Author: Ken Cronce (Page 4 of 12)

I know it has been awhile since my last post and I thank you for your patience. In the time since then there has been one prevailing thought running through my head. It goes back to a Sunday morning service and Pastor was talking about being the clay in the potters hand. As this was going on the worship team singing about the River of Life flowing. Then I get one of those God moments. This is usually a 2×4 across the head kind of moment. He tells me that clay needs to be wet in order for it to be molded. Wow, how simple a statement and yet so thought provoking. Hence my long time without posting anything.

We all know the scripture in Isaiah 64:8 “But now, O Lord You are our Father, We are the clay and You are the Potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.” Have you ever watched a potter work. Or even made any pottery yourself? It is very hard to do with dry clay. A potter has the clay on a spinning board and the clay in the middle of it. They keep the clay wet (moist) in order to work it properly.

So, what is it going to take for us to let God mold us into what He needs? First we need to let go and let God be God of our lives. Then we need to let His Holy Spirit drench us. Ezekiel ch. 47 talks of the River flowing from the throne in the Temple. In verses 3-5 we read about stepping into the River. This is an example of how we start to get drenched. All of this has to do with faith and obedience. Easy to say and challenging to do. Many of us question God and what He is trying to do. Like in Isaiah 45:9-10. Where we read about the clay talking back at God. “What are you doing?” It is becoming to common place to question God these days. That’s not obedience, but rebellion. Yet God is compassionate and patient with us. Having a profound grace and mercy to share with us. Just don’t take advantage of this and make Him wait to long. For He will not wait forever and will find someone else who is willing. Then you miss out on the blessing.

Saying yes and becoming obedient to Him is not always easy. There are times it may be painful. Just trust God. He knows what He is doing. In Jeremiah 18:1-4 we read about a potter destroying one vessel to remake it into something more pleasing. God does this to us in order for us to be more useful for His will and work to be done. Its a matter of getting rid of the impurities and becoming a cleaner vessel. Its about God getting the “world” out of us and more of Him in us. For when the world sees us they need to see Jesus not me.

Don’t wait to long. Get close to God today, for tomorrow may not come and then its too late. Allow God to mold you. Go to His River and take a swim. The current will carry you where you need to be. Thank you all for your patience in waiting on me to post something new. Please share this with anyone who can and does need this message.

Be blessed, Ken

Hey everyone I’m back at it. I didn’t wait for a long period of time to pass by first. So this last Sunday during service I had given a word from the Lord. It was about being part of a crowd or of a gathering. Once again I do not have the exact words, but I will talk about the theme of it. The lord said not to be part of the crowd. A crowd has no purpose. It has no direction.

A gathering is different. It does have a purpose and direction. The Lord said that He is our purpose. His purpose is our direction. When we focus on Him it all falls into place. Our thoughts and ways are of doing His will. When we take ourselves out of the picture the picture becomes more clear. We have the tendency to get in the way of ourselves. Therefore when we make Jesus our purpose He becomes our direction. We become part of a larger body (gathering) accomplishing His will.

Lets look at a simple definition of the word crowd. Simply put it means a multitude. Nothing special or astounding. Just a multitude. Now when we look at the definition of gathering we get a different picture. Gathering means assembling or collecting. the words assembling or collecting seem to have a purpose built into them.

So, if pay attention to an event happening somewhere a crowd usually shows up. The people just stand around and look. Hoping to see something, but not really getting involved. Yet we have had gatherings in the Mall in Washington DC. These gatherings have had purpose and direction. Whether we agree or not doesn’t matter. They had purpose. Now can you imagine a gathering of God’s people with Jesus as their purpose. Doing His will as their direction. A lot can happen. And that’s His intent. For when its His will getting done we have victories over the enemy. In miracles, healing and salvation. Because of this He gets the glory and we get treasures in Heaven. We get to hear “well done my faithful servant.”

Don’t be a nothing. Be a gatherer. Be part of the end time change. Start preparing your place now among His gathering. Read, pray, and be obedient. These will get you far. Remember that its not about you. Its about Jesus and your neighbor. Be gathered together with His servants. Be Jesus strong.

Be blessed, Ken

Hey everyone, how are you doing? Are you feeling good? Safe? Even comfortable? These questions will be brought back up later. Right now we are going to talk about a “2×4” moment I had recently. For those who know me, these type of moments are when God is getting my attention. Sometimes He uses a “2×4” to do it. At least that is what it feels like. This last Good Friday God did just that. What He told me was as simple as it gets. God told me “Jesus was crucified outside of the city of Jerusalem.” At this point I said yes I know this. Then He said “no, he was crucified outside of the city walls.” As I was thinking about this He went on to say” Outside the city walls for the world to see. Outside the walls by the world. Outside the walls for the world. Where He can’t be safe. Can’t be comfortable. Can’t hide or even blend in the crowd.” This is the best gift given to the world ever.

Immediately after this I thought about the church. A place where we can be safe and comfortable. A place of security. A place where we can be with “family.” This is a problem. For if we are to be Christ like in all we do, then why don’t we get out from the walls? This gift has no limit. It is meant for all. This is why He was crucified outside the city walls.

So, what do we do? We start with prayer. Asking God to help us with our shortcomings. We need to ask for His forgiveness. Not being obedient is a sin. I’m not coming down on us as unto the law, but why not have a clean slate to start. Let there be nothing for the enemy to use against us. We can ask for God to place people in our path that need to hear His word. Now for the hard part. Listening and recognizing Him speaking to us. And for the really hard part. Going out and doing it. I myself have a difficulty doing just this. Talk about getting out of my comfort zone.

If you are feeling a need to do this now its because the Holy Spirit is encouraging you. You may also be thinking that you aren’t ready for this. Well if you are felling the tugs on your heart be assured that you are ready. Even so, ask God for help. He will not put you in a spot that you can’t overcome. Many times its recognizing that we need His help. Remember this. That you are NEVER alone. The Holy Spirit is always with you. And with God being omni-present you don’t have to go anywhere to pray. Just start where you are.

Let us pray. Father God we thank you for this day you have given us. We are here before you ask for forgiveness. Cleanse us from all our sins. That we may go out without the enemy trying to use our sins against us. You have prepared our path ahead of time. Let us be encouraged to walk it. By faith, going out and sharing your Gospel. Protect us from all harm. Be glorified in all we say and do. Thank you Father God. In Jesus name we ask this, Amen.

Be blessed, Ken

A little over a week ago as of this writing, I heard from our Lord an interesting word. It goes as follows. “A tree planted on the edge of the woods is not lost.” Hows that for a thought provoking word. At the same time He told me to “come out from the group.” followed by “I’ve called you out.” These words are really easy to understand its the next question that provides a challenge. Its ” where do you want me to go Lord?” Or it may be “what do you want me to do Lord?” If you understand the answer to these questions then how about this one. “What do I do for finances?” I’m sure many of us have asked these questions. Are we patient enough to wait on the answer? Are we listening ?

I’ll get back to the questions later. Now I want to look at the first word. When I received this I pictured an area of a forest. Noticing the trees on the edge. Then these thoughts came to me. The ones on the edge are the first line of defense. Followed by the thought that they have the first opportunity to make a difference. I can identify with these thoughts. For I am one of the Gatekeepers (Ushers) in our church. Our role has expanded greatly over the last couple years. Taking on a security role also. We greet the people first as they come in. We also take notice of what is going on around us. Paying attention to new people. Seeing if they stand out due to appearance or items they have with them. We are the first line of defense. By greeting them we can be the first to make a lasting impression on them.

This first word can be applied to those who go out into the community and share the Gospel. Remember the Great Commission? Go ye into all the world and preach the good news. Those on the edge are the difference makers. If you are saved and just want to go to Heaven then stay in the middle of the group and hide. You can be safe there. No one will notice you. You can blend in and not be seen. This is exactly where I don’t want to be. I want to be a difference maker. I want to be obedient to our Lord and Savior. I will be obedient. Put me on the edge where this can happen.

As for those questions we might ask. I have my challenge with the one on finances. This is taking greater faith. At this moment I have a peace about it, but I due think about it often. I know that I am not the only one asking these questions. Pray with me for faith and answers to be revealed. If you want specific prayer then get in touch with me. I will gladly pray with you. You can do this through the comment section. Through Facebook, Twitter, email or just stopping me and talking to me.

So my encouragement is to have you be on the edge and make a difference. Remember that God will not abandon you. He is right there next to you as you go through it. He has given you the tools you need to accomplish it. And He will give you more when you need them. Just seek Him, ask Him, and knock for the door will be open.

Be blessed, Ken

This last Sunday while enjoying worship I received a word from our Lord. As it was not appropriate for it to be spoken during service. I wrote it down and saved it for this posting. It went as follows. ” Hear my children, see my children. This day I have set before you a window. A window of opportunity. For I hear your petitions. I know your prayers. I am your answer. I am your opportunity. Therefore do not cover these windows. No curtains. No blinds. No covering. Look and see what I have set before you. This day has been prepared for in advance. Now go and don’t look back.”

This message goes well with the previous posting. Its the next step for many of us. God wants us to be obedient to His ways. He gives us direction and expects us to just say “yes and amen” to Him. Now when we say this, its our time to step out and go. Just like the story of Jesus walking on the water (Matt. 14:22-33). At one point Peter asks if it is the Lord and if so command him to come to Him. So, Jesus says “come.” And Peter walks on the water. Peter didn’t say great answer or that was the correct response. He didn’t stop there and not do anything afterward. No, he stepped out on the water and started walking. This was an opportunity to follow through with his yes and amen. He didn’t say it. He did it.

How many windows of opportunity has our Lord put before us? How many times did we cover them up? How many times have we regretted our actions? These windows are going to come more often for us in the near future. Are we going to say “yes and amen” to them and go to them? It will not be easy by any means. Many times we will be very uncomfortable. This is because we are just not used to it. The more often we do it, the more comfortable we will be. We are being persecuted more now then ever before. So why not give them a reason to do it. Remember that we are to “go into all the world…” talking about Jesus and all that he is. We need to obedient. And this is only one type of opportunity. There may be other ways. Like praying for people. Helping out a needy family. Ministering to the homeless. These are all windows for us to go through and for them to see Jesus through us.

Thank you for reading this. Please be encouraged to share this posting with others. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by. Or worse, don’t cover it up.

Be blessed, Ken