How to Have Real Change in Your Life - Apples of Gold - April 13, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 13, 2009

“How to Have Real Change in Your Life”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Do you need something to change in your life?

Have you tried the self help books, had a little success, then slipped right back into the old ruts?

Well today I want to talk about how you can have real, long lasting change.

And it starts with Wayne Huizenga, Jr., a part owner of the Miami Dolphins.  (huh-ZEN-guh)

Junior was quite a drinker and loved to party.

But he knew he needed a change.  There had to be more to life.

He started going to church, even invited his friends – and then after church they would go right back to their partying.

Then one day he was invited to a different church. 

“And I went,” he said.  “And I listened to an hour-long message that rocked my world and culminated with the pastor talking about having a personal relationship with Christ and challenging that there was more to being a Christian than just attending church on Sunday.”

He said the pastor really hit home with questions like, “Why did God allow you to be born,” and, “Why have you been given the things that you’ve been given?”

And what was his response?

“It was like I had springs in my legs,” he said.  “I stood up out of my chair….and I made my way to the front of this church with a bunch of other people…and I fell to my knees, and I began to cry…like I’ve never really cried before, and telling God how sorry I was…that He had given me so much…that I knew I wasn’t living the right way, and I prayed that simple, short prayer that changed my life.”

Isn’t that a great story?  God changed his life, right?

But the next thing you know, he was right back at the cocktail parties.  And he was shooting off his big mouth like always.

So where was the change?

Ah, listen to what he said.

“I tried to go and behave the way that I did at parties, and I woke up the next morning feeling terrible.”

Now did you get that?  He went out and did the same thing.  On the outside he didn’t look any different. 

But catch this.  Something was changing on the inside.

Back to Junior.  He said, “I’d still say outrageous things, and I’d find I would set my cocktail down at the party and go find a quiet spot and go, ‘Lord, I’m sorry that I said that.  Please forgive me.’”

So out there in the public eye he basically looked the same.

But get this.  There was a private, hidden conversation going on inside him.

The morning after a party, a voice was telling him that it wasn’t right.

After he said something stupid, that voice let him know.

And you know whose voice that was?

It was the voice of the Holy Spirit of God.

The Bible says in several places that as believers in Christ, God’s Spirit comes to live inside us.

And you know what?  The Holy Spirit is the perfect mentor.  He is our counselor, our trainer, our guide.  He convicts us and teaches us and leads us into all truth. 

Now brace yourself.  This is going to sound weird.  But the Holy Spirit mentors us from inside of us.  It’s like an internal conversation.

This is how real change can happen in our life.  It’s through the mentorship of the Holy Spirit within.

And the Holy Spirit is not just a voice inside us.  Ephesians 3:16 talks about God’s power coming through His Spirit in our inner being.

So the Holy Spirit tells us what changes to make, and empowers us to make them!

Let me tell you, incredible change happens as we listen to the Holy Spirit!

So are you tired of slipping into the same old ruts?

Then it’s time to bring about real change in your life.

And you do that by listening to the Holy Spirit inside you.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.


 Read more of Junior’s story here:
http://www.familylife.com/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dnJHKLNnFoG&b=3789887&ct=6856963

© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip 
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Extra Layers of Flesh - Apples of Gold - April 10, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 10, 2009

“Extra Layers of Flesh”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Do you have extra layers of flesh on your body?

This is usually caused by eating more than you need.

Underneath those extra layers is the real, lean you.  There is a healthier version of yourself, but it’s buried under the extra layers of flesh.

Get rid of the layers, and you will be able to do more.  You will have more energy, more power.  You will get around better.  You’ll be more agile. 

And it really comes down to those extra bites.   

And you know what?  It takes a lot of extra bites every day just to maintain those extra layers of flesh.

But as soon as you stop maintaining those layers, as soon as you stop feeding them, they will start to go away – and that healthier version of yourself will emerge.

I mean, it’s there right now.  It’s just stifled under those extra layers of flesh.

And now listen to this.  The same is true in our spiritual life.

As Christians, at the core we are lean and healthy.  God did that when we became new creations in Christ and He gave us His Holy Spirit.

But on top of that we have layers of worldliness.

And now get this.  We have to constantly maintain those layers of worldliness, or they will shrink. 

Just like we need extra bites of food every day to keep on the extra flesh, we need lots of the world everyday to keep on the layers of worldliness.

When we stop feeding on worldliness, those layers shrink, and the true, healthy Christian starts to emerge.

Well what exactly is “worldliness”?

I think it’s anything that runs contrary to God and His Word.

Worldliness is anything that comes from the sinful desires of man.

First Peter 2:11 says that sinful desires war against our soul, so we must abstain from them.

But this world is full of people who do not abstain from sinful desires.  Many of them promote sinful desires; or at least give them quiet approval. 

It’s all around us, and we feed on it.  And as we feed on it, the layers of worldliness build up, stifling the healthy Christian underneath.

But if we would just stop feeding on it!  If we would stop the daily intake of worldliness, those layers would begin to shrink.  The voice of the Holy Spirit would be able to break through, and the healthy Christian underneath would emerge.

Each day we set the table for ourselves.  What will we ingest, the things of God or the things of the world?

This includes our conversations.  It’s our media intake:  our reading, our viewing, our listening.  It’s what we study, and what we meditate on.

James 1:27 says to “…keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

So let me ask you.  What do you ingest that is worldly pollution?

And how often do you ingest it?

2 Peter 1:4 tells us to “escape the corruption in the world.” 

This world has its ways, but we are not supposed to follow them.  Romans 12:2 tells us to not conform to the pattern of this world.    

But we will conform if we continually ingest worldliness.

Peter urged us to live as “aliens and strangers in the world.”

First Corinthians 7:31 indicates that we should not be engrossed in the things of this world.

Elsewhere the Bible speaks against living by the standards of this world or following the ways of this world.

First John 4:5 says that some people speak from the viewpoint of the world.  Yes, the world listens to them, but we should not. 

But unfortunately, we do.  We ingest this worldly viewpoint constantly, and we end up with layers upon layers of worldliness, which smother the healthy Christian underneath.

So do you want to be more spiritually healthy?  Do you want more spiritual energy, more power, more agility? 

Then stop with all the extra bites of worldliness.  As we head into the Easter weekend, think about the worldliness you ingest on a regular basis, and stop ingesting it.

When we stop maintaining those layers of worldliness, they will shrink, and the real, healthy Christian underneath will emerge.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.


 © 2009 The Arrow’s Tip 
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Three Gun X Shallow Cross - Apples of Gold - April 9, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 9, 2009

“Three Gun X Shallow Cross”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

“Three Gun X Shallow Cross.  On first sound.  Ready.  Break!”

Third and six.  Under a minute to go.  Not in field goal range.  Clock running.

My job – a check release.  I check the right side linebacker, then release into my pattern.

Check the linebacker?  More like deck the linebacker.  That’s what I wanted to do. 

He was dirty.  My arm was still bleeding where he tried to take a chunk out of it.  Idiot.

If I get the ball I will look for him just to run him over.

At first sound I run and he picks me up.  He’s fast.

I want to take him down right now, but I have the advantage.  He turned the wrong way to pick me up.  He started to cover me deep, but I stayed shallow and cut left.

The other backs are deep and I’m open.

The quarterback sees, and lets it fly.

The plan is simple.  I will catch the ball and get out of bounds.  The clock will stop and we’ll have a first down.

Dang, the ball is behind me.  I have to slow down and turn to catch it.

I haul it in and look for the first down marker.

And there he is.

And all I want to do is hit him.

Rage pumped through my veins.

I tucked the ball into my left arm, and prepared my right arm for battle.

I veered upfield, right toward him.

We hit, and I had the advantage.

And I don’t know how it happened, but my right hand just landed perfectly on his right forearm. 

So I grabbed it.  And all the rage flowed out of my hand and into his forearm.

You … will … bleed.

As I held onto his arm, our legs tangled up somehow and down we went.

And I held on all the way down, digging my fingers into his flesh.

That’s right.  I bleed.  You bleed.

But, one problem.  I did not get out of bounds.  The clock did not stop.  And we lost.

*****

Okay, I made up that little football story to illustrate a point. 

When I got that ball, I had an open field to my goal, which was out of bounds just beyond the first down marker.

But instead of running toward the goal, I veered off toward the linebacker I had a grudge against.  And then I held onto him. 

Now get that point.  I ran toward him, and I held onto him.  And I did not reach my goal.

And that is what so many of us do in our life.

Someone does us dirty, and we hold a grudge against them.  It’s stuck in our mind. 

Then somewhere along the line we face a choice.  What we should do is forget about that grudge and run freely towards our goal.  But instead we veer towards the grudge.  And we hang onto it.  We think we are punishing the grudge-person, but it’s us who are no longer running freely.  We hold onto them, and it only serves to keep us from our goal.

So here is what we must do.  We must forgive. 

Forgiving someone means letting go of them, as in letting go of the grudge. 

Letting go allows us to run free.

In Matthew 6, Jesus said we must forgive people when they sin against us.

In Matthew 18 He said we must forgive them from our heart.

Ephesians 4 says we must forgive each other just as God forgave us.

Colossians 3 says we must forgive “whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

And Jesus said in Mark 11:25, “…if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him…”

Don’t get bogged down with grievances and grudges.  Let go of it all and run free!

For this is God’s will for your life.

That you forgive others, just as God forgave you.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.


 © 2009 The Arrow’s Tip 
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Faith vs. Fiery Darts - Apples of Gold - April 8, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 8, 2009

“Faith vs. Fiery Darts”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Ephesians 6:16 says that “the wicked one” has “fiery darts.”

These fiery darts, also called flaming arrows, are being fired at us.

But it also says we have a shield.  What is it?

It is called faith. 

So how does faith shield us from the fiery darts of the wicked one?

Well let me tell you how I think it works in my life.

First of all, let me describe the shield. 

My shield of faith has several parts, and here they are:
--I believe in God.
--I believe in the God of the Bible, and I believe what the Bible says.
--I believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
--I believe in truth and righteousness.

These are some core components of my shield; my shield of faith.

So when I say that I’m “keeping the faith” it means that I’m firm in my beliefs in God and the Bible and the Gospel, etc.

And now listen to this.  This firm faith is exactly what protects me from the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Now the Bible doesn’t exactly say what those fiery darts are, but here is how I see it in my life.

When the enemy fires doubts at me, my shield of faith keeps them from hitting me.  Doubts don’t hit me because I don’t believe them.  Instead I believe in God and His Word.

When the enemy fires discouragement at me, it doesn’t hit me.  I’m a child of the King!  He has great plans for me, both for now and for eternity.  My faith is strong in the Lord, so darts of discouragement fall harmlessly away.

The enemy may fire darts of hopelessness at me, but they don’t hit me, because my hope is in the Lord.  That hope is unhittable.

The enemy may fire darts of temptation at me, but they can’t hit me when my shield is up.  My faith is firm in truth and righteousness, and that faith makes darts of temptation bounce away.

The enemy may fire darts of selfishness at me.  “Look out for number one!”  But my faith is firm in God’s Word to prefer others over myself.  That faith makes fiery darts of selfishness fall to the ground.

The enemy may fire darts of unforgiveness at me, but they don’t hit me.  My faith is firm in God’s command to forgive others as I have been forgiven. 

The enemy may fire darts of laziness at me, but my faith is firm in “six days thou shalt work.”

The enemy may fire darts to burn down my marriage, but my faith is firm in “’til death do you part” and “husband, love your wife.”  My faith in God’s commands is my shield against all sorts of darts at my marriage.

The enemy may fire darts at my family relationships, but I believe in love and duty and honor.  My faith in these Godly principles is firm.  The shield is strong, so darts cannot get through and destroy my family relationships.

It comes down to the fact that I believe what the Bible says.  I believe its promises and its precepts.  I believe it is true, and I put my hope in the God it talks about and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I believe in eternity and all that God has for me.

I believe that God’s ways are the best ways.  I believe that God loves me, perfectly.  I believe that His plans are the best plans for my life. 

When my eyes are fixed on Him and His ways, my shield of faith grows.  The enemy finds it impossible to hit me behind that big shield.

I think of Job’s words.  “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”

That’s a big faith!  That is having your eyes firmly locked on the Lord. 

How can you get to a man with a shield that big?  You can’t!

So do you feel like an easy target for the wicked one? 

Then it’s time to use your shield of faith! 

And you do that by believing firmly in God and His Word.  You fix your eyes on Him, and believe. 

And then when the enemy fires his fiery darts, they will bounce harmlessly away.

He can’t hit you, because you are quenching all of his fiery darts with your great big shield of faith.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.


 © 2009 The Arrow’s Tip 
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Robinson Crusoe: The Rest of the Story - Apples of Gold - April 6, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 6, 2009

“Robinson Crusoe:  The Rest of the Story”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Have you ever heard the story of Robinson Crusoe?

You probably know that he was shipwrecked, and that he befriended a savage and called him “Friday.”

I knew the story.  I’d seen it on TV.  I’d read short versions of it. 

I thought I knew the story – so when I finally read the unabridged version, I was shocked.

I was shocked at just how Christian it was.  In all those years, having heard and seen the story so many times, I never had an inkling that it was such a Christian story.  In fact, I don’t remember God having anything to do with Robinson Crusoe.  I thought it was simply a tale of survival on a deserted island. 

But let me tell you, there are some spiritually powerful parts in the story!

For example, listen as Robinson Crusoe describes his spiritual state of being before the shipwreck:

“I had, alas! No divine knowledge.  What I had received by the good instruction of my father was then worn out by an uninterrupted series, for eight years, of seafaring wickedness, and a constant conversation with none but such as were, like myself, wicked and profane to the last degree.  I do not remember that I had, in all that time, one thought that so much as tended either to looking upwards towards God, or inwards towards a reflection upon my own way; but a certain stupidity of soul, without desire of good, or conscience of evil, had entirely overwhelmed me…”

He basically said that God was nowhere in his thinking.  He said, “I was all that the most hardened, unthinking, wicked creature among our common sailors can be…not having the least sense, either of the fear of God in danger, or of thankfulness to God in deliverance.”

So he survived the shipwreck and ended up alone on the island.  Certain items from the ship washed ashore, and one day – and he described this as a momentous event – he found a Bible.

Now this is important.  He didn’t have a lot of other things to distract him.  No internet or TV or magazines.  No sailor buddies or parties.  It was just him and this Bible, and he said, “I began seriously to read it.”  “Beginning at the New Testament,” he said.

And now listen to the effect on him.

“It was not long after I set seriously to this work till I found my heart more deeply and sincerely affected with the wickedness of my past life…”

You see that?  This is a man who had given no thought to either God or his own sins.  But as he read the Bible, he started feeling convicted.  He sensed his great need for mercy. 

Then one day he read these words, “He is exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and to give remission.”  At that he said, “I threw down the book; and with my heart as well as my hands lifted up to heaven, in a kind of ecstasy of joy, I cried out aloud, ‘Jesus, thou son of David!  Jesus, thou exalted Prince and Saviour!  Give me repentance!’” 

Boy, you sure don’t see that scene in the Saturday morning cartoon version of Robinson Crusoe!

He went on to say, “…I looked back upon my past life with such horror, and my sins appeared so dreadful, that my soul sought nothing of God but deliverance from the load of guilt…”

He even said that he did not pray to be delivered from the island.  He said the deliverance of his soul was much more important. 

So the salvation of Robinson Crusoe is a huge part of the story, yet it’s often minimized or ignored altogether.  Most people focus on Crusoe’s life on the island, but Crusoe said that didn’t even compare to the new life he received through Jesus Christ!

And then the savage came to the island, “My man Friday.”  And what did Crusoe do?  He “began to instruct him in the knowledge of the true God…”

“By degrees,” wrote Crusoe, “I opened his eyes.  He listened with great attention, and received with pleasure the notion of Jesus Christ being sent to redeem us…”

“I entered into a long discourse with him upon the subject of the redemption of man by the Saviour of the world, and of the doctrine of the gospel preached from Heaven, of repentance towards God, and faith in our blessed Lord Jesus.”

So long story short, Crusoe led Friday to Christ.  And Crusoe was deeply moved that through the shipwreck, not only had he come to salvation, but salvation had also come to the savage.

“This savage was now a good Christian, a much better than I,” Crusoe wrote.  “We had here the Word of God to read, and no farther off from His Spirit to instruct than if we had been in England.”

Crusoe concluded, “I say, when I reflected upon all these things, a secret joy ran through every part of my soul, and I frequently rejoiced that ever I was brought to this place…  I continued in this thankful frame all the remainder of my time…”

So there you have it, the part of Robinson Crusoe you may have never heard, and yet Crusoe said it was the most important part. 

At first he thought the shipwreck was a terrible thing, but in the end he rejoiced.

Why? 

Because through the shipwreck, he himself came to a new life in Jesus Christ, and then Friday as well.  And after that he spent the rest of his time there, not in despair, but in thankfulness.

Some great lessons for us all, including great spiritual lessons, which can be found in the unabridged version of “The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

Click here for the entire text of Robinson Crusoe:
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext96/rbcru10.txt

 © 2009 The Arrow’s Tip 
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Magical Beans - Apples of Gold - April 1, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 1, 2009

“Magical Beans”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

My wife likes Brooks Chili Beans.

The problem is, they don’t sell them in Florida.  It’s just a Midwest thing.

She has been very vocal about the fact that other beans just don’t measure up.

And now listen to what’s happened.  People have listened.  They’ve heard her cries for Brooks Chili Beans.  We’ve had friends visit from the frozen north, and what do they bring?

Brooks Chili Beans.

Last night I came home to a big box sitting on the dining room table.  It was full of guess what? 

Yep, someone had Fed Exed us a case of Brooks Chili Beans.

In the three years that we’ve lived in the South, even though they don’t sell them here, we have hardly had a time when we did not have those magical beans.

See how that works?  Someone mentions they would like to have something, others pick up on it and make it happen.

My wife didn’t ask anyone to Fed Ex us a case of chili beans.  They just picked up on the fact that she would like to have them.

Now isn’t that the way the best gift giving happens?  You want something, but you don’t beg for it.  You simply express the desire – and someone gets it for you.

The Bible has a great example of that.  First Chronicles 11 says that one day David – out in some rocky, dry place, with Philistines everywhere – suddenly expressed his desire for water.  And not just any water.  He longed for “water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem.”

Well three of his top soldiers heard this and decided to get him some.  They broke through the enemy lines, got some of that special water, and brought it to David.

And now listen.  David wouldn’t drink it.  He was so deeply moved by the gift, and the price they paid to get it, he said, “God forbid that I should do this!  Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?” 

So instead of drinking it, the Bible says he “poured it out before the Lord.”

To me, that’s the perfect gift giving story!  David expressed his desire for something.  His men decided to make the great effort to get it for him.  And when David got it, he didn’t take it for granted.  He understood all that went into it, and he was profoundly moved. 

And listen to this.  Instead of selfishly hogging up the gift for himself, he offered it up as an offering to the Lord.

What an excellent gift giving story!

Now some people are already great at gift giving.  It seems to come naturally. 

So this message is for everyone else.  This is your reminder to get into gear. 

Become a better gift giver.

And here is where you can start.  Listen to people when they mention what they want, when they talk about things they like. 

When I was a kid I collected baseball cards.  A lot of people picked up on that, and when they found baseball cards at a yard sale or whatever, they would buy them for me.  And you know what?  Even though a lot of people did it, I was grateful to them all.  Even if the cards weren’t that great, it was just special to be remembered.

So listen to what people say, and log that away in your mind.  Then when you come across something that reminds you of them, get it.

And as Christian people, we should be known as the best givers.

Psalm 37:21 says, “…the righteous give generously…”

Proverbs 21:26 says, “…the righteous give without sparing.”

Proverbs 11:24 indicates that we should give freely.

In Acts 20:35 Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Second Corinthians 9:7 says that “…God loves a cheerful giver.”

And Jesus’ instructions in Luke 6:38 can be boiled down into one word:  give.

So perk up.  Pay attention.  Listen to what people are saying, then watch for ways to give it to them.

This is your call today – to become a better gift giver.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Bullets Through My Coat - Apples of Gold - March 30, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 30, 2009

“Bullets Through My Coat”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

“I had four bullets through my coat…” he wrote in a letter to his brother Jack.

“…and two horses shot under me, and yet escaped unhurt.”

This letter was written by a young soldier named George Washington.

It was reported that Washington was killed in battle, so he wrote his brother to tell him otherwise.  And listen to what he said.

“I take this early opportunity…of assuring you that I now exist and appear in the land of the living by the miraculous care of Providence, that protected me beyond all human expectation…”

Now Washington was a realist and a logical thinker.  But there were many times in his life when he saw things happen that defied logic.  And that’s when he pulled out this word:  Providence.

You can read all about it in a book by Michael and Jana Novak entitled “Washington’s God.”

The word Providence shows up a lot at the time of the founding fathers.  And it’s not exactly a bold, Christian word.  It lacks the clarity of, say, “Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”  It’s not as personal as something like, “Abba, Father.”

But it’s a recognition that there is a spiritual force, a guiding hand that gets involved in the affairs of men. 

The Hand of Providence.

Last night I was reading “War and Peace” by Tolstoy (I’m on year four of a five-year plan), and I came across this sentence.  One of the characters in the story begins to reflect on all the various events that have led up to this point in her life, and it comes down to this thought:  “And in all this Princess Marya saw the hand of Providence.”

Yesterday I was on the phone with an old friend, and we were talking about my family’s move to Florida, and especially it’s affect on our children.  My son is getting married in June to someone whom, if we hadn’t moved, he never would have met. 

Of course we didn’t know specifically what the future held when we moved, but I distinctly felt the Hand of Providence guiding us to make the move. 

I understand what the princess in War and Peace was feeling.  I can relate to George Washington as I look back over my life and see how things have gone.  Sometimes I just shake my head and say, “The Hand of Providence.”

Years ago Michael W. Smith recorded a song with these lyrics:

“Oh the Hand of Providence,
Is guiding us through choices that we make.
Oh the Hand of Providence,
Is reaching out to help us on our way.”

Saturday I went to an outreach down on Orange Avenue.  A former policeman shared how he ended up unjustly receiving a long prison sentence.  Some people lied about him to put him behind bars.  But he kept his faith, he said.  He was even leading Bible studies there in prison.

And then things started happening.  The men who lied about him started coming forward and changing their stories.  And before long he was released.  Things did not go the way they normally go.  He saw a hand moving behind the scenes on his behalf.

The Hand of Providence.

As Christians, we know this is the hand of the Lord.

Ezra 8:22 says, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to Him…”

Ezra should know.  He saw that hand turn the heart of the king of Babylon.  Ezra 7:6 says, “The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.”

Nehemiah saw the same thing.  In Nehemiah 2:8 he said, “And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.”

Just as George Washington saw that hand protecting him, so did Ezra.  Ezra 8:31 says, “The hand of our God was on us, and He protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.”

Ezekiel calls it, “The hand of the Lord,” and “the strong hand of the Lord,” and “the hand of the Sovereign Lord.”

Joshua 4:24 says, “…the hand of the Lord is powerful…”

Hebrews 10:31 mentions, “…the hands of the living God.”

The early church saw that “The Lord’s hand was with them…”

And First Peter 5:6 gives us this advice – to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand.

See, sometimes we are under the illusion that we are in control, and pride can set in.

But what happens when you suddenly look down and see four bullet holes in your coat?

That, my friend, is when you get off your high horse, bow your head, and humble yourself under God’s mighty hand – the Hand of Providence.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

No Exit Strategy - Apples of Gold - March 27, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 27, 2009

“No Exit Strategy”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

“So do you have an exit strategy for that?”

That’s what my friend asked me.

He was referring to some volunteer work I do for a church.

Not my current church, but a former church.

We were sitting around my dining room table and he said, “You know, you do a lot of work for them.  Do they pay you?”

“I don’t want to be paid.  It’s just something I can easily do, so I do it.  I like doing it.  It’s a service, a ministry.”

“Yeah, but you don’t go there anymore.  You don’t want them to take advantage of you.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

“So do you have an exit strategy?”

“A what?”

“An exit strategy.  You know, a plan, a way to phase out working for them.”

“Not at all.  If I decide someday to stop, I’ll just tell them I can’t do it anymore.  But I don’t see that happening.  Like I said, I like it.  I like working for the ministry.  It’s the Lord’s work.  It’s a service to His people.  It’s something I can easily do to bless others.  It makes no difference where the church is.  You know, some people use their spare time to watch TV or play golf or go shopping.  I’d rather do something like this to help a church.  So no, there is no exit strategy.”

Now don’t get me wrong.  I understand his point.  I have heard of people getting roped into things at church, or “guilted” into things.  I can imagine people feeling stuck doing something they don’t like, don’t feel called to, and don’t want to do.  My friend just didn’t want me to end up like that.

But I look at it like this.  When it becomes obvious how I can bless someone, when it’s something I can easily do, something that will be a blessing – I figure…just do it.

I lump it all under this heading:  Doing Good.

And you know what?  There is no exit strategy for doing good.

I mean, it’s not like I’m going to do good for a while, then quit.  Doing good goes on forever. 

First Peter 3:13 uses this phrase:  eager to do good.

So it’s not something we do reluctantly until something better comes along.  We should be eager to do good.

First Peter 2:12 says that we should do so much good that it even affects non-Christians.

The King James refers to doing good as “well doing.”

Second Thessalonians 3:13 says, “…be not weary in well doing.”

Galatians 6:9 says, “…let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

So we don’t get weak.  We don’t run out of steam. 

“So Doug, does that mean I can never quit a good thing once I start it?”

No.  It just means you should never quit doing good in general.

I’ve done a lot of things over the years that I don’t do anymore.  Needs change.  Your abilities change.  Your calling changes. 

But here is what happens.  A little voice starts to whisper in our head.  It says, “You know, it’s time I did something for myself for a change.”

You start to think about what you are getting out of it.  Here you are, doing all this good for others, and what good is it doing you?

See, the big temptation is not to switch from one good thing to a different good thing.  The big temptation is to switch from doing good for others to only looking out for number one.

That’s when we start to think things like, “They are taking advantage of me,” and, “Hey, I should be getting paid for this.” 

If we let little seeds of discontent grow, that’s when we are tempted to pull back on our good deeds.

The good news is, we will get something good out of it.  We don’t focus on that, but it will happen.  “In due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

So be aware of those seeds of discontent, and pull them out by the roots.  Don’t grow weary in well doing.  Stay strong.  Keep doing your good deeds.

Don’t even think about quitting.  Don’t even toy with it, because remember, there is no exit strategy for doing good.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Innocence Lost - Apples of Gold - March 26, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 26, 2009

“Innocence Lost”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Milton lost his paradise,
Dorothy lost her way,
Vincent lost his sanity,
Thomas lost his faith,
Hoover lost the second time,
Sigmund lost his friend,
Me?  I lost my innocence,
And I want it back again.

That’s from a song by Susan Ashton entitled “Innocence Lost.”

And I love that last line:  “Me?  I lost my innocence . . . and I want it back again.”

I’ve lived long enough now to see a lot of kids grow up.  I’ve seen them young and buoyant, so full of energy and life and joy – just waking up everyday glad to be here.

And I’ve seen many of them lose their innocence.  They become exposed to dark things.  They get caught in the snare. 

Instead of buoyant, you see them taking on water.  Their innocence is lost, and there’s no going back.

But wait a minute.  There is a way to go back!

Believe it or not, you can regain that lost innocence.

Listen to Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

I like that visual of the “heart of stone.”  That’s what happens as you lose your innocence.  Your heart gets hard. 

But look what God can do!  He can take a heart of stone and give you a new heart!

Ezekiel 18 says, “Repent…turn away from all your offenses…and get a new heart and a new spirit.”

When we lose our innocence, it’s like we get dirty.  Have you ever seen a homeless person?  This is someone who has no place to bathe or wash their clothes, so they just get more and more dirty.  Most people can’t imagine letting that happen, but it happens one layer at a time.  We would all be that dirty if we didn’t constantly clean up.

Well that’s what happens inside of us.  We lose our innocence, and then the layers start to build up.  Inside we are homeless, with nowhere to get clean.

But now listen to this precious verse in Isaiah chapter one.  “Come now,” says the Lord. 

And don’t you love that already?  When your heart is homeless, it’s a beautiful thing to receive such an invitation.

He says, “Come now, let us reason together.  Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

That’s a fresh start, my friend!  That dirty, homeless feeling – God will take care of it.

In John chapter three, Jesus introduced a unique phenomenon.  It’s called being “born again.”

Was there ever a fresher start than being born again?  Yet that is exactly what He said.

Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”

Galatians 6:15 says we become this:  a new creation.

In Acts 5:20 they said, “Go…tell the people…of this new life.”

Romans 6:4 uses that same phrase, a “new life.”

So put them all together:  born again, a new creation, a new heart, a new life.

Are you ready for this?  Have you lost your innocence and you want it back again?

Well my friend, this is just the business Jesus is in, trading new lives for old.

Jesus talked about pouring new wine into new wineskins.  I think when we repent of our sins and turn to Christ, I think He makes us into a new wineskin.  He gives us a new heart, and then He starts to fill that new heart with new things, such as His Spirit and His Word, His joy and peace and a host of wonderful things!

You don’t have to spend the rest of your life with your innocence lost.  Your heart doesn’t have to be homeless.

It’s time to come home to Jesus, to be born again, to experience the new life that the Lord is just waiting to give you.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

The Invincible Tank of Faith - Apples of Gold - March 25, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 25, 2009

“The Invincible Tank of Faith”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

When I was a boy I was fascinated with tanks.

You know, like army tanks.

I mean, how could you not love tanks?  They were awesome!

They could drive over anything, and what are you going to do about it?

Go ahead, fire your little guns.  Put up your little road block.

As a kid, if you had a tank, you were king of the sandbox.

Now as a grownup I know there are ways to fight tanks.  But as a kid, they were invincible.

Now take a tank back in time.  Let the savages chuck their spears.  Bring on the Roman legions.  No one is going to beat your tank.

If you had to go from point A to point B, you could simply get in your tank and drive.  The enemy could do nothing about it.

As long as you drove straight toward point B.

So if you were a savage and you were up against a tank, what would your best strategy be?  If you wanted to destroy the tank, you would have get it off course.  You would have to trick the driver into driving it over a cliff or something. 

So that’s one strategy.  Get the driver off course.

Or you could trick the driver to come out of the tank.  Then he would be vulnerable.

As long as the driver stays inside the tank though, and on course, there’s not much you can do but annoy him.

So you either have to get him off course, or trick him to come out of the tank.

Now keep that visual in mind, because I think it’s a good picture of our Christian life.

As a Christian, I am the tank driver.  And now listen to this.  The tank is my faith in the Lord.

My destination is eternity, to stand before God someday and have him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

And the savage?  The savage king?  That is the devil.  That’s Satan, a.k.a. “The Wicked One,” “The Prince of This World.”  He is my enemy.

Now what is my enemy up to? 

First Peter 5:8 says he is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

In Job 2:2 he said he had been “roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.”

The Bible says Satan has been sinning from the beginning and he was a murderer from the beginning.

The Bible says he has power, he has schemes and “wiles,” and he is working to outwit us.

First John 5:19 goes so far as to say that he controls the whole world.

In the Bible we read about Satan tempting people, inciting people, and prompting them to do evil.

Acts 10:38 indicates that some people are under the power of the devil.

Second Timothy 2:26 says that some people are in the trap of the devil.  In fact, it says he has taken them captive to do his will.

First Timothy 5:15 indicates that some people actually turn and follow the devil.

A major problem with Satan, though, is that he is a huge liar.

In John 8:44 Jesus said, “There is no truth in him.”

His native language is lies.  In fact, Jesus said Satan is the “father of lies.”

Revelation 12:9 says he “leads the whole world astray.”

That is our enemy.  Is he out to get us?  When you read the Bible I think you’d have to say, “He sure is.”

Yes, he has power, and yes, he has some powerful weapons at his disposal.

But now listen.  He cannot get to us if we stay in the tank and stay on course.  That means we stay inside the tank of our faith in the Lord, and we keep our eyes set on our eternal destination.

I love the visual in Ephesians 6:16.  “Above all, take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

In my mind, I’m seeing that shield of faith as my tank.  As long as I keep my faith in the Lord, Satan can fire all the fiery darts he wants.  They have zero affect on my tank.

As I stand in faith, all temptations bounce off me like nothing.  All the wiles and schemes of the devil are to no avail – as long as I am in my invincible tank of faith.

No, the driver is not perfect.  I am susceptible to the master deceiver.  That is why I must heed the words of Hebrews 12:2.  I must fix my eyes on Jesus.

So don’t forget today that you have an enemy.

He is firing all his fiery darts, but we can quench them all – by staying safely tucked inside our invincible tank of faith.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Invite Someone to Church - Apples of Gold - March 23, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 23, 2009

“Invite Someone to Church”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Don’t forget the power of simply inviting someone to church.

See, something wonderful happens in a church service.  What you have is a bunch of believers gathered together in the name of Jesus.  And in Matthew 18:20 Jesus said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Or like the King James says, “There I am, in the midst of them.”

So when the saints gather for a church service, Jesus is there, right there in that service.

And now listen – I don’t think it’s so much about what goes on in the service, though that is certainly part of it.   But it’s not the main part, I don’t think.

The main part is not what the people are doing.  It’s what the Lord is doing.

I know I have walked into church services where those leading the thing were probably just going about their business.  But the Lord had something very special lined up for me.

I have been deeply touched and moved during the course of a church service.  I have walked into services where I would say that I felt the Lord immediately, felt His stirring, His drawing, His wooing.

The Lord was there in the midst, I just knew it.

When a person comes into a church service, and Jesus is in the midst, they can react in two ways.  They can either soften their heart to Him, or they can harden their heart.

When a person hardens their heart in a church service, they are shutting the door on the Holy Spirit.  Acts 7:51 says, “You always resist the Holy Spirit.” 

Coming up, churches all around the world will celebrate the resurrection of Christ, and many people will darken the doors of the church for the first time in a long time.  When they walk in, Jesus will be there, in the midst.  And they can react in one of two ways.  They can harden their heart to Him, or soften it.

Many will harden their heart to the Lord, and look what will happen.  Over and over the Bible says that when someone’s heart is hardened, they will not listen. 

The preacher can preach all he wants.  The singers can sing.  The teachers can teach.  And the person can sit there and observe it all.  But if he hardens his heart, he is not listening.

Matthew 13:15 says, “For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.  Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”

When someone hardens their heart, they don’t see, they don’t hear, they don’t understand.  Ephesians 4:18 says that a hard heart leads to ignorance.

But you know what?  That is their responsibility, not yours.  I say, get ‘em to that church service!  Invite them.  Get them in there.  Jesus is in the midst.  Let them deal with Him personally, in their own heart.

Have you ever felt that wooing, that drawing of Jesus in a church service?  Have you felt that stirring of His Spirit calling you to let go of this world and surrender all to Him?

I’m telling you, Jesus will change lives, literally turn them around, in a church service.  No, it’s not the only place it can happen, but it’s a great place for it to happen, because when the saints gather in His name, He is there.

I believe that Jesus Himself literally speaks to people during a church service.  Now they can harden their heart to what He says, or not.  It’s their choice.  But I believe they will hear from Jesus.  He will have something to say to them – if they won’t harden their heart.

I’m thinking now of the rich young man in Matthew 19.  He heard from Jesus, but then went away sad.  He hardened his heart to what Jesus said. 

So many people do that.  They go to a church service.  They hear what Jesus has to say to them.  And then they leave sad.  Or mad.  Or irritated, because Jesus stirred something inside them.  He asked something of them, and they weren’t willing.  They didn’t want to humble themselves, or let go of something in their current life.

And they walk away. 

But you know what?  That’s their deal.  That’s between them and God.  If they want to harden their heart, what can you do?

But don’t let that stop you from inviting people to church.  It’s the old cliché, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink.  But you should still lead them to water!

And one great, simple way to do that is to simply invite people to church.  Just ask them.  Say, “Hey, you ought to come to church with me.”

And I believe that when they walk in that service, with the saints gathering together in His name, Jesus will be there in the midst, and He will speak to them.

I believe it.

And then it will be up to them, will they harden their heart, or will they soften their heart to the Lord Jesus – and have their lives changed . . . forever?


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
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