Author: Bill Hall

Sometimes as Christians we look around our cities, states, and the nation at large, and become very concerned about the things we see happening in the good old USA. And these concerns often increase and we cross over into worry and anxiety. That’s never good. The Lord Jesus teaches us that worry is wrong.

So, what do we do? How do we keep our concerns from transforming into worries, fears, and worse?

We must see these concerns as an opportunity. When concerns arise in your hearts this is actually the work of the Holy Spirit. He causes us to see the actions of ourselves and others in the light of God’s Word. This makes our eyes and ears sensitive to what is going on around us. So, it isn’t a bad thing.

But, then the old enemy realizes what is going on, and our flesh bucks our sensitive Christ-like spirit. We then are tempted to trade that healthy concern for these other things. And, if not stopped, we can descend into despondency and depression.

So, when concerns come into your heart, they are there for a reason. The Holy Spirit has caused you to be sensitive to evil. And when you become concerned, that is His prompt for prayer. Yes, that’s right, the Spirit of God is prompting you to pray. That’s why you get so concerned about the things going on in this country.

The next time you begin to feel tempted to allow your concerns to get out of hand and cross over into worry, remember what they are there for. It is time to pray! Lift up your eyes, and look to the Author and Finisher of our faith. He knows your concerns, He gave them to you. But, He wants you to cry out to Him, and cast all your cares His way.

Heavenly Father, give us the wisdom to know the difference between healthy concerns and worry, doubt, and fear. Lead us away from the temptation to trade for these cheap things that will hurt us. Let us follow Christ in bringing all of our concerns before the Throne of Heaven. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

We do not often associate our salvation and our identity. But, a person’s standing before God is the most important part for their identity. In fact, it is the only part of a person’s identity that is completely durable. Other things about you may change over the years, or change when your time on this earth is over. Though our relationship with God begins at some point, it never ends. Even for those who do not know the Lord, this fact is the most foundational part of their identity.

Christians have a special opportunity today. If we believe what we claim to then we have access to the Holy Spirit, Who is called the Comforter by Jesus. This would mean that we have a relationship with the most Encouraging Person there is!
This is a very important, special, and unique opportunity. We can pull from our relationship with the Spirit an endless stream of encouragement. We have plenty of false hope and positivity rolling around these days. What our world needs is real, honest encouragement.
Find a friend today that you can encourage. Do it prayerfullly and you may be the only access that person has to real encouragement on this fine day of celebration.

We are working through some website updates. Please pay that the Lord will use the REvive Ministries webpage.

This week my wife and I had the opportunity to take a much needed anniversary vacation trip. We have had the joy of enjoying many of the wonderful and delightful pleasures that the Lord has given to His humans. The great outdoors, good food, rest, and relaxation.

As I reflected upon the fun we have shared, a thought came into my head that I know the Lord Jesus put there. Every truly enjoyable activity was designed and created by Jesus. He gave us the fun things in life.
We easily forget this. Why? Because we have an enemy in this world that doesn’t want us to have any fun, unless we have it in a certain way. He is a master of traps, tricks, and treachery. Everything he offers is a trick of some kind. And he is very proficient at what he does.
Indeed, most of the time the old worm doesn’t have to lift a finger. Our sinful nature gets us headed in the wrong direction easily. He just ensures the world system is sufficiently effective for entrapment, and waits for his traps to spring.
Ask the Lord for keen eyes and descerning hearts. With the right detection equipment in place, you can avoid the pitfalls and enjoy the pure pleasures of the things God has made. Effortless entertainment is empty, but wonderful is worth work.

Today I had the wonderful delight to preach at the church I pastored for 14 years in Graysville, TN. It was such a great day, and I loved getting to see all of the folks again!

I have a link below to the video. The quality is a bit rough, but I wanted to post it anyway because it was such a sweet time with this church.

This morning I have the joy to, with the Lord’s blessing, go up to Wayside Baptist where I pastored for many years. The Pastor, Bro John Dalton, has invited me up to speak in one of the services for Homecoming. I am truly excited. As I have been preparing for this, my mind has asked the question, may I ever feel that I can do this? In other words, will I ever feel equal to the task of standing behind that sacred desk? I have spoken to these same people in this same place literally hundreds of times before.
It is not nerves that give me hesitation. I am looking forward to the event, not shrinking from it. My confidence level is as strong as it can be. I have worked over the message for many weeks. And yet, I am painfully aware that I will never be good enough to feel up to the challenge.
But, all of this is a very good thing. Why? When I am weak, He is strong. If I felt adequate on my own, I would be deceived. If I felt I was able to bring to the table what was needed in the hour of the message, all we would hear is me. No, to be truly prepared, I must be acutely aware of my dependence upon the Holy Spirit of God.

The other day my wife had a minor operation done. We went to the new Erlanger East hospital to have it done. Her doctor, a Christian woman, did a great job. We were in and out in a matter of a few hours. Afterward my wife had no post-surgery eating restrictions. So, we immediately turned the car toward Chick-fil-A. The service there was, as always, excellent. There were no less than 20 cars in the drive-thru the whole time we were there, but we had our food promptly.
As I thought back over this experience I asked myself, how often do we think about Christ’s satisfaction with our service? Just as I was satisfied by the service my wife and I were given, the Lord should be satisfied with what we do for Him.
As you serve in the church, and minister to your family, consider the quality of service you provide to the Lord. Will you serve with highly educated and professional deportment like my wife’s doctor and hospital support staff? Will your ‘customer service’ match with what we experienced at Chick-fil-A? The Lord God is far more than a Divine Customer. But we should consider the quality of our service to Him above all else.

I know of only one bad thing about heaven: Some people won’t be there.

I know of only one good thing about hell: Some people won’t be there.