JRAdolph Ministries

Making Love In the Right Position!!!

2010-02-21T23:35:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends in the Faith:

Wait!!! Don't delete this message. It is not pornographic as the subject may suggest. But, it is prophetic for the relationally confused times in which we now live. Okay, let's clear the air and get it out so we can talk about it. God made sex and it is His idea. But, when the idea of "making love" rises to the front of our conversation numerous issues surface. Love songs from the past are partially the blame. The songs from the 70's that caused us to slow dance but, contained questionable ethics. Lenny Williams begged a sister until he got what he wanted from her. Here's how he put it, "Girl you know I, I, I, I, I love you....!!!" That legend Teddy Pendergrass alias Teddy P shouted it when he exclaimed with passion "Turn off the lights and light a candle. Rub me down with some hot oil baby....turn them off!!!" The music moved us but no one stopped to ask was the woman Lenny begging his wife. And no one bothered to inquire about the woman in Teddy P's shower. From these paradigms comes the missed instruction of "love making."

Today when subject of "love making" come up people call it the "nasty." It can suggest everything from two women in bed together, two men in bed together, an unmarried man with a married women in bed together, and two unmarried people in bed together just to name a few. The point here is this, our culture has been making love in the wrong position so long until we no longer see this beautiful God given act of love the way that it was meant to be shared! HBO recently did a documentary on teenage sexuality of middle schoolers in the US and the findings were staggering. 5 out of 10 of them were sexually active by the age of 12; 7 out of 10 had encountered some form of sexual contact by the age of 12; and, 9 out of 10 had encountered some form of sexually explicit material on the internet to include nude photos and pornography! In short, what they are being taught is love from the wrong position.

A devotional like this one is godly and necessary! In fact, if you are not married and you are sexually active and yet you stand under that banner of Christianity you are in the wrong position. If you are married and you are involved with anyone except for your covenanted spouse, you are in the wrong position. If you are involved in any behavior that would displease God and bring harm to you and your family, you are in the wrong position. But, if you are married, sharing your faith and your future with a spouse of the opposite sex then according to scripture you are indeed making love, and you are making love in the right position. The Bible says, "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it bewith consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment" (I Cor. 7:1-6, KJV).

But, here's the question for today, what's the right position for love in the eyes of God?

Position #1-Spiritual Compatibility. Hear this word of warning. Be careful around people that do not love the Lord like you do. Be cautious entering a relationship with someone that will tell you that they do not do the church thing! It is dangerous and my advice for you is to run!!! In the passage Paul gives us an elliptical of the cause. That is where the given truth is not openly stated. Here is that given truth, people should always be equally yoked together. If you are with someone and they tell you "it ain’t gonna hurt just this one time...." That's the wrong position! If you are near someone and they tell you "Jesus won't mid if we bump and grind...." That's the wrong position! If you are with someone that is really good looking but they tell you "I don't believe in Jesus Christ perse...." That's the wrong position! And, if you come across someone that is in church but will put their religion down to hook up other fleshly motives...." That's the wrong position. What makes love great is when both persons (male and female) are in Christ Jesus and He is in them. That's the right position and it pleases God!

Position #2-Serious Commitment. Listen, love is NOT a game! I do not know who did it, but somebody made love a game and it's been killing us. The end result of the game is children born out of wedlock due to a heated moment that was a one night stand, broken families, STD's and an increasing divorce rate. Love is a decision that you make that says I am with you no matter what! Real Love says I am not quitting on you no matter how hard things maybe. The sin in the passage is fornication. This occurs when people touch without a covenant being present. The problem is that the act is designed for those who are going to be together permanently, but it has been used by many of us temporarily. So when you gain temporary satisfaction from an act that was designed by God to be permanent you commit fornication. People say all of the time, "but Pastor what about a sample?" My answer is no! People often ask, "Well what about a test run?" My answer, no! You cannot pick a person like a rental car…….. sign a weekend contract, drive them hard and then drop them off when you’re done! In the eyes of God this is the wrong position. If you want love in the right position, it is covenanted love that is designed to last a lifetime!

Position #3-Submitted To Christ. Here's a great devotional question. Why is it so wrong for two consenting adults to just do what they want to do and do it until they are both just happy? Here's the answer, because you can tell who you worship by looking at who you spend the night with! Worship is not just clapping your hands and singing a song or two. Worship is what you do with your body. This is why your love should always be done in the right position. It is your worship! Paul is addressing this matter because the people in Corinth are worshipping foreign gods that are not the Lord. They are pagan gods of the underworld and the people are honoring these strange gods by embracing strange sexual encounters that please these strange gods. But, Paul says if you want to make God happy let a husband have a wife and let them touch! This act honors God and it blesses the man and woman involved. It is Holy in the eyes of God and it is the right position!

The greatest news of the day is this, for those in the wrong position God has a holy habit of letting people start over! I John 1:9 teaches us that God will forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteous if you confess your sins to Him. This is shouting news at its best! If you are in the wrong position now is the time to make it right!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

www.jradolphministries.org

The Sweetest Rose I've Ever Head!!!

2010-02-13T23:17:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends in the Faith:

Okay let's get right down to the point here. In just a few days it will be Valentine's Day and it can be one of the most depressing days in the year. This is the time of year our nation celebrates people that we love. Even though the scriptures teach us that we should love people all year long this holiday pushes it to the limit. People buy all types of things all in the name of love. We buy things like diamonds, cards, dinners, trips, clothes, chocolates and most of all flowers. In fact, yahoo.com stated that roses were the most popular gift of all during this time of year! Over 1 trillion roses are sold during Valentine's Day weekend each year alone in the United States. And, it can be difficult for you if all of those roses go out as gifts in the name of love and you don't get one of them. But, remember this if no one gets you a rose, with Jesus Christ you already have the sweetest rose of all for He is your Rose of Sharon.

Sharon is located in North Palestine between Mount Tabor and Lake Tiberias. It is a low lying country that is known for its beautiful vegetation. In short, beautiful flowers would sprout all over this region and paint for its visitors the handy work of God. To visit Sharon at the right time of year was like being in a part of heaven! Many have described it as heaven on earth. As the writer shares passionate thoughts of love and tenderness in Song of Solomon the writer is careful to mention that he is "...the Rose of Sharon..." (Song of Solomon 2:1, KJV). But what does it really mean for Jesus Christ to be your Rose of Sharon?

It means that He is easily accessible. You see, the flower that is described in this passage did not grow in a green house or some gated area. It grew in the field. It was a symbol that it had been placed by God and available to any one that wanted it. Hear this, Jesus is your Rose. That means that He is saying "I am here for you! I love you! I think of you all of the time! I want to hold your hand! I want to wipe your tears! I want to carry you and your load! I want to be near you!" Get this, the Rose of Sharon is here for you. The question right now is this, do you want Him? If you want Him He is here for you right now. This flower grew in a place that simply said to any one, I am accessible to you if you want me. (Read Matthew 11:28).

It means that He is the bench mark of a new season in your life. The "Rose" that is mentioned in the passage is not a rose in the American sense of a flower. It was a crocus. This was a dark red flower that only blossomed after the winter was over. In fact, people in that region knew when the winter was passed because the crocus would bloom. You see, it marked the beginning of a new season. This is shouting news for those that really love the Lord! If Jesus is your Rose of Sharon His entry into your life marked the beginning of a season. The winter is over. He is your spring time. If you are like most, you have had a lot of things that have happened to you in this life. Some of us have been wounded trying to love people that never learned to love us back. Others have been let down by people that we just knew we could depend on. And, still there are others that have gone through more difficulty than the google search engine could keep up or Wikipedia could define. Yet, after all that you have been through if you have Jesus in your life you can truthfully say that Jesus is the best thing that has ever happen to me! His entrance marked the beginning of something new, something spiritual, something meaningful and something that leads to blessing at every point in your life! (Read Galatians 6:9).

It means that He is the source of your joy. The bright beauty of the crocus was used as a symbol of joy. They were often used in celebrations and festivals due to their bright red color. They could simply light up an entire mountain side. Thus, because of their illuminating properties they were the flower that symbolized joy. But, here's what so rich about this plant. The more it rained the richer the color became. Are you shouting yet? If Jesus is your Rose of Sharon He is the source of your joy! Your joy does not come from what flower you received, it does not come from a diamond that someone bought you, your joy does not come from any special day that happened or did not happen. Your joy comes from the presence of the Lord that is your Rose. And, the more it rains in your life the brighter your Rose gets. You can't shout about this unless you have seen some rainy days in your life! We all see storms from time to time, but when you have the joy that your Rose brings, you learn how to dance in the rain. Yes, you may have to cry sometime. In fact, you will have to cry sometime but with Jesus you have a Rose that gives you joy and it gets brighter with every rain drop! (Read Psalms 126:5).

It means that He is your greatest love and sacrifice. The second most popular gift for Valentine's Day is perfume. But, if you don't get a bottle of it, don't trip. You have the sweetest fragrance that money will never buy. You see, the crocus was indeed a gorgeous red flower and it was beautiful to the eye. But it also had a wonderful fragrance that came from it. In fact, its aroma was known throughout the region. However, the only way to gain the fragrance from the crocus was to crush it. Yes, it would smell wonderful after it had been crushed. Can you see where this is headed yet? You see, if Jesus is your Rose of Sharon He made His love evident for you by being crushed for your love! When was He crushed you ask? At cavalry, where He gave it all so that you could be blessed with the sweet aroma of His love for ever! (Read Rom. 5:8).

So Saint Valentine might have started all of this foolishness with a day for those that you love called Valentine's Day. And Rudolph Valentino may have symbolized it with his sex appeal. But, our God put the lid on it with His love forever. You see, real love is much more than lip service, a box of candy, a flower, some perfume or a balloon. You can tell me how much you love me all day long. But, if what you say does not match what you do, that is not love it is hypocrisy at its finest. But, Jesus is your Rose of Sharon and He put it all on the line. If you don't get a card on the 14th you already have a Rose that is there for you! If you do not get a love letter on the 14th you already have a Rose that is your joy! If you don't have a hand to hold on the 14th don't complain. Your Rose is accessible to you! If you don't get a vase of flowers don't shed one tear. The one Rose that you have has marked a new season for you and because of Him your life will never ever be the same! And, if you don't get a bottle of your favorite fragrance on the 14th so what, you already have the sweetest perfume that money will never buy you. Shout this phrase in victory if you have Jesus in your heart "He is my Rose of Sharon!"

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

Why Some Good Men Love Bad Women!!!

2010-02-05T23:06:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends in the Faith:

Some people hate them, while others despise them, many people discuss them, religious women often ridicule them, and still other sisters seek to duplicate them. They have ruined more marriages than the law will allow, they have wrecked more relationships than I have room to mention in this devotional lesson, their dress is not just sexy it is seductive, their tattoos are enticing, their walk is like watching poetry in motion, their intentions are dangerous, their motives are often hidden, their appearance is often times seen as purely innocent, their morals are loose, their values are lacking, their habits are not always holy and yet they have their place on the canvas of the pages of Holy Writ. Who are they you asked? They are bad women!

A good woman can spot her a mile away, older men are often taken swiftly by their mischief, young men get caught up in what she presents, and our culture makes millions on her body and her beauty. Who are they you asked? They are bad women! Make no mistake about it every woman is not a good woman. Some women are bad. And, the problem is that there are good men that have good women, but instead of being faithful to the good woman that they have they sometimes fall like fools for the bad woman that means them no good at all! But, why??? Why do some good men fall for bad women?

Before you leap into this thought provoking dialogue with your personal views and humble opinions let's look to the scripture for the answers that God would want us to have. You see, there is a good man in the Bible that falls for a bad woman. Here's what the scripture says, "And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man. Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them" (Judges 16:4-8, KJV). Though Delilah meant Samson absolutely no good at all, he still fell face flat for her even though she was a bad woman. And, it is my belief that the same reason why he fell for his bad woman is the exact same reason why men fall for bad women today. So what makes a good man fall for a bad woman?

First of all, she knows how to handle him. Okay this may seem harsh but it is true none-the-less. Most good women need courses on "man handling." Get this, if a man is a real man (and he is not gay, weak, or sorry) you cannot handle him just any kind of way. Here's a secret that all good women can learn from bad ones. Always handle a man like he's a man. By this I mean, God gave men position and He gave women influence. Use your influence to get what you want from him and let him keep his position. In short, give him what all men must have
R-E-S-P-E-C-T and when you give him what he needs you will always get what you want. If you don't think that this works look at Delilah! She was a bad woman that got what she wanted from Samson by simply handling him like a man!

Secondly, she knows how to talk to him. Now this is going to get me into trouble, but at the risk of being honest, truthful, godly and helpful I am going to say it. If a man is a real man (and he is not lazy, stupid and shallow) you cannot talk to him just any kind of a way. Bad women know how to talk to a man. Here's a huge secret that all good sisters need to know, screaming and yelling makes him change stations and switch satellites! But, if you know how to say, "Baby....listen....I need something from you....", you will get it every single time! I know, we have been taught that Diva's put their hands on their hips, roll their necks and get a brother told right? But, that's why most Diva's don't have a descent dude. Please get this and hold on to it forever, if you know how to talk to a man you can have it all! His mind, his body, his soul, his money, his heart and his resources. If you can't talk to him right there is a bad woman that will!

Thirdly, she knows how to use her femininity to her advantage. Since I am already in hot water I may as well say one more thing before this devotional is over. If a man is a real man (and he is not on the down low, not foggy in his sexuality and stable in God his given manhood) he loves every facet of a real woman. He loves her hips, her hands, her legs, her chest, her neck, her eyes, and her feet. So what am I saying here? I am saying that bad women know how to wear it and present it. All too often good women do what it takes to get a good man. But, once they have him they swap every good habit for a bad one. In short, if it is ashy grab some lotion. If it is nappy, dread it or perm it. If it is tacky fix it up. If it is rough smooth it out. If it is doesn't fit don't wear it. And, if it is not your best feature camouflage it! Please here this, in a real man's mind there is no greater creation on the planet other than true womanhood. So be a woman and be a beautiful one!

For every sister reading this devotional that has a good man use these principles to keep him right where he is and know that the only way for you to be the queen is for you to crown him king! And, for every sister that is single that wants a good man remember this, you don't have to be bad woman to get a good man, but there are some good habits that you can learn from bad women that can help you be the best you that you can be! Use these habits and let the Lord do everything else!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

Why Some Good Sistas Get Hurt!!!

2010-01-27T22:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends in the Faith:

Not long ago while in Kroger I spoke to a sister that was on my aisle. She looked up with a grim disposition and a partial smile. When we got to the checkout stand she said, "You're Pastor Adolph aren't you?" And of course I answered yes. She then asked me an ontological question that has theological roots and sociological fruit. Here's what she asked me while getting a basket full of grocery to feed her two kids "Why do I keep getting hurt? I am a good sista and I desire a committed relationship, but I just keep getting hurt over and over again."

I have nearly 4,000 Facebook Friends and I have noticed that when it comes to relationships many of my female Facebook Friends will list themselves under the "Relationship" category in very interesting way. They do not say that they are engaged, they do not say that they dating, they list their relationship status as "COMPLICATED." In my opinion it is just another way of saying "I have been hurt before in relationships and I am trying to make sure that I don't put myself in that position again."

I cannot count the number of beautiful sisters that I have counseled in the private chambers of my office that have been seriously wounded in a relationship, trying to love a man that will not love them back nor give them the love that they deserve. The tears from my office could run a 26 mile marathon. The hurt is real and it runs deep. But, all of the damage is NOT the fault of a no good man that sought to take advantage of a good sista. In fact, most of it is not. All too often good sista's get hurt because of relational error and lack of applied positional principle that leads them to abyss of relational hell every single time.

Please know that such a story is not uncommon. There is a woman found on the pages of Holy Writ that got hurt and she too was a good sista. Here is how the story flows, "And he (Abram) went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face" (Gen. 16:4-6, KJV).

There is no doubt that Hagar was a good sista but she got hurt for the same reason that many good sista's today are wounded in relationships. So why do some good sista's get hurt?

The first reason that good sista's get hurt is because they fall in love with a man that is what they like but is not what they really need. There is a documentary on YouTube that features five beautiful sista's that are well educated, financially solvent and well to do. Their problem is that they cannot find a compatible mate. As I listened to them discuss what they wanted in a man I was clear on one thing. Not one of them knew what to look for. Please hear this, what you like and what God wants you to have are not always the same thing! In fact, in many instances they are quite different. Hagar makes a common mistake that I have found in good sista's everywhere. She falls for a man that is not husband material. Remember this please, if God has not made a man a husband before you get to him a sista, (no matter how good she is) will make him one.

Secondly, good sista's get hurt because they settle for temporary satisfaction instead demanding a lifetime of love. Here's the real truth of the matter, sista's are guilty of settling! Please remember this, if you learn to settle you will always get what you have settled for so don't be upset with what you have settled with! Settling is very dangerous and it makes a woman look desperate. Hold to your standards and never ever compromise them for any reason. Hagar settles for another woman’s husband. A disaster from the start. But, there are others that settle for various reasons. Some sistas settle for a man that is not saved, but is good looking. Still others settle for a brother that is broke and is headed nowhere and wants to take you with him. And, there are even more that settle for a man that will never make a full commitment to you. So they end up being the special day woman or a part-time love. Remember this, if you settle you will get what you have settled for!

Thirdly, good sista's get hurt because they give too much of themselves too soon. Okay let's cut through the chase and just say it, we are having a promiscuity problem. This is not the case in every circumstance. But, in most cases the problem is sex too soon. Here's the best advice that I could give any godly woman that desires God's best for their lives, keep your dress down, your pants up, and never put yourself in a position for your moral virtue to be compromised! If Hagar had done this, her life would have avoided the hurt of having a baby out of wed lock for a man that would never marry her in the first place. Sista's if a man needs a license to ride a motor cycle he should have a license if he wants to go for a ride with you! NO FREE RIDES! NO TEST DRIVES! NO TEST RUNS! Remember this, if you treat yourself like a treasure, then men that dare come near you would treat you like a treasure too! Treasure your body and if he wants to play, get a license and make him stay!

Lastly, good sista's get hurt because they allow themselves to be engulfed in relationships that are bad from the start. The worse lie that you will ever believe is the one that you will convince yourself is true. Do not ignore the warning signs in a relationship and then come unglued when things fall apart. Hagar knew that Abram was married, but she ignored all of the signs. She got caught up! Please hear this, sista's often get hurt because they get caught up! Here's some life saving advice, open your eyes and observe. Open your ears and listen. Jesus put it like this, "...watch and pray..." In almost every case, sista's that got hurt knew what they were dealing with before they got hurt. For some crazy reason they thought that things would be different with them! Remember this, whatever a person does with you they will soon do to you. It is only a matter of time before it happens! So get this, don't get caught up in something that you can see the warning signs of ruin in from the beginning.

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

I Need A Do Over!!!

2010-01-20T16:36:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends in the Faith:

Back in the day life things were different. We ate fish every Friday, the ice cream man came by at least once every evening, and the games we played involved everyone. No we did not have a Wii or a play station. But, we played non-the-less. Do you know what I mean? We played "Red Light, Green Light", "Simon Says", "Jacks", "Marbles", "Street Baseball", "Freeze", "Tag", "Hide and Seek (ready or not here I come), "Street Basketball (with a piece of ply wood nailed to a tree with a bicycle rim for a hoop)", Street Football (touch in the street and tackle in the grass), "Dodge Ball", and "Kick Ball".

Now I loved playing Kick Ball the most because every now and then you would miss your kick. And when you would miss your kick or mess everything up you could ask for a do-over! Yeah, you could get another chance to get it right. I mention this as we share this devotional moment together because as we start the year of 2010 some of us need a do-over. If you were broke last year and you are starting off this year broke, you need a do over. If you were involved in a bad relationship last year and you stayed just because you did not want to be by yourself, you need a do over. If you are losing ground spiritually and you have lost your spiritual fire and some of your old habits that you thought were dead are starting to come back on you like a yo-yo on a short string, you need a do-over. And, if you are ready for this year to be better than last year was, then what you need is a do-over!

If you need a do-over, do not be embarrassed. You are actually in great company. The Bible is loaded with people that needed a do-over. Adam needed a do-over when he ate the forbidden fruit; Eve needed a do-over when the serpent got her to disobey God; Abram needed a do-over when he lied about Sarai to Pharoh; Noah needed a do-over when he got drunk after the flood; David needed a do-over he had sex with Basheba; and Solomon needed a do-over when he realized that no matter how many women he had none of them could love him like God could. Here's a good question for you. Do you need a do-over? Here's a good do-over verse for you to consider. Psalms 116:12-13 says, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all of His benefits towards me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord." So how can you get God to let you have a do-over?

You get a do-over by acknowledging that you need one. Being lied to can really hurt your feelings. But, it is even worse when you're the giver and the receiver of the fallacy. May I ask, have you ever lied to yourself? There should come a moment in your life when the truth makes you realize that you owe God because He has given you more do-overs that you could ever have imagined, And total honesty (if you don't lie to yourself) says you need another one right now! The passage says "What shall I render unto the Lord for all of His benefits towards me..." The question is a probing interrogative that suggest that there is a debt owed and the only way to pay it is to be honest enough to admit that you need owe a favor to the source that you got your last favor from. Do you need more favor from God this year than you got last year? Then hear this, admit to God that you need a do-over!

You get a go-over by accepting what God has to offer. The Lord offers salvation to those who believe on Him. Contrary to popular opinions about God, He has much more to offer than money, material possessions, and mansions that look like the homes on MTV Cribs! He offers healing for the sick, hope for the hurting, strength for the weak, light for those that are trapped in darkness, and salvation for those need deliverance. If we were to be completely honest, all of us have at least one habit that we need to get rid of. And we get rid of it, by taking the cup. The passage calls it the "...cup of salvation..." It is the sweetest cup in the world! In this cup is an empty cross, a vacant tomb, the blood of the Lamb, and a power that takes what you used to be to redemptively create what God has called you to be. If you need a do-over you have to accept the cup!

And lastly, you get a do-over by admonishing the Lord in public. There are those of us that treat God like an ugly blind date that's loaded with money. He's okay to pay bills and help us out in private, but He is not really worth being seen with in public. Here's a good question for you. If you were in a room full of unbelievers would they know that Jesus is the love of your life? The passage says that we are to "...call upon the name of the Lord." This phrase is a premeditated praise offered to God where others can see you and know that you are blessing Him. In short, when you need a do-over you have to praise God in public like you want Him to bless you in private. I dare you to do it right where you are right now! Do it with your heart on Him, your hands lifted to Him, and your spirit lifted towards Him! Your do-over depends on it!

There are two types of people reading this message right now. Those that have had a do-over and those that needs one. Now if you have had one you should help me spread the word. We serve a God that allows do-overs! And if you need a do-over I have even better news for you. God is still letting people start over! And this includes you and the year that lies before you right now! Your do-over is up to you!!!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

Dr. Adolph's Book Signing - "I'm Coming Out of This" @ Barnes & Nobles

2010-01-20T16:11:00.000-08:00

To My Friends in the Faith!

Thank you is just not enough to say for all that your presence meant to me on Saturday, June 9, 2010!!! To look at what the Lord has done in my life is a miracle. And, for you to share this miracle with me is an overwhelming blessing. From the depths of my soul, from the annals of my intellect and from the bottom of my heart please accept this whisper of gratitude that I yield to you....thank you!!!!

Special thanks to my loving wife Dorrie, my kids Sumone and Jonathan, my adopted kids Melba and Candice, my office staff, members and dear friends that drove all the way from Houston, Texas, and other parts of the state just to share this momentous occasion with me. And, most of all I give God all of the glory, honor, praise and adoration for what He has done in the life He has given me.

Again I say, thank you!!!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

What's To Come Is Better Than What's Been!

2010-01-20T15:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends in the Faith:

New Year's Resolutions have never really worked. It is because the word resolution means come full circle or to resolve. Thus, every time you do a resolution you end up right back where you started from in the beginning. But, what is more important than a resolution is a revelation. The reason why a revelation is so much more important is because it means to reveal or to disclose. It means to make known.

Now there have been people who have tried to see into your future. Tarot cards readers, astrology guru's, soothsayers, voodoo priests and the like have tried their best to see what the future holds for you. But please hear this, the only way for you to get a good portrait of your future is from the God that gave you your life to begin with! In short, the only revelation that you really need will come from Jesus Christ! Here's the revelation that you need to begin your year with. Place this in your spirit and hide it in your heart, what's to come is better than what's been!

Are you shouting yet? Well, if you are not King David can help you with it. When the King saw the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Israel he celebrated all over the city. Here's what the scripture says, "And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet" (2 Sam. 6:14-15, KJV). So how can you be for certain that the best is still yet to come?

You know that what's to come is better than what's been because God has helped you with at least one problem that only He could fix. Okay, let's be honest for a moment. The year of 09 was was a breeze for some of you sharing this devotional moment right now. To you we say, "God bless you." But, for everyone else 09 was filled with ups and downs, crazy moments, and the only way that you were able to make it to see a new year was with the help of almighty God! It's what has happened to David. The Ark has been missing from Israel for 100 years. It was a problem that David could not fix with his human hands. But, that hand of God fixed so that the people of God would know that what's to come would be better than what's been! Can I ask you a question? Did God fix just one thing for you all of last year? If He did it for you that was His way of saying your tomorrow will be brighter than your yesterday!

Secondly, you know that things are going to get better because you have a presence with you right now that only God can provide. Do you really think that you made through 12 months, 52 weeks, 8766 hours, and 525600 minutes just because you made all the right choices and the best decisions? I hope that you realize that you made it through all of last year simply because the presence of the Lord was with you all year long. It is what happens in the passage. The Ark of the Covenant was a wooden box that was over laid with gold that had two golden angels’ seats on top of it. Inside of the box there was Aaron's rod that budded (it represented the protection of God), the tablets of Moses (it represented the principles of God), and the manna that came from heaven (it represented the provisions of God). In short, the one box represented the very presence of God! And when the presence of God was with His people they shouted because they knew that nothing that was ahead of them was greater than the God that was with them! In short, they knew that the future was bright because the Lord was on their side!

And, lastly you know that what's to come is better than what's been when you thank God for what's going to take place before it ever happens. David is dancing and the people are shouting. In fact, the word shout here in the Hebrew is tee-roo-ah. And, it means to shake. Thus, when you thank God for what He is going to do you should shout until something shakes! It is what happened in Israel and it is what should happen right now as we start the year of 2010 together. You know that it going to be better because your praise is given to Him in advance. I know, it sounds silly right? But, I promise you, if David who was a King could shout like he was a servant, you too can praise the Lord like you ready for His blessings to flow in your life like a river that is running over its banks! Let me ask you a question, how would you respond to God for keeping you an entire year? Bless Him like that right now because your best days are yet come!!!

Here's is your New Year's Revelation that comes from the Lord, what's to come is better than what's been! This is about to be the best year of your entire life! Give God the glory for it right now and know that last year was your time of testing and this year will be your season of blessing!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

"I'm Coming Out of This" - Book signing of Dr. John R. Adolph

2009-12-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

WHATEVER!!!

2009-11-15T07:48:00.000-08:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

Stress, anxiety and depression are modern day assassins! They are silent killers that cause more problems that you can shake a stick at. But, there comes a point in your life when you need something that will bring you instant relief. For instance, if you have a headache an aspirin can bring you relief. If you have a stomach ache Patois can bring you relief. But, if you have issues, circumstances, tribulations, problems, and heartache that human hands cannot fix or repair and you want instant relief here's what you do. Throw your head back, look towards heaven, and just say WHATEVER!!!

In fact, someone of you reading this devotional right now is stressed to the max. Your entire family leans on you. You have to hold everything up for everybody and keep a smile on your face so that they will think that everything is okay. You have to buy it, cook it, clean it, help it, direct it, pray for it, pay for it, teach it, hold it, mold it, and store it. And there are times when you don't know if you are going or coming. Let me help right quick. Throw your head back, look towards heaven and just say WHATEVER!!!

There are those who are sharing this moment with me right now that struggle with issues of anxiety and depression. People look at you and they have no idea what a struggle it is for you just to be present. In fact, you are living on the edge of quiet desperation. Today is problematic and tomorrow seems too filled with trouble to be worth it. Let me bring you to a point of spiritual healing and restoration right quick. Throw your head back, look towards heaven, and just day WHATEVER!!!

The Apostle Paul knew how to deal with stressful moments and tempestuous times. Here's what he tells the sincere devout believers of Philippi to do. He says, "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6-7, KJV).

In other words, you have to learn how to say God I have tried all that I can try, I have prayed all that I could possibly pray, and I have done all that I know how to do, the rest is yours so as far as I am concerned....WHATEVER!!!! So how do we spiritually get to the place where we too can say, WHATEVER?

First of all, you must encounter a release. Here's a personal question for you. Do you worry too much? If your answer was yes I want you to do me a favor. Let it go! Put it down! Quit tripping! Let God have it! Paul says it like this, "Be careful for nothing..." It could better be translated like this, stop worrying about right now and I mean it. Remember this; the beginning of faith is the end of worry. But, the beginning of worry is the end of faith! When one stops the other starts! They cannot coexists! Put it down and let the Lord of heaven have it. He's stronger than you are and He's better at carrying loads than you will ever be! Drop it and just say WHATEVER!

Secondly, you must make a request. One of the tricks of the enemy is to get you to put your burdens down because they are killing you and then pick them back up because you think that you can help God out by carrying them. If you want to live a stress free life you must get to the point where you not only release it but prayerfully let God have for good. Here's what the passage says, "...but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God..." The term prayer used here means to make a list and give it to God. Here's a good devotional question for you today. What's on your list? Who's on your list? Where is your list? Do not give your list to your friends, family and fellow neighbors. Give it to God in prayer and just say, WHATEVER!

And, lastly, you must plan to be restored. Life's worries can knock you off of your feet and take the breathe out of you. But, once you have given it to God you have to be restored and move on. Here's how Paul says it, "...and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." The term keep is so rich here. It is the Greek word “froreho”. It means to keep bad stuff out and keep good things in. It means to build a gate around something. Here's what it means to you. Once you release it and make a request to God, He literally restores you by building a fence all around you. In short, God's got your back! Are you shouting yet? If you aren't you should be! And, when He has your back you can just say, God's got me covered so, WHATEVER!

For every stressed out saint that's been forced to deal with issues of anxiety, worry, trouble and heartache your healing lies in just this one little word. Say it, internalize it, believe it and practice it and start right now! Here it is one more time, believe it as a fact and declare it in faith to be free, WHATEVER!!!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

NOT HALLOWEEN, BUT HALLELUJAH!!!

2009-11-15T07:37:00.000-08:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

You know that you live in a country that is pressed by demons and needs to be delivered when the devil has his own holiday. To put it bluntly, Halloween is about demonism pure and simple. It is a night in which the belief of ghosts, witches, evil spirits, superstitions, wickedness and dead people are literally celebrated. But, where did all of this madness get its start?

Consider this historical synopsis before you let your kids do any trick or treating this year. "Halloween can be traced back more than 2,000 years to a Celtic festival known as “Samhain” (pronounced SAH-wen) that was celebrated at the end of the summer harvest season. The ancient Celts lived in Northern Europe, especially Ireland, Britain and France. (The "C" in Celtic is pronounced with a "K" sound.) The Celts believed that the spirits of the dead roamed the towns and villages on the night of Oct. 31. Because the Celts were superstitious, they feared that these spirits could create havoc by damaging crops, creating sickness and even taking over the bodies of the living. To ward off danger, the Celts lighted huge bonfires and dressed in animal hides to frighten away the evil spirits. “Samhain” was a pagan (nonreligious) celebration. As Christianity became dominant in Europe, the Catholic Church decided it didn't like people celebrating a non-Christian holiday. Around the year 800, the Church moved a spring holiday, All Saints' Day, to Nov. 1. "Hallows" is another word for "saints," so the night before All Saints' Day became known as All Hallows' Eve. From there, it was just a hop, skip and a jump of the tongue for All Hallows' Eve to become Halloween" (Bennett, pg. 13, Washington Post, 2009).

And get this, trick or treating has its historical roots in the supreme night of demonic jubilation. It was on this night that people believed that the dead would leave their graves and try to find their way back home. In order to appease these evil spirits, town people would leave treats on their front porch (pie, candy, nuts, fruits, etc.) in high hopes that the evil spirits would take the treats and leave them peacefully. This is why we have been taught to dress up like dead folks to get candy from our neighbors and leave on Halloween night. This has nothing to do with Christ, the Bible, the Holy Ghost or the Christian faith at all!

In conjunction to this historical truth a solid word study can shed even more light on this horror of a supposed holiday. Hallo or Halle is the root for the term holy. This is why Jesus taught us to say "hallowed be thy name..." when He taught us the model prayer. This is to be done because the name of our God is holy and should be worshipped. Thus, Hallo in Halloween literally means holy or honored is due. And, “ween” literally means the wicked one. So when we celebrate Halloween we literally worship the wicked one. Now the last time I checked the Bible said, "Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth" (Deut. 6:14-15, KJV). This means that if there is going to be any honor given, any worship presented our God is the one that it should be given to. This is why we shout HALLELUJAH! “Halle” means honor or praise and “lujah” means for jah. “Jah” is the root for the name of God which means the self existing holy one! Thus, when we shout Hallelujah we literally celebrate the God of glory in all of His majesty and splendor!

So listen when little visitors stop by your house on October 31st this year give them the treat of their lives. Share Jesus Christ with them! Stop by a Christian book store and buy some candy with Bible verses on them, get some nice Bible tracts that share our message of salvation of them, and make sure that you let everyone who comes near your door that for you, it's all about HALLELUJAH and not Halloween!!! Celebrate the one ghost that we believe in during this season and that is the Holy Ghost (the 3rd person of the Godhead). Celebrate our resurrected Savior Jesus Christ and truth of His Word! For He is worthy to be praised!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!!!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

YOUR SEASON IS CHANGING!!!

2009-11-15T07:22:00.000-08:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

I was born April 9, 1966 at about 4:28am. Yep, I woke my mother up early in the morning making my entrance into this place that we now live in. I'm now 43 years old and the older I get, the more life that I see and the more issues that I have to deal with I find myself saying some of the same things that I heard my parents say years ago. I find myself saying things like "stop running in my house", "put some shoes on your feet because I do not have time for you to catch a cold", "you're going to do it because I said so and that's whether you feel like it or not", "get off of the arm of that sofa right now", "yes you can go but you better be in before the street lights come on", and of course there is this one that says, "get a jacket before you leave because it is October and the weather changes with the drop of a dime."

I'm now 43 years old. And I can remember being raised with two books on the coffee table at all times. There was an almanac and a Bible. You see, the almanac was the little book that told you when to plant, when to fish, when the full moon would occur, when to expect rainy times and when to reap. And, the Bible was the infallible Word of God. For the life of me, I did not understand what those two books had in common. But, after having times of tears, moments of madness, and times of testing and blessing I now understand it. You see, they both have to do with seasons! The almanac gave you agricultural seasons, but the Bible gave you spiritual seasons. The shouting news of the day is that no season comes to stay. Seasons always change!!!

Now for those of you reading this devotional this week and all is well in your life, your bills are paid, your health is fine, your kids are blessed, your job is stable, your mind is clear, your journey is great and you can see that it is your season of bliss and bounty you owe the Lord a shout of thanksgiving! Get one in right now while you are in this season because seasons change. But, for everyone else sharing this time with me who have had one hell of a year, who have had to cry more in 09 than you have had to cry in your whole life, to those that have had to bury loved ones, to those that have been laid off, hurt, wounded, and have had to really struggle the Word of the Lord for you right now is this, "Your Season Is Changing!!!!!"

How would you act if God sent you a message of hope to tell you that He knows that you have been in a drought, but the rain is on the way? What would you do if God sent you an email that said that He has seen your tears and you are about to enter a season of joy like none that you have ever known? This is the purpose of this missive! Consider this a message from the Lord that has found your heart to tell you what Paul told the churches in Galatia when He said, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galatians 6:7-9, KJV). So what are the Biblical indicators that your season is changing?

First, you know that your season is changing when you are starting to see the ruins of your leftover crop. Okay, this section is not for the real holy people that can not admit it. But, all believers have some left over crop. It's the stuff that you planted before you met Jesus that still shows up in your life every now and then. It's where some of your old habits that you just knew that you gotten rid of years ago start rising in your life again. It happens to all of us from time to time. Paul puts it like this, don't think that God has walked away from His divine principle of sowing and reaping. He is not mocked. And some of the crop that you are seeing is the remains of a crop that you planted before you got saved. But, why does God allow your left over harvest to rise again? He permits it because He knows that your old crop and your new crop cannot grow at the same time! So He gives you some time to get the old one completely out of the way because what is about to come is greater than what has been!!! Are you shouting yet? Get this, your tomorrow looks much better that your yesterday did!

Secondly, you know that your season is about to change when your soul grows weary. Has it ever happened to you before? Have you ever reached a point in your life where you just wanted to throw up both hands and just say "I quit!" If you are here right now, please find the words of this devotional as your divine permission to shout right now! You're being tired and wanting to quit is a sign from God that your season is about to change! Here's what the text says, "...and be not weary in well doing..." The term weary is “ek-kak-eo” in the Greek and it is in the subjunctive mood. It means to be tired to the point of exhaustion but still have just enough in the tank for one more battle. But, please get this, there is a reason why God lets you wear down before He lets your harvest come and your season change. He permits it so that you will know that your season changed because of Him and not because of you! He does not want you to brag about your harvest and your season so He lets you get too weak to continue so that you will have to boast about Him and Him alone!

And lastly, you know that your season is about to change when you are prepared to give God a shout for the season that is yet to come. Seasons must change and here's why. The earth spins on her axis at an angel of 23.5 degrees. As she orbits the sun there are times when she receives more sun light and thus the results are spring and summer. And, there are times when she receives less light and thus we have fall and winter. Did you get it? You see, the more of the "SON" we get the more our seasons change!!!! Here's the greatest news of the day. God says, "..we shall reap..." There's the presence of a definite article here. This means that it can't NOT happen. If you have sown, you shall reap! God has a habit of taking His people from leaves to loaves, from nothing to something and from poverty to plenty! If you have been faithfully sowing you should stop right here and give the Lord a huge thank you for your season because it is about to change!

At 43 years old I sound like the folks that raised me. I find myself waking in the morning and saying "thank you Jesus for another day!" I find myself saying "He's brought me from a mighty long way!" I find myself saying "God will make a way somehow!" And, I find myself saying "Yes, weeping may endure for a little while, but if you hold on...if you don't give out...if you don't give up...your season is going to change and joy will come in the morning!" Celebrate the changing of your season and know that God has ordained it to be so!!!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

DON'T LET IT GET THE BEST OF YOU!!!

2009-11-15T07:14:00.000-08:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

I have never seen it on this order before. Christians that outwardly look great and fine, but inwardly struggling with issues of depression. George Barna, one of the greatest church researchers in the world remarks that more Christians privately admit to personal bouts with depression than do our secular counterparts. We worry more and trust less, we panic easier when things go wrong and pray less, and we make an attempt to fix things ourselves instead of turning them over to God and letting Him work it out. We divorce quicker, we give up easier, we fall faster and we boast about a God that is able and awesome. The end result is a person who believes in Jesus Christ, goes to church on a regular basis, and is depressed.

The crux, core and centre of this devotional are really just to make one statement clear the devil is a liar! No matter what happens to you as a believer in Jesus Christ never let life get the best of you!!! Life happens, but If you are wounded you have access to the greatest healer in the world, if you are tired, our God has declared that you can rest in Him, if you are in darkness He is the light, if you are financially strapped He is still Jehovah Jireh and He will provide, if you are sick He is still the great physician and if you are under attack He is still the God of war who fights everyone of your battles for you! Hear this again, don't let it get the best of you!

One day Jesus had a conversation with one of His favorite disciples by the name of Peter. He knew that what was ahead of him was not easy and He did not want him to fall into depression, give up, and throw in the towel. So Jesus says to him, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (St. Luke 22:21-32, KJV).

In other words, Peter when it happens, when trouble comes (and it will), when you have issues (and you shall), when you have things that fall apart on you, hold your head up, roll your shoulders back, remember this pep talk and don't let it get the best of you!!! But, what does Jesus give Peter that works for us that will help us never to fall into a mode of depression?

First of all He gave him a portrait of the persecutors plans. It's hard to get hit by a bus if you know that it is coming your way. Jesus says, "Simon, Simon, satan desires to have you that he may sift you as wheat..." This is so deep here. Notice Jesus says that satan desires to have you. The word desire is “exiteo”. It means that he wants to get his hands around your neck. The "you" is plural so it translates like this, "the devil wants to choke the life out of all of you all." Jesus gives Peter the devils agenda. He wants to sift him as wheat. In short, the devil wants his life in pieces. Can I ask, have you ever found yourself falling to pieces? If you said yes know that it is the work of the enemy, but I have some shouting news for you. There is a house of healing and restoration whose admission fee is life's broken pieces. Yes, get to the Potters house as fast as you can! Our God takes broken pieces and makes for Himself a masterpiece. Remember this, when life seems to be getting the best of you, God is better at handling your brokenness than you are! Give it to HIM!!!

Secondly, He gave him the prayers of the great high priest. Please hear this, you don't want everyone praying for you. Why? Some people get a joy out of seeing you down and out, broken and hurt, wounded and distraught. But, the great news of the day is this, Jesus wants to see you blessed and not cursed, healed and not sick, above and not beneath! Jesus tells Peter that satan wants to sift him, but here's the shouting news of the text. He says, "...but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not..." Notice that Jesus does not pray for him never to have trouble, heartache or failure. He does not pray that the devil leave him alone or that everything work out fine for him. Jesus prays that his faith does not fail. In other words, God's prayer for you is this, when the dust settles and the rain stops, and the flood gates close, and the storm ceases I want to see you with your Bible in your hand and smile on face looking towards heaven saying, "any way you bless me Lord I will be satisfied!!!" Remember this, when life seems to be getting the best of you, God's prayer for you is this, keep on fighting in the faith and never give up!

And lastly, He gave him the purpose for his pain. People who struggle with depression often ask God why so much pain. Have you ever asked the Lord why before? Here's the answer. So that after you are back up on your feet again you can strengthen others who have been knocked down. Jesus put it like this to Peter, "strengthen the brethren." Strengthen is the term “steridzo” in the Greek. We borrow our term steroid from it. It means to make strong from the inside out. Wow! Are you shouting yet? If you have ever had to cry you should be! The Lord tells Peter the reason I let you go through tough times is because when you get up you are stronger than you were before you went down. And I need your strength! I need you to help people that are down and out, wounded and hurt, tossed and confused. In other words, you can't help them until I have helped you. You can't help me find water unless you've been to the fountain yourself. And, you can't help others until God has helped you! Remember this when life seems to be getting the best of you, God let you get knocked down so that when you get up you'd be strong enough to help someone else!

I have noticed something about being near people that are depressed. Many of them chose to be that way. So it just stands to reason that if you could chose to be depressed you could chose not to be! Make your decision today. Say this to yourself as we conclude this moment together, "I chose not to worry! God is going to take care of me!" "I chose not to quit, my tomorrow is much brighter than my yesterday was!" "I chose not to stay down, God gave me the ability to get up and keep moving forward in the faith!" "I chose not to be depressed; God has given me His joy just to put a smile on my face!" And, "I refuse to let this get the best of me, so instead of complaining I will remain prayerful, thankful, peaceful, joyful, powerful and faithful in everything that I do!"

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

STUCK IN REVERSE!!!

2009-11-15T07:03:00.000-08:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

When I was a teenager in high school you just had to have certain things to be with the "in" crowd. If you were a girl you had to have some Chic jeans, a Polo shirt by Ralph Lauren, and some cute shoes. If you were a guy you had to have a Jheri Curl, some leather Nike's low top, and something to drive (Wow, am I telling my age here?) My parents provided their kids with the necessities, but if what they provided was not good enough for you, then you had to get a job and get them for yourself. Okay, as relates to the "in" crowd I had the Jheri Curl (Hahahahaha), I had the leather Nike low top sneakers, but I needed something to drive. So I worked at Burger King, cut yards, saved my money and bought a 1977 Chevy Luv pickup truck. Who cares that it was outdated, rusty, needed a paint job, and had a bad carburetor? It was mine!

Now my Chevy was a four in the floor. And, I drove all over our neighborhood, styling and profiling with no license and one cracked speaker in the back with only AM radio playing for me to boom with. I could handle the clutch with ease. But, I had this real problem with first gear. You see, first gear was right next to reverse. And often times when I thought that I was in first, I would actually be in reverse headed the wrong direction. Now this is not a devotional on my first little rusty truck, but I do see something here worth sharing. You see, forgiveness is an issue like that for many of us. Just when you think that you are going to put your life into first gear and drive on off and do well you get first and reverse mixed up and you end up going backwards instead of forwards. Have you ever been there before?

You know that you are stuck in reverse when you say, "yes I have forgiven them but just keep them out of my face because I just might snap." You know that you are stuck in reverse when you have been hurt by people and your response was to cut them out of your lives and say "since you've hurt me it's over for you and the horse you rode into town on." And, you know that you are stuck in reverse when you punish other people that have done you no harm at all for things that others have done that your new counterparts had nothing to do with. Forgiveness is a real struggle for many Christians and with it many of us end up stuck in reverse! This devotional is for people who can honestly say "it's hard for me to let it go." This devotional is for the person who has been abused, neglected, hurt, lied on, talked about, and cheated on. God never promised us that people would not hurt us. But, forgiveness is that tool that helps us move on with our lives and move from reverse to first without being stuck in reverse!

Jesus Christ is on the cross in Luke 22:34 and He makes a plea to His Father that heals, mends, and restores Him from the possible hatred that He could have had for those who beat Him ruthlessly. He says, "...Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

You see, Jesus knew that if He did not move on past the people beneath Him on the cross, He would never satisfy His Father that was above Him on the cross. So how do you move from reverse to first and move on with your life after people have hurt you?

Remember that you cannot move forward in reverse no matter how hard you try. There were times that I just knew that I was moving forward because I felt like I was in the right gear. But, as soon as I released the clutch I would spurt backwards. You see, being in reverse left me no options when it came to moving forward. The same is true with forgiveness. It does not come with any options. The liberating principle of forgiveness is this, in the eyes of God it is not a maybe, it is a must! Jesus is on the cross and He knows that if He does not forgive those that have harmed Him, He will do harm to Himself. So He says, "....forgive them..." Remember this, true forgiveness happens when you decide to let the person off the hook that has hurt you only to realize that the person that you have released is YOU!

Realize that first is much better than reverse. I noticed while stuck in reverse one day that there was only one gear designed for moving backwards and four gears given to move forwards. The moral here for us is simple. My old truck was designed to spend more time moving forward than it did going backwards. Here's a good devotional question for you today, "haven't you been in reverse long enough?"

The reason Jesus forgives these horrible people is because He refuses to let them keep Him in the wrong gear! He is in first. He is headed to the next level and a new dimension! He is heaven bound and nothing is going to stop that! Not even hurtful evil people that have tried to destroy Him. The word forgiveness is aphemi. It means to let it go; to release. Take a moment and think of all of the people that have hurt you that you struggle to forgive and make a decision that they are not worth you missing what's ahead of you hurting over what is behind you!

Recognize that you reverse leads nowhere, but first leads to second; second leads to third, and third leads to fourth! I don't care what anyone tells you once you get out of reverse everything else just flows and you go forward faster with the passing of each gear. It is like a promotion! Check Jesus out in the text. He knows that He is up for a promotion. We call it a resurrection. And He does not need anything heavy holding Him down because He is going to come forth and He does not need anybody holding Him back but He is going to get up! So to make sure that He does not go backwards in reverse He tells His Father to let vicious murders off of the hook. Three days later it happened! First gear, resurrection! Second gear, the grave is declared empty! Third gear, the angel declares He has risen as He said that He would! Fourth gear, Jesus declared for Himself, "All power in heaven and in earth hath been given unto me!" If I told you that the reason you don't want to stay in reverse is because God had plans for future and the only way to get there was to move on to first, second, third, and fourth would believe me? It's true and it's real! Forgiveness!!! It is the route to your peaceful tomorrow and the road that leads to your next promotion!

Often times I would get stuck between reverse and first and my gears would make that loud grinding sound. It was horrible. But, my father got tired of me doing it so he took some liquid paper and painted a cross on my gear shift. He said, "Bobby, when you get confused between first and reverse look at the cross and you will always move forward!" That was some sound advice that has blessed me all of my days and it will bless you too! For those who have been stuck in reverse look at the cross because the first gear of your future awaits you!!! It's time to move forward, never to be stuck in reverse again!!!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

Who Wants To Be More Than A Millionaire!

2009-10-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

It happened one day while I was leaving the gym. I noticed a huge huddle of men gathered around the screen peering as if they did not want to blink for fear of missing something. Okay, I am nosey so I had to figure out what they were looking at so I stopped too. When I looked at the screen it was not something that I was familiar with so I asked a young man standing nearby what was all of the fuss about. And he said "It's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"

Talk about game shows, this is the one for me. On the Price Is Right you can leave with a mobile home if you win. But, who needs that; it's just something else to take care of right? On the Family Feud you can leave with $40,000.00 if you win, but you have to split the money between 5 people on the show and they are your kinfolk. Can you imagine the fiasco that takes place after that show? I submit to you that if you are going to play a game you want to play one that you can walk away from there a millionaire! You want game where you can come broke and leave rich. And, there is only one show in America that allows that to happen and it is "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"

The shouting news of the day for us however is this, there is a way for you to become MORE than a Millionaire and this is not a game show! God has granted us a plan that will bestow things on you that money cannot buy, that credit cannot charge and checks cannot write. The God of heaven has put in place a way for you to turn tragedy into triumph, midnight into day and losses into gains! God has a plan that will joy to the down trodden, direction to the lost, light to those in darkness and healing for those who are broken. My question for you today is this "Who Wants To Be More Than A Millionaire?"

As Paul opens his letter to church at Ephesus he makes a statement in verse 3 of chapter that will sneak by you if you are not paying attention. He says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3, KJV). What Paul is really declaring in canonical terms when placed in our cultural context is this; you can be MORE than a Millionaire if you know where you stand and what you're doing! So how do you become more than a millionaire?

You must realize that there is power in the person of God worth boasting about. Okay admit it or not, we like bragging on certain things. If our kids do well we brag, if we catch a huge sale we brag and we brag on our team when they win. But, there is nothing in your life that brings more wealth to you than bragging on God! Paul says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." The word "blessed" he uses is eulogeho in the Greek and it means to boast. What follows this term is the definitive of who we should be boasting on "...the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." Older saints have a cliché that says "it's a sad dog that cannot wag it's on tail." Likewise, I say it's a sorry Christian that cannot brag on their own God! So talk good about your God! Brag about His love, mercy, grace, patience, peace, power and person. Brag about His provisions, His potency, and His persistence. And remember this, the more you brag, the more He blesses!

You must recognize that there is potency in the praise of God when you know that you're already blessed. You're shouting huh? If you're not, you should be. Because you are so blessed right now that there are days when you just start to think about how good He has been to you and tear should fall from your eye. Here's the truth about it, He's been better than good, He's been sweeter than sweet and He's been the blesser of your soul all of your life! You are already blessed!!! Paul says it like this "...who hath blessed us..." Did you get it? Paul says He has done it already. I have a praise assignment for you to do right quick. Stop right now, find a mirror and tell yourself ten things that God has done for you today that money could not buy for you and then say this to yourself, "I'm so blessed!" And for those of you reading this devotional that is really going through a moment of difficulty I want you to say this to yourself, "It could be worse, I am still blessed!" Get this saints, God does not owe us anything else! If He does not do anything for any of us, He has already done enough because He has been just that good! Say this with enough passion to make the devil mad I am blessed!

You must remember that there are provisions that come from God when Christ is your Savior and Lord. This is the shouting news of the day. Remember this, real blessings do not only come from what you have, but they come from who has you! In this stead, you can be blessed without a Cadillac. You can be blessed without a house on a hill and you can be blessed in the midst of sickness and dismay. It is because real blessings are rooted not in what you have possessed, but in who possesses you! Here's how Paul says it, "....with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." Everything thing that you need comes from the Lord of heaven. It's just that simple. Here's some news that should make your heart happy, God is going to take care of you. I hear you asking, "How can I be for certain?" Here's the answer for you. He took care of you yesterday that's while you're still here today! God is on your side!!!

In order to win the game on television you have to answer some questions correctly. And to make sure that your answer is the one you want to stay with the host says "Is that your final answer?" Well, in order to be MORE than a Millionaire I have some questions for you too. Question #1-Who died on the cross for you? Is that your final answer? Question #2-Who filled you with His spirit? Is that your final answer? Question #3-How did you make to this point without losing you mind? Is that your final answer? And, last question (you may need to use your life line on this one) how did you get a testimony like yours? Is that your final answer? If you answered JESUS to all of these you're not just a millionaire...YOU'RE MORE THAN A MILLIONAIRE!!!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

My First Husband Was a Fool!!!

2009-09-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

Wait!!! Don't delete this communiqué' just yet. I know that the title "My First Husband Was a Fool" is provocative to some and offensive to others. But, hear me out. This is not some eblast that bashes men. Neither is it a missive that degrades women. But, it is devotional that is deeply rooted in the liberating power of the cross. The Bible speaks three literary languages. The scriptures speak to us figuratively, literally, and symbolically. Today's devotional embraces all three of them from time to time. That is to say, in order to truly understand it you must first hear the passage, see the analogy, feel the metaphor and then internalize the principle being taught.

Here is what the Bible says in Romans 7:1-4 reads, "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (Romans 7:1-4, KJV).

Now imagine for a moment a very wealthy man whose name is Mr. Law. He is a good man and takes care of his family; however, he makes serious mandates on his wife all of the time to the point where the sister is married, but completely miserable. Imagine he says to her "Hey woman, I want my breakfast! I would like my pancakes cooked by hand because I hate the frozen kind. And, I would like my bacon fried extra crispy and my orange juice slightly chilled. And please remove that pulp because it gets on my nerves. And, fetch me my newspaper! Turn one side of my paper to the business section and the other side to the sports section. And get it right this time, yesterday you had the wrong section facing up. And, have all of this done by at 7am!" Can you feel it yet? Do you want to hit someone? Good!!!! Keep reading!

Now imagine Mr. Law saying to his wife, "Hey, this house is dirty! I would like my house clean when I come home from work. I mean after all who likes a dirty house. Please mop the floor, do the dishes, and get those stains off of the windows because I cannot stand that! And, since I pay all of the bills around here catch those blinds too because they really need dusting. Oh, and by the way please have the children ready for school so that they won't run late. I know we only have eight of them, but get them going on time. I know that it's difficult but you could do better if you got up an hour earlier."

While Mr. Law is a stern husband that never bends or shows compassion to his wife there is another brother in the passage. His name is Dr. Grace. He's been observing this sister in distress and He knows how to treat her. He looks from a distance. And she peeps from a distance. But she is bound by a covenant to Mr. Law. Yes, she wants out but she cannot leave. Mr. Law has his hands and commands on her. All of a sudden tragedy strikes and her husband is murdered. It was a homicide! He was taken to the outskirts of the city and nailed to a tree. It was such a sad day. The headlines of the local newspaper read like this, "Mr. Law is dead!"

But, now this sister that was miserable is now a free woman and one day while dealing with a wounded heart and a heavy load Dr. Grace catches up with her at the mall near the shoe rack. And Grace says to her, "I been watching you, but I'm not a stalker. I know your pain and I am not a physician. I want to love you like you have never been loved. But, you will have to let me do it." They exchange numbers, the courtship is brief and a wedding ensues. This sister that was married to Mr. Law with all of his demands is now the wife of Dr. Grace and things are different now!

Grace is filled with compassion, tender mercies, care, consolation and love. So in the morning instead of her fixing pancakes by hand like she did for her first husband, Grace brings her a breakfast tray and a tear rolls down her cheek. For lunch Grace calls his wife and says "What are you doing?" And, she says, "I am in the kitchen fixing lunch for you." Now imagine Grace telling her that's what you used to do when you were married to Law. I don't want that from you. I want you! So Grace says to her "don't slave over that stove meet me at our favorite spot I'd like to spend some time with you today." She arrives at the restaurant and orders her food (she's never had this kind of treatment before). But, her husband does not order. She says "aren't you hungry?" And, he says, "Yes, but when I am in your presence what was empty soon becomes full. I just want to see you be mine and know that I care about you for real!"

Dr. Grace catches his wife about to do her household chores and says to her "Baby, what are you doing? I don't want you spending your time doing that. You are my bride and my queen. I will get a house keeper to do that. Spend your time with me. That's the stuff that your old husband had you doing. I told you when I married you that it would be a new day and it is! Grace is your man now!" And when Grace comes home for the evening he says, "I don't want to watch TV when I have someone like you to look upon." Imagine Grace walking his new wife to her closet and telling her to try on different outfits while he grabs a camera for a private photo shoot. Now listen to Grace as he tells her "do you think I would want to watch TV when I have you to be near all night long. I have longed to have you. You are my prayer answered. You just what I have always wanted. I just want you to be happy! My love for you is turned on and I cannot turn it off!" Are you shouting yet?????

Here's the shouting news of this devotional. You are the woman in this passage because if you have been saved you are a part of the church and you are the bride of Christ! Your first husband was the Law of God. No, God is not a fool He is faithful! His law is perfect, for He is perfect. But no human alive can keep all of the law and when we try to keep it all because of its severe demands we end up making a fool out of ourselves. But, when Jesus died at Calvary He liberated us from the demands of the law and along came a new man! His name is GRACE!!!! Thank God for a new husband!!! Your first husband put you in bondage, but your second husband set you free. Your first husband required a sacrifice, but your second husband became a sacrifice for you. Your first husband would criticize when you made a mistake, but your second husband would lift you from your mess ups and hold you close to his mercy! Your first husband married you because he had to, but your second husband married you because he wanted you!

Grace loves you so much, treats you so good, holds you so close, provides so well, touches so softly, sings so sweetly, provides so generously, protects so fiercely and blesses so perpetually that He makes you love Him back and serve Him with all of your heart! Here's the shout of the day, Dr. Grace is Jesus Christ!!! He died to free you from the Law and to give you a love that you have never ever had before! Thank God for a new husband in Jesus Christ!!! Praise the Lord for Dr. GRACE!!!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner!!!

2009-08-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

Not long ago a friend of mine invited me to dinner at a Japanese restaurant in our city. Okay, let me be honest here, I do not do the buffet thing at all. It's just too great of a temptation for a brother like me to over indulge so I did not want to go initially, but I went just for the sake of Christian fellowship. But, when I walked into this place for dinner I was shocked at the atmosphere. There was never a boring moment at Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse. Blades were flying, fires were soaring, rice was cooking, shrimp was grilling, peppers were sizzling, chicken and steak were smoking, and everyone was having a great time. I had a reserved seat marked "guess who's coming to dinner" and I sat and watched a skilled Japanese chef prepare a table for me before me.

As I sat there watching that chef prepare my table with that little sign in front of me that read "guess who's coming to dinner" I thought a much greater table that is being prepared for everyone who loves the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are reading this devotional and you have been saved by the grace of our Lord by way of His finished work at Calvary you have a spot at the table which the Lord of heaven prepares for you Himself both in time and eternity! What's on the table you ask? Not just food, but faith. Not just dinner, but deliverance. Not just desert, but destiny. Not just potatoes, but peace. Not just juice, but joy. Not just salad, but salvation. And, not just veggies, but victory! In fact, I believe that a great invitation has gone out and there is a sign at the table of the Lord that says "guess who's coming to dinner" and you are the invited guest of Almighty God!

One of the most popular verses in the Bible is the 23rd Psalm. It is where David writes the words to the most comforting Hebrew hymn ever written. In the heart of the hymn he is careful to remind us of the fact that the Lord is doing all that He can do to bless us. And one of those blessings is a table prepared for just for you. Here's what he says, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies..." (Psalms 23:5a, KJV). How does it make you feel to know that God has plans for your future? What does it make you think to consider the fact the Lord is intentionally working to do things for you that you cannot do for yourself right now? What would you say if you I told you that there was a seat at God's table with your name on it? Here's some shouting news for you that should bless the rest of your day. The Lord wants you at His table!!! But, what's at His table that makes it so great?

First of all, His provisions are at the table. Let me ask you a very personal question. What do you need from God right now? If you have no needs, praise the Lord. But, if you do have some real needs what are they? Perhaps you need healing in your body, restoration in your finances, strengthening in your family or guidance for your life. Maybe you need help for an area of weakness, liberation from an attack, deliverance from an addiction or just a prayer answered in a time of need. Whatever the case please hear this, God will provide! David says "thou preparest..." The Hebrew verb here is aw-rak and it means to set the order. It means to put out what is needed. Are you shouting yet? When God made room for you at His table according the David He set out what was needed. What a mighty God we serve that He would provide for us each moment, each minute, each hour, each day, each week, each month, and each year! Remember this, when you are in Christ and Christ is in you, your needs are His provisions!!!

Secondly, His protection is at the table. Here's a sad but true report. Everyone who smiles in your face is not your friend. Some of the people that are near you are enemies and in many instances you do not know it. There are people who do not want to see the Lord bless you, there are others who laugh when you suffer and make snarling remarks like "it's about time the Lord punish them for all of the evil that they do to other people", and if left to them nothing good would ever happen to you at all. But, here's the question, why does a good God let these people exist? Why doesn't He just wipe them all out? Here's some more good news for you to celebrate life and living. The reason why God does not get rid of them is because He needs someone to bless you in front of! The text says that the Lord sits the table in "...the presence of mine enemies..." Tsaw-rar is the term used for enemies and it suggest one that works in close proximity to you to make sure that you are bound. But, get this; while they are working to bind you God is working to bless you. In fact, you cannot have one without the other. Attempted binding and divine blessing go together like rice and gravy! So when your enemies are in your face do not move them but remind yourself you’re at the table! Your enemies work for God and while are trying to bind you God is busy blessing you!!!

Thirdly, His person is at the table. Do you know that the most wonderful part about being at God's table? No it is not what on it. It is who's at it. Nothing on the table compares to the Lord who is at His table with you. In fact, if nothing was on the table at all just knowing that God would be there is enough to shout about. You see the terms used throughout the Psalm are very personal. "Thou preparest...before me...thou anointest my head..." It suggest that God is the person doing everything for you from beginning to end. It is a portrait of grace. Let's be honest. We don't deserve what the Lord has for us on His table or at His table. But, He's given it to us in spite of ourselves. Thank God for amazing, life changing, and life transforming grace!

The sign read "guess who's coming to dinner" and I was the honored guest. What a joy it was! The food was off the chain. But, the greatest part of my night was the fact that I had a chance to meet the chef! You see in all other restaurants you meet the waiter or waitress. But, not here. He prepared my table for me himself and I had a chance to shake his hand, make his acquaintance, and get to know him for myself. Can you hear the voice of God in this? The Lord has a sign at His table. No it may not say "guess who's coming to dinner" but it does say "come unto to me all that have labored and are heavy laden and I will give you rest..." And when you accept the invite and sit at the table the Lord does all of your preparations. You can meet Him for yourself. And, if you know Him like I do you can be satisfied with Him and forget about the table. He's just that good! Get to the table...your destiny awaits you there!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

When You Come Up Short!!!

2009-08-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

It was a hot summer day in the city of Beaumont, Texas and Y.M.C.A. was packed. Kids were swimming, running, playing, shooting basketball, and having a blast. The snow cone stand was open and the line was super long. You know, they were serving it up cold on a hot Texas day. At first, the ice was plenteous and the syrup was enough for everyone. But, I watched from a distance as near tragedy struck. I noticed the look upon the young ladies face as she made the sad announcement to kids waiting in line for a snow cone, "I'm sorry but we've come up short!"

Now this is not a devotional about snow cones. But, it is one that regards the plight of the human condition. No matter how holy we are, no matter how real we think we are, and no matter how super intelligent we may seem we all come up short. Nixon came up short with Watergate; Reagan came up short with economic equality; Clinton came up short with Monica Lewinsky; and, Bush came up short with Bin Laden (we're still looking for that dude). Darryl Strawberry came up short with drug abuse; Mike Tyson came up short with Lenox Lewis when he dropped him like a bad habit; Tiger Woods came up short by just one putt; Jim and Tammy Faye Baker came up with fraud; Kwame Kilpatrick came up short with perjury, Jessie Jackson came up short with a child born out of wed lock; Michael Vick came up 130 million short for dog fighting; Eliot Spitzer, former Governor of New York came up short with a call girl names Kristen and famous hip hop artist T I (captioned above) came up short on weapons charges and is now serving time. No matter where you look we just keep coming up short.

And, if we were to be honest we come up short all of the time too! Yes, I said YOU!!! We come up short on religion and end up in hypocrisy, we come up short on moral virtue and end up in sin, we come up short on hope and end up in depression, we come up short on love and end in hatred, we come up short on forgiveness and end up holding a grudge, we come up short on humility and end up in pride, we come up short on faith and end up in doubt, we come up short on joy and end up in worry, we come up short on celibacy and end up in fornication, we come up short on marriage and end up in divorce, we come up short on relationships and end up shacking, we come up short on prayer and end up with mega-problems. But, here's the greatest news of the day. Our God specializes with people who have come up short!

The disciples have come up short in the passage. The text says, "When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, there is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would" (St. John 6:5-11, KJV).

Here's the blessed news of the day. If Jesus helped the disciples when they came up short He can and will do the same thing for you and me! So what do you do when you come up short?

First of all, you have to admit it. I once attended an AA meeting with a friend of mine who was receiving a 10 year sobriety chip. I was happy to be in the meeting to celebrate this great victory in his life, but I became offended when I noticed how people introduced themselves. They would stand up and say "Hi I'm Joe and I'm a no good drug addict." And the group would respond, "Hi, Joe!" I was floored. But, after sitting there for a moment I realized that it was religion without pretense and cover up. Can you imagine what church would be like if every Christian were to be honest about who they really were?!!! This passage tells us that both Philip and Andrew admitted their shortage to Jesus. And when they admitted it, He dealt with it for them. All too often we try and cover up our mess ups. But, when you come up short just be real with God and admit it. Okay, its prayer time right here. If you are reading this devotional, you are human and you have thought some wrong thoughts, said some things that were wrong, gone some places where you should have never been and perhaps even did some things that you were not supposed to do. Stop right now and admit it to the Lord so that He can forgive you!

Secondly, you must let Jesus take it. Can we be real for a moment? You have some things in your life that you need for Jesus to take from you don't you? If your answer was yes here's a word for advice to you, let Jesus take it have it. Don't fight Him just let Him take it. There's a lad in the passage who has a lunch. For years I preached that the little boy gave his lunch to Jesus. But, that is not what the verse says. "...Jesus took the loaves..." Wow! Why would a gracious Lord take his loaves you ask? Jesus knows that the best place for your shortage is in His hands!!! Be careful where you put your shortage. Everyone can't stand knowing the real truth about who you are. But, when you place your short comings in the hands of the Lord you will discover that He takes people who were nothing and makes something out of them! Let Jesus take it!!!

And, lastly, you must let Jesus share it. This is soooo deep! Jesus takes the loaves, blesses the loaves and shares what has been broken. Did you hear that? Jesus shares what has been broken and blessed. One of the reasons why you are still here is because you are not a completed project just yet. You are still yet broken in many ways. But, what God wants to do with your brokenness is use it to become His blessedness by sharing you every chance that He gets. This is why a saint with a story should always tell people what the Lord has done in their lives. Got a question for you. Have you been broken? If you said "yes" I dare you to let your brokenness to be someone else’s blessedness! Let the Lord share you and all that He has done for you. In other words, stop making people think that you are prefect. Tell people what God saved you from and what He's done in your life. And, remember this, if you can't tell people what you were before you met Jesus it may be because you are still what you were before you met Him. But, if the Lord has made a difference in your life, tell it!

It was a sad day at the Y.M.C.A. No more ice and the announcement by the young lady that said, "I'm sorry, but we've come up short." Just then a young lady hopped out of line and said "I'm going call my daddy!" She went into the Y grabbed her cell and made a call. Within minutes a black S500 Benz pull up with tinted windows. A nicely dressed gentleman got out and popped his drunk and there it was ice. Not just one cup for his child, but a trunk full of it! It was enough ice for everyone! You see, my friends that's what you do when you come up short. You call your Father in heaven and tell Him what has taken place. And, you may not get ice, but I can promise you He will give you grace! Yes, we all come up short from time to time, but thank God for Jesus who supplies the grace! Without Him we would never ever make it!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

Hell No!!!

2009-08-23T20:22:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

Hell is best defined as any place where the forces of darkness and the spirits of evil are permitted to rule, reign and have regency. Hell is not just some burning inferno that exist in the afterlife, but hell is an occurrence. Hell happens every single day whenever and where ever our adversary the devil breaks loose, gains grounds, wreaks havoc, and seeks to destroy what God seeks to build.

If you are married and your spouse is filled with a spirit of lust and jealousy you could have hell in your marriage. If you have a child that is filled with a spirit of rebellion and no matter how much help and love you have shown them they are still wayward and cantankerous you may have hell in your child. If you have been attacked on your job for no reason at all to the point where it causes chaotic conditions to exist trust me on this one, you have hell on your job. If your money always seem to be short no matter how much you steward your resources here's a word of caution for you, watch out you could have hell in your check book. If you worry about everything and doubt the promises of God every chance you get, more than likely that is the work of our enemy and you could have hell on your mind. And if you are one of those people who can hold a grudge forever and thirty minutes the enemy could have your peace in his prison and you end up with hell in your heart!

The great news of the day however, is the fact every born-again believer in the Lord Jesus, who has been washed in the blood of the lamb, saved by the power of the cross, and sealed by the redemptive sacrifice of our God has access to the throne room of our Lord. In short, we can pray. Okay, are you shouting yet? Well, maybe it's because you don't know what happens when you pray. You see, prayer is best defined as a Christians right to put heaven where hell is. So when you stop in your day to pray in the midst of hellish conditions and occurrences you use your God-given right and authority to tell hell no and put heaven in its place.

Okay, are you shouting now? If not, then perhaps this will bless you and increase you a bit. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ there is some part of your life that is under attack whether you know it or not. But, here's the shouting news of the day you have a right to pray and when you petition God it simply says to the enemy HELL NO. Declare these statements with passion and I will guarantee you a release in your spirit is going to take place. Say this, "HELL NO, the enemy cannot have my joy. The joy of the Lord is my strength (Neh. 8:10)!" "HELL NO, the devil cannot have my family! We belong to God (I Cor. 3:16)!" "HELL NO, the forces of evil cannot have my victory it is guaranteed (Exodus 14:13)!" And, "HELL NO, satan will not discourage me. I know how to encourage myself in the Lord my God (1 Sam. 30:6)!" "HELL NO, HELL NO, HELL NO!"

The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica and he gives them the secret to spiritual power and total victory. He tells them to "Pray without ceasing" (I Thess. 5:17). Why? He knows that if the people of God pray hell does not have a chance. So here's our devotional question for the day, so what do you do when hell is happening all around you?

The first thing that you must do is PRAY. Prayer is cart blanche access into the essence of the eternal. Prayer gives you access to the very throne room of Almighty God. When you pray heavenly corridors touch earthly real estate. When you pray angels are dispatched and demons are dismissed. When you pray the hand of God moves, the spirit of God rules, and the presence of God becomes visible. When Paul says pray in the text he means it. The term used for pray is written in the imperative mood which is defined as a command and not a suggestion. In short, he says do it! Pray and do it every chance you get. In fact, have you prayed today? If you haven't done it, do it now. And, if have prayed already, pray again! It is your right and way of telling the enemy Hell NO!

Secondly, what you need to do it PRAY. Often times we are guilty of praying one short prayer a day and that's about it for most of us. But, that will not get it. There is an old church saying that I was raised with that says, "no prayer, no power; little prayer, little power, but much prayer, much power." If you want to see miracles happen and hell become heaven I dare you to pray all of the time. The text says "pray without ceasing." The Greek phrase here is one word and it is adialeptos. It is a term that refers to the involuntary activity of the body to do what it does without you telling it to do so. In other words, you should pray like your lungs breathe. You should pray like your eyes blink. And, you should pray like your heart beats. Pray so much until you pray about everything. Cover your life, your children, your family, your desires, your relationships, your goals, your destiny and your resources with prayer. And when you do it, hell doesn't stand a chance against you!

And lastly what you have got to do is PRAY. Prayer is not just you talking with God but it is so much more. It is God in communion with you. Now I have always been told that association brings about assimilation. Birds of a feather flock together. And, you are the company that you keep. If this is true and I know that it is, to pray is to be in the company of the Lord and if you stay there long enough you start to think like Him, act like Him, walk like Him, talk like Him, and function as He functions. This is awesome news for those who believe!!! Our Lord moved mountains, heals the sick, raised the dead and turned water to wine. Jesus said "...and greater works shall you do because I go unto my Father." So when you pray and pray and pray, you actually become like the one that you are spending time with! This is why hell doesn't stand a chance against you. You have heaven in your possession!!! So like a trump card in the game of spades play it and gain the victory!!!

There comes a time when you should get fed up with everything the enemy has tried to do to destroy you. And, there should come a time when you get sick and tired of watching hell happen all around you. If that is you then stand boldly in the faith and pray like you are losing your mind and tell the enemy and all that he has to offer HELL NO! HELL NO to your way. It leads to destruction, but God's way leads to everlasting life! HELL NO to temporary happiness built solely on happenings. I would rather have total faithfulness and let happiness be my personal decision! HELL NO to hatred and holding grudges, forgiveness is the best way! HELL NO to complaining. I am learning that no matter where I am and what's going on in my life I can always be thankful! For after all, God has been really kind to me! HELL NO to selfishness. If I cannot do anything else I can always help someone else. HELL NO to pride. For I know that I am nothing without the Lord. HELL NO to quitting and giving up. I will persevere because I am more than a conqueror! HELL NO to doubt, worry and mistrust. God is good and His resume in my life says that I can trust Him! HELL NO to thoughts of suicide. My life is worth living because my history is not equivalent to my destiny. And, HELL NO to everything the enemy has planned for my life. The Lord's plans are much better and I know that He wants me to have heaven and not hell so I will just pray my way through! So PRAY and tell them enemy HELL NO!!!!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

Put That Down Before You Hurt Yourself!

2009-08-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

It was a great day in the life of the Henderson family. They were moving into their new home and things were looking up. I mean it was like they were the Jefferson's from back in the day. They were moving from the hood to a deluxe apartment in the sky! They were finally getting their piece of the pie. The entire family was in on the move and the boxes were big and heavy. Jason Henderson had an 11 year old daughter that was determined to move her entire room by herself. And she was doing great at it until she tried to lift a huge box of her shoes without any help. When she lifted the back end of that huge box her father shouted with passion and love at her, "Girl, put that down before you hurt yourself!"

As we share this devotional time together I want to spend just a few moments dealing with your heavy load. It is a load that many of you have been carrying far too long. A load that causes you to be bitter and never really get better. A load that causes you to carry a grudge and harbor hatred in your heart. A load that has many Christians frustrated, depressed, and disgusted with life and living. It is the heavy load of unforgivingness.

Let's be honest for a moment, forgiving people is not easy is it? Especially when the people that have tried to hurt you have not bothered to apologize. Forgiveness can seem impossible when the person that caused the damage continues to do things that hurt you over and over again. Have you ever been there before? This lesson is for the married couple that's really struggling and just when you thought you could forgive them something else happens and you know that unforgiveness for you is a heavy load. This lesson is for the Christian that knows the pain of a broken relationship and you have had people play you like a video game and your emotions are torn and your feelings are hurt. And, for you too unforgiveness is a heavy load. And, this lesson is for people who have a hard time forgiving others. If you are the kind of person that can hold onto hatred like a sponge holds water and you are tired of your heavy load consider this devotional a message from heaven that says, "Put, That Down Before You Hurt Yourself!!!"

In Matthew 18:21-35 Jesus teaches His disciples how to deal with a really heavy load. Here's what the passage says,

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Is forgiveness an area of struggle for you? Have you been hurt and have found real forgiveness difficult to deal with? Have you ever really struggled with the heavy load of unforgivingness? If your earnest answer was yes, then hear this cry from heaven designed to heal you and set you free "Put, That Down Before You Hurt Yourself!" The question however, is why must be put it down?

First of all, you must put it down because if you hold on to it you forfeit your right to divine sympathy. Let me ask you a question right quick. How much dirt do you have? Okay, was that too personal for you? Let me ask the same question a different way. Have you ever made any mistakes that you need God to forgive you for? If you answered yes you must drop your heavy load! If you want God to forgive you, you must forgive those that have hurt you! Jesus uses a narrative and according to the story a servant owed his king more than fifteen years worth of income. And the king forgives his debt; in fact, it says that "...he was moved with compassion." In common terms he had some sympathy for this brother! This same brother that was just forgiven had a man that simply owed him some chump change. And he took him by his throat and demanded payment. The forgiving king gets ear of it and says, "After I let you off the hook for fifteen years of back payments you could not forgive your brother for some change?" (Paraphrase). Since you cannot forgive him, I will not forgive you. God says if you want me to be merciful and forgive you, you must be the same way with others!

Secondly, you need to ditch your heavy load because your freedom is at stake. Real forgiveness happens when you decide to let the prisoner go free. Only to look into the mirror of your hurt and pain to see that you are the one in hand cuffs!!! Let's face it, the people that have hurt you have gone own about their business. You are the one wearing the shackles. And, the only way out of bondage is for you to let yourself off the hook. Here in the text the word "forgave" used here is aphiemi. It means to set a prisoner free, to let a boat float away, or to release a caged bird. When you forgive people that have hurt you, the bondage and shackles of unforgivingness are opened and you go free. Remember this, unforgivingness can make you miserable. But, real forgiveness can heal a broken heart. Set yourself free by letting them off of the hook! It's the only way to deal with a heavy load.

And lastly, your future is on the verge of a breakthrough in the spirit!
God is at His best with human hurt that needs healing. He is at His best with broken people that need to be restored. And, He is at His absolute best with wounded people that need a break through! Here's a great question for you to answer right quick. Are you ready to be healed from the heavy load of unforgivingness? Get this, God is able if you are ready. Here in this parable the focus should not be placed upon the servant that cannot forgive, but on the king that can! Here in this passage forgiveness is an unexpected breakthrough! Nobody expects to be forgiven for everything that they've done. But when God shows up you can always expect things to change and a breakthrough to come forth! Here's the breakthrough for you, God has forgiven you!!! You are free to go! The cross is vacant and the tomb is empty!

Jason Henderson yelled at his 11 year old daughter with a huge shoe box, "Girl, Put That Thing Down Before You Hurt Yourself!" She dropped the box and her father called for her older brother to pick it up for her. You see, she had a big brother that could carry the load that was too heavy for her to bear. Can you see Jesus in this? Like Jason's daughter had an older brother that could carry her load, you have an older brother too!!! His name is Jesus and He specializes in carrying loads that are too heavy for you to deal with. Unforgiveness can be a heavy load, but when you put it down and let the Lord carry it you find out that what was too heavy for you, is just right for Him!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

Tales From My Tattoos!

2009-08-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

They had their beginning in the land of Ancient Egypt as a form of worship to the deities or gods in that land. It was their way of showing true love and commitment so Egyptians intentionally marked their bodies for the gods that they revered. In the late 1960's they popped up in America as a form of body decoration and they have been running like crazy every since. What are they you ask? Tattoos!

There is no way to get a "tat" (as they are called) without some degree of pain and discomfort because the permanent mark is placed under the surface of the skin with a needle. But, that does not seem to be a deterrent at all to getting one of these lifelong marks placed on a body that's temporary? I should say not. In fact, just a glimpse at our star studded celebrity world tells us that people are really into "tats". Beyonce' has a tattoo of praying hands on her upper left thigh; Allen Iverson of the NBA has a tattoo of his son on his left arm in full color; Halle Barry has a tattoo of a flower on her lower left hip to be viewed by those who are privileged enough to see it in person; Eve (hip-hop artist) has tiger paws tattooed on her chess; Mike Tyson waited until he was 38 years old to place a tattoo on his face of a Samoan warrior (crazy in my opinion); and, Usher has multiple tattoos is various parts of his body for reasons that need not be publicly discussed. Over 70 percent of the men in the NBA have tattoos, 58 percent of the NFL is tattooed, over 38 percent of the women in the WNBA have tattoos, and about 32% of all Americans under the age of 30 have one somewhere on their body. In short, we are all marked up!

Intrigued by these body marks I took the time to speak to a gentleman the other day who was literally covered by them at the grocery store. His name was Leonard Lopez. I asked him what all of these marks meant. He said and I quote "my life has been a journey and with each of my tats comes a tale that should be told." As he hopped on his Harley and drove off I said to myself, "Wow! What a concept!!!" Every tat comes with a tale. You see, as born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we too are tattooed. But our marks are not on our flesh they are a part of our faith. The Lord has never asked anyone to get a tat on our bodies, but He did command that we believe on Him and His Word. The shouting news for those who love the Lord is that our marks were borne by another on a hill call Calvary! He took nails through His hands and His feet so that He would bear the marks of His love for us. But, we are asked to tell the world the tale of His tats so that others want one of our tattoos!

Here's how the Apostle Paul put it. "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus" (Gal. 6:17). ---In other words, Paul says the only marks that I have on me are the marks I have permitted within me. Because He was bruised for me I must let the world know just how much of a difference Jesus Christ has made in my life! So here's our devotional question for the day. So what does it mean marked by the Master?

First, it means that you bear the tattoo of His authenticity. We are surrounded by things that are fake. Fake people, fake purses, fake jewelry, fake fruit on display on the table that always look so real but is good for nothing, fake love, fake church folk, fake family folk, and fake friends. But, what the Lord is looking for is some people that are real! Real in their love for Him, real in their commitment to Him, real in their prayers to Him, real in their worship of Him and real in the living for Him. Paul says "henceforth let no man trouble me for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." This is rich! The term marks is stigmatah in the Greek. It refers to the intentional mark received by a slave. It was Paul's way of saying I belong to my master and there is nothing phony about it. In short, Paul says I love Jesus Christ and I can prove it because my lifestyle has been tattooed. What tale does your lifestyle tell? Do people know that you love Jesus Christ just by looking at how you live? If you earnestly love the Lord your lifestyle should say that I am marked for Him because I am real with it!!!

Secondly, it means that you have at least one mark of affliction. One of the true marks of a Christian is not how loudly you can shout, it is not how many Sunday School classes you've attended, and it is not how many tongues you can speak. The true mark of a saint is seen in how you endure moments of suffering, hurt, dismay and affliction. People who are living without the Lord cannot make it through. They give up and give out. But, those who have been marked by the master end up with a few scars and a greater testimony! Real saints come out of tough times with a tat and tale! They have a story that says, "When I was too weak to continue the Lord picked me up and carried me through!" Paul says "...I bear in my body the marks...” In other words he is saying I have been beaten, lied on, talked about, mistreated, ship wrecked, bitten by a deadly snake, left for dead, and tormented. But after all of that, I am still here. That's your story too isn't it? You have your tale because you have some tats. Some of you reading this devotional have been scarred! Those are your real tats and with each one of them comes a tale. Those scars are your tats of affliction!

And, lastly it means that you are tattooed with a mark of sincere adoration. I have talked to numerous people that have tattoos and I have discovered that everyone of them look at their marks as something that they value, something that they love and something that they adore. In short, these bodily marks are symbols of worship. Paul says that his marks are "...are of the Lord." In other words my marks are for HIM! I am living for HIM! I forgave the people that tried to damage me because I love HIM! I pray because I believe in HIM! I depend on Him! My life is in HIM! I serve HIM! I adore HIM! I need HIM! And, I bless HIM! Now this is a real tattoo. Did you know that the greatest thing that you could ever do for HIM is be marked as a worshipper? You see, real worship is not what you do with your lips, but it is what you do with your life. It is about the God that you have chosen to serve. And, when you are living for Jesus, loving Jesus, telling others about Jesus, serving Jesus, and trying to become more like Jesus you bear the greatest tat and have the most awesome tale to tell in the world! Here's the story we live for...He came, He cared, He hung, He died, He was buried, He was resurrected, He is in heaven and He shall return.

Lopez rode off on his Harley with a huge tattoo of a cross on His back. As I looked at him I thought about how painful that tat must have been. Then I thought about the fact that Jesus did not ask us to wear a cross but He did ask us to bear a cross! If you do not have a tattoo in your flesh don't get one. Live the faith! But, if you have a tattoo on your body already tell people that you got this mark when you were being what you used to be. And, then tell them about your new tats! Not the ones that are in your flesh but the ones that are in your faith. Tell them your tales of how the Lord has favored you, marked you, healed you, saved you, delivered you, cared for you and blessed you all the days of your life! Tell your story and let others know that when it comes to Jesus Christ you are one hundred percent REAL with and you have the tats to prove it!!!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

Thanks For Trying To Hurt Me!

2009-08-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

It was a warm summer day with a gentle breeze blowing just enough to dry the sweat on your brow. I had a long day set but I had promised a very dear friend of mine that I would do a house blessing for them. I pulled into the driveway of freshly poured concrete. I knocked on the door and with an attitude of exuberant joy she opened it and screamed "Pastor, this is my new house!!!" Her family was seated all over the place just chilling like they were sitting in the Hilton Edgewater Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii.

The young lady showed me around her home and it was nice! Granite counter tops, crown moldings, Jacuzzi tub, leather furniture, flat screen televisions, island in the kitchen, two and a half baths, two car garage, and a beautiful back yard. It was NICE! We moved graciously through the house to the family room for the prayer when I noticed a photo on the coffee table of a handsome gentleman. I asked her was that her fiancée and she replied with a holy happiness in her voice, "No, that's my ex. I kept a nice picture of him because he was the one that did the most damage. He really tried to hurt me."

Have you ever had someone in your life do their best to destroy you? Have you ever been lied on, talked about or mistreated? Have you ever had a jealous co-worker work towards a demotion for you instead of a promotion that you really deserved? Have you ever encountered the hurt of having someone in your family do their best to hurt your image or cause chaos in your life? If you have answered yes to any of these questions this devotional is really for you! You know the hurt of having someone try to hurt you and so does Joseph. He had people try to destroy him (family unfortunately) but it turned out great. Here's what the Bible says, "And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them" (Gen. 50:19-21).

So here's our devotional question for today, why should we be thankful for the people who have tried to hurt us and cause damage in our lives?

First of all, when others try to hurt you it’s when you really discover that God is there to help you. Listen there are some wonderful people in this world who will bless you, love you exhort you and help you. But, there are some mean, evil, crazy, possessed people who will try everything that is within their power to damage you. By now you have encountered some of both of them. But, always remember this when you think about hurtful people in your life, God allowed you to meet them so that when they hurt you He could heal you! Joseph's family did him wrong. He ends up in a pit in Egypt where he has no one to depend on but the Lord. And it is then that he gets, gains and retains his greatest discovery. You can't trust people but you can trust God! When others have tried to hurt you Jesus will be there to help you every single time!

Secondly, when others bruise you, is when you can discover just how much God can really use you. Remember this, "the Lord works in some mysterious ways." Never ever move your enemies out of your life. They are the root of the tree that bears the fruit of your blessings. They are the bank that has to hold your benefits. They are the waiters at the table that God will prepare just for you to receive His provisions from. In short, never move evil people out of your life! They are there for a purpose. Believe this or not, it was God's intent to bless Joseph the entire time. In fact, if you recall the story, God gave him a vision when he was a boy of him being great and his family paying homage to him. It was a portrait of his destiny that would be blessed by God. However, what God did not show him was the journey he would have to take to get there. It would be filled with hurt, deceit, evil plots to destroy him, prison cells and dungeons. But, this is where His real blessing was! Joseph was bruised but he was also greatly used. Many of you reading this devotional have been bruised relationally but you have also been blessed spiritually. Hear this, the reason why you have both is because you cannot have one without the other! If you show me your bruises I will also show you your blessings. Yes you have been bruised by people but God has received the glory from your life because you are being used by Him!!!

Lastly, when others have put you down, God has been there to pick you up and promote you. When ever God allows evil people in your life remember this, it spells one thing and one thing only, PROMOTION!!! Joseph seems to live on the corner Let Down Drive and Put Down Place. He is let down by his family. He is put down by Potiphar's wife. He is down in the pit. But, he is now a candidate for a pick up and promotion from the Lord. After he is let down his gift makes room for him and he ends up being promoted to the second greatest man in Egypt. You see, he went from the pit to the palace. And it was all a part of God's plan for his life. Famine strikes the land and those same brothers that sold him, those same brothers that bruised him, and those same brothers that tried to hurt him have to come back to him for help! But Joseph is so blessed that he tells them it is all right! You see, you meant it for my bad! But, God meant it for my good. Retranslation. You put me down, but God lifted me up! You demoted me, but the God of glory promoted me! When hurtful people wound you pick your head up and smile because that's not the end of the story. God knows your address and your promotion is on the way!

As I concluded the prayer for the house blessing my mind went back to this sister's comment about the handsome young man in the photo on the coffee table. In fact, her comment ran pass me like Reggie Bush on the back side of a slow defense. I said the prayer and as people were starting to mingle I pulled this sister to the side for an instant replay. She then explained to me that the brother in the photo hurt her so badly that she had thoughts of suicide. But, when he stopped loving her is when she discovered a love that had been there all along. It was the love of God! And that's when she started to live again. She gave her life to Jesus Christ and received a new love. She went back to school and earned a new degree. She took her new degree and got a new job as an RN. And, after she watched God bless her with a new job she got a new house. She told me with excitement, "You see Pastor if he would not have hurt me I would have never known that God could heal me. So I keep his picture near and when I think of him I say to myself, thanks for trying to hurt me!"

If this works for her it can work for you too! When you see or think of people that have tried their best to hurt you smile and simply say, "thanks for trying to hurt me!"

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph

Winning With A Tough Hand!

2009-08-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

Back in the day we played simple games that just consumed us. If you were born after 1980 you may be too young to really understand. But, if you are older you surely should understand. For instance, we played games like "Simon Says", "Red Light, Green Light", "Hide and Go Seek" (Remember counting? One Mississippi, two Mississippi...), "Tag" and who could ever forget "Kick Ball and Dodge Ball."

Those were the games we played outside. Now when it was raining we had to play inside. So we played games like "Jacks", "Monopoly", "Checkers", "Chess", "Uno" and my favorite game "Spades!!" Have you ever played the game of Spades before? For the benefit of those of you who haven't let me give you a quick lesson about the game. You see, when you get your hand you can talk trash if you have a hand full of spades. For instance, if you have the High Joker, the Low Joker, the King of spades, the Queen of spades, etc. this means that you have a winning hand. There is no way you can lose because the winning cards are in your hand. But, then there are times when you would get a hand that would be so sorry you could not win with it at all. The dealer would hit you with the two of clubs, the three of diamonds, and the jack of hearts. A hand like this is what you would call a tough hand. The problem is that even with a tough hand you had to keep on playing.

May I ask you a quick devotional question as we spend this moment together? Has life ever dealt you a tough hand? It's tough when you are laid off and the bills keep coming. It's tough when it is your loved one in the casket and it hurts. It's tough when you get married and discover that you can't have children and you have planned for them all of your life. It's tough when you work hard every day and still end up broke with nothing to show for it. It's tough when it's your child that going astray and you've given them your very best. It's tough when your body is sick and the doctors are trying but can't really help you. It's tough when it is your family on the verge of collapse and there seems to be nothing that you can do to save it. Life is like a hand of spades and sometimes you can get a tough hand.

The joy of this lesson however, is this. If you are believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you can win with a tough hand! James the half brother of Jesus teaches us how to do it. Listen to what he says, "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:3-4).

Please hear this friends, God never promised us that every hand would be easy. But, James is showing us how to come out victorious in the face of adversity. Here is how we do it!

First of all consider what you know. When you get a tough hand remember this, it's not what you do not know about God that will keep you, it is what you know about God that counts! James says "knowing this..." It is the word gnosko in the Greek which means to know by way of experience. By now you should KNOW some things about the Lord by way of past experience! You KNOW that God....woke you up today...kept you while you slept...blessed you all day yesterday...healed you when you were sick...saved you when you were lost...fed when you were hungry...kept your lights on when your money was short...brought you out the last valley you were in...carried you through the last trial you suffered...gave you strength when you were weak and died for you when you were in sin! You should know that God is...too strong to be weak...faithful not to forgive you...too responsible to drop you...too big to be small...too good to be bad...too sweet to be sour...to kind to be mean...too loving not to care...too gracious not to provide and too perfect to make a mistake. When you get a tough hand remember what you know!!!

Secondly, what you are going through at the time is only a test. Okay this may not make you happy but it will keep you holy. Get this and hold on to it. You will never ever have the blessings of the Lord without the testing of the Lord. Where ever you find one the other one will always follow. James says it like this "...the trying of your faith..." The term used for trying is a reference to something being cooked in an oven. In other words, God will allow your life to see the furnace of affliction sometimes. But, do not worry He is the silver smith. And He has one goal in mind. He wants to keep you in the fire until He can see a reflection of Himself in you! This will make you shout ouch and amen. Yes, it hurts but here's the truth about it, it helps! The great news about the testing time of God is that it never last forever. And the shouting news about the test itself is that it is an open book exam! So while you are taking the test read the book so that you will be sure not to fail!!!

And, lastly we are to remember what the test produces. May I ask you some personal questions? Has life ever made you cry? Have you ever had your feelings crushed? Ever thought about just quitting and walking away from everything and everybody? When you get to this point in life with Jesus Christ the reason why you stayed and stuck it out was because God grew you to a point of becoming spiritually tough. James says, "...that the trying of your faith worketh patience but let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire wanting nothing." The term patience used here does not mean to wait. But, it means to be tough. It means that you are not blown away by everything that has happened to you in your life but that you have learned how to hang in there and stick it out. It's funny to me because saints often want to be strong and tough. But, the only way to become tough is to have to play some tough hands! Remember this, tough hands produce tough saints.

Yes, life can deal you some tough hands, but never forget this. Spades is a game of partners. Yes! You never play alone. And when you get a tough hand, if your partner has a good hand you can play and still win! You see, it's all about what your partner has in His hand. If you have a good partner in the game of spades you can never ever lose! I am happy to announce that when you play the game of life you never play alone. You have a partner and He has an awesome hand! You may have hurt in your hand, but your partner has healing in His hand! You may have needs in your hand, but your partner has provisions in His hand! And, you may have testing in your hand, but your partner has blessing in His! When a saint plays the game they only play with Jesus Christ as their partner and with the Lord on your side you cannot lose!!! Yes, your hand may be tough, but play your hand because the Lord is on your side and victory is yours!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

It Makes Me Want To Holla!

2009-08-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

If water boils at 100 degrees Celsius this middle aged man was on the front eye of the stove and was about to boil over because he had already been running hot. Here he is in his early 50's and at first glance he has it all together. But, behind the mask of his upper middle class persona and facade he was as dangerous as a land mine in Iraq.

He comes into my office after taking the time to schedule an appointment and before I can close the door good he belts out a manly holla that was enough to raise the deceased. I know most men don't yell unless it's a game on the tube and their team is winning. But, this brother had to let one go and he did. I sat looking at him like Ms. Celie sat looking at Mister trying to cook breakfast for Shug Avery in the movie the Color Purple. In short, I did not say a word I just watched. And when he finally calmed down he said, "Rev. I'm sorry but I had to holla!"

Has it ever happened to you before? Has life ever made you want to just holla? Wait before you answer let me tell you what made this grown man holla. He had been married for 14 years and his wife decides that she's not happy; he's been working two jobs but it's just not enough; they both have children from previous relationships and her son does not want to follow the rules of the house but his son is expected to; money comes into the house but as soon as it comes in it goes out; and, folk on his job are really giving him the blues so his job had been stressful. On top of all of this, he is the one in the family that carries the load. If it is broken, he is supposed to fix it, if it is down he is supposed to lift it and if it is due he is supposed to pay it. When all was finished he lost it and had to holla just to let off some steam before he blew a gasket.

Okay, now back to the question. Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever had to bear the load for the whole family and life made you scream? Marvin Gaye, that soulful song bird from the 70's said it best. He said "it's me want to holla and throw up both of my hands!" I hope that there are those of you who are reading this devotional that are stressed to the max, tired and frustrated at what is happening in your life and on the verge of just losing it. If that is you today, then consider this message to be a Word from God for you that has been sent to comfort, encourage, and bless you in your time of need.

When life makes you want to holla there is a Hebrew hymn found in the book of Psalms that will lighten a heavy load, strengthen you when you are weak and guide you when you are lost. Here's what the Psalm says, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth" (Psalms 121:1-2, KJV). Now this is healing and helpful. The Psalmist makes it clear that in the midst of current circumstances whatever they may be God is there and He alone is the one who is going to take care of you. So here's the devotional question for you to ponder as we share this moment today, what should you know about what you are dealing with and going through that can keep you when you really want to holla?

First of all, know that your present problem is not a permanent predicament. For some of you reading this devotional it has been smooth sailing. To you I say give God the glory while you are in the sunshine. But, for others it has been crazy to say the least. For those of you that have found moments of difficulty to endure, remember this no storm stays! They are always passing through. The best news of the day is this, where you are now is not where you will end up! Your current location is not your final destination. The Psalmist is looking upwards at hills and mountains. Antithetical Wisdom tells me that if he is in a position to have to look up then he is down. In short, he is in the valley at a low point. But, that's where he is now and it is not where he is going to end up! How do we know this? Because he says, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills....." Did you get it? Here's what he is saying I may be low right now but my aim is high and I am on my way to the hill country. Yes you may be in a valley now but when you have God on your side you can say that I'm my way to the mountain top!

Secondly, know that your hills are big but your God is much bigger. When ever life makes you want to holla it is because we have a big problem with a small God. But, when life makes you rejoice it is because you have a big problem with an even bigger God! The text says "from whence cometh my help." A phrase like this is called a metonymy. It suggests a query and not a statement. It should be better translated like this "does my help come from the mountain?" The obvious answer is no. But here's the shouting news for those who have really big mountains in your life. Your God is bigger than your mountain is. Just like you can hold a pebble in your hand God can hold you and your mountains in His! Check this out, NASA scientists contend that there are an estimated 140 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy alone. For us it is still too innumerable to measure. Yet your God is big enough to give each of them a name! Now if He knows the name of a star in the galaxy you know for certain that He knows the names of His children that He died to save! Yes, we have big mountains, but relax you have an even bigger God and He is in control!

And lastly, know that the force of your life is the source of your living. Can we just be really honest for a second? Where did your help come from the last time you had an issue that you could not fix or a problem that you could not solve? Who helped you the last time no one else was there to assist you? Here's your answer in total honesty...The Lord. The hymn says "my help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and the earth." The term "help" should really be translated strength. The idea is that it is not your strength that keeps you but it is God's power that holds you together. Now here's a good devotional question to conclude with. How much strength does God have? He has enough of it to make heaven and earth. The word "made" here is awsar. It means to put something together. In short, God hooked up an earth, gave it a home in a galaxy, and made the galaxy give Him glory. This same God is the source of your life. He put air in your lungs, seeing in your eyes and life in your body. And, believe it or not, He is not just hooking up an earth and holding a galaxy, but He is hooking you up and taking care of you as read this devotional! He is your source and He has everything that you will ever need!!!

Yes, sometimes life can make you want to holla. But, there are times that the goodness of God can make you want to holla too! Have you ever just paused to consider just how good God has been to you? Have you taken the time to think about all of the things that He has done for you? Have you ever looked back at your life and realized that it was the Lord keeping you all of the time? When you pause long enough the grace of God, the kindness of His blessings and the benefit of His goodness is enough to make you want to holla! Be honest, you want to holla right now don't you? Me too! God has been kind and He is going to take care of you because He alone is your help!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

Just Keep the Fire Burning!

2009-07-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

It was the 4th of July 1977 and I can recall it being so hot in Houston, Texas that you could fry an egg in a rod iron skillet on the pavement outside. It was hot enough to see the heat move along the ground trying to find a place to cool off. I was sitting on the couch in the den that was covered with plastic (stuck to it of course), watching Good Times and praying that the a/c would not quit again. When all of a sudden I noticed my father going out of the patio door with a red bag in his hand. I knew what that meant. He was about to hook it up, throw some meat on the pit, and some chicken on the grill.

I went outside to offer him my culinary expertise in his grilling endeavor. I said, "Daddy what cha doing?" And he replied "I'm getting ready to bar-b-que." I meandered around for a moment and finally found the courage to ask him if I could give him a hand. And to my surprise he said "yes!" In fact, he gave me the lighter fluid and a specific assignment. He said and I quote, "Listen I'm going into the kitchen to season the meat. All I need for you to do is just keep the fire burning!"

Can you see this fiasco in your minds yet? I was eleven years old with a can of lighter fluid, a pit full of flames and limited supervision. Okay, let me just say it out right here. I poured so much lighter fluid on that fire until I think my neighbors called the fire department. If I remember correctly I even singed my eye brows. But, I did not want to let my Daddy down. All over the country on the 4th of July people are firing up the grill. And, as those fires emerge we should think about the Holy Ghost fire that came on the day of Pentecost. A fire that changed the world forever!

Luke records it for us in the book of Acts 2 when he says, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4, KJV).

It is my firm belief that the coming of the Holy Ghost represented by fire on the day of Pentecost was the inaugural day of the church. And as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we have a responsibility to do what my Daddy told me to do on the 4th of July 1977. And, that is this "Just keep the fire burning!" So here's our devotional question for the day "how do we keep the firing burning?

First of all, we must realize that the Holy Ghost sparks an increase and causes an overflow. Check this out and follow me here. The feast of the Passover was celebrated by eating a roasted lamb. The feast of First Fruits was celebrated by pulling a sheaf from the ground and waving it at God from the field. But, when Pentecost (the feast of weeks) came it was celebrated not by waving leaves at God but by waving loaves. You see, the harvest had come in and the people had more than just leaves they had enough grain to make some bread!!! Here's how you can keep the fire burning throughout the 4th of July holiday. Tell people about the testimony of your increase! No you may not have everything that you want to have. But, you have been blessed by the Lord and increased in some marvelous ways. While you are chilling with friends and chewing some BBQ tell your story of what God has done for you!

Secondly, we must recognize that the Holy Ghost consumes what was empty and makes it full. The text says that they were all with one accord and in one place. The word "accord" used here is a musical term which means that the people made melodious music together. They had harmony. And when that happened two things took place. The Holy Ghost showed up and He filled the house. The term "filled" that is used for the people is play-o. And it means to put furniture in an empty place. Thus, the way you fill the house is to get some folks together, put your minds on the Lord, admit that you are empty and then say to the Holy Ghost, "Come on in!" Have you ever been empty before? If you have, then you can testify with me that the Holy Ghost can fill you like no one else can!!!

And lastly, we must remember that the Holy Ghost ignites the natural and causes the supernatural. Where ever the Holy Ghost is the supernatural is going to take place. The miracle in the text is that people who were short on education and formal training (Galileans) stood to declare the gospel to the whole world. In short, it was supernatural. When the Holy Ghost empowered the people a miracle took place. Here's the shouting news for us on the 4th of July 2009, God is still in the miracle working business and you are one of His greatest witnesses. So while you are relaxing on the 4th tell your story and start a fire in the living room that no one else can put out.

My Dad's instructions were simple. "Just keep the fire burning!" I believe that as we celebrate Independence Day for our country across the nation believers should be celebrating our Dependence on Jesus Christ in everything that we do. In short, don't be scared to start a fire! When the opportunity presents itself jump in with both feet and tell someone that the joy you have did not come from joy juice, but Jesus Christ! Let the fire in your bosom bless someone in your company by just hearing that God has taken you from leaves to loaves! Enjoy the holiday, but make it a Holy Day and to God be the glory!!!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

Handle Him Like A Man!

2009-06-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

The relational struggle continues and believe it or not sisters are complaining like never before. Susan L. Taylor, Chief Editor and syndicated columnist of Essence Magazine chronicled the latest frustrations from women both married and single as it relates to the issue at hand. Here are just some of the things that we have heard sisters say. "Finding a man is a real trip. If they are not married they are crazy, if they are not crazy they are married and if they are not married they are gay." And what about this one, "men are like parking spots at a crowded mall near the shoe store. All of the good spots are taken. The only spots available are handicapped." Surely you have heard this frustration too "men are like computers they cost too much, they are not user-friendly, they speak their own language, reprogramming takes too much time and the only way for you to get them to work is to turn them on." And it would not be a good list without this one because you've heard it before, "you really can't find a saved, hard working, honest man these days they are all just dogs." However, I argue emphatically against such broad statements concerning men. All men are not "all" dogs. The real problem could be how sisters attract a man. There is an old saying that holds true on this wise, "if you don't like the kind of fish that you are catching take the time to change your bait."

There are three reasons why sisters in our culture struggle with good men. Check these out. They are honest even though some of them may be painful.

1. Good Man Recognition - This may be a hard pill to swallow but get a cool glass of water and sip it until the pill is gone. Most women would not recognize a good man if he were in their front yard doing jumping-jacks in a lime green suite and singing Mary had a little lamb in b flat. Sisters are good with recognizing cute, sexy, rich and fine. But, good escapes them en masse.

2. Good Man Reconstruction - Some sisters think that they can take a sorry man and make a good man out of him. It is the craziest thing I have ever seen in my life! But, think about this for a moment. If God has not made a good man out of him before you get to him, what chance do you have of making a good man out of him when you get your hands on him? Please hear this, if God has not done it, you will never do it! No matter how much you train a donkey he will never be a thoroughbred.

3. Good Man Retention - There are times when a sister can have a good man. He loves God, he works, he cares for her, he cares for what is hers, he loves her, he prays for her, he lives to see her smile, and he gives her his soul. But, with all of that on the table there are relational moments when the relationship still fails. Why? Because as quiet as it is kept some sisters do not know how to handle a real man!

Here are a couple of great devotional questions for married and single sisters to ponder as we celebrate Father's Day. If you had a really good man would you know how to handle him? If God gave you a man after His own heart could you keep him? Please hear this today, if there was ever a time that we needed to make our relationships last it is right now. The Bible will be our guide today as we explore several passages that will speak volumes to the relational issues that confront us every day. But, the question is "how should you handle a real man when he is in your presence?"

First of all, stay in your place. No, I am not a sexist and please do not reach for your delete button and trash this devotional. Hear me out. We are learning from talk show hosts that men and women are equals. But, this is NOT true! We are not equals we are opposites. He is male. She is female. He is a man. She is a woman. He is a king and she is a queen. Listen to the Word of God regarding this issue. "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body" (Eph. 5:22-23, KJV). God gave men position. He is the head. And, He gave women influence! A real woman defines her man. She never seeks to take his place. In fact, the first real decision any man will ever make is what kind of a woman he wants. She defines him. And he defines a family and a nation. Remember, men are like kites and women are the like wind. If you do not lift him with your influence he will not soar, so stay in your place.

Secondly, watch what you say to him. All too often sisters nag, complain and talk really crazy to good men and it drives them crazy. Words are like bullets out of a gun. Once you say them they cause a whole lot of damage. If you want to mishandle a man talk crazy to him. The Bible says, "It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawlingwoman in a wide house" (Proverbs 21:9, KJV).

A good man will pass up his house on the way home and skip his house altogether when there is a woman in there who is always talking crazy, raising saying, and giving him the blues. Delilah has been called a "bad girl" of the Bible. But, we can learn some good things from her. One good thing we can learn from her is how to talk to man. If you want to handle a good man, talk to him the right way.

Thirdly, be patient, prayerful and persistent concerning his rough edges. A real man has some rough edges. He may have some habits that he needs to get rid of, he may have some things that he really should stop doing and he may even have some things in his life that are a real trip to deal with But, remember this, he is not a completed project. Here's what the Bible says from the lips of a really good man, the Apostle Paul. He says, "for the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me" (Rom. 7:19-20). Here's some food for thought. When a real woman gets her hands on a real man she can take his rough edges and make something great with them. Peep into the White House right now and you will find Barack Obama. But, look again I say, and what you really should see is what Michelle can do with a hand full of rough edges! Be patient and prayerful with your man.

And, lastly always appeal to his manhood. A real man likes a real woman. There is something about a woman that makes him be what he was created to be when she is in his company. Sarah the matriarch of Abraham knew how to do this well. The Bible says that she "...obeyed Abraham, calling him lord..." (1 Pet. 3:6, KJV). In short, she had a real man and she knew what to do to appeal to his manhood. As a kid growing up we would play basketball all day long. But, when cute girls from the neighborhood showed up to watch us play we played like we was Kobe trying to win a championship for the first time without Shaq! Why? The presence of those girls appealed to our manhood (well manhood in training catch my drift?). In short, if you want a man to be a man you must treat him like a man. Which means this, a sister must be a lady! There's no room for two men in the relationship. If you want him to be what God made him, then you must be what God made you.

Celebrate Our Father with us this Father's Day! And remember, if you have real man in order to keep him you have to know how to handle him!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

Naughty By Nature!

2009-06-15T21:16:00.001-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

Children can often be little angels. They are so sweet, cute, kind and kissable. But, a few moments of idle time and they can get into all kinds of mischief. They can take a clean room and make it look like it has been hit by a tornado. They can take a neat closet and literally create chaos. And, for goodness sakes do not let them anywhere near a toy rack of any kind. This spells trouble with a capital T! Yes, they are sweet but I guess you could say that they are just naughty by nature.

Well, if the truth were to be told, kids are not by themselves in this human predicament. Grown folks can get themselves into a mess too. Did you just say ouch? I'm sorry it must have been my toe that I stepped on. Let's be real for a moment. There are times when we can get ourselves caught up into things that we had no business in at all. We do things that we are ashamed of, we go places that our feet should have never trod, we say things that should have never fallen from our lips and we think thoughts that can sometimes require prayer, a day of fasting and re-baptism! Have you been there yet or is it just me? I hope that you said "yes!" Because if you did it means that you too are naughty by nature every now and then.

When you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, the Holy Ghost sets up residence in your soul. You start to discover that Jesus Christ is the greatest thing that's ever happened to you in your entire life. But, all of a sudden you have a rude awakening. You come to grips with the fact that your old you is still with you. So you end up trapped between the born again you and the old you that you thought you got rid of.

The Apostle Paul understood what it felt like to be naughty by nature when he wrote,

For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin (Romans 7:19-25, KJV).

Now if Paul was naughty then you know that there are times when we are too. There are times when we know better and we just don't do better. But, here's a good devotional question for you today, what do you do when you find yourself being naughty by nature?

First of all be real about the struggle. There are only two types of people who do not have any struggle at all. Those who are dead and those who are too crazy to admit the truth. The worse lie that you could ever tell is the one that you told yourself and then convinced yourself that it was true. Living holy is not always easy and there are days it can be a real struggle and the only way to deal with it is to be real about it. Paul puts it like this, "For the good that I would, I do not..." By this he means that my struggle is real but I still love Jesus Christ. Please hear this, if you conceal it, God will not heal it. But, if you are real with it, God will be real with you.

Secondly, be rugged in the battle. I read a church sign once that said "the enemy is the in-a-me!" It was so awesome I had to see it again because it was true. There is a battle going on and sometimes it is between my three closest friends, me, myself and I! Paul puts it on this wise, there is "warring against the law in my members..." The idea connotes that there are times when his soul is a battle ground between what he wants for himself and what God wants for him. Have you ever been there before? It happens when your flesh wants one thing but the Holy Spirit inside of you wants something greater for you. When this happens to you and it will, move out of God's way and let the Holy Spirit win the battle for you. No one celebrates losing, but if you let the Lord win within you it will be the one loss that you shout "thank you Jesus about!"

Thirdly, be ready to surrender. I once met a man who told me that he was tired of his struggle with alcohol. I realized that his heart was ready for a change and that God was going to do it. Many times when people get tired they desire to just quit. But, when you get tired remember this, your breakthrough is starring you in the face. Paul cries out "O wretched man that I am..." A much better translation of this would sound like this, "I am so sick and tired of myself right now that I could just scream!" When you get sick and tired (and you will) you will discover that God is tired of you being sick and healing is on the way. And besides all of that, being in custody after you surrender is not all that bad. You have the greatest care-taker in the world keeping you, Jesus Christ. Let me ask you a question, are you tired yet? If you are then surrender and let God fix what you cannot repair.

And, lastly be relieved by being thankful to God for the Savior. The nature of a thing, tells you what the thing is. For instance, a duck quacks, a dog barks and a pig walks and grunts. You get my drift? They do what comes naturally. And, this is why a Christian should always be thankful! Thank you should be as natural for a saint is barking is for a dog or swimming is for a fish. It is just a part of our new nature. Paul closes this argument by saying "I thank God for Jesus Christ." Why is he so thankful you asked? Because he has found a God who knows that he is naughty but died for him to have a new nature. A deity so sweet that He would help him through his private struggle and not give up on him at all. Paul has a Lord strong enough to take from him what he does not have enough sense to put down. And he has a God that is great enough to fight the battle for him and then let him carry the trophy home!

Yes children can get themselves into a mess. But, no good parent gets rid of them or throws them away. They simply keep them until they grow up and grow wiser. Yes, living holy can be difficult when we are naughty by nature, but if you let the Lord fight the battle you will win every single time!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

In The Mean Time!

2009-06-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

Time. It is the greatest commodity known to human existence and people use it differently every single day. There are those who use time wisely. That is to say that they plan their work and they work their plan. Others lose tract of time while those who are bored and have nothing to do find ways to kill time. People are known for wasting time so large corporations spend millions each year training upper level management personnel on issues regarding time management.

Time. Chronometrically we can measure time. Seconds become minutes; minutes become hours; hours become days; days become weeks; weeks become months; months become years; years become decades; decades become centuries; and centuries become millenniums. And, within the scope of time we can conclude that time changes some things. In time, mansions can become shacks, people who were once strong become feeble and weak, and hair that was once black becomes gray and shapes that were once petite and cute become laced with love handles to hold on to.

Time. We even live in a culture where we have manmade devices that supposedly help us save time. You don't to mail letters any more you can fax it, email it or simply send a text message. We live in a generation that is able to wash the dishes, do the laundry, cook a roast and water the grass all at the same time so that we might have some time to spend with the family. You see, most people work full time, while others work part time, use sick time in the place of vacation time so that when it is time to take a vacation they have some time to take. And, there even points in your life when you're having a great time and time seemingly takes on the wings of an eagle. For it is then that you hear people say "Boy time surely flies!"

However, there is a place that God brings every believer. A place where it doesn't matter if you lose time, kill time, waste time, plan your time or use time unwisely. A place that I call the "mean time." Have you ever been there? It is that place where you are stuck between where you are and where you would like to be? It is the spot where you have a mountain behind you and you look up and realize that there is still yet a bigger hill to climb ahead of you. It is the place of promise, before the promise arrives. It is the haven of healing while sickness still prevails. It is the place of hope before help arrives. It is the site for your harvest before your fruit comes forth. It is the place of blessing before the blessing gets to you. It is the "mean time!"

You've been there haven't you? Don't feel lonely. That great preacher the Apostle Paul knows how you feel because he has been there too. He wanted to get to Rome to address the largest nation in the known world but he could not do it. So he too got caught in the "mean time." Here is what Paul says about the matter,

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also (Romans 1:8-15, KJV).

It is my earnest prayer to God that there are those of you who are reading this devotional message right now that are trapped in the "mean time" and don't know what to do. The Word of God has the answer for you today! While we are in the "mean time" we will simply do what Paul did. If it worked for him it will work for you too! So what do we do in the "mean time?"

Be thankful! The first words out of Paul’s mouth are "First I thank my God..." Okay let's be honest for a moment. When you are trapped between where you are and where you want to be it can be a place filled with DIS. It can become a place where you are disappointed, discouraged, dismayed, and filled with discontent. It can become a sore spot where you are filled with dissatisfaction, disillusioned and even feel like you are disabled. It is a place where you can feel like you want to disband the faith and even drift into disbelief, because you cannot discern why this is happening to you and thus you become disgruntled in your walk with God. But if you are smart you would quickly disband thoughts like these and lift up your hands and bless the Lord! I dare you to do it. If you are in the between where you have come from and where you are headed bless God and say thank you for everything!!!

Continue to be faithful! Paul says, "I've heard about your faith......." This is actually a bit of sanctified sarcasm. What he's saying is very encouraging. He's saying I've heard about your faith, but let me see if the talk is really true. My friend please receive this today, faith in God is key to your victory in Jesus Christ. Faith in God opens doors that appear to be brick walls; faith in God heals the sick; faith in God dismisses demons; faith in God moves mountains; faith in God will look at an empty lot and see a house sitting there and the house is yours; faith in God restores broken families; faith in God will help you walk on water; and faith in God saves a lost soul! In short, when you get to the place where your faith is being tested show God that you can be trusted and be found faithful!

Be very prayerful! Paul says it clearly, "I'm praying for you." The irony of this is that he has just said that he has heard about their faith. Thus they were doing well, yet the Apostle says I'm praying for you. Here's why, if you are growing and getting stronger as a Christian the devil will do all that he can do to destroy and discourage you in the faith. When you find yourself between where you want to be and where you are right now here's what you need to know. There is warfare going on that the naked eye cannot see and the physical hand cannot touch and if you are going to be victorious in it you must know how to pray. What should you ask God for at a time like this? Ask God simply for the faith to stand like Job, a heart to rejoice like David and the wisdom of Solomon to know what to do and when you should do it. Hear this today for those who are in the "mean time" pray!

Be prepared to gain the spiritual! Paul says he has a spiritual gift for the believers. The spiritual gift mentioned in the passage above is one that will produce fruit. The only gift that produces fruit in the Bible is the seed of the Word of God! In short, when you are between being sick and being healed should expect a Word from the Lord! Have you ever been there before? Where you were between where you were and where you really wanted to be and God sent you a Word that was tailor made to fit your situation and your circumstances and it changed your entire life? If God did it then He will do it again! And if you know the Word like I do you do not have to wait on a sermon to get the Word that you need. Open your Bible and say "Lord show me which way to go! Tell me what to do! God guide me and I will follow you!" Remember this, when you need to hear from God most He will speak by way of His Word when you're in the "mean time!"

Be ready for the Gospel! Here's the best news of the day. He came, He lived, He blessed, He healed, He taught, He preached, He gave, He fed, He led, He died, He rose, and He is coming back!!! Okay, what does this mean to a person who is trapped in the "mean time?" It means that if your problem is not bigger than a dead Jesus, trapped behind a two ton rock, guarded by enemy soldiers our Father in heaven has already proven that He can handle it!!! It means that you have already won you just have to stay until the big dance is over.

You see my friends, God works in mysterious ways. He allows us moments in the "mean time" so that we will learn and know that when we are in the "mean time" He is in prime time! When you can't, He can. When they won't, He will. When they stop, He starts. And when it seems impossible God brings it to pass! If you are in the "mean time" hold on to your joy, keep the faith, serve the Lord, stay with the Word and know that you don't have to wait until it is over to bless God is thanksgiving. You can do that right now!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

Welcome to the Family Conference 2009!!!

2009-05-31T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends in the Faith!!!

I just wanted to say "welcome" to the Family Conference of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Beaumont, Texas. We celebrated our kick off today with Pastor Bertrand Bailey and the graduate celebration of the class of 2009. God really blessed us. This Wednesday we are making ready for Pastor Christopher Hartwell from the Crossroads Church in Houston and James Fortune and FIYA!!!!

Please plan to share with us via the web at www.streamingfaith.com!

Love and Prayers,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

The Night Time Is The Right Time!

2009-05-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

The musical genius Ray Charles Robinson wrote a song years ago that had our nation dancing and clapping. He simply exclaimed with vigor and passion to the pulsating beat of the drums and the melodious music of the eighty-eight in front of him that the night time was the right time. On a solar note it happens when the sun stands still while the earth turns its back on the gleaming rays of that great cosmic ball of fire that keeps our universe filled with light only to find herself in a temporary moment of darkness. We call it night time. Yet, it happens to people every day while the sun is still shining. There are moments in life where we find ourselves in the dark and it is night time. Have you ever been there?

It happened to Mildred Adams on a clear day when there was not a cloud in the sky. Her oldest daughter NaTasha Arline dropped dead at Austin Middle School. No her daughter hadn't been sick or ill. The child had no former signs of any health problems at all. It happened to Jared Preston when he went to work one morning as usual, sat at his desk and started to log on to the company's system so that he could get his day started, but his pass code no longer worked. He went to his manager’s office and they simply handed him a letter that said "you have been released from employment effectively immediately." And it happened to LaTisha Richardson of Houston, Texas last spring. The 28 year old mother of two thought that her marriage was doing just fine. But, her husband of just three years walked into the house late one evening and said "I do not want to be married anymore. I will send you some money for the kids."

Have you ever been there before? Have you ever seen night time? I know that you have. The question is what happened to you? Was it a death in your family? Was it a diagnosis that changed your life? Was it one of your children that caused your life to see heartache? Or, was it a failed test that you just knew that you could pass? As Christians we are not exempt from the dark moments of life. God decided that He would allow His children to see night time too. But, the great news of the day is this with God on our side He has a holy habit of turning our mid-nights into day! God is at His best when we are at our worst! And with Jesus Christ is on the scene the night time is the right time!

Listen to the words of the Psalmist as he exhorts us through the lyrics of a Hebrew hymn. He says, "For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psalms 30:5, KJV).

Yes, there are moments in life that bring us to tears. And, nothing can do that like the night of life can. But, there is a way for you to endure your night time and cause it to be the right time! There is a way for you to take your tears from the dark and make them the joy of your day! According to the Word of God here is what you must know about the Lord in order for that to happen in your life.

You must know that His fury it temporary. The shouting news about moments like this in your life is this, it is not permanent! It is temporary. The passage says, "His anger endureth but a moment..." In the Jewish mind set when ever bad things happened to people they took that to mean that God was angry with them. But, that conclusion was not true. Bad things happen to both good and bad people. The difference is simply this, for those who believe in Jesus Christ what looks bad today will always end up good tomorrow because we love Him (Rom. 8:28)! Here's a wonderful devotional question for you. Have you ever endured a midnight moment in your life only to discover that you came out of the trial better off than you were before you went into it? If so, then you can openly testify that it is a temporary season and yes it may hurt you, but it is going to help you too! Here's some news that will bless and encourage you, what you are dealing with today is not going to last forever!!!

Secondly you must know that His favor is stationary. Okay let's be brutally honest for a moment. It's been happening for you all of your life and you know that it's true. God has been favoring you all of your days. Yes, you've been sick, but you lived to tell about it. Why? Favor! Yes, you have been down but you did not quit. Why? Favor! Yes, you've had some crazy things happen to you in your life. But, you did not crumble. Why? Favor! Yes, there have been moments in your life when it was dark and it was night time, but you have made it through it. Why? Favor! The favor of God has been working in your life all of your life! The verse says "His anger endureth but a moment. In His favor there is life." This is a horrible translation. It should read like this, "in His favor is my life." An even better way to translate this is to say "all of my life I have had His favor." When it's night time in your life you must know that heartache is temporary but God's favor is permanent. Praise the Lord for His favor, it has been with you all of your life! And for those reading this devotional right now who are enduring a midnight moment the reason you have not lost your mind is His favor!

And lastly you must know that His faithfulness is legendary. Please get this into your soul and plant it into your spirit. God is faithful and He is not going to let you down. The faithfulness of God is best seen when you are like Moses trapped at the Red Sea and have nowhere to turn and God shows up and causes you to walk across on dry land. God is at His best when you become the three Hebrew boys in a fiery furnace only to discover that in the midst of the flame stood the God who gave us fire! God is at His best when you are weeping. It is then that you discover that God takes tears and gives you a testimony. Listen to the words of the passage. "Weeping may endure for a night." In short, it should read like this you will have to cry sometime. "But, joy cometh in the morning!" This is a beautiful figure of speech here called an antithetical parallelism. Weeping is given the idea of night while joy connotes what comes in the morning. The idea behind it all is this. If you hold on long enough what used to make me cry will serve as the source of your joy. Now that sounds like God for real. He takes tears and makes joy!!!

Yes Ray Charles spent his life singing it. But many of us have spent our lives living it!! We have seen our fair share life at night time. But, God has been good and He has been faithful. And if you can say I am in a midnight moment of life right now remember this, keep holding on! The favor of God is with you and in the near future your tears of today will become your joy of tomorrow!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

A Rumble In The Jungle!

2009-05-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

It's been called the greatest fight of all time. It was Oct. 30, 1974. Soul Train was on television and Don Cornelius had everybody giving the same benediction, "Peace and Soul." It was the soulful 70's. Afros were at their peaks, platform shoes and black light garage parties were in on the social scene and everyone was dancing to P-funk! It was October 30, 1974 in the country of Zaire which today is called the Democratic Republic of the Congo that these two titans met for the greatest fight of the century. The battle was promoted by Don King, which at that time had no money but promised to pay each fighter five million dollars. The fight featured the reigning heavy weight champion of the world George Foreman against Muhammad Ali! It was such a battle that its name still rings around the world as the rumble in the jungle!

As I share this devotional moment with you today I realize that real Christians see a jungle everyday and if we were to be really honest about it you do not have to be any where near the Republic of the Congo to have a rumble in your jungle too! Let's be real about it, all of us have issues that we must deal with in the jungle. And my devotional question for you today is this, "what is it that makes your jungle rumble?" Perhaps it's worry. It may even be stress. It could be problems in your family. Maybe it is a recent illness in your body that you cannot talk about because you are the pillar of the family that everyone always leans on. It could be financial woes that cause bill collectors to ring your phone all hours of the day. It may be job problems, fake friends, real enemies, relationships that just collapsed or mountains that you cannot seem to move. It could be one of your children. Nothing can make your jungle rumble like they can. Whatever the case, there is good news for those who have a rumble in their jungle, God has given you the truth of His Word and His Word gives us victory in every jungle in spite of the rumble!

After Jesus had been baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist, and sealed with the Holy Ghost like a dove that appeared from the sky He is led away into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. It is the Bible's version of the rumble in the jungle. Here is how the score card reads:

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him (St. Matthew 4:1-11, KJV).
Jesus comes out of the jungle victorious. And the thing that gave Him victory is what causes us to have victory too. So what must we have in order to win our rumble in the jungle? The passage gives us three keys to victory!

The first key to victory is simple, stick to the fight plan. For those of you who are unaware of it the devil throws punches! One of his all time favorites that get believers to fall every time is the sucker punch of doubt. The enemy has a tendency to make believers think that God will not take care of them, so they have to take care of themselves because God will not do it. Hear this; don't fall for this sucker punch! God will take care of you. The first temptation that confronts Jesus is human hunger after fasting 40 days. And the enemy says to Jesus "why don't you make these stones bread" (paraphrase). But, Jesus declines His offer to take care of Himself because He knew that His Father would take of that. And, notice the counter punch of our Master here, "It is written..." In other words Jesus says to the devil my meal does not come from me but the one who takes care of me every day! What proof do you have that God will take care of you? If He did it then He will do it again! Don't doubt God just trust Him.

Secondly, if you are going to win your fight you have to listen to your corner. When the bell rings and the round ends a fighter goes to his corner. And, let be the one to tell you the best news in town. You have a corner out of this world! You have the Father as your coach, the Son is your trainer and He's giving you the instructions, the Holy Ghost is aiding you by closing some of your cuts from the punches that you have taken, and you have the angelic hosts supporting you in the battle. The second temptation hits Jesus and the enemy takes Him to the high place in the temple overlooking the Holy city and says "if you are really the son of God go ahead and cast yourself down. For it is written that he will give His angels charge concerning thee lest thou cast thy foot against the stone" (paraphrase). Hear this saints, be careful where you get your promotion from. Human pride will make you think that you are more than what you really are and without God we are nothing. Jesus counters again with a powerful right from the Word when He says, "It is written..." In other words, my promotion will not come from you. The one I seek comes from above and not from beneath. Have you lived long enough to know that God will promote you in His own season? Trust God to lift you and He will!

And lastly if you are going to possess victory in your battle you have to know how to skillfully finish the fight! A skilled fighter does not just know how to start a fight. But, they know how to finish one too! If you have the enemy reeling and rocking it is not time for a coffee break you have to know how to take him out! Jesus has Satan looking bad and He is about to finish him off. In the last temptation the enemy takes Him to a high mountain and says to the Lord "I will give you all of this if you just bow down and worship me" (paraphrase). And Jesus delivers a knockout blow. He set him up with a jab after the first temptation by saying......it is written! He hit him with an upper-cut during the second temptation by saying......it is written! But this is an overhand right that came from the locker room. This temptation has to do with the pride of life and who you worship! The enemy offers us the things of the world. But, the Lord offers us Him and that is something that the world cannot offer! I found it very interesting that the tempter came at Jesus when he knew that He was hungry. But, he left Jesus when he knew that he was full. What makes Him full? Jesus knows who He will worship! Here's the knockout blow........ it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve! In short Jesus says, "Get out of my face! If I cannot do anything I am going to worship" (paraphrase)! Have you made your decision yet? Have you decided that you will only serve the Lord? If so, your battle has been fought and your victory has already been won!

It was the greatest fight of all time. Ali was supposed to lose but someone forgot to tell him that. Foreman was bigger, stronger and reigning champion of the world. But, Ali had a fight plan that he developed in the ring. It was called the rope-a-dope. You see, Ali would lie against the ropes and take as many punches as Foreman could throw. And then he would release a fury of his own punches. Before long Foreman was down for the count and Ali was champion again. Likewise, Christians have a fight strategy too! After you have taken enough blows from the enemy you should throw some punches of your own! Hit the devil with trust in the Lord, sock him with forgiveness of those who have hurt you, jab him with thanksgiving every chance that you get, shoot him with a body blow of prayer and an upper-cut of fasting! Throw a fury of punches to his face of the truths that come from the scriptures. Bloody his nose and blacken his eye with the fact the tomb is empty and the cross is vacant. And when you are ready to put him on his back hit him in the face with an overhand right of worship! In fact, you should throw a few punches right now!!! Yes, you may have a rumble in your jungle, but you have victory based on the Lord's Word! Remember this, "it is written..."!!! Praise the Lord!!!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

Just Do the Dog Gone Thang!

2009-05-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

Not long ago while sitting in my barbershop waiting for my turn to sit in the seat of external beautification, hoping to have my laniferous bush reduced to a smooth scalp and a nice edge, I overheard an interesting conversation. It was a debate that took place between a believer who had been in church a long time, but had very little faith in God and a new believer that was young in the faith, but on fire for the Lord. The young believer, Kawanda Mason was on fire as she talked to her aunt about achieving her dream of owning her own business. She told her aunt and I quote, "I do not want a religion or a church that cannot help me do the extraordinary. I want a God that is ready to take my life to the next level. I want Jesus to use me to do the impossible!" Mason looked her aunt square in the face and said. "Auntie, you have wanted to open your own business for years. You go to church every Sunday, but it ain't helping you a bit. You talk faith but you live in fear. You are going to have to get out of the boat and walk on the water! You need to just do the dog gone thang!"

Though this young fiery saint was not talking to me directly, I do believe with all of my heart that what fell from her lips came straight from God. It is my firm belief that God is looking for saints who will walk by faith. Faith in God looks at an empty lot and see's a house. Faith in God looks at a sinner and see's a saint. Faith in God looks at a pink slip and see's a new job with better benefits and more money. Faith in God looks at water and will taste wine. And, faith in God looks at a sea and see's a side walk. But, the only way to experience this next level of living is for us as Christians to live a life of faith! A faith that says, "Just do the dog gone thang!"

This may prove to be somewhat shocking to you, but it is true non-the-less. God made you to see the invisible, move the unmovable, accomplish the incredible, achieve the unattainable, survive the unthinkable, and thrive in the midst of the impossible. Jesus said "...and greater works shall you do because I go unto my Father"
(St. John 14:12, KJV). The term "greater" used here is midezone. It does not speak to the quality of what has been done, but the quantity of what has been produced. Jesus says in short you are going to keep on doing what I have been doing. When people see you they will think about me. And, when you check out the vocational Vita of Jesus Christ printed for your perusal in the Gospels He was awesome! He turned water to wine in Cana, raised a boy from the dead in Nain, made a lame man walk in Bethesda, brought Lazarus to life in Bethany and led Peter to walk on the water in Galilee! That's right; our Lord led one of His disciples to do the unthinkable! Jesus helped Peter to get out of the boat and just do the dog gone thang!

Here's how the story flows.

And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus (St. Matt. 14:25-29).

Now if Peter could do the dog gone thang you can too! I believe that God has something special planned for your life. I want you to know that where you are right now is not a permanent place, but simply a passing point. I believe that God is pressing you out of your comfort zone so that you will have to use your faith in Him and just do the dog gone thang! But, here's the question to grapple with, what does the text require to make the impossible come to pass?

First of all, you must have a deity that is in total control. I have some great news for you today. Please hear this, God is in control! Watch Jesus in this narrative. He is in control! Jesus is walking on the sea. What does this mean to you right now? Well the sea in early Jewish history was seen as a symbol of the abyss or hell. When Jesus came walking on sea He was sending a clear message. He was saying I am God enough to control the sea and keep the devil in His place. I am in control! Here are some great devotional questions for you this week. How would you act if you knew you couldn't lose? What would you do if you knew that your God held your enemies in check? That's how you should live every day. Live like that and just do the dog gone thang!

Secondly, you need a divine request for the extraordinary. As Christians some of you really do pray, but there's a problem. You do not know what to ask for. Some of you have been asking the Lord to approve the loan, when you should have been asking Him to make you the lender! Some of you have been asking God for water, when you should have been asking Him for the whole well. Some of you have asked God to bless you when you should have been asking the Lord to bless others through you! Some of you have been asking the Lord for a house when you should have been asking the Lord to help you develop the whole neighborhood. Here's the point, if you are going to do the dog gone thang ask big! Peter makes a huge request. He says, "..Lord, if that is you, bid me to come on the water with you" (Matt. 14:28b). In short, Peter says, I do not want to sit here with these disciples any more. I want to do what my Master is doing! Wow! Now that's a request. What have you been asking God for lately? If you are going to do the dog gone thang ask big!

And, lastly you need a daring faith that's crazy. Peter does something that no other man in the Bible does. He steps out of the boat and He walks on water. Yes, it is crazy but it was the only way to do the dog gone thang! Peter had asked Jesus to join Him on the water and Jesus' reply was a one word blessing. Jesus said "Come!" And Peter was crazy enough in faith to do it. Rev. Seymour V. Adolph, Sr. (my father) says that Peter really did not just walk on water. He walked on the Lord's word, "come." Jesus said "come" and Peter walked on it! What if the Lord is saying the same thing to you today? Come! Write the book, score the film, open the business, take the missionary trip, adopt the child, build the plaza, earn the degree, get the certificate, build the house, buy the stock, do the work, make the move, start the program, fill out the application, go forward, handle your business, stop listening to jealous, narrow minded people tell you what you cannot do and just do the dog gone thang!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

Sunday's Best - Zebulon Ellis shares Mother's Day with Antioch

2009-05-11T20:27:00.001-07:00

Mothers are a gift from God!

This Mothers Day to celebrate the gift of motherhood the Lord led me to invite one of BET's Sunday Best to salute every mother and lady of our church!

Zebulon Ellis from the Olympic City of Atlanta, Ga. Graced is with his presence.

To view more photos of Sunday, please http://www.antiochbmt.org/.

Preaching for Pastor Dennis C. Jones of Gethsemane MBC - Houston, TX

2009-05-08T21:35:00.000-07:00

Preaching at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church

2009-05-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

Preaching "Wednesdays In The Word" for Dr. Marcus D. Cosby - Houston, TX.

Treat Her Like A Lady!

2009-05-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

From the creative hand of Almighty God she hails supreme to every creature on the earth. When God made her He simply broke the mold. To look upon her countenance is to admit that there must be a God somewhere. To watch her walk is to see poetry in motion. To see her at work is to watch a genius in a laboratory. To see her sleep is like being in the presence of a queen. Her skin is as smooth as silk, her lips are like the petals of a flower, her arms are strong, her hips are curved, her face speaks of her Master's touch, her feet trod the ground from the mud huts of the Sudan to the White House, her hair is a symbol of her beauty, her love is a necessity, her touch is healing, and her smile is refreshing. Who is she you asked? She's God's master piece. She is a lady!

Her presence demands respect, her demeanor is regal, her disposition causes the ordinary to become extraordinary, her character breathes life into every dead situation, her laughter is the seed of human happiness, her voice forces you to listen, and her creative hand takes the dull and dormant and produces the vicarious and the vivacious. Her statue is inimitable, her posture is upright, her eyes are the lamp posts to the soul of an over comer and to see her is to witness a snap shot of glory in human form. Who is she you asked? She's the mother of civilization. She is a lady!

She takes boys and produces men, she takes leftovers and makes a meal, she takes nothing and does something with it, she takes your hurt and gives you healing, she takes a nice house and makes it a happy home, she takes a family and makes a tribe, and she takes a tribe and produces a nation. She knows everything! Her natural intuition can tell if you are lying before you ever open your mouth, her wisdom can tell you what's best for you, before you take your first step, her knowledge is seminole, her ways are practical and her motives are spiritual. Who is she you asked? She is the backbone of human agency. She is a lady!

Not only does she know everything, but she does everything. She helps, heals, teaches, loves, cares, touches, lifts, makes, prays, cries, and builds. She cooks, cleans, bathes, sweeps, folds, bends, stoops, works, works, works, works, works and works! She is a doctor that takes care of sick patients, a psychologist that does effective treatment for the mentally challenged, she is a sociologist that keeps the entire group together, she is a surgeon that does in home operations (the splinter from the hand with a needle of course), and she is the preacher of the best sermons known to humanity! Who is she you asked? She is the centerpiece of domestic enterprise. She is a lady!

She is a gift from Lord of heaven so you can not treat her just any kind of way. Like a package marked "handle with care" you must know how to treat a lady at all times. Here's what the Bible says regarding this issue, "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered" (1 Peter 3:7, KJV).

The word "knowledge" used by Peter in the passage comes from the Greek word gnosko and it means to be skilled. It means to possess some experience when it comes to a certain issue. In this case, we are talking about ladies. Peter says in a nutshell, if you are going to do well with a sister you have to know how to handle a lady. You must have some skill. So how do you handle a real lady? Listed below are a few practical nuggets that everyone should practice not just for Mother's Day, but every day.

1. Never Lay a Hand on Her Expect in Love - Simply put, abuse is just not tolerated at all. Love that lady or leave her alone!

2. Remember This: Chivalry Is Not Dead - Open the door, pull out the chair, pay the bill, get the umbrella, notice her, listen to her, give her your undivided attention and handle your business. She will love you for it!

3. Never Compare Her to Any Other Woman - A real lady stands in a class all by herself and knows that she is not a rough draft but a masterpiece. So treat her like she is a one and only, because she is!

4. Remember This: You Can't Buy Her, but Get It Because You Love Her - Please hear this, it's not the amount of money you give her it's the amount of care and consideration that comes with the package. If you didn't give it much thought it could cost a million dollars. To a real lady it is still cheap. She wants your heart and not just what comes from your hand. Your time and attention is worth more than your money will ever buy!

5. Never Let Any One Beat You Cheering For Your Lady - Flattery works! Don't take her for granted at all. If she looks good, tell her that. If she has a new look tell her that you've noticed it. A real lady does not need cheers from you. She can give herself a pep talk in the mirror. But, it always does her good to know that you noticed and you don't mind celebrating it in a way that she can hear you say it. So cheer her on!

6. Remember This: She Is Very Self Conscious of Her Anatomy So Love Her Like She Is - No matter how beautiful a woman may be she always has a part of her body she does not like. Here's some solid news that can help you love a real lady. Love her just the way she is!!! She knows what she has and what she is missing. But, if you love her like she is you will never miss what she may or may not have.

7. Never Forget That Jesus Christ Is the Real Lover of Her Soul - All real ladies loves the Lord. That's how they have made it through all that they have been through. Keep Him first in all that you do and a real lady will always respect you because you love Him!

When you are in the presence of a Judge you stand, when you are in the presence of a Bishop you sit in reverent silence, but when you are in the presence of a lady remember this is how you should treat her. In just a few days we celebrate our Mother's. Keep this devotional at heart and treat her like a lady!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

Resurrection Sunday Sermon - 9:45am Service

2009-04-29T21:32:00.000-07:00

"Sunday's Best!"

Don't Just Stand There...Pray Something!

2009-04-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

Today across the state of Texas is a day of worry, stress, anxiety, doubt, fear, and severe intensity for many. Why? Grade level students are taking the TAKS test. TAKS stands for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test. It is an examination that students must take and pass that measure their progress in the areas of reading, writing, math, science and social studies. This test is so important across the state of Texas until seniors cannot graduate from high school without a passing score on this exam.

Isn't it amazing how God permits and allows us moments of examination? God does not keep us from moments like this at all. But, He knows that nothing can bring you closer to Him like a test can. So He allows and permits them just to get you closer to Him. So while you are in His presence just don't stand there, pray something!

As you read this week’s devotional there are principals that are on the edge because they know that if their school does poorly on this test it is a reflection of them and their ability to lead. There are teachers who are looking at students who are in class every day that come from challenged environments at home and they know that the only way for that student to pass this test is for a miracle to take place. There are counselors who are on pins and needles today because they have to make sure everything is in order regarding the test and if it is not, it is a horrid mark on their ability to do their job effectively. And, there are some parents who have done their best and given their all and yet they know that today will be difficult for their child.

What do you do when you have given your all, done your best, and exhausted all of your resources? What do you do when it is test time and you have prepared yourself to the max and still you know that the exam looms about you like a dark shadow? What do you do when you know that the examination that you are faced with is not going to go away? Here's one good suggestion straight from the heart of the pages of Holy Writ...PRAY!!!

Prayer is...........

An earthly license for heavenly interference
The slender nerve in the hand of God that moves the heart of God
Carte Blanc access into the essence of the eternal
Height without a top
Depth without a bottom
Width without a measured circumference
Admittance into the holy of Holies
A VIP pass into the board room of the Almighty
A talk with the God of the Galaxy
A conversation with the maker of oxygen
A chat with the architect of the human anatomy
A ticket into the hallowed sanctuary of the maker of matter
Listening to the still voice of God
Touching the untouchable
Reaching the unreachable
The incubator for every miracle
The birth place of healing
The production line of deliverance
The place where you commune with Jesus Christ!!!

In fact, here's a really good devotional question to ask you. Have you prayed about it today? I mean I know that you have thought about it, some of you have worried about it and yes still others of you have suffered some degree of anxiety about it, but have you prayed about it? If you have not prayed about it, I have some sound advice for you that is going to bless you tremendously. Don't just stand there, pray something!

By now you have to know for yourself that God really does answer prayer. Here's what the Word of God has to say on the issue.

St. John 14:13-14
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Jeremiah 33:3
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

1 John 5:14-15
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

St. John 15:7
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

James 5:15-16
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Isaiah 65:24
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

Have you ever heard the old cliché' "don't just stand there, say something"? Well, in my opinion we've done enough talking at this point. I challenge you right now to just stop right where you are and do it! Pray something!!! Pray for principals, counselors, teachers, curriculum coordinators, students, mothers, fathers, grandparents, and those who need healing, deliverance and blessing. Do it! Pray something! And, remember when you do God will answer you!!!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

Praying for TAKS Taking Today!!!

2009-04-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord!

As you may know, students across the state of Texas are taking the TAKS test today. Please lift them and all that regards them before the Lord in your prayer time.

Thanks and God Bless,

Dr. Adolph

Family Conference 2009

2009-04-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

He Blocked It!

2009-04-27T22:38:00.001-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

Barbara Jean Jackson Adolph (my mother) was a woman of love and discipline. To put it plainly, she did not take any stuff from her kids at all. She did not believe in time out and counting to ten. If you talked back to her in any way it was very possible for you to get knocked out and have to rise to your feet after being down for a ten count. She was firm but, she was fair. She said things one time and one time only. And she expected for her children to obey.

I will never forget the day that my mother left in the rain to go grocery shopping. She left clear instructions for the kids. She said "clean up your rooms and no playing ball in the house." In complete ignorance we did the exact opposite. We did not clean up and we played ball every kind of ball imaginable! We played every sport with a ball in it. Know what I mean? We played baseball, basketball, dodge ball, and kick ball. The trouble happened when we decided to play football. I threw a pass in the hallway and broke a vase. She was not there so we cleaned it up (so we thought).

A few weeks later, while doing some serious spring cleaning she found pieces of the broken glass left over from the sloppy domestic work performed by yours truly. And that's when judgement came upon us. My mother exclaimed with punishment in her vocal chords, "who broke the vase?" She interrogated each child like we were in a holding tank at a police station. When silence ensued she thought of creative ways to motivate us. So she rushed into the kitchen, took a knife out of the drawer, cut a lamp chord and put an extension chord in her hand.

She said "it's bad enough that you all disobeyed me but if you do not tell me who did it I am going to get all of you starting from the youngest to the oldest." Have you ever been in trouble for something that you did, but you did not want to suffer the punishment for it? If so, good because you can identify with my silence. I wanted to say "I did it!" My my tongue just would not talk at all.

It was then that maternal hand of judgement struck. My mother raised her hand to hit my younger brother Ron with the first lash, but my older brother Butch leaped from the front of the couch to the end of the couch to stand between my mothers judgement and my brothers punishment! When the blow landed that should have been for one of us, my older brother blocked it! My mother then proceeded to smite him in such a way that we cried sitting on the couch and she was not hitting us at all. Have you ever heard one of your siblings get in trouble and you cried because the sound of it hurt you too? That's how it was that day. You see, the punishment was designed for me. But, I had an older brother that blocked it!

Many people misconstrue the message of the cross. There are some churches and Pastor's who refuse to even acknowledge it. But, for true Christians it means everything. It is the place where our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ blocked it! God does not just wink at sin. Someone had to pay the price for all of our errors, mishaps, missing the mark, transgressions, mess up's, and the like. That momentous day at calvary something marvelous happened. He Blocked It! The judgement that should have fallen on us, fell on Jesus Christ!!! What God would have done to you and me, He did to His only begotten Son! The Bible says, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Gal. 3:13-14, KJV).

Well, after my brother took our punishment we ask him why did he do it? And, he said "I don't know. But, I do know this, you owe me big time!" Every time his room needed cleaning he would look at us and say "you owe me." When it was his turn to wash dishes, he would look at us and say "you owe me." When he needed something done, he would call one of us and if he sensed that we did not want to do it, he would say "have you forgotten what I did for you? You owe me!"

Wow! In many ways that is what I feel Jesus Christ is saying to every real believer today. In fact, scroll back up to the top of this devotional to the horrid painful image of Jesus on the cross and say this to yourself, "he blocked it for me and I owe Him big time!"
Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

Your Situation Is About To Change!

2009-04-27T22:33:00.000-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

It was the summer of 1982 and a small group of high school students made their way to New Day Deliverance Church on Mesa Drive, in Houston, Texas. Bishop Taylor was the leader of the flock. We were in prayer at the altar when a woman moved by the spirit of God approached a young man that was with our group whose name was Allen Hebert. He would spend the summer months with us and then return home afterwards. His parents were poor so he didn't have much at all. In fact, that day he was wearing a pair of run over tennis shoes from a K-Mart blue light special and a t-shirt with a hole under the arm. But, he was at the altar!

The woman that had approached Allen pulled him out of the crowd and took him aside to pray with him. She told him to hold his hands up before God because he needed to surrender. She said to him "young man I can see things in your life because the Lord is showing them to me." She said to him "there are times that you steal and you are poor right now, but you have the hands of a rich man. Poverty has run through your family for years but God is going to reverse the curse starting with you. Your situation is about to change." She said "you have been smoking, I can see smoke coming out of your mouth. But, smoke no more says the Lord. Your situation is about to change." The woman of God said, "you have been cursing. Curse no more says the Lord!" She said to Allen, "You have been chosen. Live like you are chosen. Walk like you have been chosen. God says your situation is about to change!"

The word that the Lord gave Allen years ago is the Word that I want to speak over the life of every believer reading this devotional right now. Hear the Word of the Lord for your life today, your situation is about to change! If you are sick in your body I want you to plant this in your soul, your situation is about to change. If you are sharing this lesson and you have been struggling all year long the Lord of heaven has given me some great news for you. He says "your situation is about to change." If you are reading this devotional and you have struggled with financial disparity the healing news of the moment is this, your situation is about to change. If your going through a legal trial, if you are dealing with marital discord, if you have a wayward child in your home and if you are in the midst of a demonic attack from the corridors of hell, the Word of the Lord for you is this, your situation is about to change!!!"

When ever you read the gospels regarded in the New Testament canon one thing happens to everyone who comes in contact with Jesus Christ. Their situation soon changes! In John 5;1-9 a miracle takes places with a man that's been lame for thirty eight years. Here is what it says,

After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath (John 5:1-9, KJV).

Just like Jesus changed this lame man's situation, He can change yours too. Here is how you know that your situation is about to change.

First of all, you know that your situation is about to change when your condition demands the flava of His favor. The passage says that there were several groups of people at the pool of the Bethesda. But, Jesus looked and saw a "certain man." Can you hear that? It is a group of sick people, but when Jesus looks at the whole group there is something about this one man that makes Him say, "today is your day!" Now that my friends is favor. Hear this, the blessings of the Lord are for everyone who believes but, not every believer will get them. You have to have the favor of the Lord with you. And the way you get His favor is to have His flava. This man is in a situation that only the Lord can fix and that demands His favor. Has God every done it for you before? Has He ever fixed it? It was because you had His favor on that day and if He's done it before He will do it again!

Secondly, you know that your situation is about to change when the Lord steps into your story just to flip your script. The man at the pool had been there thirty eight years. It had been a long sad story. But, Jesus passes by just to turn things around. The Lord poses a question to him. He says, "do you want to be made whole?" The word whole is the opposite of the idea of shattered. In short, Jesus says to him, "I can see that you are shattered. Are you ready for me to take your pieces and make you a master piece?" Here's the shocker, the man does not shout yes. He had been down so long, he was not ready to get up. But, when the Lord is about to change your situation not even you can stop it! Jesus commands the lame man to rise. Could that be what the Lord is saying to you right now? In other words, I found you lying down, but today you are going to stand up! I found you out, but today you are going to get in! I found you sick, but today you are going to get well! Jesus says "Rise!!!!"

And lastly, you know that your situation is about to change when what use to make you cry becomes the source of your shout. Notice that Jesus tells this man not just to rise, but to take his bed with him. That bed had been a sore spot for him. It held his tears, his hurt and his pain. But Jesus tells him to take the bed. Why? Because it use to carry him and now he is carrying it. Wow! You see, what once made him cry would now be the very source of his shout. Every time that lame man looked at his bed he would remember from whence he came and thank God for what He had done in His life. Praise the Lord! Have you ever watched God take a problem from your past and cause it to be the source of your praise for the present? When this happens in your life, your situation is about to change!

In closing today I have a question for you. What would you do if the Lord sent you a message via the web that told you that your situation was about to change because you have the flava of His favor? How would you act if you knew that God was going to change your situation for the better? How would you bless the Lord? What would you say to Him? I've got goodnews for you, that is the Word of the Lord for you today! God has seen your hurt, He knows your affliction, and He has watched your tears and the spirit of the Lord says this to you....."your situation is about to change." Yes, you have cried but it is about to change. Yes you have struggled but it is about to change. Yes there have been days when you have thought about giving up. But your situation is about to change! And, yes you may have been down but, you are going to get up!

Today is your day, your situation is about to change!

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor

I Refuse To Lose!

2009-04-27T22:31:00.001-07:00

My Dear Friends in the Faith:

I have been a sports enthusiast for many years; I love watching and playing sports. Not long ago I decided to follow a sport that I do not normally watch nor pay attention to- cycling. I watched the long grueling race called the Tour de France. I gained particular interest when repeated champion Lance Armstrong was accused of taking performance enhancing drugs to produce his repeated wins.

A reporter from a sports magazine posed this interesting question to Lance Armstrong during an interview: "Lance, did you do it? Did you use steroids or any form of performance-enhancing drugs to win?" Armstrong's answer blessed me. He replied, "No! I have never used performance-enhancing drugs. Instead of watching what goes into me they should keep their eyes on what's coming out of me." Candid and fearless, the reporter asked this world-renowned athlete, "How do you explain the numerous wins? How do you explain repeatedly beating the world's top athletes year after year?" Armstrong responded in a fashion that helped me, and I hope that it helps you as you run this race of life. He said, "I show up the day of the race prepared to roll. I bring to the table an attitude that simply says losing is not an option!" Armstrong explained, "In spite of the opposition and the people that I am racing against, I tell myself one thing before I get there that sticks with me the entire race. It stays in my mind when I am tired and my legs are hurting. I think of it when it seems like it is impossible to continue on. I keep telling myself, 'I refuse to lose!'"

Let's face it, sometimes we lose things. We lose our joy and end up in worry; we lose our peace and end up in anger; we lose our patience and end up getting ahead of God; and, we lose our hope and end up in despair. There are even moments when we lose our families and end up in divorce; we lose loved ones and end up at a grave site; we lose our resources and end up wondering what happened to our money; we lose our jobs and end up unemployed with bills still due; we lose our way and end up in darkness; and, we lose faith and end up sinking when we should be walking on the water. But, I have good news for everyone who has suffered some losses and know that its time for some gains, you can reach a place in life where you just refuse to lose!

Get this, you are on the Lord's side, which places every believer on the winning team. As Paul writes to the Philippians he says,

For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you (Phil. 1:19-24, KJV).

Here is what the great Apostle is really saying, I refuse to lose! Paul has reached a point where losing is just not an option with God on His side. He gets to a point where he argues that he will win no matter what happens. If he lives, he wins. He can continue preaching, teaching, and doing the work of the ministry. If he dies, he wins because in death he is with the Lord, and he knows that this is gain. The end result is awesome; he cannot lose in Christ! So what attitude must you possess so that you too can say "I refuse to lose?"

You must have an attitude of complete deliverance. There comes a time in life when you face an obstacle and after you pray about it something comes over you that just lets you know that everything is going to be all right. Have you ever been there before? It's what happens to Paul. He says "for I know..." He means this, that I have prayed about it, you have prayed about it and I have made my peace with God about it and it is going to be okay, my God is going to deliver (soteria) me! There is an interesting figure of speech here called a metonymy. Metonymy is the intermingling of one idea with another. Paul says it was your prayers, but it was also God's provisions that saw me through. The more I know and the more you pray, the more God supplies. The word used to describe the supply is epichorgia. It is the same term used to describe the flowing waters of a river. River water flows all of the time like God's blessings and provisions in your life. It flows in every season; summer, winter, spring, and fall. It flows on good days and tough days. You are not going to lose because your river is flowing! God keeps providing!

You must have an attitude of confident discovery. Here's the truth, too many of us spend our time inspecting what God says instead of expecting what God has promised. However, if you are going to win and not lose you must reach a point where you expect for God to do what He has promised that He would do! Paul says, "my earnest expectation." This phrase is a tongue twister in the Greek language. It comes from the word apokatadokia. Apo means to lift the head. Kata means to stretch the neck. And, dokia means to strain the eye. Thus, great expectation means to lift the head, stretch the neck, and strain the eye. It's that look you use to have when you were waiting on your school bus to pick you up from school. If you were like me, you were waiting with great expectation. Likewise, spiritual victory comes to those who look to the Lord with that kind of expectancy. Here's a great devotional question for you. If you could only have what you expected from the Lord, what would you possess right now? Hear this, winners in Christ look to Jesus expecting for Him to do great things and He in turn does great things for them!

And, lastly you must have an attitude of Christ-Centered determination. The enemy wants you to quit. He wants you to give up. He wants you to lose. He wants you to worry about things you cannot control, lose sight of things that are real, forget about God's goodness, and lose. If you are going to win in life you have to be determined to do it. Paul says, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Now that's determined!!! True determination comes when you are too stubborn to quit, too crazy to become discouraged, and too confident to consider losing as an option. Winning only comes through the attitude of a person that says, "I am determined!"

While in his interview Lance Armstrong made the comment that the reason he won so many races was because he specialized in winning from behind. You see, unlike his competitors he does his best riding in the hill country, when others are too weak to continue to make the climb. It is then that he gives himself a pep talk and says, "I refuse to lose!"

Consider this devotional your pep talk and know that in Jesus Christ you have the victory and face today and everyday with a made up mind that says, "I refuse to lose!"

Your Friend and His Servant,

Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor