dude! Where is my amp?

Things have been going absolutely fantastic since my new role as pastor at church...Everybody seems to be so excited about the things that are happening. "Excited" is not even a good word to express how I feel. I am so humbled by the fact that I serve a God that never gives up, even when I try to. "Thank you Lord for who you are"

So everything has been going great....you got that already! However that usually mean that satan is going to attack harder. Attack harder he did. 2 weeks ago I received a phone call that the church had been left unlocked and that alarm not set... That is never a good thing. I decided I was gonna wait till Sunday to find out who may have done this and go over the importance of LOCKING THE DOOR with them. So Sunday comes and I got to the church about 9:17am and see a couple of the praise team members there getting ready and I ask a few of them if they had been at the church and they said "no". So I forgot about it for a while and moved on preparing for worship. Then the question arose.... DUDE! Where is my amp? I looked at Jake and said probably where my amp is... (My little drummer boy likes to take them home and have jam sessions, I never really think about it)

So as the Zac walks in the church I see he has one amp in hand...Mine (praise God) However Jake's was gone! It turns out that Someone had came into our church and stole our musical equipment...I didn't even realize it. The keyboard and drums were still there, but the guitars and amps....not so much. My heart dropped out of my chest. Why? That is the question that kept coming to my mind. Why would someone steal instruments from God's house? I could not understand this. I assured Tim and Jake that their stuff would be replaced and told them try not to worry. Although I felt my "joy" shrinking.

Don't you see satan has come to steal, kill and destroy and we as a body together cannot let him win... I quote to everyone "the joy of the Lord is our strength" The devil is coming to steal your joy first. You have to push through the fire...you have to break the bonds... satan will not be victorious. That morning as I was preaching the Lord spoke to me about making an commitment to LOVE because LOVE never fails. Even though these people was used by satan to try and steal our joy that day, we have to make a commitment to love them. Can you imagine Jesus hanging on the cross and looking at the very people that betrayed him and killed him, yet he still made a commitment of love...He even ask God to forgive them. Can we make that same commitment with people that hurt us daily.

Focus on what John 10:10 says in whole.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." ( the very words of Jesus )

look to the GOOD not the BAD

May God bless you Richly