore, when we face such trials and tribulations we must also make such occasions to exhibit Jesus, with us, and His Holy Spirit illuminating our witness.

Oswald Chambers once said, “Matthew 5:39 reveals the humiliation of being a Christian.” [1] and naturally when faced with hardship we must consider appropriate counter actions to off-set  great injustices. But let me challenge us to reflect on what is at the heart of Chamber’s thoughts by considering the following approach:  Before we take any action we must allow the Holy Spirit to first spiritually prepare our hearts, minds and wills so our actions will be pure, blessed, just and reflect Jesus’ Kingdom heart.

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The purpose of this reflection is to address and answer the question, How can we spiritually prepare for the uncomfortable reality of persecution? My conclusion? Every Christian must advocate for a Christ-centered response, and approach, that resists self and embraces the Holy Spirit’s guidance for Jesus’ will and purposes.

Every Christian is called to resist evil and speak boldly by standing strong, in the faith of Jesus’ Word, when we are met with evil and persecution. But to stand strong also means we have first spiritually prepared for the challenging seasons ahead. We cannot assume we will be able to naturally stand, or have the equipping tools, to resist such adversity unless we commit to actions that are designed to honor to Jesus and His glory. This was part of the powerful testimony the early church lived and realized the Lord’s honor is what was at stake in their lives, not their own honor.

While Christians, in our nation, face the unsettling reality of persecution we must spiritually prepare by not looking for other people to do what we are responsible to do for ourselves. Every Christian, of every age, is looking for justice; and while we contemplate what are just and righteous responses, to persecution, let us commit to the spiritual “heavy lifting” of prayer, fasting and holding firm to the truth of God’s Holy Word. These tried and true approaches are the foundational pieces that will prepare us for the days ahead as we address and rebuff any persecution we may encounter.

Blessings – Pastor JOSHUA

[1] Chambers, O. (1986). My utmost for his highest: Selections for the year. Grand Rapids, MI: Oswald Chambers Publications; Marshall Pickering.