(This is an excerpt from Pastor’s book, “How To Stand When Others Fall”)

What helps you to hold steady when you get a negative report from the doctor?  What helps you to hold steady when the media is reporting bad news?  What keeps you on course?  These are very important questions because the Bible says that there were those who “went back” and “walked no more with Jesus.” There were some following Jesus who had been healed by Him, who ate the multiplied loaves and fishes, some whose lives were changed, and yet “. . . many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” 

Think about it.  Our text details that this was such a dramatic event that Jesus turned to his inner circle and said, “Are you leaving, too?” Could you ever erase the memory of those eyes looking at you and asking if you were going to desert him? Peter responded so powerfully on that occasion saying, “…thou hast the words of eternal life.”

People often say, “If you make a disciple out of someone they will never go back.”  Well, excuse me, right here we have a mass exodus and these people were called disciples.  The truth is that loyalty and faithfulness are matters of the heart.  I do not wake up every morning and ask myself if I am going to stay with my wife Joy.  I have lived with her for many years.  I do not wake up each morning and try to make a decision about being faithful to her.  I have already made that decision.  She is the best wife (and the only wife) I have ever had.  I am going to stay with her.

Peter did not always rise to the occasion in the appropriate way, but if there was ever a time in the Scriptures he did, it was at this point.  The same Simon Peter that went to sleep in the Garden of Gethsemane, the one who cut off a man’s ear, the disciple who was not at the cross, eventually walked out this confession in John 6:68-69: “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.  And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”

(This is an excerpt from Pastor’s book, “How To Stand When Others Fall”)

The multitudes have left and Jesus turns and asks, “…Will ye also go away?” Then Simon Peter answered him and he said several things that will keep you standing when others are falling.  These things will hold you in place when right seems wrong and wrong seems right.  They will hold you in place and keep you standing when you do not understand the circumstances that are surrounding your life.

Jesus Is Lord

So the first principle is to make Jesus the total Lord of your life.  Notice Simon Peter called Jesus “Lord” because the truth of it is, if Jesus is Lord no one else will be Lord in your life.  If Jesus is Lord, no material possession, no achievement, or trophy will be your Lord.  Who or what is Lord in your life?  If you are born again, Jesus is Lord!  That is what Christianity is all about.  He is not one of many good teachers.  He is not one of many saviors.  He is not just another noble person.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life!  Jesus is Lord!  Making a bedrock decision about that will keep you standing when times are tough. There is no one that is Lord, but Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  You can build all the mosques you want to build.  You can build all the tabernacles you want to build.  You can build all the shrines to whomever, but my friend, when it is all said and done, you will stand before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and you will acknowledge Him as Lord!

The second principle is stick with Jesus.  When Peter says in verse 69, “Lord to whom shall we go?” he was saying that there was no one who could take the place of Jesus.  Stay close to the master.  Refuse to do anything that will separate you from Jesus.  It is important that you be where Jesus wants you to be.  We know there was a day when Peter did depart from Jesus.  In Peter’s disappointment after the crucifixion he went back to fishing and others followed him.  John 21:3 says “Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.”  But after a night with no results they came towards the shore where Jesus was waiting for them.  Jesus told them to cast their nets on the other side to find the fish.  They did and immediately began to catch fish.  One of those with Peter recognized it was Jesus that had spoken to them.  We notice that this is the same situation Jesus delivered Peter from in the past.  He had spent the night fishing but caught nothing.  This illustrates to me that as long as you stick with Jesus you will not repeat past failures.  If Peter had stuck with Jesus then it is possible that the other disciples would have also.  They would have avoided that unproductive fishing trip.

The third thing that Peter said in John 6:68 was “to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” In other words he was saying, “Lord, only You have the Word.”  The Word will always play a part in your victory faith walk.  Peter recognized that he needed the Word.  Your answers are in the Word of God.  Do whatever it takes to remember the Word of God.  Underline it, put a red pencil on it, or a yellow marker, get a hold of God’s Word for yourself.  Let God quicken His Word to your spirit.  Hold on to it and do not let go.  I thank God for the Word.  It is a lamp unto my feet.  It is a light unto my pathway.  Take everything I have, but give me my Bible and I will stand in victory through it all.  Others were falling, but Peter is telling us how to stand, “Lord…only you have the words of eternal life.”  You make your stand on the Word of God.

The fourth thing Peter said was, “And we believe . . .” (John 6:69).  He may have thought, “I do not know what those others believe, but speaking for those who are here, we believe in You. We are believers.”  He went on to say that, “. . . we believe and are sure . . .” He is saying we should be fully assured, “. . . and we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” One thing you must be sure of is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  Drive a stake in the ground of faith on that point and refuse to move!

You can meet people in any church who are constantly changing their doctrine or philosophy.  They are not really sure about anything.  They have not really settled on anything because unbelief always has a hard time finding the will of God.  Being led by the flesh and not the spirit is a very dangerous pathway.  We can say with confidence, “Lord, there is nowhere else to go, You have the Word.  We will come through the difficulties of life because we are sticking with you.”  Thank God for the Word of God.

(Below is an excerpt from Pastor’s book, “How To Triumph in Troubled Times”)

I can also walk in trust and faith, even in a world where the threat of terrorism exists.  Jesus said, “. . . Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).  See to it.  Apply yourself to this.  Every day choose to trust God no matter what happens.

Psalms 37:1 says “Fret not thyself because of evildoers . . .” In fact, if you read Psalms 37 and Psalms 73, the Bible tells us that one day you will look for the wicked and you will not even be able to find them.  They look like they are flourishing, but they will not last.  Anytime you have a bad day, you should carefully and prayerfully read Psalms 37 and Psalms 73.  Those are powerful portions of God’s Word that tell you that God brings the righteous out in victory.

Fret not yourself.  Do not let yourself be caught up in the pressure cooker of the world.  You can sing and rejoice in the craziest circumstances.  You might have a supervisor that is rubbing you like sandpaper, but just get that believer’s grin on your face and in your heart say, “I choose to trust and not be troubled!”

(Below is an excerpt from Pastor’s book, “How to Triumph in Troubled Times”)

I have run up against a lot of things in third world nations as I have been involved in world missions.  There has been more than one time when in my heart I said, “How much more can we take, God?”  Anyone that works in foreign missions could give their own share of stories of trials.  I could tell you of a number of ministries which have given food, clothing, education, and shelter and no one gave thanks or appreciation in return.

There must have been so many people that Jesus ministered to and they did not show appreciation for it.  Did anyone comprehend that they were standing in the presence of the Son of the Living God?  Probably not, but He just kept on loving and giving.  Love may take a little while to work, but it works.  I can choose to walk in love no matter what has happened to me.  No matter what someone said, I can choose to walk in love.  Determine today that you will always respond in love.

(Below is an excerpt from Pastor’s book, “How To Triumph in Troubled Times”)

It is unimaginable that a group of people could have a hatred that runs so deep that everyone outside their group is considered infidels and should be destroyed.  They justify it all in the name of religion.  If there has ever been a time that I am thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is now.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a religion of hate (I do not like to call it a religion, but you understand what I am saying).  It is a Gospel of Love!  If anyone ever walked the love walk and lived the example of the love of God, it was Jesus.

A pastor has a fix-it heart.  We want to fix things.  We want to help people.  I do not like to see people hurting.  I do not like to see people in difficult times.  I do not like to see people that are up against impossible situations.  I am always thinking, “How could we pray about that?  How could we make a difference?”  Of course, you cannot help in every situation, but that is just a pastor’s heart.

When 9/11 happened I asked myself, “The way things have escalated, what can we do? How can we change our world?”  I will be honest with you, even though I know the power of the Gospel of Christ, there was almost a feeling of helplessness that came over me.

When I asked God, “What can we do?” He responded, “I will tell you what you can do that can effect change in your world. You can walk in love in a world of hate.”  That does not mean that you do not defend yourself, or that a nation does not protect its citizens.  You and I may not single-handedly be able to turn the world around, however we can walk in love in a world of hate.  That is exactly what Jesus did.  He cast out devils because He loved people.  They even said He cast out devils by the power of the devil.  He healed the sick and they attributed that to the devil and ultimately put Jesus on a cross.  But even on that cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).  Jesus came to show His love to the world.  God so loved the world that He sent Jesus.  Look at what a world changing effect His love made!

(An excerpt from Pastor’s Book, “How to Make Your Life Count for God”)

Now, two or three more things you need to get a hold of.  A seed must be planted in order to reap a harvest.  Some people are waiting for their ship to come in and they have never even sent out a rowboat.  A seed brings more than a financial return.  A seed can meet any need.  I will tell you this: a seed planted in faith cannot, and will not be ignored by God.  It is God’s way to manifest blessing.  You cannot just give mechanically you have to mix faith with your giving.

If you need a car, tell Him you need a car and then sow for it.  If you want to see your kids come back to Jesus, you can sow and see them return to God.  You can sow seed for any need.  What about Cornelius?  He was a great giver.  He was a person of prayer.  His giving became a memorial before God (Acts 10:4).  Finally, one day God said I cannot handle this any longer.  Go down and help the man and do what he needs.  The Scripture tells us that his entire household was saved.  No, you cannot buy this kind of blessing but you can surely sow toward it.

There are seasons when God deals with you about giving special offerings.  Years ago we were in Florida and a very wonderful church there needed eighteen acres.  A drug dealer had been arrested and the government had seized his property and put it up for auction.  The church wanted to make a bid on it.  To purchase it they would have to pay approximately thirty thousand dollars for it.  We pledged five thousand dollars of that.  Some pledges are easy to fulfill and others are more difficult. I knew this was not going to be easy but within ninety days we had that pledge paid.  Little did I know that this pledge would prove to be a significant seed.  We had been forced to sell a portion of the land attached to our downtown location in order to secure financing.  It would remain in the hands of others for thirteen years.  We had paid six hundred and fifty thousand dollars for it; we sold it for eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars.  For thirteen years someone else paid the taxes on those eight acres; for thirteen years someone else had to maintain it.  The maintenance was part of the contract.  In addition, they had to put in a lighted parking lot.  They said, “Pacify the church.  They will not be there for very long.  They will not make it anyway.  Sure, we will put up a parking lot – whatever you want to do.”  During the time the property was owned by others it had been cross-collateralized from eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars to seven million dollars.  I could name three major hotel corporations that were in the process of making offers on that property.  It seems that no one could make a deal for this property.  God was keeping it for us.  Then one day a group of men representing the federal government and a savings and loan in Dallas came to my office and said, “Make us an offer on that property.  It has been a Jonah ever since we have had it.”  We offered them one hundred thousand dollars and the government cancelled seven million dollars of debt and we bought the property back.  Remember, originally we paid six hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the land then sold it for eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars so we made two hundred thousand dollars at that time.  Which was good, but we needed that acreage for parking and future growth and we wanted it back.  I had always called it our “Isaac” on the altar.  In that thirteen year period the owners maintained and improved the property and it was ours to use at no cost.  It turned out this was our season to invest five thousand dollars in somebody else’s church and the seed we sowed was turned into our miracle harvest.  Five thousand dollars was given and God cancelled seven million dollars of indebtedness against the property.  Just like Abraham must have been thrilled to see Isaac get off that altar of sacrifice, we were rejoicing that our Isaac had come home.

So how do we make our lives count for God?  Through our service, in our worship and out of our giving we purpose to offer our very best with a grateful heart.  We do this not just with an expectation to receive, but with a joy about what He has done for us and what He will be able to do through us.  Dedicate your life right now and purpose to be like the woman that anointed Jesus; she gave him her very best.  This is the only life worth living!

(An excerpt from Pastor’s Book, “How to Make Your Life Count for God”)

Sometime ago, when I was on a trip to Colorado, I discovered that I had lost my wallet.  I looked everywhere, but I could not find it.  I almost resorted back to that old deal making mentality, “God I promise you this and I will trade you two of this if you will help me out of this situation.”  Now just for a moment that thought crossed my mind.  You know what I am talking about, when things are not working, we try to bargain with God rather than just standing in faith.  I was in a desperate situation. I had lost something that I was counting on.  Finally I said, “Father, no deals.  I am caught up on my tithes and offerings. I have even given on this trip.  In the Name of Jesus, I say if You have to send an angel out to bring my wallet back, do it.”  That very thing has happened to me more than once.  After looking for something in one place and not finding it, I went back to the same place again and found it there.  And by the way, that is what happened in Colorado, somebody gave me some money and I eventually found my wallet.

When you know everything is right, you do not have to go through this make-a-deal conversation.  “Yeah, Lord I will do this, or I will not do that…oh, Lord, I will not think that again.”  NO DEALS – JUST FAITH!  I do not have to make a deal.  I have already made my deal.  I am a tither.  I am a giver.  Joy and I do our best to be obedient to God.  Every once in a while, I walk in the bedroom and say, “Lord, I want to remind you of all the tithes and all the offerings that this child of yours has given to You.”  Oh, Thank God, His computer never goes down.  He keeps accurate records.  He never forgets a single offering you have given.

I am not just talking about giving money; I am talking about responding to God by doing what is right when no one is looking.  This is a matter of doing what is right because it is right and pleasing to God.  When you move beyond the deal stage and get into the faith stage things begin to work.  When you are in faith and all hell breaks loose you do not say, “Oh, my God, what did I do?  Let’s make a deal, God.”  No, no, no, you remember that the just live by faith and not by making deals with God.