A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR LIFE

 A New Opportunity         

by Dan Barnes, Senior Pastor

Someone once said, “Opportunities are seldom labeled.”  – However, I have always felt that every day is a new opportunity to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

- It is a new opportunity to move forward along life’s journey and to make one’s life more eternally meaningful.

Romans 13:8-14    ”Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.  And that, knowing  the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”

If we believe today is a new opportunity for the Lord, then we must spend much time in Prayer, Bible Reading, and Goal Setting.  I trust that you, too, have set some goals and are trusting the Lord to use you in a greater way today!

It has been said, “He who aims at nothing hits it every time!” I would rather try and fail than never try to do the things God lays upon my heart.  Let me encourage you to step out by faith each and every day!

Pastor Paul Chappel posted this list witten by Pastor Walter Schoedel.  He had  prepared this list as resolutions for his new year and called it his “The Seven Ups.”  I’ve taken that list and added a few Bible verses to it…hopefully it can be a help to you and yours…as you live in this crazy world.

1.  The first is WAKE UP – begin the day with the Lord. It is His day. Rejoice in it.

Romans 13:10-12  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing  the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

 I Corinthians 15:31-34  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.  If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

           Psalm 118:22-28  The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.  This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD. God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.

2.  The second is DRESS UP – put on a smile.  It improves your looks. It says something about your attitude.

 Proverbs 15:1  A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. 

 Proverbs 15:13  A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.  

Proverbs 15:15  All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.                

Proverbs 15:23  A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!

3.  The third is SHUT UP – watch your tongue. Don’t gossip. Say nice things. Learn to listen.

Proverbs 4:24  Put away from thee a forward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.                                         

Proverbs 6:2  Thou art snared with the mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.                                

Proverbs 6:12  A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.  He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his finger; frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

Proverbs 8:13  The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

James 1:26  If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

4.  The fourth is STAND UP – take a stand for what you believe. Resist evil. Do good.

James 1:22  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves

James 4:5-8  Do ye think the scriptures saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

5.  The fifth is LOOK UP – open your eyes to the Lord.  After all, He is your only Saviour and He has promised to return!

 Psalm 5:1-3 Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.  My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Psalm 40:8-13    I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine heard: therefore my heart faileth me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me: O Lord, make haste to help me.

Luke 21:25-28    And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.   And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

6.  The sixth is REACH UP – spend time in prayer with adoration, confession, thanksgiving, & supplications to God.

 James 5:13-16  Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.  Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of the faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Philippians 4:6-7   Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

7.  And finally, LIFT UP – be available to those in need, serving, supporting and sharing with each of them.

James 4:7-10  Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Depression! That Dark Monster!

The “Dark Monster” of Depression                     by Mrs. Dalisa Barnes

Okay!  I must admit! When I was a child, every Saturday night, my family and I sat down to watch “Hee Haw” on television.  Now, that’s not something I’m proud of, but…there was one song from that show I remember most vividly…and it describes perfectly the nature of some in the ministry today…it goes: 

“Gloom, despair and agony on me-e!    Deep dark depression, excessive misery-y!

If it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all!    Gloom, despair and agony on me-e-e!”

      My husband and I have been in the ministry for some years, and we use to go to area preacher meetings. It was suppose to be a time of rejoicing and fellowship but it always seemed to end up turning into a complain fest! Dan, my husband, got tired of hearing preacher after preacher stand to tell some horror story about where they were serving.  They would complain about “how hard it is to convince people to serve God” or “my people just don’t care about me!” and his favorite, “you just can’t do it anymore.”  He said “every time I go to one of those meetings I want to quit everything!”  All this complaining and wining caused a dark cloud to hover over the meetings leaving everyone with a feeling of “gloom, despair and agony!” What causes us to get this kind of perspective of life? Especially in the ministry?  Is that all God has for us is gloom, despair and agony on me-e?  I personally believe God’s plan is much better.

      Now, I’m not being critical, and I must admit the ministry can be trying at times!  It is difficult and there is a lot of heartache and pain.  As a pastor’s wife, I’ve seen it first hand, you open your heart to person after person often to your own detriment!  Believe me!  I’m no stranger when it comes to heartache…I’ve given myself to the ministry…only to go home and cry myself to sleep.  You watch the people you’ve given your life for head down the wrong path and you’re helpless to do anything…accept pray and cry…alone!

     Then, here it comes…what my husband calls the “dark monster”  better known as depression!  It comes like a thick, dark cloud, surrounding every aspect of your life.  It’s like falling into a dark room with no door, and as this depression takes control of your life, you fall into a gloomy despair and it brings agony into your heart.  Once this “dark monster” attacks it’s so hard to keep yourself from falling into excessive misery! 

     And once you’ve given into excessive misery, you will begin to say “If it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all! Gloom, despair and agony on me-e-e!” 

     Now, here’s something to think about…if you choose to allow this “monster” to control you…you are not going alone!  Your depression will affect everyone around you.  It will upset your relationships, such as but not limited to: your walk with God, your spouse, your kids, your extended family, your church, not to mention your job performance, and on and on!  This depression monster is a rabid creature!  It will cause you to imagine things that don’t even exist. You’ll begin to do things like:  thinking everyone is against you; or blame your problems on others; or you may become hateful and very selfish, because you think you deserve better.  And if you’re not careful, you might even begin to think your life is not worth living! 

     Oh! Depression!  It’s a terrible creature and I believe with all my heart, if the Devil can bring you down by throwing the fiery dart of depression, he has won a spiritual battle that will destroy many souls!  But the good news is…it can be defeated!  You can beat this fiend!  God has given you the victory and the arsenal to stop this brutal attack!  The problem is, to possess the weapons of defense is not good enough, you must know how to use them too!  It’s like buying a piece of exercise equipment…owning the treadmill is not good enough…you must use the treadmill to shed the extra pounds! Having the weapons to defeat depression (i.e. the attacks of Satan) is a wonderful gift from God, but unless you use the weapons they are useless to you and Satan will win.

      God says in Ephesians 6  “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” That’s weapon #1!  Be Strong in the LORD!!! And in the power of him might!  God is able!  Don’t listen to those who say “it can’t be done” or “God’s just not working anymore.”  God is alive and well!  He is with you right now!  Be strong in that!  Be strong in the Lord!  His power is the greatest of all-time, if He is with you, you have nothing to fear!

     Weapon # 2, God has given you the things necessary to make it through any attack, it’s call the armour of God!  Put it on!  It’s not going to work its self, you must ready yourself for battle!

     My husband tells us all the time “I can’t change you, but I CAN change me!”  I can’t make you strong in the Lord, but I will be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.  It doesn’t matter if anyone else is trusting in God, I’m going to trust God.  It’s doesn’t matter if anyone else is living in the power of His might, I’m going to live in the power of His might!  Victory comes only if I decide to have victory, God told me I can stand if I want too! Therefore, I choose to stand!

     But there’s more, the battle is going to be a vicious one. Satan is not going to go down without a fight. Yes, God is on my side but I must fight too!  I can’t just stand there and let the fiery darts hit me and tear me apart.  God has provided armour for me, He has  given me truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, and salvation to protect me and He has placed in my hand the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, to fight with, to stop the enemy where he stands! But if I do not use God’s armour, Satan’s attacks will ruin my life and my usefulness for God will be limited. 

     Depression will destroy you!  You must beat it!  But victory can only come through God and the power of his might!  And as you fight, you must wear the whole armour of God. You must carry the truth of God in your heart. It is God that has made you righteous, Satan will try to cloud your mind telling you “you are not good enough.” That’s why God gave us the breastplate of righteousness…it’s God that makes you righteous, not you.  Always be ready to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Never let your faith down!  Keep your mind clear, never forget you are born-again. And most of all, never set your sword down!  The Word of God is your greatest protection against any attack Satan may send your way. And after all is said and done…and it comes your time to stand before the Lord, you can say as the Apostle Paul, “I have fought a good fight!”

     Ladies, depression is everywhere.  So many ladies give into the “dark monster” of depression. Don’t let it destroy you and all the people you influence! Stay strong in the Lord and use the defenses of God.  May God bless you as you serve Him!

                                                                             - Mrs. Dalisa Barnes

                                                                                      Lighthouse Baptist Church  105 Shun Pike    Nicholasville, Kentucky 40356

WE MUST BE CHRISTIANS OF PRAYER

OUTLINE OF SERMON PREACHED – April 25, 2010, 6 PM (est)

Sermon Title: WHAT IS HINDERING YOUR PRAYERS FROM BEING ANSWERED?

 PREACHER: Senior Pastor Dan Barnes

Prayer is the amazing line God has provided for direct access to His throne.

D.L. Moody once said,  “Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer.”

Truly, it is a resource we should avail ourselves of continually.

Sometimes, however, we jam this line of communication and prohibit our prayers from being answered.

Dr. John R. Rice often spoke of the hindrances to prayer. Below is a list of seven.

1.  Personal known sin in the believer’s life

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18).

2.  Strained relationships between husbands and wives

“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered” (1 Peter 3:7).

3.  Unreconciled wrongs, debts, or offenses between Christian brothers and sisters.

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matthew 5:23–24).

4.  An unforgiving or bitter spirit

“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21–22).

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

5.  The sin of covetousness

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (James 4:1–3).

6.  Neglect and indifference to the Word of God
“He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination” (Proverbs 28:9).

7.  Prayerlessness itself

“Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way” (1 Samuel 12:23).

How tragic it would be to allow any of these things to hinder our prayers from the answers our Heavenly Father delights to give.