No Corners Cut, No Pacifying, No Round-About Way

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Folks will hug and kiss you on Sunday morning and come Sunday night they are on the phone talking behind your back. “Tell Me It Is Not So!” People are hypocritical. You think that they are with you, but you find out that they are tearing you down.  Jealousy, gossip, lying, backbiting, cheating, criticizing, slandering is not only in the world but it is happening in the Church. So many Church people; Christians have become notorious for this. We speak ill of our brothers and sisters. We critique our leaders, but not to their faces. We whisper in the corners to one another trying to get our homeboys, home girls to sympathize with us. “You Got to be Kidding… Tell Me It’s Not So!” Have we forgotten Proverbs Chapter 6 that says, “These things does the Lord hate, these six things, yea seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaks lies and he that sows discord among brothers.”  Not to mention, Ephesians 4:29 which says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Don’t you know that God hates false witness and spreading lies and He hates stirring up conflict? Even if something is true it can still stir conflict and create disunity amongst us. And just because something maybe true, doesn’t make it okay to spread around. Our words should build up, encourage, instruct, maybe provide godly and gracious correction if necessary. Public shaming and spreading information about someone never helped anyone. We are called to protect the dignity of our neighbors.  We should take a cue from Jesus. He gently told sinners leave that path. He didn’t publicly shame people for making mistakes or being in sin. He never said “Hey Matthew, did you hear what Mark did last week?” But for whatever reason Christians somehow get sucked into it and we destroy each other. We drive people away from the church, and we cause divides, and we leave people feeling discouraged, hurt, angry, and humiliated. We talk about others like they’re somehow vile offenders. Like they’re somehow worse than us. “I can’t believe so and so would do that. That’s terrible!”  We are just as guilty of this sort of thing as everyone else or even more so. No wonder the Church has little influence upon the world compared to what it might have. The Church has become worldlier than the world itself.

How can we use our mouths to praise God on Sunday then cut down our neighbor on Monday? How can we be people who praise God while using that same mouth to attack someone made in God’s image. (James 3:9-12).  We should be treating all people with the same level of respect and dignity. After all Jesus said, “Let the one without sin, be the first to throw the stone.”[John 8:7} If we claim to be the beloved children of God and the body of Christ but spend our time and energy ripping each other apart, well, that sends a very clear message doesn’t it? If our claims of being a place of love coexist with hostility and backbiting, basically we’re just a bunch of lying hypocrites. Yes, the truth hurts. It’s like medicine. It does not always taste good, but we need it!  I tell you, we have to do better. Too many people give up their faith because of the mean gestures of Christians. We must not forget why the Church is in the world. Our words should spur one another towards Jesus not away from Him.

I’m not trying to be critical nor harsh. I’m calling for us to become more like Christ. I’m calling for us to have a renewed commitment to speak with grace. To use our words to build up. To Stop and Think when we speak.  Consider what will happen if people actually listen to you. I don’t have that problem. I know most of what I say isn’t listened to. But let us be imitators of God, who love like Jesus did, and use our words to glorify God like Jesus did. Let us refuse to participate in gossip, criticism, slander, and defamation. Let us be known as a people who speak well demonstrating grace. Let us use our mouth for God’s glory and the church edification. Never forgetting that we will be held accountable before God Himself for the things we do and say. It’s a terrible thing to see gossip, jealousy, pride, failure to love the brethren, etc. Let us love one another as Christ loves us!

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Yeah, I said it! It’s Not about You Boo Boo… It’s About God! And one day you may really find that from God’s point-of-view, It Really Isn’t about You at All; It Is All About Loving Him. If you and I decide to put these puny little lives of our ahead of God then some day we may hear God declare, none of these shall taste of My supper. Radical? Perhaps. Scriptural? It is! And so, with that knowledge and understanding, remember this about your life. It’s not about you!  Yes, you are God’s beloved person, but in Ezekiel 36:22, God says, “I am not doing this for you, Israel; I am doing it for my own Name’s sake.” And, there are scriptures like that throughout the Bible to give us a hint that even though God delivers us, even though God gives us great things, He gives us grace, and He offers us salvation, He wants to give us glory in His kingdom, ultimately and predominately salvation is about God and His Glory. Don’t Get It Twisted!

Sometimes in life we get so caught up in doing things in order to achieve certain things that WE FORGET that God is in control. We need to recognize and accept that our purpose here on earth is to glorify God and that is not really done through our own achievements but rather through what God is able to achieve through us.  We must understand that as we come to the understanding of our place in the kingdom of God that we must be willing to decrease so that Jesus can increase, because it is so easy to get trapped in promoting self rather than God. Why do we not yet see all things submitted to Him? When Paul said, “No, I but Christ,” he was saying “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  Just as all things are working together towards God’s purpose of increasing Christ, so all things are working together towards decreasing us. It does not matter if we understand it or comprehend it. It does not matter if you believe in it or agree with it. You are being decreased just the same, and Christ is being increased. It MUST be so, therefore it IS so.

I tell you it is better to relinquish everything now, on a voluntary basis, and lose your life in order to gain your real Life. It is more glorious to enter the Kingdom out of a desire to give Christ the preeminence than to enter kicking and screaming and crying because you love yourself too much. Make no mistake, if it is the Kingdom you seek, the Kingdom you will find, but you must be changed in order to enter therein. If you seek power from God you will have to accept weakness in yourself. If you want to rule with Him you must suffer with Him; If you want His life you must give up your life. You can have either one you want, but you cannot have both. There is no increase without decrease, and there is no decrease without increase.  Don’t Get It Twisted!

It was with considerable grace and humility that John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). What can we learn from this statement? Like John we will always be inferiority to God.  John reminds us that the gospel is more important than any one person.  When you realize that people are talking more about you, than the God you serve, then you have increased and  God is decreasing, and that’s a big problem, and God is definitely not pleased with that. Don’t allow the wrath of God to come down on you, because of disobedience (Ephesians 5:6); it will get worse before it gets better.

Listen, we are in the last days, where scoffers are walking after their own lusts(2 Peter 3:2)  “See then that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evil, wherefore be not unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is(Ephesians 5:15-17). Besides, when you refuse to decrease so God can increase it shows that you are of the world and an enemy of God.

I don’t know who this message is for, but to God be the glory, praise, honor, and thanks for using me to write it. It is not bashing, it is truth. Don’t Get It Twisted!

May the Son be increased through these words.

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

The Word coming from most pulpits today is weakening, rather than empowering God’s people. Careful!  The apostle Paul wrote to his young protégé, Timothy, warning him to do the things that will avoid the trend we are now seeing in the church. “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” {2Tim. 4:1-5}. I tell you, as shepherds of God’s flock, preachers should have no scruples to preach the Truth as it is found in God’s Word. Let the Truth cut. So what! The Truth always cut one way or the other. I have been shown that why ministers have not more success is they are afraid of hurting feelings, fearful of not being courteous, and they lower the standard of Truth. But I come to tell you that the Truth must be made pointed, and the necessity of a decision urged. As servants of God we must cry aloud, and spare not, and leave the result with God.  STOP SUGARCOATING the Word of God and Preach the Word of God, AS IS!

Yes I often speak candidly. That is because I have been given a mandate by God to Sound the Alarm! And I only speak the way God instructs me.  If you didn’t know God has called some to bring positive words of encouragement and comfort and hope. Some He’s called to be those who exhort and rebuke and correct. I just happen to be the latter. But in the midst of all the “uprooting and tearing down and destroying and overthrowing,” hope is offered beyond judgment.  You know, like Jeremiah {Titus 2:`15} God said to me, “You are not going to have a delightful, prosperous ministry, because when they hear what you have to tell them, they’re going to reject it and they’re going to reject you, despising you and your words the whole way through, but I’ll be with you.  God knew Jeremiah, chose Jeremiah, and appointed Jeremiah. He was known by name, hand-picked by God, and commissioned to serve. And the Lord did not give Jeremiah a joyful message of deliverance to announce, but a tragic message of judgment. Consequently, Jeremiah was misunderstood, persecuted, arrested, and imprisoned. More than once his life was threatened because the people did not want to hear the Truth. But Jeremiah told them plainly they were defying the Lord, disobeying the law, and destined for judgment, and He has called me to do the same. You are “Threading on Dangerous Grounds – Careful!”

Listen, God expects obedience, immediately. If we don’t we are in danger of God’s wrath.  Immediate obedience is the only appropriate response when God calls.  Has God called you? Then He will fulfill His purpose in you, He will equip you, He will enable you, He will protect you, He will accompany you.  He will accomplish his purpose no matter how the people respond. Woe to you if you do not preach the gospel and even greater woe if you preach it in error. Remember you will give an account for what you have said. So Preach the Word, not just part of the Word. Preach the Word completely, totally, comprehensively. Paul said he did not hesitate to proclaim the whole will of God {Acts 20:27}.  Do not dilute the Word. Do not distort the Word. Do not delete the Word.  Do not substitute the Word. Preach the Word always, and don’t let your life contradict the message you Preach and do not allow the fear of men to silence your Preaching.

According to Peter, writing in Chapter 3 of his letter, we should, first keep our minds on the will of God. Besides, who is there to harm us if we should prove zealous for what is good? And even if we should suffer for the sake of righteousness, we are blessed. So do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence, and keep a good conscious so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better, if God would will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.

Don’t you know that Jesus was never motivated by how His message would be received? In fact, He reduced His congregation to just a faithful few after preaching on sacrifice. They walked away. He didn’t chase after them. He didn’t change His message to cheer them up. When they sought sweet words, He gave them Truth. It is essential that we teach the whole counsel of God. I tell you, you are “Threading on Dangerous Grounds – Careful!”

Listen; do not be afraid of men. We have the promise of God’s prevailing, “Today, I am the One who has made you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priest, and the population. They will fight against you but never prevail over you, since I am with you to rescue you” (Jer. 1:18-19) Notice the architectural terms: a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls. They are solid and unshakeable like the God who conceived us and the prophet whom they would come to characterize. God reassured Jeremiah. Attack you they will… overcome you they can’t. Let me say that again. Attack you they will… overcome you they can’t. So the person who stands with God will prevail.   So No Corners-cut, No Pacifying, No Round-about Way! Don’t trim your message to fit the masses. Preach the Word continually, exclusively, completely and courageously. If you don’t you are, “Threading on Dangerous Grounds – Careful!”

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

To put it bluntly, there is a lot of Phony Christianity out there. There are those who are deceived and who are deceiving others. There are those trusting more in rituals and church membership than a relationship with Jesus Christ. There are those claiming to speak for God and using their “ministries” to line their pockets with money from gullible people. Not only did the apostle Paul had to confront people who did dumb things in the name of the Christian faith, but God tells us that He doesn’t like it when people do not do the very thing that He has commanded. Exactly! Not only does He “not like it,” He hates it! He hates it when people fake it.  He hates it when people attempt to serve him with self-effort. He hates guile and duplicity. He hates it when people have the audacity to think that they can fool Him! We may be able to fool men – even ourselves- of our bogus piety and sincerity, but are we really so arrogant to think that we can fool God? You know Jesus warned about bogus Christianity many times? In Matthew 7:15 He said, “Watch out for false prophets.” He wasn’t speaking about false prophets in the world but about false ministers in the church. False prophets are ministers who preach a gospel of deception and lies. As agents of Satan, they speak lies and contradict the Word of God at every turn. They are dangerous, like ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing.  In Jeremiah 6:14, God says, “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. “Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace.” False prophets never speak about man’s sin, the wrath of God, or the coming judgment. Their mission is to put Band-Aids on people serious wounds, covering them up rather than dealing with them. Instead of preaching about sin, judgment, hell, the wrath of God, repentance, or saving faith, or saying the cross is necessary for salvation, they say God loves and save all people. But as Jeremiah asked, “To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? I tell you the dogs have been turned loose on folks trying to live for God like never before. Satan and his minions hate believers, and they strive to trip us up, tempting us and trying to lure us into sin and impair our effectiveness in God’s Kingdom. But thank God we were not created ignorant of what sin is and what it would do, (Gen 2:16-17; Romans 4:15; 5:13)

 Listen; regardless of whether you realize it, Satan has targeted you as a victim. He knows your name and address, your strengths and weaknesses. Somewhere in the shadows, he and his forces lurk, even in churches, waiting, planning for the moment they will strike when you’re caught off-guard. He desperately hopes that you will, as many Christians remain ignorant of his reality. But as Jesus said, “whatsoever causes you to forget yourself, even if it is your right eye… then take it out and throw it away.” He is not saying anything that has to be taken literally; it is a metaphor. He is saying that it is better to be blind than to be forgetful of yourself because the blind man who remembers himself is not blind, he has the real eye. But if a man who has eyes forgets himself, what is the use of having eyes? He cannot see even himself; what else can he see? Either we need to hit our knees and pray for spiritual reality in us or assume God has given someone else a message. But I, for the sake of the ‘form of things’ or human convention or pride, WILL NOT FAKE IT! “Who Let The Dogs Out?”  Because most of those who claim to represent Jesus actually don’t. Moreover, as time goes on, even more pretenders will arise, however sincere they may be. Jesus said, I have told you beforehand” (Matt.24 25).  So wake-up and smell the coffee! The truth will set you free!

Even though some of what I’ve said may sound critical.  It may sound harsh, even sarcastic.  There are times when truth sounds that way and I make NO APOLOGY.  In Matthew 23 Jesus is speaking out against the religious rulers of His day. His tone was angry.  He was both confrontive and critical.  He even used biting sarcasm several times to make His point and illustrate how far these men had departed from God’s righteousness and truth.  But His heart was pure.  His love and compassion for them was evident.  I’m not Jesus, and I can’t say my heart is pure, even though I’d like it to be.  But, I can identify with Jesus in this one thing: when I see the religious deception perpetrated on people, I grieve.

Some time ago the Lord took me to Jeremiah 5 and showed me that this passage doesn’t just describe the condition of Israel in Jeremiah’s day; it also describes the condition of churches today.  This is what it says:  “And should I not punish them for this rebellion? Declares the Lord! Should I not avenge Myself on a nation such as this?  A horrible and amazing thing has happened in the land: the prophets are liars, telling the people only what they want to hear; the leaders deceive my people, using a false authority that I have not given them; and worst of all, the people want it this way.  But what will they do when the end comes, and they are still bound up in all this deception?”  (Jeremiah 5:29-31) 

Herein lies my greatest fear: that most people in the Church are happy with the way things are and will not be interested in anything that opposes the truth as they see it.    But all I can say is that I’m confident of the message God has given me, and I know the Word of God can take care of itself. Since most of what God has given me represents a serious departure from conventional wisdom, I can only quote Paul:  “Remember what Isaiah said, God will turn conventional wisdom upside down.  The time will come when the so-called religion experts will be the ones who look foolish.  So where does that leave the one who thinks he’s wise, or the well educated, or the one who understands the ways of the world?  Isn’t God going to expose all this pretentious nonsense?  The world never had a clue when it came to knowing and understanding God.  That’s why He uses the things that the world thinks are foolish or just plain wrong, even unpleasant, to guide those who trust in Him on their way to salvation.”  (I Corinthians 1:19-21)  

I pray that we will examine our Christianity and see whether it is simply empty profession or whether we embrace the kingdom of God and its law. Think it through. Foolishness will never help us, because, according to the Bible, foolishness is rejection of God as King, rejection of His law, rejection of His plan, and rejection of His way. “Who Let The Dogs Out? Woof, Woof!”

Lou Coleman

One of the things that the Bible gives us is incredible testimonies. It gives us a glimpse of the struggles and successes of people that went through some things. Without these testimonies, we would think that we were the only ones who went through what we are going through. I’m talking to somebody today who’s agitated, and stirred in your spirit, because you sense God is calling you to another level. Many times the agitation and frustration you feel is the unwillingness of the flesh to make the necessary adjustments. Don’t think that what you are experiencing is some strange or unique battle. On the contrary, you are in good company! Recall Job, Jeremiah, Elijah, David, and Paul. Perhaps like Paul, you are being pressed beyond measure, tested beyond your endurance and you’re on the brink of giving up. I just stop by to encourage you to keep your faith; because God is going to see you through. When you think you can’t go on another hour, when everything looks absolutely hopeless, cry out to God with all that is in you, “Lord, help!” Consider the counsel of the psalmist: Psalm 58:16-18; 18:1-6; 32:2-3; and the key verse 72:12.

Can I tell you about Jeremiah?  Jeremiah was called at an early age, and he was called to a great assignment, but Jeremiah felt that his assignment was too great for him. The persecution that he endured as a result of doing what God called him to do force him to throw his hands up and tell the Lord that he wanted to quit!”  This message today is for people just like Jeremiah. You know that God has a great assignment for your life, but the truth is you are at a place in your life where you are contemplating just giving up. Some of you woke up this morning declaring, “If I don’t get a Word today I AM DONE!”  You have decided that you are not going to fight for it anymore. Your frustration is at an all time high. You love the Lord, but you have decided that God is going to have to find somebody else to finish your assignment.  But isn’t it amazing how God will send His Word at the right time so we cannot walk away from the awesome thing that He is going to do in our life.

There are two things that I would like for you to REMEMBER ALWAYS. No matter what the devil is doing with you, you must know that you are necessary and that you are significant to the Kingdom. You see the enemy is trying to corrupt you, “He don’t want you to know the truth”. In fact he don’t even like you because when you made up in your mind that you’re going to serve God, the devil got real angry with you. But, “To Hell with the Devil!”    When you have gone through Hell, and High Water, and you know God brought you out, you don’t mind saying something; you don’t mind telling the devil, “The Hell with You!”  The devil realizes that if he can make you give up, he will literally manipulate God’s agenda for you. That’s why Quitting is not an option! You may say, but you don’t understand! Oh I understand alright. Assignments are tough! Jeremiah assignment was to prophesy concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Jeremiah’s assignment was to go to the people of God who had fallen into apathy. These were people that had become lukewarm and had chosen to fall away from God. These were people that God had been good too, but had chosen to live contrary to His Word and as a result had become so arrogant that they walked around saying they could do what they wanted to do because God was with them. These were the people that Jeremiah had to prophesy to. When God gives you an assignment, the assignment is never to make the comfortable more comfortable. The assignment is always to make the comfortable uncomfortable. The assignment is always to effect change. It is to push them into their destiny whether they like it or not. Your conflict, agitation, frustration is because God has placed a call on your life. And the enemy is trying to stop you so the assignment will never come to fruition. But the devil is so stupid, he don’t realize you can’t hinder God’s work.

All of us have cried over what we have gone through while trying to do God’s will. It is a test of our character. God wants to know if you will represent Him while you are going through what you are going through. It is about how you will act under pressure. You were anointed for your assignment. This is really about a commitment.  You have to realize the Sovereignty of God. You have to realize that you didn’t choose the assignment, the assignment chose you. If you give up, somebody’s life will be affected. God has sent His Word to remind you that you have been anointed for the trial. You have been consecrated for this. “I Want You to Know That…You Are Not the Only One!” Thank God for His Word – Revelation.

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

To trust or not to trust, that is the question, and the decision that you make between those two choices, is either going to give you sweet peace of mind, or make you worry your whole life through! Listen, the answer to stress free, worry free living, is to seek God, seek out His righteousness and TRUST Him to see you through! I tell you, “I’ve got a Feeling; Everything’s Going to Be Alright!”

Bible history tells us that God likes to do amazing things in our lives when we untie His hands with our faith. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” There is such a sweet peace that only God can give when one finally places it ALL in His hands. And it’s a wonderful place to live! But sometimes we stop short of God’s blessings. We think that three times is good enough. Then we want to quit! But I tell you, instead of turning back or contemplating quitting you need to say to yourself, I’ve come too far to turn back now!  In Joshua 24, Joshua calls all the tribes, elders, officers, and people of Israel together to Shechem. He reminded them of all the glorious things God had done for them. Joshua, in essence was saying, look here, I’ve thought about this thing, but all that keeps coming to me is how good God has been. So “make your choice whom ye are going to serve, but I’ve come too far to turn back now. For me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”

I want you to know today if you have been saved one day, one hour, one minute, or even one second, you too, have come too far to turn back now.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not faint.  I tell you; in God the possibilities are endless! Don’t Quit Now! Too much is at stake! Instead dig deeper and grow to new heights in Him. God is able! He’s the God of the impossible. Besides, the Bible makes it very clear: If we don’t believe this about Him, we don’t trust Him at all. John writes, “He that believeth not God hath made him a liar” (1 John 5:10).  Get a hold of faith- believe God to absolutely change and transform your life. If He provided for the destitute widow, for the demon-possessed boy, and for Jarius daughter, He can provide for you. Our God can fix anything. Tell the Devil, “It’s too late! You’ve come too far to turn back now.

I know many of us have been and most of us are at that place where we need God to work it out for us RIGHT NOW! We need a breakthrough NOW! Not tomorrow, but RIGHT NOW! I want to encourage you though, to hold on because change is coming “Jesus told me, everything’s going to be alright!”  I want you to know that it was in the belly of the whale when Jonah was at his breaking point that God stepped in. Hannah was at her breaking point when she began to pray. They thought she was drunk, but it was at this moment that God stepped in on her behalf. Even Jesus in the garden was at his breaking point, desired that his bitter cup be removed. I tell you, “I’ve Got A Feeling; Everything’s going to be Alright!

So in every venture you undertake in life, give it your all. Whatever you take upon yourself to do in life, give it everything you have and NEVER let quitting become a commonplace in your life, no matter how hard things gets.  Because faith is trusting that even when nothing makes sense, God still has a plan. Faith is knowing that when everything is crumbling around you, your hope is never misplaced when it’s put in the loving hands of God.  So before you give up and walk away from something, do what Mary did at the tomb: look again!  Because In every situation you encounter, you can trust that God will send and provide just what you need, just when you need it the most! Mary had almost given up; her spirit was low; she had little faith. She backed out of the tomb, but then she turned around and looked again! This time, she saw Jesus! He may not come when you want him to, but He’s always on time!  DON’T GIVE UP… LOOK AGAIN! “Jesus told me, everything’s going be alright!”

My hope is that through these messages you will come to understand new dimension of God and the distinct mentality necessary to pursue God’s promise of new life. It has been my heart’s desire to ENCOURAGE and inspire you to step out in faith in order to grab hold of the good things God has in store for you. “I’ve Got a Feeling; Everything’s Going to be Alright! Be alright, Be alright, Be alright!”

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

“Mama always said, “Stupid is as stupid does” – Forrest Gump. 

I tell you, too many of us “Believers” get stuck on stupid. We can be orthodox, faithful in our church attendance, givers, read our Bibles, pray regularly and still be stuck on stupid. Jonah was. In the beginning Jonah was stuck on stupid and he hadn’t learned a thing. And if we continue to keep repeating the same stupid sin, then we too are stuck on stupid.  Yes, the truth cuts, but truth never fears scrutiny.

The problem with most of us is that we have an arrested theological development. We go back to the way we always thought and don’t want to be shaken. But as Forrest’s sergeant asked in the movie, “What’s the matter with you? Are you stupid or something?” And just like Forrest, we stand at attention and bark, “Stupid is as stupid does, sir!”

Where am I going with this? Actions speak louder than words. Christian is as Christian does, faith is as faith does, and love is as love does. My friend, if you are still repeating the same sin that you did five years ago; ten years ago or even twenty years ago, and if you’re not growing; if you’re not even baby-stepping spiritually, then you’re probably stuck on stupid. The good news is that you don’t have to stay there. You can grow. You can change… starting today! As the writer of Hebrews challenged, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Heb. 12:1). God wants all of us to keep growing in grace until He graduates us and takes us home.

You know there is a huge difference between knowing the truth and living the truth. All the things that Jonah said while he was inside the fish were all things that he knew to be true before he set foot on the boat. But even though he knew it, he didn’t live it. Even though he knew all that about God, it still didn’t stop him from running away from God. I tell you at that point we can be a lot like Jonah. We can know the truth about what God has done for us in Jesus, but that doesn’t mean we always live it out. We can know that we have been saved from our sin, but sometimes our lives don’t show it. Jonah never got it. He was stuck on stupid. He never got over his sin of prejudice. He was still bitter and angry as the book closed. He still had a high opinion of himself and he’s hung on to the petty. Jonah never learned the lesson that God was trying to teach him.  How about you? Or are you a modern day Jonah? “Stupid is as Stupid Does!”

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Nelson Mandala said,-“I Am the Master of my Fate and the Captain of my Destiny”… It’s true… The one thing in life which you have complete control over: You’re thinking!

Unfortunately, I have heard parents tell their children they were stupid and would never amount to anything. Ten years later, the child does not work, is on drugs, and is an alcoholic with a wasted life. Those words got into the heart and spirit of that child and directed that life. Everything said, came to pass!

Hear me and hear me good. If someone says to you, “You will never be successful.” “Your dreams will never come to pass” and you dwell on those words then by your own action you have given them life. Things people say about you cannot hurt you UNLESS planted, watered, and nurtured. What do I mean? You plant it by believing it. You water and fertilize it by dwelling upon it. If you do that, it will produce fruit. You must realize that YOU control your own destiny through the power of YOUR WORDS. You cannot control what people say about you, but you can control if those words take root and grow in your life. Don’t you know that WHAT YOU SAY about yourself SUPERSEDES anything that anyone says about you? You need to begin saying about yourself what God says about you. God says, “You are more than a conquer” (Roman 8:37). God says, “You can do all things” (Phil 4:13). God says, “You are the head and not the tail. (Deut. 28:13.) God sees you, “healthy and prospering” (3 John 1:2). You are an overcomer (1 John 4:4). NOTHING CAN STOP YOU! Not even the Devil (1 John 2:14). Your attitude must be, “I don’t care what anyone says about me, I am destined to win. God is on my side. He has a plan to prosper me and give me a hope and a future.” Because if you are going to live a victorious life you must think victorious and not allow negative words to take root in your heart. Refuse them and begin speaking God’s vision for you over your own life. God’s plan for your life is so much larger than you have every imagined.

Remember David? He had a dream to be king of Israel. At every turn, people were negative. His dad left him out of the selection process when Samuel came to anoint the next King. With Goliath, David’s brother Eliab was negative towards him (1 Sam 17:28), but can I tell you what David did? David just turned away and kept pursuing success (1 Sam 17:30). Your family may not understand but don’t let that stop you. People in authority may not understand. David didn’t allow that to take root either. David saw himself as God saw him – Victorious! You got to see yourself as God sees you. It doesn’t matter what people say. I have been criticized in every way you can imagine, but I refuse to allow those words to take root. I refuse to allow those seeds to be planted. I am reminded of Isaiah 54:17 that says, “No weapon formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment, thou shall condemn.” Do you hear what I’m saying to you?  We are the ones who are to condemn every tongue that accuses us.  And yes, I know that some of you have had people do nothing but push you down and tell you what you can’t do and what you will be. But I want to encourage and challenge you today. I want you to hear God saying, “You can do all things. You are destined to do great things. You are destined to sit on the throne.” God has seated you in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Break free from every trap set by negative words. Change your way of thinking and see yourself as God sees you. Refute every negative word formed against you.

King Solomon said it best: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). This is necessary for three reasons.   Your heart is extremely valuable. We don’t guard worthless things. I take my garbage to the street every Wednesday night. It is picked up on Thursday morning. It sits on the sidewalk all night, completely unguarded. Why? It is worthless. Not so with your heart. It is the essence of who you are. It is your authentic self – the core of your being. It is where all your dreams, your desires, and your passions live. It is that part of you that connects with God and other people.  If your heart is unhealthy, it has an impact on everything else. It threatens your family, your friends, and your legacy. I tell you, it is therefore, imperative that you guard it.

When Solomon says to guard your heart, he implies that you are living in a combat zone – one in which there are casualties. Many of us are oblivious to the reality of this war. We have an enemy who is bent on our destruction he not only opposes God, but he opposes everything that is aligned with Him – including us. Satan uses all kinds of weapons to attack our heart, even our on family and friends. For me, these attacks often came in the form of some circumstance that led to disappointment, discouragement, or even disillusionment. In these situations, I was tempted to quit – to walk off the field and surrender. This is why if you and I are going to succeed and survive as individuals, we must guard our hearts. It is more important than we can possibly imagine.  If we lose heart, we have lost everything. Guard your heart. Don’t limit God and don’t limit yourself. God will take you to victory after victory. You will enjoy the abundant life that God has planned for you. Now give the Lord a shout. Amen!

Now to all you “Sanctified Christian, Wholly than Thou.” You need to stop saying things that hurt, offend or are actually untrue. You need to stop engaging in unhelpful gossip, as well as using any put-downs or derogatory language. This behavior not only hurts others, but also corrupts you. You might say that sometimes things just slip out, but is that really any excuse? According to the principles of “guarding your heart”, the answer is firmly “NO!” You need to think in appropriate Heavenly Kingdom ways, so that, as a result, you can speak in helpful and God-honoring ways. Now shout unto the Lord, Yes & Amen! “It’s Your Thang Do Whatcha Wanna Do!”

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

I tell you we should all be like Habakkuk… Instead of standing staring in the face of his problem he backed off from the problem and he stood on solid ground. He gave up on what he didn’t know and started remembering what he did know and instead of worrying about why things were going the way they were going, and why in the world God was allowing this and allowing that, he just stood back and said, “Now wait a minute, my God is an eternal God, He’s a righteous God, He hates sin and He never does wrong, He always does right.” Once he had established what he knew about God then it was much easier to cope with what he didn’t know about the events around him.

Habakkuk’s attitude was: God I don’t understand everything; I don’t understand why you let Israel go. I don’t understand why you’re bringing the Chaldeans to judge them. I don’t understand why you’re going to wait to judge the Chaldeans after that. I don’t understand any of the things, but I know one thing God, You’re the God that is righteous. You’re the God that’s eternal. You’re the God that never makes a mistake. You’re the God that hates sin. You’re the God that never does anything wrong and I’ll stand on that and praise you anyhow.

In Chapter 2, Habakkuk is standing in the midst of an absolute dilemma. He is afraid. He is afraid for himself, he’s afraid for Israel. He can’t seem to justify and rectify all the parts of the situation, though he understands that God who allowed the situation is always right. He’s caught in a dilemma, but he does not ask for deliverance, he does not ask for personal escape, he does not ask for ease, he does not pray that God should spare Israel, he doesn’t even pray that there would be no victory for the Chaldeans and that they would lose the battle, he doesn’t pray that Jerusalem wouldn’t be sacked, he doesn’t pray any of these things because he knows in view of the kind of God that God is, God must judge. So he doesn’t even bother with those things. What he does pray is this: that God will do His work and that God will have His way…. What a tremendous prayer. He knows how to pray, contrary to most of us. He knows what to pray for. He’s not praying selfishly, he’s not praying biased in favor of his flesh or his people. He is praying singularly that God’s work come to fulfillment.

I tell you when you can arrive at that kind of position in prayer you have arrived. When you can look at the problems around you and the problems in your life and the problems in your world and say, “God I don’t care about those things, all I care about God, that you be glorified.” What a tremendous, tremendous prayer. Habakkuk had one thought in his mind and that was that God receive the due glory for doing His work. He says, God, if you’ve got to do it that way I want you to do it, revive your work in the midst of the years. His one desire was that things be right according to God’s plan, not comfortable according to his desires. Not peaceful, not easy, not happy, just right like God would have them. He wanted things to be the way God wanted them, and if you want a New Testament equivalent to that kind of a prayer you’ll find it in the prayer commonly called the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come.”

Habakkuk had made a fantastic transformation from fear to fate. He started out shaking like a leaf in Chapter 1, but he come to the consciousness of faith in a God that he knows is doing right. Our prayer ought to sound something like Habakkuk’s. We ought to be praying daily God be glorified in my life. God be glorified in my church. God be glorified in this world. That should be the cry and the prayer on the heart of every believer. Habakkuk had the right perspective. He had first things first. What really mattered to him were not the circumstances in the world around him, or his problems, although there were unbelievably bleak. The thing that really mattered to him was that God receive the glory. And that ought to be the thing that matters number one to us. Our concern should be the things of God that God’s work is coming to its fulfillment. What a tremendous lesson here. What can a person do in a state of human weakness? What can you do when you’re faced with all sorts of problems? Habakkuk said,” I’m going to stand here and love God and just keep on loving Him and praising Him no matter what happens.” Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”

Unless we see the big picture of what God is doing through the difficulties of life, the suffering, the pain, the iniquities, the injustices of life, we will miss the profound and foundational truth that God is using all of it for our ultimate good and His glory. So when all hell breaks loose in your world; when the worst comes to the worst; when everything is lost, step back from your problem, remember your God and start to rejoice with a holy joy based on love and adoration that nothing will ever touch. That you’re His and He’s yours and He cares for you and nothing will ever affect that in anyway. The sweetness of the spirit of Habakkuk. His problems were solved, not because he understood everything, but because he knew his God and he put his trust in Him. His circumstances caused him to shake, but his relationship to God was absolutely unshakeable. “Praise God Anyhow!”

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

It is amazing how many people have little or no convictions. They are ruled by the flesh instead of the Spirit. They think, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else and it gives them a sense of pleasure it must be okay. Living for the moment is their rule of life. Boy, how wrong could they be. This kind of living always leads to regrets.

Let me tell you something. To live a life for eternity means you live with certain convictions. It means your life is guided by something greater than your earthly desires and momentary pleasures. READ 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Convictions are more than personal preference. It goes deeper than that. A conviction is a basic scriptural principal which we purpose to follow, whatever the cost. There are things we feel are worth fighting for and maybe even dying for. Convictions are the center core of our faith. Convictions produce an inner strength and provide protection from wrong influences, desires and deceptions. These core convictions guide me and help me live my life. I refuse to compromise the name of Jesus to be politically correct. I live my life with purpose. I take seriously the issue of holiness in my life. I set boundaries for myself. I am motivated to live up to my new identity in Christ. I work at living a balanced life. These core convictions and values help me navigate life. Does it mean I have no regrets? Of course not. There are times I live selfishly and complacently and let the pressures around me dictate my time and actions instead of my convictions. There are times I over commit and lose focus. I have regrets like everyone else. We all have regrets in life. My goal is to minimize my future regrets and help others just starting out to understand what is truly important as we learn to live with eternity in our hearts.

Don’t wait for a crisis to take the steps you need to take now. You can’t recapture this moment, so live it boldly with conviction and with a view of eternity. Listen, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God in our lives. We all have regrets, but when we bring them to Jesus, He forgives them completely. I don’t want you walking around with guilt and condemnation. If you do, you missed the whole purpose of what I’m saying. Let me make it plain. We can’t rewind our lives. This message is about the future. It is about learning some lessons from the past so we live differently. It is about developing some core convictions to guide us in making wise choices as we go forward. The message is about hope. It is about living for eternity now. So shake off any sense of shame or condemnation and lift up your heads. We are all part of the company of the redeemed, and God will continue to redeem our past regrets. Hallelujah!

Well, I don’t know about you, but from this day forward, I want to live without regrets. There is no rewind button on this life. Once this day is over it is forever gone. I want to live with the end in mind, with eternity in my heart. I want you to know that you can live a life of significance. You can become the person God wants you to be (Matt. 7:24-27). But you must know that living a life of few regrets begins with having a set of convictions that we live by. Let’s move forward. James 4:14 ask, “What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Life is short. Do not wait until tomorrow. You need to obey now.