Why We Should Never Get Discouraged

Sometimes we take a look at our life and think, “Why is this happening to me?” Health issues, family issues, financial issues, problems at work and other worries seem to dominate our lives if we are not careful. It’s hard to remember to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Believe me, I have fought this battle many times. However, every now and then a reminder comes along that puts it all in perspective. There is a little three letter word that makes all the difference… J-O-Y. It’s why the Apostle Paul could be in prison, yet write a letter to the Philippians and talk about joy over and over again. Warren Wiersbe wrote a commentary on the book of Philippians (I have an older version), and he entitled it, “Be Joyful, It Beats Being Happy.” Happiness is based on circumstances–joy is based on a deep relationship with Christ.

Today, if you do nothing else, watch this video. I promise you, it will help you put things in perspective. Click HERE to watch it.

I haven’t forgotten about finishing up my comments on “Happy New You!” I just wanted to go ahead and get this one to you. It’s amazing.

Yours in Christ,

Steve

By the way, for those of you who are new… after watching this video, please come back here and read my blog “Month of Miracles.”

Happy New You! Part 3

Peace… to set at one again! I love that! That’s what the word means, and that’s what Jesus gives! There is no better proof of that than when a person accepts Christ as their Savior–or as I said in my last post–”gets in the wheelbarrow.” An amazing transformation takes place when one truly becomes a believer. The passage I’ve been discussing has a wonderful promise, and I want to examine that today: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). There are five words here that go beyond explanation.

I experienced that in 1979 at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina around noon. There were 800 people in the room, and one man on the stage with a Bible in his hand. I’ll not tell the whole story here, but when he gave the invitation, my wife and I responded along with about 300 other people. With a simple move of my will, answering the invitation of a wonderful Savior, I decided this would be a turning point in my life… and what a change!

Those five words are: “he is a new creation.” I have a set of books called “Barnes Notes on the Bible,” and he describes it very well:

“He (or she) has new views, new motives, new principles, new objects and plans of life. He seeks new purposes, and he lives for new ends… There is a change so deep, so clear, so entire, and so abiding, that it is proper to say, here is a new creation of God–a work of the divine power as decided and as glorious as when God create all things out of nothing.”

Wow! I mean… praise the Lord!

Please read that over again and again until it soaks in. Realize what Christ has done for you! It is no wonder that all of Heaven’s host rejoices when one sinner comes to Christ (Luke 15:10).

Talk about an extreme makeover! We can look at each of our days differently if we will simply accept what has taken place in our being. We are not the same. I don’t care what the devil tries to tell you, you belong to Jesus, and that’s it, period! Let’s put a smile on our face and begin living the “Happy New You” that Jesus intended!

Update on my surgery: Dr. Reeves was extremely happy with the results of the surgery. Even though it had been delayed over a month, the little cancer had not grown a bit. He removed it, and was so pleased that he canceled any follow-up chemo treatments. God answered prayer again… praise the Lord!

Happy New You! Part 2

A few days ago, I began a post “Happy New You!” Today, I want to continue my thoughts on this wonderful scripture: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new!” (2 Cor. 5:17). As I have said many times as I have preached on this passage, I usually begin by saying, “This passage starts with the word, ‘therefore.’ There is a reason it is… there for. It is a summary of what has been written before–so it would be a good idea to read it.”

I love this next statement, “if anyone is in Christ.” What does it mean to be “in Christ?” Several years ago, I ran across an illustration that has really helped people understand the full meaning of this, and I want to share it with you today. I will finish up at the end of this post by telling you an experience I had relating to this illustration.

In 1855, a Frenchman named Charles Blondin came to Niagara Falls to showcase his tightrope act. One his best-known acts was to push a wheelbarrow across the 1100 feet span. He would come back across and challenge the crowd, working them into a cheering frenzy. He would say, “Do you believe I can do that again?” “Yes, yes!” cheered the crowd. Noticing a certain man nearby who was joining in with the crowd, Blondin said, “You, sir. Do you believe I can do that again?” “Yes sir, I do,” the man stated with conviction. “Then sir,” motioned Blondin, “get in the wheelbarrow.”

When the Bible tell us, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, (Acts 16:31), the word “believe” goes deeper than just a “head knowledge” of something. To believe means to completely trust and surrender everything to Jesus. Too many people think that if they simply recite some pre-written magic prayer that they are saved, when in fact being saved requires complete trust.

A few years back, I preached on this subject and I could tell that God was really working on a middle-aged man in our congregation. I had just finished my message with the wheelbarrow illustration.  This man’s wife was saved, but he wasn’t. I went to visit him the next day, and gave him a new Bible. They had a beautiful spot on a large bay of water, and as we sat outside, I spoke with him about salvation. I said, “Robert, (not his real name) are you ready to get into the wheelbarrow? He knew what I meant. He said, “Pastor, not just yet–I’m just not ready.” I asked him to read the Book of John and pray. He promised he would.

Two days later, my phone rang. A joyful man was on the other end. He said, “Preacher, I just wanted you to know that I got in the wheelbarrow last night!” That brought tears to my eyes, and I rejoiced with him. That was several years ago. He died recently, unexpectedly. However, there is was no doubt in my mind that he was safely in the arms of Jesus!

Are you “in Christ?” Have you truly gotten “in the wheelbarrow?” If not, I hope you will do that today. If so, then I hope you will forward this blog to someone who can benefit from it.

Pray for me, I go for another surgery tomorrow–another recurrence of cancer in my bladder. It’s okay, though. I’m squarely in the wheelbarrow.

Happy New You! Part 1

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! More importantly, I wish for you a “Happy New You!” Most people are making New Year’s resolutions right now… they’re going to lose weight; quit smoking; get more organized; be more generous; get their finances in order; and on and on it goes.  Some, have decided to become a better person spiritually.

If you are a Christian, then there is a “catch-all” verse that can reset your “sin counter” to zero. Wow! That’s the first time I ever thought of it that way! There is a beautiful passage in 1 John 1:9 that can do just that. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.” To me, that is amazing! What a wonderful Savior we have! What a promise!

HOWEVER… with grace comes responsibility. There is a condition to every promise. Notice the little teeny word “if.” Such a little word with such meaning. “IF we confess…” I looked the word “confess” up in the dictionary. Here it is: “Admit or state that one has committed a crime or is at fault in some way.” Uuh! True confession is true repentance–that is, we not only admit we’ve done, we’re truly sorry for it. Paul, speaking to the folks at Corinth said in part, “your sorrow led to repentance…” Then he further explains, “For godly sorrow produces repentance…” (2 Cor. 7:9-10).

Now, I could make this post really long by explaining about Jesus being “faithful and just,” but trust me… no, trust Him–He is! You confess, and He WILL forgive, then wipe the slate clean. You have a brand new you!

What about unsaved folks? Is there a way to get a brand new you? Oh my, YES! It is the best kind! Some of you have done things in the past you have deeply regretted. Shameful things. Disgusting things. Things you hope nobody ever finds out. And, I must add another group… the goody-two-shoes who think they have never done anything wrong… I hate to say it, but these are the more difficult ones for Christ to reach, because they are relying on self-righteousness, which is a curse in itself.

Here’s your verse–it’s exciting, so pay attention: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new!” (2 Cor. 5:17). This verse is deep, and I am already over 400 words, so over the next few days, I will cover how to become a HAPPY NEW YOU!

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Merry Christmas!

In 2005 I recorded some Christmas songs you might enjoy. Click HERE to go to that site. Also, I posted the final message in the “Name Above All” Series on Vimeo. Click HERE to watch it.

I pray that you will have a blessed Christmas and a happy, prosperous and healthy new year!

Yours in Christ,

Steve

Name Above All – Part 2

Prince of Peace. You know, I have been studying the Bible ever since I was a kid, and every now and then I stumble upon something new—at least to me. When I do, it is exciting! Today, I want to share with you one of those “discoveries.” I promise you, you are going to love it!

Isaiah prophesied some 700 years before Jesus was born that one of His names would be “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). We find in the New Testament that Jesus was the essence of peace. He said He would give us peace “not as the world gives,” but a “peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

I never took Hebrew or Greek in college, but I do have a Strong’s Concordance. I also have a search function on my computer. The word “peace” occurs 318 times in the King James Version. However, 92 of those times it comes from the Greek word “eirene” (pron. “i-rah-nay”). That word can mean peace, quietness, rest—but listen to this… it also means “to set at one again!”

Do you understand what Jesus is saying here? When He gives peace, it’s like having a fresh beginning—a new start, a do-over, re-do or whatever you want to call it! That’s why it is a peace that passes all understanding! How many times have you said, “If only I could go back…?” You don’t need to go back, you just need to go to the “Prince of Peace” for a do-over. I highly recommend 1 John 1:9. It’s one of the best “do-over” verses I know of!

The New Year of 2012 is right upon us. We all like to “turn over a new leaf.” Let me make a suggestion: This year, let’s ask the Prince of Peace to give us a fresh start—set at one again!

I encourage you to watch this message, which I speak about the Name Above All.

Name Above All – Part 1

When I come to this time of the year when we celebrate the birth of Christ, I think of many things, but one thing that is perhaps the most prevalent in the Christmas Story is His name–Jesus. Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote a beautiful song about His name, and some of it went like this: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there’s just something about that name… kings and kingdoms shall all pass away, but there’s something about that name.” (Click on the word “song” above to listen to it.)

When the angel Gabriel visited Mary in Luke 1:30-31, he said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call his name JESUS.” To further clarify, an angel later appeared to Joseph and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS…” Why that name? “…for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21).

That name, Jesus, is a name above all names. It is one that I have uttered over and over again–especially in the last two or three years. It is a powerful name. Acts 4:12 says, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

In December of 2008, I brought three messages entitled “Name Above All.” I hope you will watch, listen and be blessed. In a few days, I will post the second message in this series. Click HERE to watch the video.

NOTE: SOMETIMES ADS APPEAR BELOW THIS POST THAT WE DO NOT ENDORSE. WE CANNOT CONTROL THESE, AND I APOLOGIZE IF ANY ARE OFFENSIVE IN ANY WAY.

God Has Plans for You!

What are your plans for this coming year? Most of us want to be healthy, happy and successful in 2012. How do we accomplish that? What does it take? It is so easy to lose hope in such bad economic times. Perhaps things didn’t go as well as expected this past year, and you’ve lost a little of your confidence in what can be accomplished next year.

Here’s the first thing we need to realize–God has specific plans for each of us. One of my favorite passages is Jeremiah 29:11 (and, I like the NIV version of this) “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’” I don’t know what that does for you, but it puts goose bumps on me.

I’ve had an “interesting” year. I’ve been up and I’ve been down. I have become more familiar with Pitt Hospital than I would’ve liked. We’ve had to totally re-invent our real estate business. And, then there is the fact that I miss ministry, and there’s a relationship issue that I wish were resolved. I’m not alone. It seems that when I talk to people, whether at the hospital or in business situations, everybody is facing one challenge or another. The enemy (no, I’m not talking about your next door neighbor, that difficult family member, or your boss) is trying to dishearten and discourage you. However, God is your daddy (Abba) who truly cares for you. He wants the best for you.

God has a perfect plan for you. He wants you to stay on that “track.” My phone has a GPS Navigator in it. When I am getting ready to go somewhere that is unfamiliar, I enter my present location, then put in my destination. It then calculates the best route for me. Then, it begins talking to me: “Proceed one-half mile and turn left, etc.” Unfortunately, sometimes I get distracted and miss a turn–I get off track. Then, it begins talking to me again: “Recalculating…” A new route is displayed to get me back on track.

I believe our life is somewhat like that. God has that perfect plan for us–that plan to give us a hope and a future. The devil then begins to throw distractions our way. We lose focus, and then we hear that small, still voice, “Recalculating…” Our wonderful Savior wants us back on track. In Isaiah 30:21 He tells us, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it, whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.’” Isn’t that great?!

In Jeremiah 29:11, there is that word “declares.” I talked about that word in an earlier post (http://wp.me/pI1rx-1o). When God says something, He means it! He says, “I know the plans I have for you…” The question is, do you know the plan He has for you? I hope you will join me in seeking God in finding out what those plans are. I do know this–He wants us to know. Hebrews 11:6 challenges us: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, AND THAT HE IS A REWARDER OF THOSE WHO DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.” (Emphasis mine). Will you join me in diligently seeking Him? I don’t know about you, but I want to know what His plans are for my life.

A Patient’s Perspective on Medical Personnel Sanitation Practices

Okay, I’m gun-shy. I’m not Monk, but I’m close. After a horrible bout with a staph infection in my kidney, and most most recent four-day stay at our regional medical center with a urinary tract infection, I watch all medical personnel with scrutiny. Doctor after doctor comes in and shakes my hand and says, “How are you feeling today, Mr. Atkins?” I answer that I’m doing somewhat better, but I’m looking around for the hand sanitizer. I mean, this guy goes around shaking hands with all these sick people, and I didn’t see him wash his hands when he came in.
It’s interesting–and frightening sometimes. When I was in about a year ago with a killer staph infection, they had four different types of antibiotics running in me at one time, I hadn’t eaten in four days (literally), had gained fourteen pounds of fluids from the IVs, and a nurse comes in and needs to take a blood sample. She sanitized her hands. Good. She put on a pair of gloves. Good again. Then, she grabbed the door with her gloved hand and asked one of the nurses in the hall to bring her something. Glove contaminated. “Excuse me, nurse, could you change that glove?” I asked in my nicest voice. She changed the glove. She then pulled the rubber tourniquet band around my arm and proceded to feel around for a vein on my bloated arm. “Hmmm,” she said, then bit the end out of the glove. I’m not kidding. “I can feel the veins better this way,” she said. I protested. She finally did sanitize her exposed finger, which made me feel a little better.
I’m 63. Prior to a couple of years ago, I had never been hospitalized for anything. Then I got hit with bladder cancer… a big one. You can read about it elsewhere in this blog, so I’ll not bore you with the details. Over the last several months, I have become more and more aware that doctors, nurses and aides often forget that sanitation or the lack of it can end up in a life or death situation. For the most part, especially my last visit, I have been impressed. But, then there are those others…
Like the time I was about to have a number 28 three-way Foley catheter inserted a day after a big operation. The nurses carefully unpackaged it. It already looked like a vicious monster. And then it happened–it fell on the bed. I spoke up, “You’ll have to get another one of those–that one’s contaminated.”
“No, it’s fine, honey. It just touched the bedspread.” I continued to resist successfully–I think. At least she got a new catheter. After that experience, I tell everyone that I don’t know what it feels like to have a baby, but I know what it feels like to put one back!
There was the time I was in the operating room about to be put under. The team was ready. The mask hovered over my face, and then it happened–behind me I heard something fall and hit the floor. Then I heard a nurse say, “Oops.” The mask came closer. “Wait, wait, waaaaaa…..” I was out. I sure hope whatever it was had nothing to do with my surgery.
I wish medical personnel would be more aware of the implications that can result from improper sanitation practices. Pulling gloves out of the box and laying them on the counter may protect the nurse, but it doesn’t protect me. And, when something drops on the floor, we don’t go by the five-second rule like we do with the pacifier for our third child.
Now, over the last two years, I have collected about 12 or 13 hospital arm bands. I am going to collect another one on December 13th Update… January 5th. It’s just another small spot of cancer on my bladder.
But that’s not what worries me…

Make the Best of Every Opportunity

The scripture for my daily devotion today came from Col.4:3 (NLT), where Paul writes, ““Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about His mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains.”
Wow! Here is Paul, in prison, bound with chains, and he says, “I am here for a purpose. This is not a mistake. God is not punishing me. I have an opportunity to tell others about an amazing Savior and His mysterious plan for our lives, and I am going to take advantage of this situation!”
Years ago, I learned something that has stuck with me. It has helped me to cope with some of life’s most difficult challenges. Here it is… write it down. Memorize it. Let it become a part of you. “In every adversity, there is a seed for equal or greater opportunity.”
During the last 14 months, I have collected 12 bracelets from Pitt Memorial Hospital. I have had 3 TURBTs (spoken “turb-tees.” meaning trans-urethral resection of a bladder tumor), an operation to move a ureter that left me with a 7 inch scar, 2 nephrostomies (tubes stuck into the kidney through the back), a four-day stay with a life-threatening staph infection in my kidney, and 7 chemo treatments. Now, this is going to sound crazy, but in every… I mean EVERY visit to the hospital, I have found joy. Why? Because I found a purpose there. I found opportunity to tell others about an amazing Jesus who loves us!
Each time before I left my home to go to the hospital, I prayed, “Lord, help me to brighten the day of every person’s path I cross, and please let them see Christ in me.” My “chains” was my illness. My “prison” was the hospital. My opportunity was the same as Paul’s.
When you face a challenge in your life, there are going to be some who think that God is punishing you for something. In fact, the devil is your greatest accuser. He will try to convince you that God is up there with a big stick, just waiting for you to make a mistake so he can whallop you. Even Jesus’ disciples were indoctrinated with that thought. When they came upon the man who was born blind, the disciples asked Jesus,”Was it this man or his parents sinning that caused him to be blind?” Jesus said, “It was neither. He is this way, so that God can have an opportunity to be glorified.” John 9:1-3 SAV (Steve Atkins Version).
Today, you may find yourself in a challenging situation. It may be financial difficulties, loss of a job, a health challenge, or problems within a relationship. Perhaps your challenge might actually arisen from an err in judment. Now is the time to turn it around. Look for an opportunity to glorify Christ. Make the best of a bad situation.
Life is filled with challenges. Not everyday is going to be a bed of roses. However, everyday can be a day of opportunity. What are your chains? What is your prison? Let’s be more like Paul and use every adversity to spread the “Good News” of Jesus Christ!
Oh, and one final note. Kudos to all the people at Eastern Urological Associates and PCMH–you have been wonderful. I will never forget the kindness, love and compassion that you have shown me over these last several months. As Paul wrote to the Philippians, “I thank God upon every remembrance of you!”