Here is a question for everyone.  How honest should we be?  I am not talking about telling lies, I am talking about not being open and truthful.  When should we keep our opinions to ourself?  Should we answer back when someone confronts us or should we just stay quite to keep from causing an argument or a bad situation?  You probably are thinking "We should always be Honest".  OK, let's take that into account and let's compare that answer to some situations.

Honesty is not as black and white as we make it out to be.  In many instances, it is not a yes or no answer.  I would love to hear your comments about this.  

Philip Tyson
 

I am sitting here actually waiting for the time to change.  Don't know why but I guess I just want to see if my computer will change the time automatically since the hour changes tonight.  Anyway, as I was waiting, I started searching, for what, I don't really know but I started anyway.  I love journeys and with the internet you can find some wonderful things is you look in the right place.

I was feeling kind of empty, almost like being hungry but no knowing what you really want to eat.  A plate of food can fill you up but that does not mean it will satisfy you.  I needed something to satisfy me internally.  Sometimes reading the BIble is not enough because we can miss a true lesson for the lack of knowing what it is really trying to tell us.  I guess that is why I love to hear preachers like Charles Stanley and David Jeremiah who know how to bring out the gold in the scriptures.  They know how to open my eyes to a scripture that I have read over and over again but never realized how deep this verse was and how it could help me in my life.

Anyway, tonight I was searching and I found a file on my computer that I had downloaded a couple of years ago.  I had named the file "Open when you're discouraged".  In this file was a few videos of Mark Hall from Casting Crowns talking about certain aspects in life.  He had one called "Slow Fade".  The video was only about three minutes long but it was exactly what I needed to hear.  I searched and I found and I was blessed.  

In this video, Mark talks about the fall of man and how it does not come overnight.  It is a slow fade and it all starts with one mistake.  Before you know it, you start falling into a dark area and as you keep on that path, the light just fades away until you are totally in the dark.  You have to be so careful what decisions you make in your life.  Many times these decisions are part of your inner self. What I mean by that is your own feelings that you have inside of you.  The devil knows all of our weaknesses  and he knows how to attack us.  You don't have to go out in the world to fall into a dark corner, you can actually do it all by yourself.  You can let dark feelings in your mind take control of your emotions to a point that you feel like you are not worth anything anymore.  You can isolate yourself from the world, the church, your friends and your family and without knowing it, you have isolated yourself from God.  Even though God is always looking down on us, it is easy to stop looking up at Him.  

When things do not go right for some reason, we always to try to blame someone and the easiest person to blame is ourself.  We do have to take responsibility but the Devil can make things look worst than what they really are.  He can make a small problem look like an impossible situation.  He can put thoughts of suicide in your mind, he can throw you into depression or he can just cause you to feel anxiety to a point that you body just trembles.  It really makes me so angry when I hear christians say that if you are saved, you are not supposed to feel these things.  You have the power to just say NO and it will all just go away.  That is not true.  When the Devil attacked Job, he had to go through it until it had run its course.  The decision he did have was to curse God and die or to withstand the pain and hardship.  We all know the decision he made and how God gave him more than he had lost.  

Every time I have feelings that I know are going to effect my life, I start searching until I find the truth.  We all know that the truth is in Jesus but isn't it wonderful when someone explains it to us in a way that open our eyes to it a little easier.  Being a non perfect person I can tell you that it is so refreshing to know that Jesus died on the cross for all the non perfect people on this earth.  Being a non perfect person, I can tell you how refreshing it is to know that Jesus can use me to expand His kingdom.  It is refreshing to know that even if I am not loved by many on this earth, I know that Jesus loves me and He will keep loving me no matter how many mistakes I make.  I will keep searching because I know that I will never know it all, I will always be attacked by the Devil and I will always need the strength to overcome that road that could take me to a place in my life that I do not want to be.  I have been there and done that as they saying goes and my new saying is NO MORE.

Many people claim to believe in God, but do they really have faith in Him? You see it is not big deal to believe that there is a God and that Jesus exists. Even Satan knows that. The true test of our faith is do we trust Him? Are we willing to put our hand in the hand of the man that stilled the water? Are we willing to go where He asks us to go and do what He asks us to do? Do we trust Him with our finances? Do we trust Him in our relationships? Do we trust Him in our everyday walk and in the choices we make in life? I recently saw a film where a pastor asked every man in the room to stand up, and take out his wallet. Then he was asked to exchange wallets with the guy standing next to him. Then he was asked to reach into that wallet and give the way he always wanted to give! Of course it was a joke and the pastor told everyone to hand the wallet back to the rightful owner, but the point was made, that when we give someone else's money, it's easy; but when we give our own money, it's hard. The believer needs to realize that everything he has, comes from God, and it belongs to God anyway. That is true faith.

Faith is what links us to every promise of God, and it is what brings us blessings. I do not mean a dead faith, but a living faith. There is a great difference between the two. Someone can tell me that they deposited one million bucks into a bank account for me. I can say that I believe they did, but until I act on what they told me and go get the money, my faith is dead and not alive. When you don’t believe, it locks the door and keeps you from getting blessed. It does not matter how much you know either! You can have all the knowledge in the world and a PHD on every wall in your house, but that does not save you. I would just about bet that the carpenters of Noah’s day knew just as much about building an ark as he did. However, their knowledge did them no good because they failed to act upon it. Knowledge is great, but what is required is that you not only have the knowledge, but that you act upon what you know and put it into action. It is like saying, “I know I believe God blesses those who give their money into the kingdom,” but you don’t do it. Can you really expect to be blessed anyway? It is like saying that you know you are to love your neighbor as yourself, but you don’t do it, can you expect to be blessed? It is like saying you know Jesus said to forgive or you won’t be forgiven, and you still do not forgive those who wrong you, can you really expect forgiveness from God? Baby, it takes FAITH to believe God at His word and act, because if you really believe God then you put it into action! If you don't you won't. Plain and simple, hoss.

What is faith? We are told in Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith says "YES" to everything that God says. Faith takes God without any ifs, ands, or buts. If you really have true faith, then you will say to anything God says, "I believe it because God said it and that settles it!"

A man cannot believe while he is in ignorance, and the only means by which we can obtain the knowledge that is needed is the Bible. Here we learn what God is, what we are, and what God has prepared for them that love Him.

Ok, flip off your light switch in any room in your house and what happens? The current stops flowing and the light goes out. It is the same with God. The power of God is like a current of electricity flowing through you to give you power to accomplish God’s will for your life. Your faith is the switch. If you don’t stay plugged in to the word of God, and into prayer and relationship with Him, then the light is switched off, the current stops flowing, and your light goes out and you are in darkness. Jesus is the light of the world! Stay plugged into Him, keep that switch in the on position and watch the current from Heaven flow in your life! That is what faith is all about baby! It is just like when you are married. You guys have to tell your woman every day that you love and appreciate her and you have to show her that you love her too. If you don't then the light is switched off, the current stops flowing and the light of love goes out in your relationship. Then she will find someone who turns that light switch on. I hate to put it that way, but it's the truth! You all know Johnny Lee Clary! I never sugar coat stuff, I tell it like it is sidewinders!

I can think of 4 things that keep the switch of faith turned off in our lives when it comes to our faith in God. I am gonna use Moses as an example in all four. In Exodus 3, God told Moses to deliver His people from bondage in Egypt. Even though God spoke loud and clear from the burning bush, Moses still struggled with his faith.



1. The first thing that keeps the faith switch turned off in our lives is a low self image. To think poorly of one’s self. To have “I can’t” in our vocabulary instead of “I can.” Moses’ first reaction to God’s call was to say “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh ... ?” After all, Moses was an ex-Hebrew slave, a murderer, and now a humble sheepherder. He didn’t think he was worthy to represent God and all too often, neither do we.

2. The second off switch is ignorance. Moses wasn’t sure who God was, and God had to educate him: “I am God of your father, the God of Abraham ...” (Exodus 3:6.) Just as important, He revealed Himself to be a God who cares: “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry ... I am aware of their sufferings.” (Exodus 3:7). You see, if we know God for who He is — loving, trustworthy, full of good intentions for our lives — we will be more willing to follow wherever He leads us, and we can only know these things about Him by studying His word.

3. Third, our faith is hindered by doubt. Moses was actually doubting whether God’s plan would work: “Then Moses answered and said, ‘What if they will not believe me, or listen to what I say?” (Exodus 4:1) God responded to that doubt by giving Moses solid evidence — turning his staff into a snake, for example. And while we must never rely on miracles to sustain our faith, we should think objectively about all the evidence in our lives and in God’s Word that He can and will do just as He says! Moses basically was acting like “Doubting Thomas” when he said he would only believe when he saw for himself that Jesus was alive and felt the nail scarred hands and the pierced side.

4. The final off switch in our faith is our sense of inadequacy. When God told Moses he would have to address Pharaoh, he said, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent ... for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (Exodus 4:10)

Now, we all feel inadequate at times, and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s OK to be humble — as long as you move forward anyway.

In fact, the key to breaking down your faith barriers is acknowledging your poor self-image, your ignorance, your doubt, and your inadequacies; setting them aside, and then moving forward anyway. The good news is that you don’t have to move in your own strength. You have God’s power in you! What we have to remember is what is written in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!”



That’s what Moses did — and the result was the birth of a nation through which the Messianic line was established and our Savior was born! Isn’t it cool to know that because Moses moved forward this happened?

Until we discover what it means to have faith, we cannot begin to walk by faith. Faith in God is more than just believing He exists—it is confidence in Him and who He says He is and that He will fulfil all His promises and bring salvation to us. You have to say if God said it I believe it. You can't just believe some things, you have to believe all things are possible with God. (Matthew 19:26)

We must discover whether we have placed our faith in God or if we only are wishing His Word is true. As our faith is tested, the true spiritual state of our hearts is revealed.

When life's problems come to us we can either act within our own strength, doing whatever we can to manipulate the outcome, or we can trust in God’s strength, taking our hands off and allowing Him to enter the scene.

As we begin to walk by faith, there will be times when we stumble and fall. Heck it's happened to me so many times I lost count.

However, falling and getting up is part of learning how to walk. Once we get up and dust ourselves off, we take our next step with more wisdom, more strength, more faith. My daddy told me that I would never learn to ride a horse if I didn't get back up on that horse after being throwed. My brother Larry told me the same thing when I fell off my first bicycle. He said I would never learn to ride if I didn't keep getting back on that bike. Some have failed at relationships and marriages, and are afraid to give their heart away again. You never learn how to have the right relationship or marriage, and may never find the one that you truly love and that truly loves you unless you keep trying. Some have failed at business. You learn from your mistakes and you will never taste success unless you try again.

Walking by faith is a lifestyle, a way in which we conduct ourselves. As God molds and shapes us more into His image, He desires for us to live a life of faith, a life that relies upon Him for everything we need.

Paul writes, “For we walk by faith, not by sight . . . Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2 Corinthians 5:7, 9).

Sometimes when I feel a certain way, I wonder if I am the only one.  People usually keep their frustrations to themselves because in the eyes of many, it shows weakness to not be in control of every circumstance in your life.  This can be tough especially when you have to keep everything bundled up inside.  It is really hard to make that important decision, "Who can I talk to, Who will not judge me".  We seem to look up to people that we really know little about.  Many successful people keep their feelings to themselves and especially their personal lives.

I guess that is why psychiatrist make so much money.  Most of the time, they sit there and do nothing but listen and by law, they cannot tell anyone anything they have heard.  People can talk about their fears, their pain and any other aspect of their life that may be out of control.  They can then walk out of the office feeling a burden lifted off of them without the fear of being judged.

Jesus knows what we are going through and there is one verse in the Bible that I believe is specific to this situation.  Matthew 11:28 says "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest".  Come unto me…I will be give you rest.  It feels so good at night when you are tired and worn out and you lay down to sleep.  You grab that pillow and you squeeze it and you feel the coolness of the fabric.  You close your eyes and your body starts to rest.  Sleep helps us physically and mentally but who can help us emotionally and spiritually?  The answer to that is Jesus.  Lets be real here, when Jesus uses the word HEAVY, the first thing that comes to my mind is something heavy and overbearing weighing on your shoulders.  Think about walking around all day with a 100 pound sack of corn on your back.  You may be able to handle it for a while but eventually you will fall to you knees but Jesus says "I will give you rest".  Jesus can give us physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual rest.  

Where do many of us go to find that spiritual rest.  The obvious answer is church.  For some reason many still believe that the only place they can talk to God is at church.  Some believe that when you walk through the doors of a church, you are walking into the personal office of God and this is the only place we can shed our tears.  Church is definitely a place to worship God and to repent of our sins and definitely church can draw us closer to God but guess what, if you prayed in the middle of a junk yard, God would listen to you just as if you were in a church building.  There are many great preachers and evangelist and pastors and missionaries who were saved in their home or in the middle of a dirt road.  God will listen to us no matter where we are.  

My father was saved while on guard duty on an army base in New Jersey on a cold night.  He felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit on him so strong that he fell to his knees and asked Christ to come into his heart.  He was totally alone.  There was no preacher or pastor or anyone to help him, only the Lord.  Jesus gave him REST.  Jesus took that  heavy laden and He gave my father eternal rest.

Casting Crowns has a song that was written by Mark Hall that really talks about situations like this.  He talks about going to church and hearing the gospel preached but everyone just set there like they had nothing wrong in their life.  He said that he felt like he was the only sinner in the church because no one would go to the altar.  I guess people were worried about what others would say if they saw them weeping at the altar.  Image can make you look good for a while but the more you try to keep that High, Spiritual, Anointed Image in front of everyone, the more you will suffer on the inside.  In one of Mark Halls songs, he says "God has to change your heart before he changes your shirt".  Now that is being real.  Lazarus was a bum and the rich man had the best but look who ended up in paradise.  We all know the answer to that.  

We should all look our best and we should act like followers of Christ but never put on a false face.  Don't wear that mask of divine knowledge when inside you are struggling to even survive.  Come to the Lord humbly and say Lord, I am desperate and in need of your love and forgiveness.  I am nothing without you.  

I want to end with the words from this song called Stained Glass Masquerade by Casting Crowns.  This song can teach us a lesson that we all need to hear.  I guess this is why I love groups like Casting Crowns.  I love southern gospel but sometimes the songs can be like a merry go around.  Always talking about the same thing, the rapture, heaven, etc.  I love hearing about heaven but we also as musicians need to deal with issues that are going on right in front of our eyes that are effecting so many people.  I guess that is why country gospel is so popular because these songs tell stories that are relevant to issues that are going on in the lives of people.  

Stained Glass Masquerade

Is there anyone that FAILS
Is there anyone that FALLS
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small

Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they’ll soon discover
That I don’t belong

So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

*Chorus*
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone who’s been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who’s traded
In the altar for a stage

The performance is CONVINCING
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be

Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay

Chorus x2

Well if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone that FAILS
Is there anyone that FALLS
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small

Philip Tyson
www.samaritanrevival.com

Ok, here is the deal. No gimmicks, no false promises, just the truth. I am one to be skeptical and let me tell you, I am that way because I have been the victim of many internet false promises in the past but those days are over. How many emails do you get from companies that says "Get your music on the radio? We receive hundreds each year and even though it is embarrassing, we have fallen for some of them but no more my friends. We have found the real company, the true company, the christian company that delivers what they promise.

Radio Active Airplay ( http://www.radioactiveairplay.com ) is the read deal. They don't promise to make you a star but they will put your music in front of thousands of DJ's. I am not being paid to write this. I am doing it because I know first hand that it really works. If you have the right songs and the right sound, your unknown group can become known almost overnight. It really works.

Take us for an example. We sing in spanish. Southern Gospel in spanish. That almost sounds like a joke but it is true. We released a single through radio active airplay and the first week, I think we were like 200 on the charts. The second week, we have risen to #11. What that means is that many many radio stations are now playing one of our songs. All this for a low price. You may say "Who cares if we get played on the radio". You need to care if you are serious about your ministry because the more you are known, the more concerts you will schedule. A couple of months ago, I had a pastor ask me if we had ever charted. Stupid me, I asked him "what kind of chart are you talking about, I am not good at drawing". No wonder we did not get booked. Now, because of Radio Active Airplay, we know how to respond. Carraway Group is doing a great job to promote independent artists and if they will accept us, they will accept you. Don't ever think you are not good enough because this is not about being good or not, it is about having the anointing of God on your ministry and if He does, people will listen.

Remember the saying, "If you build it they will come". When it come to Radio Active Airplay, "If you play it, they will listen". Try it out, you will not be disappointed. Below is the charts for this week. Just look at #11 which is Samaritan Revival. Just to have our name next to Greater Vision and others is an honor.

By the way, without trying to promote our group (Ok, I am trying) if there are any DJ's out there, our link on Radio Active Airplay is http://www.radioactiveairplay.com/members/1642/

Thank you and May God Bless You,

Philip
Samaritan Revival

P.S. The Charts are below.