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Are Your Friends Able To Be This Honest With You?

5/30/2018

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​2 Kings 5:11-14 - But Naaman was furious and went away and said, "Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.' "Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" 
 
So he turned and went away in a rage. Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, "My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?"  So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.   NASU 
  • Naaman's Situation 
2 Kings 5:1 - Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man with his master, and highly respected, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper. 
 
He was the captain of the army of Aram. He was considered a great man, he was highly respected and he was a valiant warrior. It would be easy to see how this man could be a little puffed up with pride.
 
Naaman only has one problem. He has leprosy. He has heard he can be cured if he could make contact with the prophet of Israel who is in Samaria. So he receives permission from the king to go and connect with this prophet. 
  • His Vision 
2 Kings 5:9-11 -  So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean." But Naaman was furious and went away and said, "Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.'
 
What Elisha did was not what Naaman had envisioned. Naaman thought the prophet would come out and meet him after all he is a great man in Aram. Elisha doesn't respond the way Naaman thought he would. He tells him through a messenger to go dip himself seven times in the Jordan River.
 
Naaman becomes furious because Elisha doesn't heal Naaman the way he thought he would be healed and he goes away enraged. 
  • His Friend's Save The Day 
2 Kings 5:13 - Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, "My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?"
 
Elisha, through a messenger, tells Naaman to go dip himself in the Jordan River seven times and be healed. Naaman doesn't want to do this he wants to argue about his two rivers in Damascus being better than the Jordan River.
 
He departs in a rage. His servants approach him and speak logically to him. They ask him a question, "If the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it?"
 
The answer to their question is "Yes, he would have done it."
 
They convince him to do what the prophet said and when he does he is healed of his leprosy. 
  • Do You Have Any Friends Like That? 
Do you have any friends who will confront you when they know you are really being childish with your actions?
 
Naaman did and because they weren't afraid to confront him he was healed of his leprosy.
 
Friends like this are rare but count yourself blessed if you have even one.
 
Think On This:
 
A true friend thinks of you when all others are thinking of themselves.
 
Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
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If You Had One Wish, Would You Wish For This?

5/23/2018

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Proverbs 30:8-9 - "….give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”  NIV 
  • The Wisdom Of Agur 
If you had one wish, would your wish be like the one Agur penned down for us in the book of Proverbs?
 
I can't tell you the times I have heard it said and wished for it myself. "If only I could win the lottery."
 
We all believe we can handle money better than the ones who win it. We could do so much more with it "if only" we had won the lottery.
 
Agur does NOT want to win the lottery.  His only wish is for his daily bread. He doesn't want to win the lottery nor does he want to be poor.
 
Then he blesses us with his reasoning for only wanting his daily sustenance. If he has too much he may disown the Lord or if he is poor he may steal and dishonor his God. 
  • One Thing I Noticed 
I have traveled to Uganda 5 times and each time it was a wonderful experience. I have met some of the absolutely most incredible Christians in the world. The ones I met were always smiling and always praising the Lord and I can guarantee you the poorest people in America have more than they do.
 
When was the last time you walked to a well with containers to get water for you and your family?
 
When was the last time you went to the store and bought just enough food to feed your family for that day and had no idea how you were going to purchase tomorrow'sfood?
 
Yet, some of our Christian brothers and sisters live this way everyday.
 
We get upset when our electricity goes out for an hour but some live in homes where there is no electricity, at all, ever. I wash my clothes in a washing machine and yet I have pictures of children washing their clothes in a creek. 
  • So What Would You Do With One Wish? 
I am not here to tell you what to do with your one wish, but if you want to follow the example of Agur, you will not be wishing to win the lottery. You will be wishing for your daily bread, so that you won't forget the Lord, nor steal and dishonor Him.
 
Think On These:
 
Two great tests of character are wealth and poverty.

No person is so poor that he can't give a compliment.
 
Children who are reared in poverty have two meal choices - take it or leave it.
 
Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
​
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The Day In Jesus' Life We Have All Experienced

5/16/2018

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Mark 7:24 - Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice.
NASU 
  • Jesus Wanted Some Down Time 
He was tired of putting up with the pettiness of people. The Pharisees and scribes had once again been watching Jesus and His disciples. They wanted to find something wrong with the way Jesus and His disciples lived and they found it.
 
Jesus' disciples didn't wash their hands before they ate. There you go that has to be one of the biggest sins known to man, eating without washing your hands.
 
Jesus is questioned by the Pharisees and scribes and they want to know, "Why His disciples don't follow the tradition of the elders?"
 
Jesus, as is His custom, doesn't answer their question. He either quotes a scripture about them or asks them a question which if they answer gets them in trouble. Jesus quotes to them words from the prophet Isaiah:
 
Mark 7:6-8 - And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 
7'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' 
8 "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men."  
  • Some Things Never Change 
I have been in the ministry for 34 years and may I tell you the truth, nothing drains my batteries faster than having to deal with a bunch of Pharisees in the Lord's church.
 
They read their Bibles everyday, they are able to quote scripture, they use their lips to praise God but their hearts are far away from Him. 
  • Jesus Wanted Down Time 
Yes, I am going to go out on a limb here and say, I believe we all have had days like Jesus when we wanted to be left alone. We are tired of people. We are tired of people's pettiness. 
  • Are You The Cause Or The Cure 
The Pharisees wanted you to wash your hands before you ate and by washing your hands before you ate would mean you were holier or closer to God than those who ate without washing their hands.
 
Yet, it was exactly the opposite because the Pharisees became the hypocrites and were moved further away from God.
 
Do yourself a favor today and inspect your life.
 
Do you need downtime because you are tired of dealing with people's pettiness? Or is it your pettiness which is causing others to want some downtime?
 
Think On These:
 
Christianity doesn't fail. It is people who fail Christianity.
 
If Christianity means something to you, live so it will mean something to others.
 
Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
​
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When You Have A Friend Like Jonathan's You Only Need One.

5/9/2018

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​1 Samuel 14:6-7 - Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, "Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few."His armor bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart; turn yourself, and here I am with you according to your desire."  NASB 
  • A Friend Has Your Back 
Jonathan's armor bearer had his back. He says Jonathan can do whatever his heart desires because he has his back. He will not abandon him during the fight they are about to encounter.
 
One thing life has taught me is we all need one friend who will protect our back. We all need what I call a "Back to Back Brother."
 
A "Back to Back Brother" is one you can always count on especially when you are in one of life's battles. 
  • Jonathan's Back Protected While In Battle 
Jonathan was getting ready to enter into a battle with the Philistines. It was going to be Jonathan and his armor bearer against the Philistines. I love Jonathan's faith when he says, "perhaps the LORD will work for us, for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few."
 
The Lord is not constrained to save by many or by few. What a powerful declaration of one's faith. Jonathan didn't need the Israeli Army to conquer the Philistines. God could use Jonathan and his armor bearer and He will do exactly that. 
  • Amazing Trustworthiness 
Jonathan's armor bearer displays amazing trustworthiness when he says, "Do all that is in your heart; turn yourself, and here I am with you according to your desire." 
 
The armor bearer tells Jonathan "turn yourself" or in other words take off towards the Philistines for I am right behind you. The armor bearer was saying, "where you go, I go."
 
I have been blessed in my life to have had a few friends exactly like this armor bearer. Friends who have had my back when I like Jonathan desired to do something crazy for the Lord. To my "Back to Back Brothers and Sisters" I say sincerely, "Thanks for your amazing trustworthiness." You know who you are and I could not have accomplished what I accomplished without you having my back. 
  • What We All Should Do Now 
We should be the armor bearer in someone else's life. We should be ready to lay our life on the line to help one of the Lord's servants be victorious. We should inform someone today that we have their back.
 
Think On These:
 
We are on the wrong track when we think of friendship as something to get - rather than something to give.
 
A loyal friend is one who sticks up for you even when you are not there. 

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
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Here Is The Truth Why Some People Will Not Listen To You

5/2/2018

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Prov. 23:9 - Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.  NASU 
​
  • They Know It All 
There are some people you cannot teach. Why is that true? They have already arrived at their conclusion regardless of the facts. You can show or tell them the truth until you are blue in the face and the fact of the matter is they will not listen.
 
Why? There mind is made up by what they believe. They believe they are correct in spite of the truth or reports contrary to what they believe.
 
This type of person is called a "fool" in the Bible.
 
I had a professor in college who would tell us men you are going to meet a lot of people in the world who you will not be able to convince with the truth, the Word of God.
 
Why?
 
They are traveling around with this motto: "Don't Confuse Me With The Facts, My Mind Is Made Up."
 
In other words, no matter what you say to them they are not going to change their mind. We sometimes call this type of person "stubborn" but God calls them "fools". 
  • I Was This Type Of Person 
There were a lot of years when the only teacher I would listen to was the "School of Hard Knocks" and even then it would take more than once sometimes.
 
I can not begin to tell you how much more money would be in my bank account if I had only listened to my parents.
 
I simply and incorrectly thought I was smarter than others and would not get caught like others. I was a "fool" for many years. 
  • What Changed Me? 
The Lord Jesus Christ and His Word changed me. NOW please don't think that I have got this all down pat and never make any mistakes. I still do, but I guarantee you I make a whole lot less than I did when I was younger and outside of Christ.
 
This one passage of scripture has helped me more times than I can count: Prov. 15:22 - "Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed."
 
Did that nugget of gold grab you like it did me?

Here is my interpretation of that passage of scripture: "Without Consultation" or in other words without talking your plans over with others your plans are going to experience frustration, BUT with many counselors or many consultants your plans will succeed.
  • Don't Lose This Key 
Find people you can trust. This is the key. What is it you want to accomplish? When you know do some research and find people who know this field.
 
Let me give you an example: If you wanted to know something about learning how to wrestle (for yourself, your son, daughter, grandson or granddaughter) my advice, find a coach who knows about wrestling.

Every year successful coaches offer wrestling camps and I would enroll my child in one of these camps near you.
 
Just Google any one of these names and you will find out about their camps. Some top wrestling camps in the US (Cary Kolat, Tom or Terry Brands, Pat Santoro, Tom Ryan, Sean Bormet and these are just a few)
 
Remember don't lose the key: finding someone you trust.
 
Think On These:
 
The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.
 
A wise man learns from the experience of others.
An ordinary man learns from his own experiences.
A fool learns from nobody's experiences.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
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