Daring to Dream Again: Keep Track… – Part 9

Keep Track of God’s Involvement in the Every Day—Part 9

Here’s an important point. I believe it’s necessary to write these sightings down. We need to keep a record of them. A list like this is great for reviewing when the dark days come. I make God Hunt sightings a regular part of my prayer journal. To go on the God Hunt you may need to think in a new way. Some will have to learn to become like a child again, to renew that sense of wonder and delight. Others will need to break through a glass ceiling. Maybe you’re not young like David was. That doesn’t matter. It’s never too late to start something good.

Beware when you no longer sense the joy of the daily God Hunt. What happens then is that we become secular, just like the world. To be secular means that we restrict the sacred life to an hour or two on Sunday morning, seldom seeing the supernatural interface with our everyday world. What a sad way to live … as secular Christians!

Let me return to Tales of the Resistance.

Big Operator gave the lad with the scar an unlikely assignment: Keeper of the Chronicle of Sightings of the King. The chief of the Taxi Resistance knew that those who look harder for what they seek often find more than they expect.

“On-street sightings!” shouted Hero. “But—but I’m terrible at Sightings! I could hardly find the King in disguise in Great Park! How am I going to find him here in Enchanted City?” … “But what about my scar? All of the Enchanter’s men have a description of me by now. You yourself said there was a manhunt.”

Big Operator was not moved. “I need an operator with street savvy and Ranger training. It’s imperative that someone keep records of the King’s activities. Hide your scar. Stay away from lights. The weather’s turning cool; wear a scarf. Of course, this is a dangerous assignment. If you’re afraid … ”

Hero started to say that it wasn’t fear, but at that moment the buzzer in the terminal sounded the yellow alert, indicating that a taxi was approaching in haste. A mechanic began to crank up the great garage door. At the same moment, a dispatcher at the control panel shouted, “Sighting!” The King had made himself known somewhere in the city. With amazement, Hero and Big Operator watched two frightened children climb confusedly out of the back of the cab. The door slammed; an echo reverberated.

“Hey!” shouted the driver. “I left the King t’bring dese kids in—but the Enchanter’s car’s comin’! Better get back to action.” The cabbie indicated the location of the Sighting to a monitor, “Heraldry post 101; Moire Oxan.’ A pin was immediately stuck in the map of Enchanted City.

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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?

Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?

David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.

We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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Daring to Dream Again: Keep Track… – Part 8

Keep Track of God’s Involvement in the Every Day—Part 8

Unusual Linkage or “Timing

A third God Hunt category is unusual linkage or timing, such as when David hid in the very cave Saul decided to rest in. It was too perfect to be mere chance.

Unusual linkage and timing is getting on an almost empty airplane and sitting across the aisle from someone who desperately wants to know about Jesus and how to personally meet Him. God has provided an almost private setting and an hour and a half flight during which you are able to lead the person to the cross.

Help to Do His Work

A last God Hunt category is what we call help to do His work in the world. It’s having a new family attend the church with the very skills needed to replace those of a strong couple who have just moved out of town. It’s having a friend call and share a story that works perfectly for the closing illustration in a Sunday School lesson you’ve been working on. It’s saying, as David did, “I need a friend, Lord—a friend who’s like a brother. This future kingship assignment You’ve given me isn’t an easy one.” And the Lord responds, “David, I’ve prepared the king’s son, Jonathan, to be that friend to you.”

Those God Hunt categories, again, are:

  1. An obvious answer to prayer
  2. Unexpected evidence of His care
  3. Any unusual linkage or timing
  4. Help to do God’s work in the world.

Occasionally a God Hunt sighting will fit several categories. That’s no problem. And sometimes a sighting is almost in a category of its own. Don’t worry about that either.

What’s important is the belief that the Lord is constantly calling to us, “Seek Me. I’m here. I’m not that hard to find. Just look a little. Come on, now!”

———————————————

Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?

Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?

David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.

We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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Daring to Dream Again: Keep Track… – Part 7

Keep Track of God’s Involvement in the Every Day—Part 7

Answers to Prayer

One is an obvious answer to prayer. Let me illustrate. I hesitated attending a conference because I needed to prepare a rather complicated paper for a particular man. It was due the day I was to get back. I went to the conference anyway and was overjoyed to see that this person was also there.

When I checked in at the hotel desk, I was so surprised I just said hello and walked on.

As soon as I got to my room I prayed, “Lord, I’m amazed this man is here. How wonderful it would be if we could talk for an hour or so and work through some of our concerns in person. But this is a huge conference. I may never run into him again. Please allow that to happen—I’ll immediately ask him if there’s a time we can meet while we’re here.”

I unpacked my things, went down on the elevator to the main lobby, and saw this man coming in the front door of the hotel again. We talked briefly and set a time to get together the next morning. To me that was a marvelous God Hunt sighting. The time together helped me immensely.

This might not seem like a God Hunt sighting to you, but, as I’ve already explained, I choose to give the Lord the credit for what happens on these occasions. I admit some of my “sightings” may be coincidence, but I prefer to believe most of them aren’t! And what matters is not whether I can convince someone else, but whether I’m satisfied that it’s the Lord at work.

Evidence of His Care

The second God Hunt category is unexpected evidence of His care.

I called from the office and asked my wife, Karen, “Where are you money-wise?”

I needed to head home and pack. We were using some frequent flyer award tickets to take a couple of well-deserved days away. I had very little cash in the bank, although I figured we could use a credit card if need be. But maybe Karen had money.

Her answer was, “My bank account is as low as yours!”

“Just wondered,” I responded. “See you soon.”

In the next few moments an old friend stopped by the office and said, “Heard you and Karen were leaving for a few days. Knowing how you guys live, I thought you might need some cash. It’s a gift; don’t give it back. Have a good time. The Lord go with you.”

Care of this sort is not an everyday occurrence. But I praise the Lord for friends and also for unexpected evidences like this of God’s care.

———————————————

Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?

Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?

David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.

We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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Daring to Dream Again: Keep Track… – Part 6

Keep Track of God’s Involvement in the Every Day—Part 6

Sightings of the King (continued…)

Hide-and-seek is a universal game. Everyone’s played it at one time or another. In the Scriptures it’s almost as if the Lord invites us to go on a spiritual hide-and-seek. “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” That’s Jeremiah writing on God’s behalf to the exiles in Babylon.

“‘I will be found by you!’ declares the Lord” (Jer. 29:13-14). So even when His people are captives in another land, it’s as if the Lord tells them, “Don’t stop looking for Me!”

The “fun factor” in looking for God comes out in a verse like Psalm 105:3, “Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.” And we do rejoice frequently when we see the Lord working in our lives.

“Seek and you will find.” That’s how Jesus issued the challenge in His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:7). He was talking about the reality of His now-and-future kingship.

As I expressed earlier, one of the most pleasurable aspects of my own involvement in Christ’s kingdom is writing down each day what I call my “God Hunt sightings.” These are occasions when I see the Lord acting in my behalf in a special way, and I choose to attribute the events to Him. In our family we’ve come up with four categories that help define what we’re talking about.

———————————————

Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?

Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?

David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.

We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

Share and Enjoy

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