Fresh Manna by Tim Burt

Kindness Boomerang

2012-01-27T07:35:00.004-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

John 13:35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

The Power of God in You!

2012-01-25T18:00:00.001-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give unto you power..."

I’m sure that you, like me, have read many inspirational stories over the years. The children of this generation are told stories all the time followed by the words “You can do anything if you put your mind to it.” I like that people are inspired. It’s better than being told “You are good for nothing and you won’t amount to anything.” Positive and encouraging words spoken over others is something God's word encourages us to do but, those words are meant to be rooted in the promise of the Holy Spirit working in us and helping us reach our dreams. That is where the power to overcome comes from! To think we can do anything that is significant in His eyes without His guidance and direction and help is futile thinking.

Any power within us is only the power of God.
Before you give your life to Jesus Christ, God’s Word makes it clear that you are stuck in Satan’s grip and power. No one wants to hear that. You might think, “How could that be possible? I’m not under Satan’s power.” I remember thinking that when someone was sharing Jesus with me before I gave my life to Him. God’s Word makes it clear that when we receive Jesus into our hearts as Lord and Savior – we change kingdoms and are rescued from Satan’s power and brought under and given God’s power. Col. 1:13 says, “God who has delivered us from Satan’s power - the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son Jesus..” Acts 1:8 then says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…”

If you want to see a world that is under Satan’s power but does not recognize it, go watch the movie-documentary “Super Size Me.” If you were to look into stats on the amount of money gambled and lost, the amount of money spent on alcohol and recreational drugs and the addictions and the problems and deaths they’ve caused, if you will look into the amount of money spent on cigarettes and the health issues and deaths they have caused, if you will look into the amount of money it takes police to catch, prosecute, and jail or imprison criminals, or the amount of money spent on our military to defend our country from enemies, you will find that we squander, waste, and spend the majority of the world’s wealth - literally trillions on evil or the protection from it. Surely this world is under Satan’s grip and his power. People don’t have the power do to do anything they want. They don’t even have the power to stop evil thinking and actions in their lives without the power of Jesus.

To most people the thought of power is more of a fantasy or a game, but not something they really give all that much thought to. God wanted us to not only know of His power but to experience it at the most base level of our lives – the power to make sound godly moment-by-moment decisions with the courage and strength to carry them out. Remember that the next time you begin something as simple as a diet! Forget what you've been taught by television and movies when you think of power.
Instead, think of it as the supernatural and inward strength of God working within you to actually live godly and upright in thought and actions in a world of corruption and evil. Think of it as the power bringing you courage and boldness to stand up for your faith in God and what you believe. Think of it as the supernatural power of God working behind the scenes to work through your prayers and to guide your steps and life. Think of it as strength from God to say "yes" to right choices and "no"to temptations!

"Behold, I give unto you power..."If you are a believer, God has made His power available to you. If you walk in faith believing in it because you know God promises it to you, then it becomes tangible to you. To be inspired is good, but motivation can be a flash in the pan - quick in coming and quick in departing. Faith in God's power working within you should become the core of your belief system and a blessing and strength that you draw from day in and day out!

2 Peter 1:4 “And by that same mighty power, God has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in His divine nature.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

The New and Improved You

2012-01-24T08:53:00.004-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Acts 26:16 & 18 'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you... to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

One year for my birthday Renee gave me a great health and exercise book called Fit for Life. In this book, they have an entire picture section of people who have been through the program this book offers. You see all the before and after pictures of these people. I love looking at before and after pictures of people who have purposed to change their life for the better.
They are so inspiring! In three to six months these people look completely different and so much better.

I have been thinking about the newness of life that God offers us. He empowers us by His Holy Spirit to live it out. His Word says we are to be transformed. As I was looking at these powerful images of people who had transformed their looks, I had this thought. Every one of us is working toward one of those two pictures. We are either presently creating a before picture or an after picture of our current life. Have you ever thought which picture you are presently creating?

In the book of the Acts of the Apostle in chapter 26, the Apostle Paul is giving his testimony while on trial. He is verbally painting the before picture of his life and then the after picture after Jesus got a hold of him. It became his testimony. Everyone that changes from a before to and after has a testimony. How powerful it is when our testimony is about what the Lord has done in us and our life!

In some ways, I am living in my after picture. I say that because if anyone saw me now compared to thirty-four years ago before I knew the Lord, they'd tell you I was a completely different person. I praise God for that. At the same time, internally I feel like I am in a before picture compared to what I believe the Lord still wants to do within me and through my life. I realize that's good. Otherwise I would be sitting in pride of how great I think I am and I would probably look and act like a Pharisee.

The after picture is our ongoing goal that we see in our hearts that God helps us paint. It is the shaping of our thoughts and desires to conform to His Word, His Will, and His purpose for our lives. It's a path and a process in which we will continue to be changed as we pray and seek Him and purpose to live according to what He speaks to us through His Word.

Today's Fresh Manna verse is the central focus for all of us as we walk out what God wants for our lives. Like the Apostle Paul, we become tranformed and then we become the Lord's witness of what Jesus has done and will do in our lives. Then we will be used to help others experience God's life-changing and transforming power - "to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus."

Your life is not to be random. God has a plan for you. An aimless and purposeless life outside of the Lord will always result in a before picture. Pressing toward God's will for your life will help create after-pictures. An after-picture is not the end of all. It is actually only a step to the next after-picture. What does your next after picture look like?

Romans 12:2 (MSG) Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Steps to Fulfilling God's Plan for Your Life

2012-01-23T17:55:00.011-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Part 7: Steps to Fulfilling God's Plan for Your Life

I’ve never known a great leader that hasn’t followed some kind of a plan. You may read your Old Testament and feel that men like Noah, and Abraham and Moses, and Joseph and David, were being randomly led step by step, and that all they had to do was obey the next thing God was telling them to do. That would be partially true. It was important for each of those men to follow the steps that God was giving to them. But they also all had a general idea of where they were headed. They weren’t wandering randomly.
God had shown each of them glimpses of the plan He was leading them in. The Lord knew the plan in advance and He’d share what was necessary and what their faith in Him could handle. Even then, the plans He showed them were larger than their imagination could comprehend.

God does want us to seek Him for the plan of what it is we feel that He has placed in our heart to do. Sometimes ideas we get initially seem very exciting, but the truth is, most lose their excitement glow within a very short time. As we’ve thought about them more and realized the amount of work they would take, or the resources or skill they would take, or if we’ve shared them with others and they’ve quickly shot holes in them, the excitement quickly wanes. Real plans from God last and won’t escape your heart. This is what helps you discern the difference between fun ideas and a God-given dream or idea.

Getting a plan is only the beginning. When you feel God has given you one, you have to then ask yourself how you are going to execute it.
One of the main reasons people fail in new eating and exercise plans is because they don’t have an execution plan. They dream but fail to strategize. They don’t think through the kind of meals they need. They don’t bring the right kind of food with them to work. They have no strategy for building an exercise plan into their busy schedule. They just think, “I’m going to start exercising,” but haven’t thought through how they are going to build that into their lifestyle. Having a strategy for your vision of getting in shape or for any plan is absolutely critical.

Then you have to believe that you can do it!
Belief is what powers you through the temptation of quitting. After you’ve seen yourself fail two dozen times before, it’s hard to believe that this time you are going to make it. This is where seeking God through prayer and having verses of God’s promise to help push you through the many temptations to give up and quit are so vitally necessary to your plan. You will never fulfill any vision from God as a quitter. You have to learn to walk in His strength.

Timing is also so important. It sometimes seems as though there is never a perfect time to start anything. Start impulsively and you’ve started without a plan. You will fail.
Have what you believe is a God given plan. Have a strategy laid out for it. Have faith that you can execute it. And then wait until you reach the point where you can’t stop thinking about it. If you’ve been praying all along, you will reach this point. Than as long as you have the resources to execute it, you probably have God’s timing.

Each of those parts are essential to the plans that God places in your heart. I personally don’t move forward in plans and ideas until all these components are in place. And when I do move forward, I continue to seek Him and the direction of the Holy Spirit in every step and have faith that He’ll continue to lead and help me. And I remember these promises!

God's word is the lamp unto your feet and a light to your path (Ps 119:105).

Isaiah 30:21 'Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it..."

John 10:27 ‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me'.

Isaiah 65:24 “I will answer them before they cry out to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will answer their prayers!"

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

A Very Special Place

2012-01-22T12:57:00.001-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

There is something that makes you smile that those without Jesus will never understand. There is something that brings more than ordinary comfort to your heart – supernatural comfort that the godless will never comprehend. There is something that when meditated upon, brings great excitement and anticipation that only confuses the world and that the world dismisses as foolish.

One day David was spending time with the Lord meditating on the very things – the things that bring this supernatural comfort, this smile, this excitement and anticipation. I can only imagine that in the midst of meditating upon these things, he broke out into singing and dancing.

Want to eavesdrop and listen to his thoughts? Make sure to catch every word!

Psalms 84:1-11 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God! What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord… When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings… O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob. O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield and protector! Show favor to the one you have anointed. A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

If you have ever heard of the secret place of the most high – this is it. This is a place in our hearts. It’s a place of faith that takes hold of reality of our God, of His goodness, of His eternal plan, and of His love, desire, and willingness in our life to make Valleys of Weeping places of refreshing springs. He turns our sorrows into gladness! When David says, even the sparrows can build their nest and raise their young near His altar, he is saying that no one – not you nor me are too insignificant to huddle up next to the Lord and receive His strength and help. He is not put off. He is delighted. He helps us see the bigger picture. He reminds us of His love. He shows us new perspectives full of comfort and joy. He reminds us that this earthly place is temporary and will be exchanged for an eternal place of glory with Him.

You and I like David are anointed. 1 John 2 says we have “been given an anointing.” 1 John 2:20 & 24-25 “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth… See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what He promised us--even eternal life.”

All these thoughts and promises made David sing and shout and dance. Our day-to-day circumstances that we presently face are never the end of the story. God was there to comfort and help David and He is here to comfort and help you and I. His promises can bring great comfort to us now today if we, like David, would enter into this very special place - the secret place of the most High.

No wonder David said, “A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” (Psalms 84:10-11)

The world and godless – those without Jesus don’t get this, but you do! It’s time to pause from things trying to drag you down and instead park in the sunshine of this revelation Gods's love and promises from Him to us!

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

The National Debt Crisis Powerfully Summed up in 1 Minute Video

2012-01-20T13:03:00.006-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Please do not take what I am sending you today as a political statement. It is not that! It is an exhortation to you to pray for the wisdom of God for our current leaders and for those that God will put or keep in office at the next election. Our prayers can affect that outcome that affects us and our children's children.

2 Timothy 2:22 (Message Bible) Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil's trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.

Power Line Blog held a prize competition for $100,000 for whoever can most effectively and creatively dramatize the significance of the federal debt crisis as it is now.

Any creative product was eligible: videos, songs, paintings, screenplays,

Several entries have gotten a lot of attention and a lot of views or listens. But unquestionably, the one that has most gone viral so far is Doorbell.

This is short one minute video is powerful and knocks the point right out of the park!

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Finding the Plan of God for our Life

2012-01-18T19:00:00.005-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

God has a master plan for life and a perfect will for your life. (See 5 previous devotionals) Remember that His plan for you unfolds slowly before you and at the same time, parts of His master plan become understood and revelation to you.

God’s Word will be the primary tool for leading you in that direction and seeking God through prayer is what will enable you to be able to walk it out and one day look back and see how God got you there. But, as we all know, there is much in-between living going on and we still have to understand how God leads us in the perfect will for our lives. Today I want to help you better understand one of those ways that He leads us by sharing a verse and telling you a true story.

Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart's desires.” This verse affirms what I’ve been writing all along. It is saying to take delight in God’s master plan, in the instruction of His word, and in seeking God’s perfect plan & will for your life! When and because you do, He will give you’re your heart’s desires.

There is two ways to look at this verse. One is looking at it as though He were saying, “I’ll make your dreams (desires) come true.” The other way of looking at it is as though God were saying, “You are going to have desires in your heart. I put those desires there to help draw you in particular directions that lead you in your path of life.” Both ways of looking at this are true. God is saying both. He does put desires in you and they are His God-given desires. Desires lead you because people like to pursue their desires. Now I am not talking about carnal desires and I am not talking about your lust for chocolate, or donuts, or sex. These kinds of desires are carnal desires of the flesh. To those kinds of desires God says in Hebrews 12:1, “…let us strip off every sin and weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.” God wants you to master your carnal desires with the help of the Holy Spirit, and instead focus on His God-plan for your life. The kind of desires God is talking about again are desires that draw you down a good path. I hope this story will help give greater insight and make this more clear.

Some friends of ours from church have a son who is about the same age as our daughter. One Sunday morning he was sitting in the sanctuary listening to our Pastor preach. In his sermon, the Pastor talked about his love for flying. He had been a pilot in the military and served flying missions in the Viet Nam war. After the military he started an air freight business flying freight around the country. As he talked about his love for flying, something went off in that teenage boy’s heart. He also had always loved airplanes and the thought of flying, but on that day, he was sure he wanted to be a pilot. He told his parents and they just listened and did not discourage him. They let him dream. This young man wanted to talk with our Pastor to ask him questions about flying and so he did. From that day forward, that was all he ever wanted to do. He went to a college that had flying as a part of the education. He learned to fly. Today he is a commercial airline pilot, loving God and walking in the desire of His heart. He loves God and uses His gifting to glorify God in any way he can.

Now another story about another young man from our church. In the early days of ministry, Renee and I taught children’s church. We had the help of a young woman and her teenage brother. He really wanted to help in some way and we let him because he was really a nice boy. We would teach a Bible lesson and then we’d do a skit about some practical life situation that we knew the children had experienced and could relate to. The young gal that helped us really loved to dress up and play the part. She was fabulous and funny. The kids loved her! Her brother was the son of one of our church employees. This may sound funny, but he liked to decorate. So, when we put a skit together, He’d go borrow furniture from around the building to create a little set for us. It was amazing! We’d laugh in awe at what he’d create for us. I don’t know if this young man every totally loved school, but man could he decorate. He never seemed to stop. He didn’t because he had a love for it from the desire God had put in his heart. He used those talents around the church and it was like he was becoming a professional before our eyes. Pretty soon other people and other churches were requesting his help. It became a business he thrived in. Today this young man is a truly amazing and gifted designer/decorator running his own business and serving in our church using this talent. He is in charge of our church décor and if you saw our building, you’d be in awe – seriously!

This desire became noticeable from a young age. It was always in him. God placed this desire within him to lead him into the perfect will of God for his life. He uses it to glorify God as well as provide his livelihood.

I have always told people, “Find ways to serve God and be willing to do anything. He will direct your steps and He will reveal gifts and talents beyond what you are aware of.
They will help direct you into God’s perfect will for you life.” Pay attention to how God uses you. That is important so I’ll say it again. Pay attention to how God uses you! Pat attention to that and to the desires that really make you tick. Then pray about them and ask God to use them to lead you in His plan for your life. God will lead you. You have to put God’s plan first place in your life or your tendency will be to let your desires lead you for your own selfish satisfaction. That won’t get you to His will. That will only help you do life your way. Pray, let His Word lead you, pay attention to those desires, and let God lead you.

Psalm 32:8. (NLT) “The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Guided into God's Perfect Will

2012-01-17T19:05:00.007-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Part 5 Random or A Plan: God Will Guide You

In the last four devotionals, I’ve written about God having a plan for our life. He knows what that plan is. It would be His desire that we walk in it. Why? Because it would result in our blessing and the fulfilling of His master plan.
These verses from Isaiah 46:9-11 (NLT) point out the fact that He indeed has a master plan. “And do not forget the things I have done throughout history. For I am God—I alone! I am God, and there is no one else like me. Only I can tell you what is going to happen even before it happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. I will call a swift bird of prey from the east—a leader from a distant land who will come and do my bidding. I have said I would do it, and I will.”

From the beginning, God only ever wanted blessing for every human being, yet His love carries freedom to make choices. God left us with that freedom and people make bad choices turning from God and His plan. Consequently, the entire earth and all mankind suffer from those that will not walk in God’s plan. The defilement of sin has touched everything on the planet. It attempts to reach into our lives. Jesus warned us that we would always see two forces at work in the earth – His for good and Satan’s for the spoiling and destruction over everything God ever created. Jesus said “The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10 NKJV)

To learn to walk in the plan that God has for your life, you have to realize that He has a master plan. His plan is offer the gift of salvation ― the forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life to whomever would receive Jesus as their savior. Despite what the enemy would try to steal from you or how he would try to hurt you, you have to know and believe that God has a plan for you that is good. He wants you to have life and have it more abundantly. That has to be a part of your foundational core belief because all truth concerning the Lord and His will for your life flows from understanding this truth.

You couldn’t possibly see the ‘behind the scenes’ of how God is moving throughout all the earth. In more ways that we could ever know, He reaches out to us. When we begin to pay attention, we hear Him crying out inviting us to become His ambassadors -vessels of His touch and love to others. 2 Cor. 5:19-20 says, “…God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation (sharing the good news with others.) Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.” This is His master plan at work and He implores you and I to be a part of it in anyway we can.

As I said, His plan continuously reaches out and into the lives of people throughout the earth. It is His will for that to be a part of our calling as Christians and a part of His master plan in the earth. And please, don’t think that His master plan is exclusive of the personal plan for you life. Every detail of your life plays into that master plan when you trust Him. And He wants to bring blessing to the details of your life. As you read through the Bible, you continuously see God reveal His desire to bless His saints. His master plan is to bless you as you walk in His plan. What you see God say in Psalm 115:13-16 is what you see Him say throughout the Bible. “He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great. May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; but the earth He has given to the children of men.”

How do we discover and enter into God’s master plan? You enter into the perfect will of God for your life by cooperating and helping to fulfill His master plan of bringing Jesus to all. When you seek to fulfill His plan, you enter into the perfect will for your own life. God is blessed by this, you are blessed by this, and the lives around you will be blessed by His presence touching their lives through you. He will lead you step by step. Your awareness and participation are especially enhanced by giving yourself over to spending time in His word and prayer.

The Bible reveals that David was a man after God’s own heart and Daniel was a man with great love for God. They and many others cared about what God cared about. Consequently, they walked in the Lord’s favor and experienced His grace which is His supernatural help and blessing. We constantly learn about prayer from David as in Psalm. 25:4. “Show me the path where I should walk O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow.” And Psalm 119:33, “Direct my steps by Your Word…”

God will lead you but you will have to have faith that as you seek Him, He is always leading you. Psalm 119:105 says, "God’s word is a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path.” He will speak to you as you read His Word. He’ll also speak to you through others such as through preaching, or Bible Studies, or devotional studies such as this. God will speak to you through like minded Christians that are on the same page as you. He guides you in many ways as revealed in Psalm 32:8. (NLT) “The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”

People that really love God, seek God and care about His master plan as well as His perfect will for their life. They work together to fulfill it knowing that as they do, He cares about every detail of their life. Seek Him and align your life with His will and watch Him guide you into His perfect will for you. More tomorrow…

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Color Between the Lines

2012-01-16T22:45:00.000-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

When our children were little, just like any parent, there were times where we would sit around the kitchen table, pull out the coloring books, and teach them to color. And what did we try to teach them first? We taught them to outline the object they were going to color and we taught them to color between the lines. Of course neither was done well in the beginning, and yet we’d say good job and give them words of encouragement. Now in reality, they would initially try to outline for about ten seconds before resorting back to scribbling all over their paper.
When we sat down to teach them, we knew it would be a patient process of learning. We also knew we’d encourage them all along the way. There would be times when we took them out to a restaurant and they were given coloring sheets and crayons. We’d see improvement come little by little.

A good parent has enough instincts―even with their first child, to know that patience is required in learning. You give them a plan. You teach them how to execute that plan. And then you are patient as they learn and grow in that plan. That is what the entire education program is built upon.

As I’ve said in the three previous Fresh Manna devotionals, God has got a plan for our life. God revealed in Jeremiah 29:11 that it is a good plan for our life. “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.“

God has a perfect will for your life. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, acceptable, and perfect will.”

In this verse, “good” means something that is beneficial. “Acceptable” means that there is wide agreement that it’s an acceptable and good thing. “Perfect” refers to something that produces growth and moral character helping one to become mature and complete. Everyone does things on occasion and hopefully with frequency that are good. But a person can do good things while still having much of their life out of the will of God. For example, many young couples live together and have a sexual life thinking its okay – even Christians! Are these people capable of doing good things or acceptable things? Of course they are and most likely do. But are they in the perfect will of God? No they are not. This would be living a life that contains a pattern of fornication and is not within the perfect will of God.

God wants us to learn how to live a godly life and pursue it the best we can. As a new reader of the Bible begins to study the New Testament and see the patterns for godly living that are given, their first attempts might be like the child learning to outline and color between the lines. They may have brief moments similar to a child tantrum― “I can’t do this.” But they can and they will get it if they keep it up. And God is no more condemning them in their efforts than you would yell at a child learning to color between the lines. The Holy Spirit has the character of the perfect parent, full of mercy, compassion, and grace, and patient to help and encourage. The Holy Spirit knows that if, out of your love for Jesus, you work to “color in the lines,” ― pursue the perfect will of God, that your life will align with God’s and from there He can guide you into God’s plan for your life.

It doesn’t mean that if you follow it perfectly, that everything in your life will be perfect, or seamless or without problems. The great godly Bible characters that we often study still experienced plenty of hardship. The perfect will of God is not measured by a lack of hardship or by the accumulation of resources. It is measured only by your judging yourself with the Holy Spirit’s guidance. It is measured by a self evaluation and ongoing discussion between you and the Holy Spirit as to whether your life is following the direction that God has and continues to give you. And you should know this; in your self evaluation, the Holy Spirit NEVER condemns you. He will chastise or correct you through God’s Word, but in a loving way that encourages you to try again and again. Any voice you hear that is condemning is the voice of the enemy.

So, God has a plan for your life. You begin to discover that plan by aligning your life with the perfect will of God. You continually seek Him for how He wants you to live your life and as you do, you’ll learn to color between the lines. As you do, your life begins to be like an overlay over His perfect will.

Tomorrow, more on how to find that plan for your life…

Romans 12:2 “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, acceptable, and perfect will.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Fishing for Laughs in Times Square

2012-01-16T11:51:00.003-06:00

I apologize if this seems inappropriate. Someone showed it to me over the holidays and the longer I watched it the harder I laughed until I hurt I was laughing so hard.

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

“May I Have Your Attention Please!”

2012-01-15T20:23:00.004-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Exodus 24:12 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give you tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that you may teach them"

Moses is a new leader. Not young in age but young in leading God's people. I'm sure his mind was often spinning concerning the things God asked him to do. God wanted to give Moses the Ten Commandments and asked him to come up to the mountain. In speaking to Moses, God said, "Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give you tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that you may teach them." Look at those words and you will notice something funny. God said, "Come up to the mountain... and then continues by saying, "and be there..."

Why did the Lord say "Come up... and be there...?" Just go back to the last time you sat down to read and mediate on God's Word or when you went to spend time in prayer. Did you find your mind drifting to other places? When you were in church, did you find your mind drifting to other places? When you’re talking to other people or better yet when they are talking to you, do you find your mind drifting to other places? That's probably why the Lord said, "Come up... and be there."

God doesn't want us going through religious motions which is exactly what we are doing when we come to Him but aren't with Him. It's about the same as when your wife is talking to you but you have your mind on the television or business or the football game or whatever. She knows she doesn't have your attention and there is no real communion going on. But then the husband wants her full attention and sex later on.

Whether it's with God or with those we are supposedly with - are we really there? Are we listening and paying attention? Are we there to make the moment work? Let's learn from God! "Come... and be there!"

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

This is the Truth

2012-01-13T12:31:00.008-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Be sure to watch this all the way to the end.
It will sound negative at first but stay in there and you see how that turns around. Be blessed!

Psalm 27:14 (NKJV) "Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! "

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word

2012-01-13T05:00:00.001-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Great Humor: Better Airport Security

2012-01-12T14:48:00.007-06:00

Great Humor! TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israelis are developing an airport security device that eliminates the privacy concerns that come with full-body scanners. It's an armored booth you step into that will not X-ray you, but will detonate any explosive device you may have on your person.

Israel sees this as a win-win situation for everyone, with none of this crap about racial profiling. It will also eliminate the costs of long and expensive trialsYou're in the airport terminal and you hear a muffled explosion. Shortly thereafter, an announcement: “Attention to all standby passengers, El Al is proud to announce a seat available on flight 670 to London . Shalom!”

BRILLIANT
In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Your Spiritual DNA

2012-01-11T16:57:00.005-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Part 3 Random or A Plan: Your Spiritual DNA

Yesterday I wrote about about you understanding that God has a plan for your life. I laid out why we should believe that! Now I want you to understand something about yourself that is important, and that I believe will really help you walk out your life in a new and refreshing way.
I want you to be aware and attentive to the fact that you have a spiritual DNA that produces within you, a desire or quest to know God and His plan for life and for you!

We all know because science has made it clear, that the human body is made up of DNA that is like a road map of who we are. This is true. If all scientists could only understand that the core of all science should be to prove everything that God has revealed to us in His Word, I believe science would progress so much quicker.

Science is all about the pursuit and understanding of knowledge. That pursuit is not limited to physics, or geology, or biology, or chemistry. It’s the pursuit and study of all knowledge with the purpose of gaining understanding. If those that study science would let the starting place of their original theories and hypotheses, be the truths, insights, and clues that God gives us in His Word, I believe their discoveries and the knowledge and understanding gained would increase exponentially.

As I said, science is a quest for knowledge and understanding. Where did that quest come from? It came from God. God describes Himself in many ways and with many terms. It would take pages to cover and describe the vastness of all who God is. One term God uses to describe Himself is “eternity.” Only God is eternal and frankly, the human mind cannot easily wrap itself around the thought of eternity. To think of something or someone as never having a beginning or end, is beyond human comprehension. That stops many people right there in their tracks. But it shouldn’t. God speaks about things that are beyond human comprehension such as in:

Eph. 3:20 (NKJV) “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…”

Or Philip. 4:7 (NKJV) “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Science will never be able to define ‘the peace of God’ or ‘the power of God that works within us.’ If people of science reject God, how can they open their hearts to understanding these truths? When they shut out or deny God and what He has revealed, they shut out truth―the very thing they seek. God speaks about things that are beyond human comprehension. That means science won’t be able to solve every mystery. Science was meant to confirm what God says, not argue or disagree with it.

When God reveals these truths to us, He is revealing a spiritual DNA that is within each and every one of us. God has placed Himself within every single person to create this quest for Him, for truth, and for the purpose of life that will then ultimately lead them to Jesus Christ. This insight is revealed in Eccles. 3:11 (NKJV) “He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their (man’s) hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”

This verse tells us that God has placed Himself―”eternity” in every person, and that He has created that quest to know God and seek understanding of life, within every person. It also tells us that no matter how hard man or science tries, it will not understand everything. That is because God keeps some things mysteries or secrets until He is ready to reveal them. Jesus was an example of one of those mysteries or secrets. Although clues were given to His coming all through time, until He arrived and proclaimed who He was, He had not been revealed.

I have taken the time to share this with you to ground you in the fact that God has got a plan for your life as revealed in Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.“

There will always be those that deny God. Psalm 14:1 says, "The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God..." We are not them. We want to know His plan. We want to be led by God in that plan and cooperate with it. God has the big picture plan for humankind that is revealed in His Word. He also has a plan for your life that He wants you to seek Him for and pursue!

Next week I’ll pick up here and share about pursuing that plan!

Psalm 33:10-11 (NIV) The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Part 2 Random or A Plan: God’s Plan for Your Life

2012-01-10T18:00:00.003-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Yesterday, I began to talk to you about not letting your life be random as though there was no plan for your life. God has a plan for your life that He would like to lead you in. It takes strong faith to believe that. Do you know why? Because when you talk about a plan for your life, you are talking about the future―things unseen and things unknown. And they are exactly that. If they are unseen and unknown, how can you trust that you have a clue of what that plan is? You couldn’t without the Lord. Only the Lord knows the future!

There is the kind of planning that is simple and not too overly complicated―like getting a plan for your day. You think of all the things you need to do; build a task list, prioritize it, and pursue it step by step. That might be a part of your daily calendar and planner or it may be simply scribbled on a sheet of paper. Getting that kind of a plan has little risk and takes little faith. That kind of planning is perfect when it’s part of an ongoing bigger picture and plan. Then each day is a working part of a bigger picture. But, if you have that kind of planning just to get through each day and each week with little thought to where it’s leading you, then it’s random. The results and it’s impact on your life, and the chance that it will produce the kind of success and fruit that you’d like to see is about as random as a glass cube of bingo balls being pushed around by air while someone picks one out and calls it out the winning number.

Life planning can be fearful and intimidating. It can because it involves the assumption that there is a big picture plan that God has though you can’t see it. It can because it takes faith to believe that you are able to somehow discover it and follow it.

So why should you believe what I’m proposing when many would consider it nonsense? You should because the very nature of God and what we know of Him through His word, help us understand that to believe anything less is nonsense. God’s plan and planning is throughout the entire Bible.

Consider Romans 8:14 (NLT) “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” This verse is a part of other verses that say God doesn’t want us led around by fleshly carnal desires. They reveal that by receiving Jesus, we received His Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit has set us free being a slave to sin and carnality. And because of that, we can be led in our hearts by the Holy Spirit in the will and plan of God. So… God is leading us. Where and how do you think He is leading us? Just simply through the hour or day? Do you really think God is that short range? Is that His nature? Of course not!

Now let’s back up. Let’s back up all the way prior to God creating the world we live in. Imagine that before God ever created the world we live in, He knew every detail of every aspect of the creation and person He was about to create including every detail of every person’s life. And in that plan, His perfect will was putting Himself in your path where Jesus would be revealed to you with the hope you would make the choice to receive Him. From there, He would lead you by His Spirit into the plan He had for you. Does that sound wild? If so read this:

Ephes. 1:3-5 (NLT) “How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure."

Can you see that God has always had a plan for you? Before He created the world He had a plan for you. Let’s read further:

Ephes. 1:9-14 (NLT) “God's secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. God's purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.”

We’ll go further tomorrow. Today, understand and begin to find comfort in this; God has a plan for you. He wants to lead you in it. It will take faith and trust. It won’t always be clear and easy to see. It will take faith every day. But you will have to have confidence in this truth through your faith. That is how you begin to discover it. Then you acknowledge it and ask the Lord to lead you in it. He wants to lead you away from ‘random’ and get you to begin to think big picture. It happens a step at a time. Let go of the fear and seek Him and thank Him that He has a plan. And then pay attention! Watch as the Lord begins to lead you by His Holy Spirit. You will see or experience evidence! More tomorrow…

Psalm 32:8 (NLT) “The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Random or a Plan?

2012-01-09T18:21:00.007-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Can I ask you a question? Be slow to answer. What are you hiding? What don’t you want others to know about you? What do you feel like you secretly failing in and would be ashamed or embarrassed if others knew?

You are not unique you know. We all have things we hide. It started with Adam. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they hid. Genesis 3:7-8 says, “At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they strung fig leaves together around their hips to cover themselves. Toward evening they heard the Lord God walking about in the garden, so they HID themselves among the trees.”

Whether it’s right or wrong, people do hide things they aren’t proud of. But I hope we all know that we can’t hide from God. We shouldn’t. We should run to Him. We should spill our guts and tell Him everything. He is the only one perfectly trustworthy to do so. We should seek Him for help and for His grace. And don’t ever forget this: He is not like an earthly parent that runs out of compassion and grace. God is gracious. He is compassionate. He is full of mercy. And He can help and wants to help. So, forget hiding and don’t cover up one speck of what you are doing wrong. Just lay it out. God can handle it. But be reverential toward Him and sincere in seeking His help.

Then know that God is not random. People are way too random. They just let life happen to them while hoping that something is going to magically change. And then they are disappointed when it doesn’t and things don’t get better. God is a planner. Everything in life is a plan. He knew every human being’s choices (without violating their will or free choice) before the foundation of this world. Read it in Ephesians chapter one. He took all the choices mankind would ever make to craft His master plan. He plans. And He has a plan for you – a good one. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.“

As you read your Bible, you see that God created the earth from a plan and has laid plans from the beginning. I tell you that because you were created in His image and He has created you to have more than a random life that embarrasses you and that you have to hide behind. You want to cooperate with God because to do so is to be led by His Spirit into the plan that will unfold over time before your very eyes. For good change to happen in your life, He wants you to get a plan! He wants to lead you in that plan. And you should know this; your plan will not go according to plan. What I mean is, a plan is a framework to get you moving in a direction, but it will be adjusted many times along the way. Just keep following the Lord in it and be flexible, and you’ll see that God will lead you beyond your expectations.

A plan is important. Without a plan, you only have good intentions and little to nothing ever gets done from good intentions alone. With good intentions you get an occasional random bright spot or momentary success. With a plan, you build great things that last.

Will God really help you build a plan? Absolutely! Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He DELIGHTS in every detail of their lives.” And Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

So, there are things you need to stop doing – those things you are hiding. You never will until you get a plan to replace them first with good things that squeeze them out and take their place - like some yogurt instead of a cookie or donut. That will also be a part of your plan. Build that plan and ask God for His wisdom in building it and for His grace – His supernatural help, in executing it. Let God help you establish your plans. Amazing things happen when you do and you’ll eventually have little to nothing to hide and much more to Praise Him for! More tomorrow…

Psa 65:11 "You crown the year with Your goodness & Your paths drip with abundance"

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

A Powerful Testimony

2012-01-07T09:06:00.005-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt
I thought I'd share a testimony from a reader that told me he was fine in sharing with you. I had just written a Fresh Manna about how powerfully God loves us. This is what he wrote me back.

Dear Pastor Tim:
I wrote you a few years back and you published it in Fresh Manna. I store all the daily readings in a folder that I can always go to when I need to. My son tried to kill himself 3 weeks ago today by hanging. He is 13. I found him within 3-5 minutes and he was still breathing, but unconscious. I cried out to God to save my son while the paramedics came. He was in PICU for 10 days and on a ventilator. We had people all over the world praying for him. He does not remember anything and I had to explain it to him when he wanted to know why he was in the hospital. We waited until his counseling sessions started with a Christian service and the doctor said "dad you found him you tell him". I did and he acted pretty numb, but hugged me later and said"I love you dad". Thinking about todays reading made me see that God loves me and my son more than I could ever imagine and now I see the Father's love for me in a whole different way. It is hard, but I go one day at a time, just like Jesus said. We check on him a lot and his door is not allowed to be closed. I trusted the Lord and had a peace throughout the whole time sleeping every night in his room and praying over him and reading the Word while he was in a coma.He is a Christian, but was deceived by the devil and made a mistake. He has lots of support from his youth group and leaders and his Royal Ranger commander and the kids there and their families. Not sure why I am saying all this except to give God the Glory, because everything happens for God's glory even if it is not seen at this time. I have had people come up and say it was a wake up call to them, because nobody saw this coming at all. Thank you Pastor for your daily encouragement!
KM

God gave you Jesus - the most precious gift He could give! His love for you drove Him to do that while you were in a state of sin and hardly cared for Him. How much more does He love you now that you've given your life to Him! Trust that and let it increase your faith!

Psalm 84:11-12 (NLT) "For the Lord God is our light and protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who do what is right. O Lord Almighty,happy are those who trust in you."

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Watch This: Give Me Jesus

2012-01-06T14:18:00.011-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Enjoy this amazing experience that those on this flight did! And remember this verse of scripture:

Psalm 66:4 (NLT)"Everything on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises,shouting your name in glorious songs."

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Getting Results!

2012-01-05T00:03:00.007-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

I was twenty years old when I bought my first house. Along with my first house came my first yard to keep up. After the first winter in that house, I had the joy of repairing the parts of my lawn that had been killed by winter-kill. I was in my mid twenties at that time and fairly inexperienced in home upkeep. I also liked to do everything in a hurry. I was too young and immature to appreciate the old adage, "If you are going to do something, do it right."

After buying grass seed, I would sprinkle some over the areas of dead grass from the winter-kill. Then I'd water it. A couple of weeks later, I’d be frustrated because most of the seed had not germinated and little to no new grass had sprouted.

I asked a few friends if they knew a better way to get grass to grow. And yes, there were directions on the box of grass seed but who had time to read directions much less do it the way they recommend? That would take way too much time. I’d get varied advice on what to do. One person told me that raking the grass seed in would work. The next year I tried that. It didn't work. Please forgive me for how stupid this sounds, but I'd keep trying some version of sprinkling the seed on top of the dead grass and watering it, even though it didn't seem to work.

Finally a true gardener found out about my frustration. He said, "Tim, you can either cut out the damaged lawn and replace it with a new piece of sod or do what I tell you which will take more time but get perfect results." I asked him what to do. He said it would be hard work – more than just throwing some seed. “First,’” he said, “If possible, start in the spring just after the temperature is steady at about sixty degrees. The weather is perfect for growing grass at that time of year because the slightly cooler weather helps the ground stays moist longer. That is critical to the seed germinating.” He then told me to take a gardening fork (a small hand tool to till up an area) and run it over the winter kill a section at a time. Rake it out picking up the dead grass and disposing it. Then sprinkle the seed over the tilled area and work it into the soil with the gardening fork. He prepared me. “Your yard will look ugly for about three weeks.” “Then” he said, “Comes the most important part to get perfect results. You need to water it at least morning and night for a week to ten days. The seeds need to stay moist to germinate and then they need water as they sprout and begin to grow. If you do this, I guarantee you will see the results you want."

I did what he said and it has always given me perfect results. Over time I learned that the three key things to repairing my lawn are parallel to letting God build my house.

1.) Meditate on God’s Word. God’s Word is called incorruptible seed meaning its perfect seed that gets results. Meditate on the word of God before you start your day – before it gets too hot. Once you get going it will be "to hot" – your day will become too busy and it will not allow you to get back into God’s Word later. Work the seed (God’s Word) into the soil of your heart. This is important to the start of our day!

2.) Pray the Word of God. Is incorruptible seed. God’s word is His will and He says in 1 John 5:14-15 "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of Him."

3.) Continue to pray every time you get a chance – ESPECIALLY when you are praying over something critical to you. Prayer is the equivalent of watering. It prepares and softens your heart so you can hear from God. It helps your heart grow in faith. It will help God’s Word take root in your heart. Prayer petitions Heaven according to the will of God. The Holy Spirit will help you remember to pray and often. Pray whenever you can and often! Not only will it cause it to grow, but it will bring protection or as today’s manna says, “the Lord will guard it.”
I used to try to get great results in a hurry giving no respect for how God has ordained sowing and reaping to work. I used to think I didn’t have time. Now I know that the only way to get the results I desire is to make the time. This is how the Lord builds the house. This is how to avoid building your house in vain – doing what you think is the work but getting zero results.

Psa 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Cooperate With God and be Blessed

2012-01-04T19:00:00.005-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

When my son Pete was a toddler, watching him eat spaghetti was an event. He had as much fun finger painting his face and sculpting his hair with the spaghetti sauce as he did eating it.
We would just peeled off his clothes and put him in the bath tub. Kids getting dirty – even filthy are something kids do.

There are times when getting filthy is just a part of the job description. But when getting filthy is in reference to sinful behavior, God requests that we change those behaviors. He does because He knows they will hurt us and others, and hinder the blessings promised to us in the promises of God. 2 Cor. 7:1 says, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh…”

“Cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the flesh” is getting rid of sinful behaviors. Galatians 5:19-21 helps us understand what filthiness of the flesh is saying, “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God."

The last verse in those scriptures is quite sobering. “…anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” The question arises from many Christians, “Pastor Tim, I thought if I accepted Jesus as my Savior, my sins are all forgiven?” The answer is; they are! Upon the very moment of sincerely receiving Jesus Christ into your heart, your sins are washed away. At that moment, God placed His Holy Spirit within you and from that moment, a change began. It was like the heavenly street cleaning machines began to drive up and down the streets of your heart and mind. The Holy Spirit begins to show a believer what is sinful and what is good and creates spiritual strength so changes can be made.

All of a Christian’s sins are forgiven, but now God wants to help us change the thoughts and attitudes that led to sinful behavior. That will be a process – a life long process. Why? Because it’s your castle He is helping you clean up. It’s like going through each room of your mansion with a paint brush and a can of paint – just you and the Holy Spirit. You are the only ones who can paint it because this happens within you. Consequently, God gives us space and time to change. It’s called mercy and grace. That is not a license to sin. It is God’s understanding and patience for you to want to make those changes out of your love for Him, just as Jesus died for you out of His love for you. When we do blow it and sin, God makes provision called sincere heart repentance. 1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”

Again, this benefit is not a permission slip to sin. It is the mercy of God and His grace to help us while we go through the process of “cleansing ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh…” Every time we sin, we should stop and sincerely repent and talk to God about how to change the behavior of that sin and examine the Word of God to see what He has to say about it. Then we should pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help us make changes. When someone is sincerely sorry, they will find the strength and in time make changes.

When someone doesn’t repent from sin or work to make changes, they begin to override the voice of the Holy Spirit and become hardened. When they become hardened, they no longer feel guilty over committing sin and become deceived and blinded and dull to God’s voice concerning that sin. When that happens, you hinder yourself from the changes that bring maturity and Christ-like life transformation.

God is not watching over you with a stick. He is not watching over you with the intent of catching you at every mistake. Jesus has become your righteousness - He has made you righteous as a gift. God is not an accuser or condemner. He is your encourager to lead you into the kind of changes that ushers great blessing in your life.

Many years ago a man came into my office. His wife had left him. He had struggled for years with pornography and she couldn't deal with it any more. He told me he was always remorseful of this sin in his life. He always repented to the Lord and was sincerely trying to change. He asked if he was going to Heaven. I told him Jesus died for all his sins, but his behavior was interfering with his faith and blessing. He was questioning his salvation, the extent of God's mercy toward him, and he lost his wife (a great blessing) because of it.

God, not me, is his judge and God's mercy is great. But people aren't always so merciful or able to ride out someone else’s sinful dysfunction. This is one way sin hinders blessing. Had he dealt with this, he could have had a blessed marriage. His wife wanted to love him.

The process of change will produce some pain, some guilt, and the need for repentance - maybe every day or even multiple times in a day. Sin should produce that. But, by sincerely pursuing God and embracing change and repentance, you keep yourself free from sin and instead open yourself to God’s blessing and the transformation God would otherwise work in you.

Blessing is God’s will for you life. You just need to let Him help you get out of the way! Cleanse yourself of filthiness. And be careful when eating spaghetti!

Psalm 84:11 (NKJV) “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

What Makes Faith Perfect

2012-01-03T17:34:00.004-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

One of the most beautiful things in receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior, is the deposit of the Holy Spirit – He comes to abide or live within our being. 2 Cor. 5:5 says, "Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” The second you sincerely receive Jesus as your Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you. From that moment, you have the ability to see life through God’s eyes and progressively understand His plan and purpose as you read His Word. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God to help you know His will, His heart, and His character.

In the process of all this happening, is one of the most beautiful of all things that I mentioned. God establishes and intimate relationship with you! As you purpose in your heart to seek Him and draw close to Him, He likewise draws close to you. That starts with the promise of James 4:8 "draw close to God, and God will draw close to you..." He will never force Himself on you as the entire relationship is a product of faith – you believing what He has said and promised to you in His Word. And you drawing near to Him through His Word, through prayer, and through worshiping Him for whom He is – Almighty God.

God calls Himself a “Father” to you. You can’t get more intimate than that. 2 Cor. 6:18 says, “And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." God sweetens this revelation of intimacy saying, “So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted into his family—calling him "Father, dear Father." Romans 8:15 (NLT)

When people are ignorant of all whom He is and will be to us, they call Him names like, “the big guy in the sky,” “the head honcho,” and so on. They do this because they just don’t know Him, or how to relate to Him. On the opposite side of the coin, believers that do learn of God’s intimacy often become too familiar with Him and without realizing it, bring God down to an almost human level. Although God has adopted us as His children and is a greater Father than any man could ever be, and though He has invited us to experience that kind off intimacy with Him, we still can never forget He is God. He is Almighty God!

You don’t get mad at Almighty God. Though He calls us His friend, we don’t make God our “buddy.” He is perfect. He is Holy. He is omnipotent and infinite. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. In Isaiah 9:6 Jesus is called “Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.” The names of God’s magnificence and glory go on and on!

We must be careful in our intimacy with God, to always honor Him as God. If we lower Him in nature we diminish our own faith. We forget His unmatchable love and power, and lose faith in God “making all things possible to him who believes.” If we don’t worship and honor God, we eventually treat Him like others whom we take advantage of. We eventually sin against Him uncaringly!

We must always esteem who He is! Psalm 96:6-9 says it like this: “Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.”

In perfect intimacy with God, He is thee most loving Father one could have. He is also Almighty God. A revelation and honoring attitude of this is what makes faith strong, and powerful and perfect! Love Him and worship Him today!

Psalm 97:6 “The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples see His glory.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2011 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

“Let God Thoughts Lead 2012”

2012-01-01T12:44:00.007-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Romans 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."

I had woken up early after a late night and great time with great friends eating, laughing together and then praying the New Year in. Although I was tired, I was upbeat and excited about starting a New Year.

Just a short time later I ran into someone I knew and threw out a greeting; "Hey ___ Happy New year! How are you doing?" This person immediately began to tell me of negative situation that happened to them and said, "Man, I hope this isn't a bad omen for how the rest of the year is going to go."

Before I knew the Lord, I may have this same kind of experience and also had the fear of it being a "bad omen." Some people actually have faith in them believing they are going to happen! So, to you who may have had a thought like this, this is for you!

It is so critical to discern the voices we hear and thoughts we think. When people hear, think, and then believe that some voice, some feeling, or some sign is a sign that is going to tell us how our day or our year is going to go, they are opening themselves to demonic activity. That kind of an experience is called an omen. An omen is defined as a phenomenon or event or circumstance supposed to forecast a good or evil - a prophetic sign. Signs outside of what God's Word teaches us are born out of superstition, myth, wild and over-spiritual imaginations, and more. Cultures that don't have the Bible to instruct them end up with religions or spiritual cultures that are filled with myth and superstition. God never wanted this for mankind. He instructed His children through Moses to avoid this kind of thing. We see it in Deuteronomy 18:9-11 (NLT) "When you arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead.”

God wanted them to avoid being influenced by the pagan cultures of the lands they would take over. He wanted them to listen and learn and trust Him and His Word alone. He feels the same way today.

When we give our lives to Jesus, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches and instructs us from within helping us to learn and execute God's Word in our lives. For example - you have a bad attitude. Your start to feel wrong about that and the Lord begins to bring to your remembrance verses on loving one another. That is God leading you by His Spirit. God doesn't lead us by omens or circumstances, but by His Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14 says "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." The excitement of learning of and spending time in God’s Word is that we get to learn how much He loves us, we see the Holy Spirit enlighten us in His ways of thinking and living, and His promises become illuminated, bringing us hope and strengthening us as we put our trust in those promises daily.

Don’t you dare cave into bad circumstances or omen driven beliefs that try to drive your destiny for the day, week, or year. God wants us to rise up in faith knowing that He is our help and our promise. He’ll help us in any situation if we will believe His promises and have faith in them.

On a closing note for today, which will you believe? Some omen generated by a negative circumstance or promises such as this to God’s children? Psa 115:11-15 "You that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: He is their help and their shield. The LORD has been mindful of us: He will bless us... He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children. You are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth."

Make good choices in 2012 by beginning to be particular - not casual, about what you believe! God bless you and Happy New Year!

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Five 2012 New Years Resolutions for Every Lover of Jesus

2012-01-01T09:34:00.000-06:00

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

1. Pray the Word of God – not your feelings - from your heart and in faith
James 1:6 (NKJV) “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”

2. Focus and meditated on one covenant promise of God each day
Galatians 3:29 (NLT) “And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.”

3. Be the grace of God by encouraging others
Ephes. 4:29 (NKJV) “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

4. Serve God by serving & strengthening your church and being a servant to others. 1 Cor. 14:12 (NIV) & 1 Thes. 5:11 (NIV) So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

5. Unintentional offenses happen often. Overlook 99.9% of them. Forgive the rest!
Proverbs 19:11 (NIV) & Acts 24:16 (NKJV) “A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.”

Make good choices in 2012 by beginning to be particular – not casual, about what you believe! God bless you and Happy New Year!

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2012 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Just For Fun: A Norwegian Math Test

2011-12-30T14:44:00.007-06:00

Verks 4 me...A Norwegian Math Test

Ole, a Norwegian fella wants a job, but the foreman doesn’t want to hire him, so he says he won't hire him until he passes a little math test.
Here is your first question, the foreman said. 'Without using numbers, represent the number 9.'

'Without numbers?' The Norwegian says, 'Dat's easy.' and proceeds to draw three trees.

What's this?' the boss asks.

Vot! You got no brain? Tree and tree and tree make nine,' says the Norwegian.

'Fair enough,' says the boss. 'Here's your second question. Use the same rules, but this time represent the number 99.'

The Norwegian stares into space for a while, then picks up the picture that he has just drawn and makes a smudge on each tree. 'Dar ya go!'

The boss scratches his head and says, 'How on earth do you get that to represent 99?'

Each of DA trees is dirty now. So, it's dirty tree, and dirty tree, and dirty tree.
Dat is 99.'

The boss is getting worried that he's going to actually have to hire this Norwegian, so he says, 'All right, last question. Same rules again, but represent the number 100.'

The Norwegian fella stares into space some more, then he picks up the picture again and makes a little mark at the base of each tree and says, 'Dar ya go! Von hundred!'

The boss looks at the attempt. 'You must be nuts if you think that represents a hundred!'

The Norwegian winces and shakes his head…he leans forward and points to the marks at the base of each tree and says, 'A little dog come along and pooped by each tree. So now you got dirty tree and a turd, dirty tree and a turd, and dirty tree and a turd, and dat makes von hundred !!

So, ven do I start?

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/