A Life of Change

One thing about living for God that never changes, is that we’re constantly changing. Always changing to be more like Jesus. In our thoughts, words, and actions.

Although change is necessary to be more like Jesus, not everyone chooses to change. Some want things to be as they were. These folks are content with how things used to be. Things then weren’t perfect, but they were simple, easily understood, requiring little effort on our part to maintain. The “good old days.”

Change requires willingness and actions to accomplish whatever changes need to be done in order to draw closer to the finish line. Whoever said that problems would go away for Christians failed to tell the truth about things. Christians may face problems non-existent before coming to Christ, but now they have the supernatural authority to vastly mitigate-or even eradicate-such problems.

No, problems don’t just go away, problems may actually increase because, as a Christian, you’re now a threat to the devil. The difference is that now you have the means to stop the devil, concerning your own life. As a Christian, a child of God, you’re now in victory, the devil’s in defeat. You are now in Christ. God is, by the Holy Spirit, living in your spirit. Housed in your body, which belongs to God (Corinthians 6:20). You, however, are the custodian and caretaker of that body. What you think, believe, speak, and act out is your-not God’s-responsibility.

You now have God’s Word in you. You have the Blood of Jesus to cover, protect, and heal you. You have the Name of Jesus to use here on the earth, to get the same results in prayer that Jesus got when He was on the earth. And you have the same precious Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct you, that Jesus had during His early ministry, nearly 2,000 years ago. The very same one. There is only one Holy Spirit.

Change is required to be more like Jesus. He set an example before us, that we can faithfully follow (! Peter 2:21). Not in our own strength, ability, or righteousness. But by God’s. We can’t achieve God’s best apart from His means. That way He gets the glory, not us.

When we give action to what we believe, we’re taking steps of faith (and some are small) of obedience. The Bible says that we are to walk by faith, not by sight (2Corinthians 5:7). To walk by faith is to walk by what the Bible says, particularly through the New Testament Epistles-letters written to believers just like you and me. Starting with the book of Romans, going through Jude and Revelation.

As has been said, every journey starts with the first step. Walking with God is a life-long journey. Start with where you’re at. Do what you know to do. Taking that first step enables God to show you the next step. Each step produces change in you as well as, sometimes, those around you.

God’s steps are steps of peace. In fact, according to Proverbs 3:17, wisdom’s ways are ways of pleasantness and all of its paths are peace. Declare that you are God’s child and that He is leading you on the inside.

Then take the next step.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2024

Six and 76

For years the name Billy Graham has been a household word. Mention his name to many and visions of stadiums still come. Stadiums where faith-not football-was preached, where thousands responded to a simple Gospel message given by, as he was often called, Mr. Graham.

There was another person named Billy who preached the Gospel. This Billy preached in the late 1800s and up unto 1935, the year after Billy Graham received salvation. The other Billy was Billy Sunday, a one-time professional baseball player who became the leading evangelist of his day.

Billy Sunday was influenced by J. Wilber Chapman whose ministry, in turn, was encouraged through the life of one F.B. Meyer. Meyer’s own ministry grew under the tutelage of Dwight L. Moody who was won to Christ by his Sunday School teacher, Edward Kimball, in 1858. 

In Charlotte, North Carolina, one of Billy Sunday’s converts was a young man by the name of Mordecai Ham. I read that in 1934 Billy Sunday was invited to preach in Charlotte but couldn’t. Instead, Mordecai Ham, himself now a minister, came and ministered. In one of those services 16 year-old Billy Graham gave his life to Christ. 

Six individuals over 76 years. Each one obedient to go and speak life to multitudes, or the one. Too often we look at numbers for marking success. God’s markings may be more on the one, the seed of many to come. Your faithfulness to God’s plan for your life may be marked more by that one than those masses. 

Edward Kimball, Dwight L. Moody, F.B. Meyer, J. Wilber Chapman, Billy Sunday, Mordecai Ham, and Billy Graham would, no doubt, agree.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2019-2024

Lessons Learned From Puzzles

My wife is good at puzzles. Most 500-1000 piece puzzles are “conquered” in several hours, spread out over a few days. Usually during holiday breaks.

Over the years Pamela has learned a few “tricks” of successful puzzle solving. No matter how many pieces-no matter how challenging a puzzle appears to be-my wife always starts with the frame. Always; no exceptions. Once the frame is in place she knows that all other pieces have to fit somewhere within the frame.

Some of the puzzles my wife solves have trees or other objects with similar colors and shapes to them. From a distance the pieces can appear as punishment for buying the puzzle. These take more time to overcome, for similar-looking pieces to eventually fit together.

At times life may seems like a puzzle. Pictures on the puzzle box cover are like the lives people dream about: they’re a whole lot easier to look at than to be completed in ones own life. The bigger the dream the more “pieces” there are to have in place.

Life can seem like a giant, complex puzzle. But like any puzzle, it’s easier to fit the pieces together when the frame’s in place. It’s then a matter of knowing where to put other pieces in the frame. Still challenging, but now much more workable.

Each successful life has a frame, a border that defines both its possibilities and limits. Your life’s best frame is God’s Word: what God says about who you are and what you have, in Christ, and what you can do through Christ. All good “pieces.”

This frame holds the rest of your life together. No pieces go outside the frame. It’s a frame that’s just right for every piece of your life.  Starting with your frame.

The time it takes for the pieces of your life to fit together depends on when you want to start. This ministry is helping people in framing their lives for eternity. Feel free to check out the rest of our website for more simple pieces of knowledge (information), suitable for framing:.

©Copyright Hubert Gardner Ministries 2018-2024

Another Hero of Success

My previous post mentioned Daniel Nash as a hero of success, one who prayed much for the success of Charles Finney’s meetings. Today I want to share another hero of success, one who labored much behind the scenes for the success of one of this country’s best-known evangelists.

The name Oral Roberts is, to many, synonymous with tent crusades, television specials, and a university that bears his name. But who has ever heard of Collins Steele? Who was he, and what was his connection to Oral Roberts?

For a time, Oral Roberts held crusades under various tents, one of which seated 20,000. These “canvas cathedrals” were massive, requiring many men to spend long hours setting up and preparing the remote facilities for services. The man in charge of these operations was Collins Steele. Collins made sure that the tent was properly set up, kept safe during services, and taken down after meetings were over. The loaded tent sections were then transported to the next meeting site.

Prior to an ORU Homecoming dinner being attended with my wife, I asked Collins Steele what it was like working to set the tent up. There was a long pause, making me wonder if I had been wrong to ask the question. With a far-away look in his eyes Collins finally said in a quiet voice, “It was a lot of work.” No further explanation was needed. No further questions were asked by me to Collins.

With all the attention on the finished product-thousands of people being ministered to-Collins Steele stayed in the background with others, supplying his part in ensuring the success of hundreds of evangelistic meetings for the glory of God.

Like Daniel Nash, Collins Steele labored behind the scenes, out of view of the spotlight and crowds. Unseen to people, but never to God. Another hero of success.

Maybe you feel like you’re working in obscurity, unseen by others. But you’re not. Everything you do is noticed by the One who views success as being faithful, right where you’re at. I value people laboring behind the scenes. People like Collins Steele.

So does God.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2018-2024

Real Heroes of Success

For all the success those in front of the camera enjoy, that success  is made possible by the efforts of those laboring behind the scenes. Lighting, sound, makeup, and costuming are but a few of the numerous areas critical to a product’s success on the screen. Rarely-if ever-seen, those in these and other areas are real heroes of a work’s finished product.

It’s the same with God. Too often results are looked at without comprehending the process. The most important parts of any process are people. People like Daniel Nash and Collins Steele. 

Father Daniel Nash was a Presbyterian minister who was the main person of prayer behind the highly successful meetings of Charles G. Finney in the early 1800s. Arriving weeks before Finney’s services were to being, Father Nash, occasionally accompanied by another person of prayer, would spend his time in prayer on the behalf of those in need of salvation, and for a move of God in the services. 

For all of Finney’s preaching ability, the behind-the-scenes prayers of Father Nash and a few others was what made the real-and lasting-difference. Church historians agree that 80% of those won to Christ under Finney’s ministry stayed faithful to God. But that success would not have been possible had Finney not had the prayer backing of Father Nash. 

One measure of Father Nash’s prayers was that after his death in 1831, Finney never had the same evangelistic success he enjoyed from the fruit of Father Nash’s prayers. Another reason we pray for our church services. Their success is so dependent on the prayers of people like you and me.

During Finney’s 1830 meetings in Rochester, New York, nearly the whole town got saved. Even today there is a Charles Finney School in Rochester, named in the honor of one whom God used mightily to win so many in that city to Christ. 

Only eternity, however, will tell the part of Father Daniel Nash, the one who never attended Finney’s meetings, choosing rather to pray behind the scenes for the seen to succeed. For me, a real hero of success.

Our next post will cover Collins Steele, another behind-the-scenes hero. Join me.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2018-2024

Declare Your In (ner) dependence Day

Here in America July 4th is also known as Independence Day, marking our independence from England, nearly 250 years ago.

Christians ought to have a day of independence as well; the day (or night) when we received our independence from the devil and doing things his way. A time when we remember our deliverance from spiritual darkness and being placed into the kingdom of God, through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Going from living for the devil to living for God means being dependent on Him for all we need in this life: health, provision in every area-including financial and material supply-and guidance.

Guidance from God implies doing things His way rather than our own. It means being dependent on Him rather than on ourselves. It means giving God our best, expecting His part to make the difference in every situation, large or small. Inner dependence.

Inner dependence is simply depending on the living God, Who’s living in you, to supply every need, to put you over in life. It’s cooperating with God to see victory over even the most challenging circumstances in life, knowing that nothing is too difficult-or insignificant-for God to handle on our behalf.

Why wait for July 4th to celebrate your independence?  Every day can be a day of inner dependence on God, through His Word, enabling you to win over every situation life presents you.

It’s time to declare your own in (ner) dependence on God.

God's New Year's Resolutions

With a new year many have already made New Year's resolutions. Ranging from dieting to meeting new friends, resolutions represent change. Regardless of how many New Year's resolutions are actually kept, some are adamant about this year's batch of resolutions because.....people want to change. But, what about God? Does He have any New Year's resolutions for this-or any-year? If so, what are they?

The truth is that God doesn't make New Year resolutions for this-or any other-year. The reason why is that resolutions are about change, and God never changes (Malachi 3:6).  Since God is always the same, you can count on Him to be the same this year as last-or any year for that matter. God is the same right now as He was whenever the beginning began, the coming of Jesus, or a minute ago. My friend, that's good news.

Not only is God the same (Hebrews 13:8), but He's always willing to help us change to be more like Him. To not want to change is to be satisfied with the present situation. I don't know about you, but I want to change, because I need to. I'm not nearly satisfied with where I'm at in my walk with God, are you?

While I'm changing this year I invite you to do the same. Even if you've already written down New Year's resolutions, ask God to show you that area or areas needing changing. God might surprise you by pointing out an area that seems insignificant, yet making that change may bring success to the rest of your life. Nothing's too small for God's help.

I can do this-we can do this. And watch God have His way with the results.

Happy New Year, to each of you following my posts. It's going to be a year like no other.

In Whose Sight?

For some reason work is hard, perhaps explaining why it's called work. I have no recollection of any work being easy. Some was easier than others, but still work. When we work who are we doing it for? Some would say for money, for the boss, or for the company we're working for. While this may be true for some, there's a reason even many Christians overlook: what we do ought to be done as unto God. Colossians 3:23 tells us that, whatever we do is to be done unto the Lord, as unto God.

Doing things unto ones supervisor, teacher, parent, or country is to lower the bar of life, so to speak. Doing things unto God, however, keeps the bar of life where it belongs: at its highest point.

There's something exhilarating about doing our best unto God, as though the "work order" came from Him. Even when no one sees all of what we're doing we rest in the fact that God sees and knows, as well as the attitude of our heart towards what we're doing.

Doing things as unto God often means doing things in a manner above and beyond worldly expectations-especially when it comes to something called quality. Quality means doing things with excellence, our very best.

There's something rewarding about knowing that, as a Christian, you've done your best in any given situation. Whether cleaning house, being a part of a work-related project, or studying for Sunday's sermon, motive matters. Colossians 3:24 tells us that, ultimately, it is God who will reward us. No matter how employers act or the pay scale, doing things as unto God is trusting Him for what we need.

Pride in workmanship has lost its importance with many. As Christians, our work is our witness. Unfortunately, doing things right stands out. What used to be mediocre now passes for excellence. Those who are doing things right in the sight of man will settle for an earthly reward. Those who do things right in God's sight will receive His reward, on top of any natural compensation.

Whether it's your room, marriage, home, vehicle, place of work, or church, in whose sight are you doing things?

Excuse me now, I have cleaning that's waiting to be done. In God's sight.