“Deposition…” (by Mel McGuire)

Heard a great sermon entitled, “Can I Get a Witness” by Senior Pastor Charles Humphrey Jr. of Hope’s House Christian Ministries. The subject was evangelism and he used courtroom vernacular to drive home his points about our testimony.

One of the things he discussed is pre-trial testimony, which is referred to as a “deposition” or “being deposed”. This is normally done in private, outside of a courtroom with no judge or jury. Attorneys ask questions and a court reporter records and transcribes the testimony.

To question a witness in a court proceeding is referred to as an “examination” of the witness and their testimony. There is direct examination where your attorney asks questions to elicit your testimony, and cross examination where the opposing attorney tries to impeach or discredit you and/or your testimony.

In a deposition, even though there is no judge or jury, you still must tell the truth. Remember it is pre-trial testimony.

You will be asked the same questions or similar questions in the actual trial, so before the trial it is best to prepare by reviewing your testimony. Selah.

I equate a deposition to a good church service, a good sermon, an effective personal devotion or bible study, and even a healthy, uplifting interaction with a fellow believer. In those times, we are saying what we believe, what we have seen, witnessed, experienced, and know to be true.

There is a spiritual “court reporter” who is transcribing and recording all we say. The cross examination should give us a clue as to what will happen when the real trial begins.

During our deposition, we say things like we trust God, we love Him and He is the head of my life. We promise to serve Him, to love like Him, and to walk in mercy and extend grace and forgiveness, like it has been extended to us.

We promise to pray, to study the word, to share the gospel, to be a guiding light in a lost and dying world. We say that God is good all the time…and all the time, God is good. This is our pre-trial testimony.

Then when the real trial starts, we tend to forget what we said in our deposition! We panic, try to operate from memory, and say something that contradicts our prior testimony.

Since we do not want our advocate treating us like a hostile witness, we should know we can always ask to have our deposition transcript read back to us!

You can refresh your memory by reading your own testimony! When the opposition tries to discredit or impeach you by bringing up “prior bad acts”, we can plead the blood and our advocate will remind the judge our past is irrelevant!

The image of the witness stand includes a microphone. This aids in the recording of your testimony and allows for amplification so all who are present can hear your testimony.

We are living epistles, known and read of all men. Be a great witness. Give unimpeachable testimony about what God has done for you!

You have been deposed. Now prepare for the trial to come. Speak boldly and proclaim the Good News and the good things God has done for you! Your testimony can provide the evidence to set someone else free!

“Dipstick…” (by Mel McGuire)

I had the oil in my car changed recently and when the technician (whatever happened to mechanics?) was finished, he told me I had been about one half a quart low. I had to take his word for it because I cannot remember the last time I have looked at a dipstick.

Back in the day, before I was gainfully employed with benefits and a pension plan, I used to change my own oil. Now, a technician does it for me, but I digress. When you check the oil in an engine, you need to know how to read the dipstick.

First you remove it and wipe it off. Then once it is clean you re-insert it, pull it out and then read it to see how much oil is in the engine. There is usually two marks on the stick, one for “add” and one for “full”. You want the dipstick to read close to “full”.

If you do not wipe the oil off first, you will get a reading that is too high, because the engine is normally hot and the oil level appears above the “full” line. This is where the Lord got me. He told me I was reading my spiritual dipstick only when I was running hot.

During worship service, or at the end (or middle) of a great sermon, is NOT the optimal time to check your dipstick and measure your relationship with the Lord. Of course, this is when most of us “check ourselves”, when we are at our high point.

At those times our “oil level” reads high, usually well above “full”, and we think we are alright. And we probably are, for the moment. But when we check in on Tuesday or Thursday…that is like wiping the dipstick clean, and then putting it back in, to see the true oil level.

Reading a dipstick is more than just looking at level of the oil. It also requires an assessment of the quality of the oil. Fresh oil has a caramel transparent color to it, and is thick and weighty. When you rub it between your fingers, it is smooth for it has viscosity. That viscosity is what allows it to lubricate the moving parts of the motor.

Used oil is dark, almost black in color. It is thin and when you rub it between your fingers, you can feel the grit and dirt, it is not smooth at all. If you do not check your oil, much less change it, it will lose its viscosity and create undue friction inside your engine.

Dirty oil is only slightly better than oil that gets mixed with other engine fluids, like water. Too often we mix the oil of the spirit with the water of the world. Have you not heard? Oil and water don’t mix! When we are tired, drained, weary or fatigued…we should seek fresh oil, not cheap tap water.

If you check your dipstick and you see oil AND water on it, you have a major problem! The world, its comforts and pleasures, is no substitute for the oil of the presence of God. Check your dipstick, read it properly…add oil as needed.

If your daily life feels like a grind, you could be running dirty oil. If you are lacking power, things are breaking down and there is constant friction, you may have water mixed in with your oil. Check your dipstick, you may need an oil change: drain the old, replace the filter and add new fresh oil.

Check your dipstick. It can give you confidence and it can give you a spiritual “heads up”.

“Stingy…” (by Mel McGuire)

One of the challenges of being a parent is teaching your children not to be stingy. We want them to learn how to share, even from a young age, and to know when to be generous. Some of us know full grown adults who struggle with this concept.

As believers, we serve a generous God. Too often however, we equate generosity only in monetary terms, and use our lack of surplus as an excuse to be stingy. If we are honest with ourselves, we can always think of something “important” we can use that money for. We justify being stingy.

My pastor shares a story of buying his toddler a bag of chips. As they were driving, he in the front, her in her child safety seat secure in the back, she was enjoying her chips. He calmly, rather nonchalantly asked her for a chip. “NO” was her immediate reply!

Again, he asked, this time more insistently, and again was rebuffed. The child safety seat, designed to protect our precious cargo in the unforeseen event of a crash, may have saved that young girl from a hostile takeover of her chips!

He shared the frustration of providing her the chips (generosity) only to be denied access to even ONE of the chips he had bought and paid for! Parents can relate to this scenario, played out over a wide variety of locations, times, and food items.

But it made me realize that we do our Heavenly Father the exact same way. How many things has He given to us, that we are then unwilling to share with Him? We gladly receive His generosity and then reject any attempt to share it with Him or others.

He gives us time, and we use it all on ourselves. We ignore His promptings to pray, or study the word, or just sit quietly in His presence. “I don’t have time!” we think, or “I don’t have enough time!” we say…but all the time we have, He gave it to us. We are stingy.

When God blesses us financially, we can get tight fisted. “I ain’t giving MY money to no preacher, or no church, or no charity!” “I already pay taxes, bills, and I need to put gas in my car and food in my fridge…I don’t have enough to pay tithes too!”

But if we remember, that every good thing comes from the Father, our Father, and He gives it to us generously, we do not have to be stingy…even with His money…especially with His money. As if the same one who gave it, could not give it.

Don’t be stingy. There are blessings for being generous. There is the blessing of obedience. There is the law of sowing and reaping. There is the promise of God that if you provide for His house, He will provide for yours. Don’t be stingy.

Just like a parent expects a child to share what the parent has provided, so God expects us to share (with Him and others) what He has provided. Most gifts are best enjoyed when shared with others. Stop being stingy. Be generous and be blessed!

 

“Redacted…” (by Mel McGuire)

Have you ever noticed whenever government agencies release documents that they don’t allow everyone to see everything in the document? They put the documents through a process that eliminates “sensitive” information. It has been redacted.

Redaction is a term used when things are covered or hidden for legal or security reasons. Confidential information that may include names, addresses or certain behaviors get redacted.

When a document is redacted, they don’t just re-write it without the sensitive information, they block out the stuff they don’t want you to see. The point is they are showing you what you are missing, so you know certain things have been redacted.

I believe that is how our lives are in Christ. Certain things have been redacted. The bible teaches us that when we call our sin what it is: SIN, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us. Our sins are redacted.

As we live out our lives, others may know we said or did certain things…but they cannot see the consequences because of the redacting power of the blood. IF we confess our sins, they will be redacted.

This is genuine Christianity, lived out as true witnesses of the grace and mercy of our Lord. We are not perfect. We make mistakes. We do stupid stuff. But we have an advocate who goes before the Highest Authority and intercedes on our behalf. When He says, “they have confessed that, it is under the blood”, it gets redacted!

My problem, and maybe yours, is that I too often continue to live as if my sins are exposed for all to see. I know what is under the blood, even if you don’t. But God only “releases” the redacted version, which is known as the “official version”.

Everyone does not need to know all your information. As T.D. Jakes so famously said, “Nobody has seen your WHOLE testimony!” I thank God He has redacted my sins! For legal (we have a covenant with God) and security (some folks are agents of your enemy) reasons, God limits what others can see or know about us.

Do you confess your sins? Have they been redacted? If yes, then YES!! When the bible says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so”, it is talking about living a redacted life! A new life, a holy, righteous, sanctified life.

Living a redacted life is like having evidence of sin, without the conviction of sin. We can see something has been removed, or covered, and all that is left glorifies God! We can be free from the guilt of sin when we confess it as instructed.

Call it what it is, don’t sugarcoat it, downplay it, or ignore it. Confess it, receive forgiveness, and repent! THAT is how you live in the redacted. Do what you know is right. Stop doing what you know is not right. Let God redact it.

Our life story should look like a government document…it has been redacted by the blood of the Lamb!

“Net Worth…” (by Mel McGuire)

 

One of my favorite bible passages is the recounting of Jesus, a carpenter by trade, telling professional fishermen when and where to cast their nets to catch a tremendous supply of fish.

While I used to focus on the word “nevertheless”, which indicated an obedience to God’s word despite natural circumstances, personal experience, and conventional wisdom, I recently turned my attention to the actual net used to capture the fish.

Professional fishermen take care of and value their net. They understand what their net is worth. So, my question has now become, “what is YOUR net worth?” To be clear, I am NOT talking about an accumulation of wealth or assets.

My “net” is simply obedience to what God told me. It starts with obeying His word and extends to following the promptings and “nudges” He gives me throughout the day. What is my net worth?

If my net is the tool that allows me to capture and contain God’s blessings, in every form they manifest (including monetary), surely it has great value. Or does it? In the bible story, the net is the thing that allows for the capture, containment, and distribution of the fish.

In my life, and maybe yours, it is obedience and faith that allows us to receive what God has for us. I am talking about blessings that go beyond, grace, favor, and mercy. So, understanding that, what is your net worth?

To be honest, when I looked at my “net”, I realized it had not been tended to or cared for properly lately. There where holes in my net. Places in my life where I had allowed blessings to escape or never be received in the first place.

Like the image of a fisherman repairing his net, I need to inspect my net and begin to fix those places where it is weak, torn, or missing. What am I talking about exactly?

Watching TV when I need to pray. Sleeping when I need to be in the word. Eating when I am supposed to be fasting. Fantasizing when I should be seeking vision. Anytime I put my fleshly desires ahead of spiritual matters, I am not tending to my net.

Many of us have not received the blessings of God promised to us simply because we are not ready to capture, contain, and distribute them. Our nets are shoddy and weak. Our obedience is spotty and our faith is not active in the areas it should be.

Sit down and inspect your net. Get out the materials and tools needed to fix it. Know that your net is valuable and necessary. Before you ask for a bigger net, make sure the one you have now is whole, sturdy, and functioning.

Then when God says, “Let out your net”, you will have the faith and obedience to do it and receive the blessing that comes along with it. What is your net worth now?

“Scrabble…” (by Mel McGuire)

 

I like to play the word game Scrabble. I have played since my youth and still enjoy the challenge of making words from the letters available to me, whether on the board or in my “rack”. The more you play, the better you become, assuming you are playing against the right opponent.

Nowadays, technology has made it so easy to go online and play the game at your own skill level. You can win every time (or most of the time), or you can play at a level higher than your current ability in order to learn, usually by being schooled by the computer.

Scrabble players know scrabble words. We know odd, unusual words that may never come up in casual conversation, but can be very valuable in a game of scrabble. We learn two letter words, words with the letters “Q”, “Z”, and “X”, in order to keep our rack clear and refreshed. The point is not only to use the letters, but to use them in a way that returns the most value… at the same time, blocking or limiting the opponent’s ability to score.

Bible readers know bible things. Principles, truths, laws, and promises are given to us in the Word of God. For those who read the bible regularly, they recognize patterns and practices that always return value. Scriptures that deal with prayer, faith, obedience, and giving, for example. Bible readers, like a good Scrabble player, can see things others can’t, and can make moves to keep their “rack” clear and refreshed.

They understand when certain things can be used, to block the enemy, to restrict his progress or success. They know from experience, and from talking about the word with others who “play the game well”. They may not know how the word works; only that it does. It’s like asking me what “Qi” means. I may not know, but in Scrabble, it’s a valuable word, and helps to use the “Q” without a “U”.

Better Scrabble players understand the strategy of the game, and they play defensively in order to keep their opponent from maximizing double and triple word spaces. Better bible readers do the same. They keep themselves out of harm’s way, adjusting their lifestyles and activities to minimize their opponent’s opportunities to do major damage.

A little sacrifice now can save you a bitter defeat in the end. Learn your bible. Use it to make progress towards victory in the spirit, but also to block the schemes of the enemy. Promises, laws, principles, and truths can be as useful and valuable as “blanks” in a Scrabble game. You need to know the word so you can respond to whatever the enemy plays on you.

Too often novice Scrabble players trade in letters because they don’t know the “word” they could have played, giving their opponent an advantage that can be hard to overcome. So too in the spirit, we give up or pass on responding because we do not know the Word. God has a word for you; it’s in the Bible, play to win!