Dying In The Field #286

1 Samuel 30:11-13

Now they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David, and gave him bread and he ate, and they provided him water to drink. And they gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins, and he ate; then his spirit revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. And David said to him, "To whom do you belong? And where are you from?" And he said, "I am a young man of Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind when I fell sick three days ago. (NAS)

The Amalekites were the enemy of David and all of Israel. David and his army had returned home from battle to find that the Amalekites had captured and taken all their wives and children. Under God’s instruction David was sent to pursue them.

As David pursued them he found one of their servants lying in a field dying from lack of nourishment. As they gave him water and bread and fig cake and raisins he revived. When David asked him, “to whom do you belong?” he answered that he was an Egyptian and a servant of an Amalekite. He also said that the Amalekite left him behind when he was sick.

The Amalekites were cruel. They represent the flesh that is in all of us. The flesh is our emotion, mind and will outside the control of God’s Holy Spirit. Our own flesh (Greek word sarx) is destructive and yet appeals to our very deepest being to distrust God’s direction and control in our life and live a selfish life. In truth the flesh delivers death.

The flesh is at war with the Spirit of God within every believer and the flesh is a destroyer much like Satan is a destroyer. Never trust the flesh to give you anything except to leave you for dead. Only God gives life. Your flesh makes great promises, but never fulfills them. The flesh promises prosperity, peace, excitement, popularity, and fun. The problem is its inability to do so. It is a lack of belief that God is the provider of life. The flesh will leave you in a field dying from the lack of God’s nourishment. Trust God not your flesh. Do not end up in the field dying of the spiritual necessities of life. Trust God and not your flesh.

____________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

What an incredible week in Quartzsite. I was actually there nine days and had the privilege of sharing the message of Jesus with many people. I also spoke seven times to the Campers on Mission and the Quartzsite church. My topic was "Remember" as spoken of in the Bible. God gave us all a great time of fellowship, prayer, Bible study, and preaching. Dr. David Johnson preached each evening. He preached all week from 2 Chronicles 7:14. He is the Executive Director of the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention. 

Sunday night we celebrated the 13th birthday of our grandson, Burke McAfee Wood. The whole family was at our home for dinner. Burke chose the meal, and of course Grammie gave him the ham, mashed potatoes, broccoli, fruit salad he had asked for. No meal though would be complete without gravy. We finished it off with yellow cake with chocolate icing and chocolate ice cream. Hope that all makes you hungry. If you have ever had one of Sandy's meals you know it was good. 

Sandy and I both continue our teaching and preaching ministries. She is currently teaching the Book of Esther on Tuesday mornings to a group of YOUNG MOMS at First Baptist Church of Tempe at 9:30AM. I continue preaching the Intersect Service at 9:30 on Sunday mornings at First Baptist. We continue our study in Revelation. The last couple of weeks we have been working through the very difficult 17th chapter. Join me Sunday.

I keep getting these pangs of sorrow for all of you who live in the upper midwest and the northeast. BRRR. We are expecting 80 degrees before the week is over. What a great place to live. Come see us and enjoy the SUN in the Valley of the Sun. 

I do love hearing from you. If you know someone who might like to receive The Encourager just send me their name and email address. Praying that you have a really great week. May God bless you with an inner peace. ~ DGW

Don't Be Discouraged #285

I Chronicles 28:2 David rose to his feet and said: “My brothers and my people! It was my desire to build a temple where the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, God’s footstool, could rest permanently. I made the necessary preparations for building it, 3 but God said to me, ‘You must not build a temple to honor my name, for you are a warrior and have shed much blood.’ 6 He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my Temple and its courtyards, for I have chosen him as my son, and I will be his father. 20 Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly. (NLT)

King David desired more than anything to build a temple for God in order to house the Ark of the Covenant. Because David had been a warring king God brought an end to his dream. David’s son Solomon was chosen to build the Temple instead of David. History tells us of the magnificent structure of the Temple of Solomon. It would have brought joy and fulfillment to any father.

The last instructions that David gave to Solomon are found in verse 20. He encourages him to not be afraid, to be full of courage and promised him that God would be with him until the Temple was finished correctly.

The Bible in the New Testament compares our own lives and bodies to the Temple. 1 Corinthians 6:19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (NLT)

Don’t be discouraged or afraid, God is at work in you also. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see that all the work related to you is also completed correctly.

_______________________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from beautiful Quartzsite, AZ

No Starbucks here. Closest one is in Blythe, CA over 20 miles away. I still have my coffee though. I bought a pound at my own Starbucks in Tempe and brought it with me. I had a friend trying to look up the Quartzsite Southern Baptist Church on Google Earth and said all he could find was a dirt parking lot. I told him that is all that is in Quartzsite, dirt, dirt and more dirt. We are having a wonderful time in the dirt. The church revival started on Sunday. Dr. David Johnson is the evangelist for the week. Sandy and I have known him since he was a college student. He is currently the Executive Director of the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention. Sandy taught Sunday School on Sunday to the entire church. I am leading the devotions each morning for the church and the Campers on Mission Team. 

Sandy had to return home on Tuesday (planned that way) in order to help with the grandsons. I will be home Friday afternoon or Saturday in order to preach on Sunday at First Baptist of Tempe. 

We are camped in the church parking lot. There are about 15 rigs camping here. We all share breakfast time together at the church fellowship hall and lunch is provided by the church each day as we either are coming from or going to the booths. The booths are tents in the middle of the rock and gem show. We pass out free water (needed this year because it is dry and hot with temperatures near 80 and humidity in the single digits) pray with people, share the gospel, and give away Bibles and literature. I love it. Gives me a chance to talk to lots of people and share Jesus with them. Most people are very open and willing to at least listen. Some are a bit disagreeable but think maybe Jesus Himself had that problem. 

I lost a good friend this week. Actually I didn't lose him I know right where he is. He went to be with Jesus last Friday. His name is Gil Jacquot. We had a great relationship over the years. He was a member of Church on Mill and served as our MOO (Minister of Overheads) as he called himself.  He had a great sense of humor about almost everything. He will be missed by all of us. Pray for Sue, his wife and his children, Jamie and Glenn. 

Sandy continues her Tuesday morning Young Moms Bible study on the Book of Esther. They meet at 9:30AM at First Baptist Church of Tempe. I continue preaching the Intersect Service at First Baptist Church on Sunday mornings at 9:30. Appreciate your prayers and your attendance if possible. 

May God bless you this week with His truth that you are the Temple of God; that God lives in you in His Holy Spirit. (see The Encourager devotional)

Have a blessed week and never forget that "GOD IS GOOD."  ~ DGW

Pride ??? #284

Isaiah 6:1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.

The words of Isaiah in this sixth chapter are some of the most quoted of all scripture. You likely have read it, heard of sermon taken from it, or maybe even memorized sections of chapter six. Do you know how or why Uzziah died? Have you considered the importance of Isaiah entering the Temple? The scripture says of Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26:4 “He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 5 He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.”

It seems reading this passage that Uzziah was a great man of God. Yet the Bible gives us a different picture later in his life. It tells us the real struggle of Uzziah in his relationship with God and in his character. He was a man with a severe pride issue. Pride is listed as one of the seven deadly sins. The New Testament says pride goes before a fall. Uzziah was a great leader. He led Israel into victory in war. He improved their capacity in growing crops. He built towers and buildings. Through his leadership the nation developed many wells of water to water the large herds of cattle. His elite army numbered over 307,500 warriors. Verse fifteen says “Hence his fame spread afar, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.”

Verse 16 says, “But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.” His pride led to his fall. He decided to enter the Temple to burn incense that only the priest could do. He was warned not to follow his pride, but he did and while being implored not to do it he became very angry. It was at that point that leprosy broke out on his forehead. Verse 21 “King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death; and he lived in a separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord.”

What a horrible end to the life of a man who had followed the Lord. His downfall was his own pride. He forgot that all he was and all he had came from God. He took the glory rather than give the glory to God. Be cautious that pride does not destroy your walk with God. Give Him all the glory.

__________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

Sandy and I leave for Quartzsite, AZ on Thursday the 16th. It will be a jam packed week with morning devotionals, street evangelism, fellowship, and revival each evening. It will make for a long, but exciting week. God has blessed us by allowing us to be  a part of this outreach for six years. We join with the Quartzsite Southern Baptist Church and Campers on Mission for a wonderful week of ministry. We request that you pray for both of us and for the work of the team there. 

I will miss this next Sunday preaching at First Baptist Church, but will return for the following Sunday, January 26th. Join me in the Intersect Service at 9:30 AM in the LOFT. Along with the ministry in Quartzsite (I will be speaking each morning) I will also be preparing the sermon for the 26th and writing The Encourager. I covet your prayers. 

Thanks for sending emails that are a real encouragement to me. So many of you comment on the pictures. I sometimes think I just need to send a bunch of pictures and stop writing. I have to admit I sure have some cute grandkids. 

Sandy continues to teach her "YOUNG MOMS" class. She so loves her ladies. They are currently studying the Book of Esther. Several of the young moms and their husbands are in the Intersect Service. It gives me a chance to meet them also. They are great.

Thank you for your prayers, concern and support for Purpose Ministries, and for Sandy and me personally. You are the best. 

May God bless you this week with a humble heart.  ~ DGW

The Memory of Victories #283

I Samuel 17:32 David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.”

Saul was not the most encouraging person in the world. The young teenager, David, volunteered to fight the giant Goliath. Saul’s response was that David did not have a chance against this seasoned warrior. David heard, “you can’t do this.”  Instead David relied on his faith.

The question to ask is, “Where did he get such faith.” It would be easy to say that he just trusted God, or that God was in control, but maybe more importantly David had vivid memories of his past experiences. 

1 Samuel 17:34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them.”

David’s past experience told him that God would bring victory over Goliath. Do you remember your past encounters with struggles, difficulties and seemingly impossible situations? How did you make it? What happened? It could be that what happened in the past can happen again. David knew he had killed lions and bears with his bare hands. The thought of a giant was not a time for fear, but for anticipating a new victory. Remembering your past can bring triumph in the present and the future.

The best way to defeat the giants and faith killers in your life is with God memories. Your greatest defense against attack is a remembrance of the God memories of yesterday. How you remember yesterday will determine how you live today and tomorrow.

As you discover how to bring good memories to the surface you will find new strength to fight the giants. Remember: Romans 8:31 “What shall we say then? If God is for us, then who can be against us.” Romans 8:37 “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

_____________________________Today's personal from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

We are one week into the New Year of 2014. Is it going well? I am excited about what this year will bring. As I look back over the past few years it gives me real comfort and hope and especially encouragement for this upcoming year. (see todays The Encourager)

Several have asked about my medical tests. I can report with real joy that all looks good. The cancer is stable, the liver is functioning properly and the heart is doing well. I praise the Lord for such good news. The oncologist has me on Sandostatin to curb the symptoms of the cancer. It seems to be working well. Thanks for your prayers. 

Sandy and I leave next week for Quartzsite and our annual ministry there. We will be teaching in the mornings to the Campers on Mission's group and the folks from the church in Quartzsite. Daily we will scatter throughout the dessert around Quartzsite to share the gospel with as many people as possible at the Rock and Gem Show. Upwards of a half a million people attend this annual event. Pray for open hearts and for the privilege of telling someone about Jesus.

Sandy begins her ministry to Young Moms this week. She teaches on Tuesday mornings at 9:00 AM at First Baptist Church. She is teaching the book of Esther. 

I continue to preach in the Intersect service at First Baptist Church of Tempe. We are continuing our study of Revelation. What a challenge. Saturday, January 11th I will be sharing a devotional at the first Men's Ministry Meeting of the year at First Baptist Church. I would appreciate your prayers. 

So many of you know my grandsons through pictures. Thought you might like to see Johnny and Justin's Dad, John. He is the best Dad any boys could ever want. 

Thanks again for remembering us this past year with your concern, prayers and financial support. You make it possible for us to engage in our ministry.  ~ DGW