It's a War

 ¹⁵And the ^(AS)serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood.
 ¹⁶But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth.
 ¹⁷So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to ^(AT)make war with the rest of her ^(AU)children, who ^(AV)keep the commandments of God and ^(AW)hold to the testimony of Jesus.



Revelation 12:15-17

We are, no doubt, in a battle with the devil.  And we cannot overcome him without the power of God, the Mighty Spirit.  This scripture specifically says that he is to make war with us... and he's pissed.  In Revelations 13:7 John writes, "It was also given to him to make ware with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him."  Verse 8 continues with "All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain."  What this is saying is that all non-believers will succumb to Satan.  They will have believed the lies and deceptions and followed another besides Christ.  We need to understand that this is no party... war is upon us like it or not.

I think about the fact that we're at war.  I've never been in one personally but I can imagine the battlefield filled with so much uncertainty, tension, pain and even small victories.  But the one constant I'm sure about is armor.  When our troops head into battle they are equipped and prepared.  The amount of preparedness will depend on their superiors but they are equipped in some way.  Who do I go about my life in this war?  I'm lazy, unprepared, distracted, selfish... so many things that will get me killed in battle.  I need to put on the mind of Christ with the preparedness of a soldier.

Father God, You know my struggles and You pick a perfect time for me to recalibrate my heart back on You and the mission on hand.  You want me to be prepared in every way.  Help me to put on my full armor, even in rest.  I invite You into my heart so that when the day of judgement comes I will be able to enter Your kingdom on Your grace... along with all Your lost sheep.  In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen!

Incompacitated & Energized

 ¹⁷When I saw Him, I ^(BI)fell at His feet like a dead man And He ^(BJ)placed His right hand on me, saying, "^(BK)Do not be afraid; ^(BL)I am the first and the last,

 ¹⁸and the ^(BM)living One; and I ^(BN)was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have ^(BO)the keys of death and of Hades.

 ¹⁹"Therefore ^(BP)write ^(BQ)the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place ^(BR)after these things.

Revelation 1:17-19

 ⁴'But I have this against you, that you have ^(H)left your first love.

Revelation 2:4

The first passage reminds me of the song, "I Can Only Imagine" where it talks about how our posture will be when standing before the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Would we be able to stand?  Would we fall to our knees?  In Revelation, John came face to face with Jesus glorified and fell at His feet like a dead man.  I believe a true encounter with God renders us incapacitated because our fleshly bodies cannot comprehend this encounter at all.  God's presence in our lives should shock our very being into submission.  When we hear God's voice and message in our lives we should be humbled, all ears.

The second passage is cutting to the heart, return to Jesus in the most urgent of ways.  Life will always be full of stuff... even great ministry stuff.  But we cannot be aligned with this Spirit without our fuel.  We can be on the right track but our vehicles, our vessels, will sooner or later run out of gas... or worse, we'll fill our tanks up with the wrong gas and we'll end up damaging these bodies.  With the right fuel, Spirit, we can afford to take wrong turns and end up back on track to God's best.

The constant with these scriptures and what's I've been hearing a lot about lately is this... return to Jesus!  I need to spend time with Jesus... by any means He provides: prayer, fellowship, study, counsel, correction... all these and many more.  I cannot go on this journey without sitting down with Jesus and listening to His stories, His teachings, His warnings, His directions.  I can make up all the excuses in the world but it always comes down to my choice to spend time with Him.  Once I get re-acquainted with my Lord's voice I'll desire it more and more.

Father God, thank You for the ministry and provisions.  I get caught up in what the world dictates instead of focusing in on all that You have already given.  You know I think about my mortality all the time... I believe it's a call to urgency.  I need to prepare for my last days on this earth.  I can't fill it up with temporary things... no.  I need to fill it with eternal things.  Help me Lord to rid my mind and flesh of all the junk in my heart.  Help me to break through this rut of selfishness.  I look to You my Mighty God.  In the precious name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!

Promises

13(A)All these died in faith, (B)without receiving the promises, but (C)having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and (D)having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Hebrews 11:13

the author of the book of Hebrews wanted to stress what faith involves and what it really is. It's trusting in His promises even if He withholds it from our view in the temporary world. Greater faith to even relinquish the lesser promises for the greater promises.

What's the promises I'm holding onto? What's strengthening my faith if I don't seek out His promises? Could it be that my faith is skin deep and that I lack true intimacy? If someone were to ask me what promises I'm holding on to it would be the generic (still great). I need to seek out specific prayer for my marriage, health, family, relationships, ministry... all areas and dwell there, awaiting His guidance and promises.

Thank You Father for being a super awesome Friend and Companion. Help me reach out to You in a personal way. Amen!


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Live Like You're Dying

 ⁶For I am already being ^(O)poured out as a drink offering, and the time of ^(P)my departure has come.

 ^7(Q)I have fought the good fight, I have finished ^(R)the course, I have kept ^(S)the faith;

 ⁸in the future there ^(T)is laid up for me ^(U)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on ^(V)that day; and not only to me, but also to ^(W)all who have loved His ^(X)appearing.

2 Timothy 4:6-8


Paul is continuing to encourage Timothy in this letter.  He's telling him that God's appointed him to be a minister but that comes with much struggles so be strong, be on guard and never give in to temptations.  This passage comes at the end of Paul's days on earth.  He was in prison making the most out of his remaining time.  He didn't waste one moment of his days.  We have to fight the good fight all the way to the end because our crown in before the righteous Judge in heaven, not here on earth.


Again I mention the book, "Crazy Love."  In chapter 2 we're told to really think about our lives and why we're here for only a fraction of a moment in God's story.  Death is right around the corner and we need to focus on God's purpose for us in our sliver of time.  It's not about me!  I need to take the same posture as Paul and live like I'm dying.  I cannot live thinking I'm invincible anymore... there is no tomorrow.  In small group, I asked everyone to live the next 7 days like they were our last... good reminder in 2 Timothy on how.


Father, forgive me of my ways.  Help me to trust You no matter what the world is saying.  Strengthen me as I seek how to live my last remaining days here with the fire and drive to honor and glorify You.  Thank You for granting me one more day.  In the most precious, eternal name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen!

Be Content

 ^6(M)But godliness actually is a means of ^(N)great gain when accompanied by ^(O)contentment.
 ⁷For ^(P)we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.
 ⁸If we ^(Q)have food and covering, with these we shall be content.



1 Timothy 6:6-8


Paul is addressing Timothy in this letter.  He's trying to make a statement that what you have is God blessed, it's enough for what you were called for.  He also mentions that loving money is the root of all sorts of evil.  We know Timothy was young at the time of the letter so Paul was no doubt trying to encourage him to remain focused as he ministers amongst rich men.  


We too get distracted and fall into discontentment.  We look at our neighbor with envy a lot of times and compare gifts.  This cannot happen!  I do this all the time unfortunately.  I need to be satisfied... not only satisfied, I need to be thankful and appreciative of what I have.  And it's not really mine to begin with, it's God's provisions until I'm done in this world and ready to be with Him in eternity.  I need to come to every blessing with the same attitude and appreciation.


Father God, thank You for blessing me with all things for Your glorification and not mine.  I get distracted and believe the lies when I start thinking it's about me.  Help me to overcome this stronghold and submit to Your authority.  Amen.

God Doesn't Create Junk

 ⁴For ^(J)everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is ^(K)received with gratitude;

 ⁵for it is sanctified by means of ^(L)the word of God and prayer.

1 Timothy 4:4-5


Paul was making reference to the hypocrisy of liars, who advocated abstaining from certain foods.  The very thing that was proved clean through Christ Jesus was being brought up again by these men interfering with believers' faith.  The simple statement "everything created by God is good" is so true.  Are knives that kill innocent people good?  Yes, when used in a way that benefits God's people.  It's not a matter of judging what God creates as being good or bad, it's about how people steward this His good creation.  Even the things the devil intended for evil can be used for good, His purposes.  It's our stewardship of God's good that's in question.


As I read this chapter I was trying to think of any possible things that's been created that is bad.  What about cancer, disease, natural disasters?  All of these are greater than just one person's poor choices so how does it fit?  God created our bodies, the elements and everything else.  But somewhere from the fall of man to now we, as a people, messed things up.  Look at the original design and how long people lived?  They didn't have the disease that we have now.  Failure to steward our health and the earth has slowly caught up with us and just because we don't know all the details doesn't mean that we're not suffering the consequences.  Moving forward we need to accept the hand we've been dealt and  steward all good things well.


Father God, thank You for all creation.  You made everything so beautiful even though we've destroyed so much.  Help us to see Your beauty in everything we see no matter what the state of our consequences shows us.  Help us to see as You intended and use us for Your purposes to restore life & love back into each of Your blessings.  In the matchless name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen!

Prepared and Willing

 ^5(I)Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward ^(J)outsiders, ^(K)making the most of the opportunity.
 ^6(L)Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with ^(M)salt, so that you will know how you should ^(N)respond to each person.



Colossians 4:5-6


Paul is concluding his letter to the Colossians by reminding us that God uses us to talk to people as new creations in Christ; especially those who don't know Him yet.  We are the arms, legs and voices for God so we can't forget our purpose, to spread to Gospel through our giftings.  But we cannot be lukewarm in doing so, we need to prepare our hearts by intentional work.  We need to spiritually transform ourselves through the renewing of our minds.


As much as I want to do this, I struggle with it.  Not because I don't see the reason for it, it's because I feel unequipped.  When I first became this new creation in Christ I felt this way.  Then I felt a little more prepared, then a season of ready and willing with where I was.  But since then there's been a gradual decline, not in preparedness but in willingness.  I'd use excuses that passes the buck onto someone else or that I convince myself I'm too busy or I can do it later.  I need to straighten out my thoughts and heart to be ready to serve in any capacity, in any storm.


Father God, thank You for being there for me reminding me of why I was put on this planet and this time.  Help me to open my eyes to the lost around me as well as transforming my heart through Your commands.  Help me to love unconditionally with fullness of grace.  In the wonderful name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen! 

Near Sightedness

 ¹²Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances ^(AC)have turned out for the greater progress of the ^(AD)gospel,
 ¹³so that my ^(AE)imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole ^[a]praetorian guard and to ^(AF)everyone else,
 ¹⁴and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my ^(AG)imprisonment, have^(AH)far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.



Philippians 1:12-14


Paul also writes that as long as the Gospel is spread then he can rejoice.  Rejoicing in the fact that the Gospel was preached and better yet, heard.  We need to always think big picture, especially in the valleys of our life.  It's easy to focus only on our immediate struggles and question God based off our own limitations.  But we need to refocus our lenses and see it from God's perspective as best as possible while filling in the gaps with His promises through faith.  We should rejoice in our sufferings!


I have near sightedness, big time.  I have a hard time seeing beyond my nose because I want it done my way according to my timetable.  This just won't cut it.  To steal a thought from Francis Chan's "Crazy Love" book, our minds are like a soda can and God's knowledge is like an ocean.  We can only hold so little and because we're maxed out we define Him by that.  We need to understand the little we have only in the context of His promises and teachings.  I need to always calibrate on Him, not me.


Father God, thank You for blessing me with my little soda can.  Even more, I thank You that that's not all and that You have a huge reservoir of You!  I pray Lord with every breath that I continue to see You in awe and amazement!!!  Love You Jesus, Amen! 

Sin Cannot Glorify Him

3But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;

4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

5For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Ephesians 5:3-5

We all know that sexual immorality, impurity, greed is bad and sinful but I believe the emphasis here is HINT OF. We all know sin doesn't come dressed in flashy clothes. It comes dressed up as a sheep among us, ready to attack. Sin comes to us in subtle forms that lie and deceive; sometimes confusing it as God's voice. We need to hold true to His commands and not our rationalizations.

In this season of life it's easy to get confused on what's the best thing to do. I take a situation and convince myself it's ok to do this or that because the end result will glorify God. Really?! Does any type of sin, even the relatively small ones in our own minds? No sin can honor God! I have to trust and believe that a seemingly hopeless situation will make Him happy.

Father God, thank You for blessing me along the whole way. This message today provides hope when my hope shifted to worldly methods. I pray that I'm reminded of Your ways, the Truth. Love You Jesus!! Amen!


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The New Marvels

²²that, in reference to your former manner of life, you ^(BB)lay aside the ^(BC)old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the ^(BD)lusts of deceit,
 ²³and that you be ^(BE)renewed in the spirit of your mind,
 ²⁴and ^(BF)put on the ^(BG)new self, which ^(BH)in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.



Ephesians 4:22-24


We are truly new creations in Christ but how easy it is to slip back into habits of old.  When we focus on thoughts, actions or words that deter our dedication to God's best we become that old person again, sinning against our Heavenly Father.  Being a Christian only means our eternity is secure but it doesn't mean that our choices and troubles get any easier.  What does make those things easier is a crazy love for Jesus that trumps our bodies' natural tendency to sin.  We need to consume our minds with so much love and awe that there's no room for our agenda.


We're reading a book called, "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan, in our small group.  It's an amazing book that calls us to stop and think about how huge God is and how small and irrelevant we are.  It's not about us and when we start to think it is we pull away from Him.  In this season of my walk, I need to recapture a fire that sees our Daddy in Heaven for what He is (by what we can understand) and bow in amazement.  We cannot take anything for granted and make His creation common... not anymore.


Forgive me, Father God, for pulling You don't to our levels.  You are so high from us yet You are so close to our heart.  Help me to marvel and worship You the way You should be praised and I know my faith, my journey, my walk will be fruitful and pleasing.  In the most precious name of Jesus I pray, Amen!

Faithful Understanding

 ¹ Then Job replied to the LORD:
 ² “I know that you can do all things;
   no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
³ You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
   Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
   things too wonderful for me to know.
 ⁴ “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
   I will question you,
   and you shall answer me.’
⁵ My ears had heard of you
   but now my eyes have seen you.
⁶ Therefore I despise myself
   and repent in dust and ashes.”



Job 42:1-6


Job showed his faith & trust in God no matter how much those close to him (his wife & 3 friends) tried to convince him that everything bad was happening because of some sin.  He remained faithful but had to deal with a lot of stuff; to the point of wanting never to be born.  But Job did make a mistake in trying to understand Him and maybe a little pride started to seep in.  We will all encounter obstacles and challenges in our faith but we must always get back to this truth, His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts.  God knows what His plans are and He'll choose to share bits and pieces but we cannot fully know.  That's the mystery.


It's hard only knowing a little bit about what God wants from us.  But I then think about how much more problems and difficulties we'll have if we knew a little more.  How we could really do some damage to our own faith and others by trying to be God.  It reminds me of the movie, "Back to the Future" and how they shouldn't know too much about their future because it'll hurt their choices in the present.  God knows that if we know too much we'll rely less on Him and more of us... and that spells trouble.


Father God, thank You for knowing the past, present and future of each and every one of Your children.  Help us to be content and satisfied with our daily bread and not be jealous about what others have.  In Your Son's precious name I pray, Amen!

WordPress test

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Preheat My Heart

 ¹ Praise the LORD.^[a]
   Sing to the LORD a new song,
   his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.
 ² Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
   let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
³ Let them praise his name with dancing
   and make music to him with timbrel and harp.
⁴ For the LORD takes delight in his people;
   he crowns the humble with victory.
⁵ Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor
   and sing for joy on their beds.



Psalm 149:1-5


This is the second to the last chapter in the book of Psalms and it seems like a recap of what king David would like us grasp; that there is a mighty joy we all should be excited about regardless of how we feel.  That joy carries us through our peaks and valleys.  We are reminded of our praises to Him who deserves it.


Highs and lows... I just can't seem to shake it in this life.  Things always come up... work, ministry, personal life.  All these challenges come and go making feel frustrated, happy & sometimes confused.  Where does God want me?  What's my next step?  I can't deny that I need to steward these areas well but what fuels these efforts is my praises.  Am I able to step into these challenges already armed with the Holy Spirit and the Joy of the LORD or am I stepping into situations only to cry out to God because I got myself into a jam?  I cannot wear Jesus after the battle's started, it must be before.


Father God, You deserve my best... my heart.  Forgive me as I continue to sin before You.  Help me reach down and press forward unto the mighty goal, running to win the race.  Help stir my passion and flame to serve You in eternal ways.  In the precious name of Jesus I pray, Amen!

Greater Love

We all know the familiar scripture of 1 Corinthians 13, love is patient and kind. But the more I read it the more it seems awkward that it's used in weddings to describe a romantic love.

As I choose to focus on verses 1-3 I can put the rest of the scripture in context. We're reminded that unconditional love through God's Spirit is what's counted on as our foundation to many other spiritual gifts. Our giftings are only beneficial as we use them WITH love. We cannot serve the Almighty without this key component no matter how great our "performance".

----

1If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

3And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV)

To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.

Titus 1:15-16

All In

 ⁵ She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. ⁶ When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one."
      But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing.
 ⁷ She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left."


2 Kings 4:5-8


In earlier verses, Elisha asked the woman what she had; she told him she had a jar of oil.  He then asked her to gather all vessels capable of holding the oil.  Even the vessels that were filled with other things Elisha commanded her to bring (emptying out the previous contents).  With these vessels filled with oil she was able to sell it and provide for her family.


The widow obeyed entirely.  She could've brought only those that were already empty but she didn't. She had to sacrifice some of what she had so she could bring every thing Elisha.  We are like this.  We only bring God what's available; extra finances, time and even effort.  But a lesson here is that whatever we give Him we do it being all in, never withholding anything.


I do this, I cannot deny it.  For brief moments I don't give all that I have for Him.  With my finances, I've played with the idea of not tithing what I've committed.  With relationships, I've dangerously withheld all that I've committed because of pride and selfishness.  Even at work, I've done lesser by rationalizing what I'm doing is good enough.  God isn't asking us to gauge what is appropriate, He's asking us to go all out and give everything we have and allow Him to return it back to us.  We can never do more than God allows so we need to give it all we got no matter what.  


Father God, thank You for blessing me and my family with way more than I could ever ask for.  I know my selfishness gets in the way of too many things and I ask for Your forgiveness.  Lord, help me break through this stronghold so I can serve You entirely with my family by my side.  Help me to immediately see where I'm lacking and strive for Your glory!  In the most precious name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen!

What Did God Tell You

 ¹⁴So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak; and he said to him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" And he said, "I am."
 ¹⁵Then he said to him, "Come home with me and eat bread."
 ¹⁶He said, "^(K)I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
 ¹⁷"For a command came to me ^(L)by the word of the LORD, 'You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.'"
 ¹⁸He said to him, "^(M)I also am a prophet like you, and ^(N)an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water '" But ^(O)he lied to him.
 ¹⁹So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.


1 Kings 13:14-19


Whenever I read this passage I have to stop and think what just happened.  The man of God obeyed the Lord by delivering the message to Jeroboam in Bethel.  After delivering the message, allowing God's power to be made known, he was faithful with rejecting the king's invitation to stay and eat.  Earlier, God instructed him not to eat, drink or go back the way he came.  But later, an old prophet lied to the man of God saying he received a message from God instructing him to stay and eat.  God punished the man of God by killing him with a lion.


The obvious culprit here is the old prophet.  He deceived the man of God but it wasn't he who was punished, it was the man of God.  Why?  Why didn't God strike the old prophet instead of the other?  It seems wrong.  I'm not sure of the details of this incident but what I do know is that the man of God disobeyed too.  He compromised what God told him for what the old prophet told him.  I'm sure the man of God was famished by this time and he really wanted to stop and eat, drink and rest.  Did the man of God pray for confirmation?  Did he really ask for God's discernment here?  It seems as though he jumped at the next opportunity to satisfy his cravings instead of standing firm like before in Bethel.  


When things are going good in my life it's easy to stand firm but when things are tough, when we're challenged and adversity is upon us it's easy to bypass God's command to satisfy our own flesh.  We are too quick to jump on the lesser without spending time with God working on the greater.  We need to obey what God has told us because He will never contradict Himself.


Thank You Father God for being an awesome Counselor.  Help me in this chapter in my life to grow in faith and respond obediently without hesitation.  Teach me to stand firm on Your commands.  In the wonderful name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen!

Part 2

 ¹³The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him,
 ¹⁴and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "^(I)My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions."

1 Kings 12:13-14

Instead of listening to the wisdom of the elders, the very ones who served with his father Solomon, he chose the ways of children by forcefully ruling with an iron fist.  This proved to be a terrible move since it raised an uproar amongst the nation and forever separated Israel from Judah.

There's always God's way of leading His flock.  Most of the time it's not the most efficient or productive ways according to what our flesh thinks.  But rather, it's the path that exercises patience, self-control, kindness & love.  King Rehoboam chose a method to rule by fear instead of having the fear of the Lord.

There's a choice each of us needs to make especially for those in leadership.  When we steward any of God's gifts we need to approach them according to the fruit of the Spirit and not with selfish motives.  In the work environment I see this struggle because of deadlines and personal agendas.  It's easier when everyone shares a common goal but it's so much harder to lead when everyone wants to do it their way (fueled by their motives).  So how do we overcome this struggle within work environments?  I still believe that we can be firm in our leadership but still be gentle and kind.  Patience and self-control will definitely be tested; which is a great thing.  We can and need to apply God's teachings everywhere.

Father God, thank You for this wonderful lesson of stretching our faith beyond the comfortable doors of church.  Help me Lord by sending Your mighty Spirit to fill and to counsel me in all ways in all places.  Teach me boldness to be the same person whether at home, church, amongst unbeliever and work.  In the precious name of Christ Jesus I pray, amen!

Listening to Wisdom

 ¹³The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him,
 ¹⁴and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "^(I)My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions."

1 Kings 12:13-14

Instead of listening to the wisdom of the elders, the very ones who served with his father Solomon, he chose the ways of children by ruling with an iron fist.  This proved to be a terrible move since it raised an uproar amongst the nation and forever separated Israel from Judah.

Opening Gift Too Early

  ²³But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 

  ²⁴yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 

Philippians 1:23-24

The Apostle Paul is making this simple statement: put aside personal gain for God's bigger plan.  Paul was tired, beaten, treated poorly by just about everyone in flesh; it's no wonder that he preferred to be with Jesus where there's only love and joy.  This is a promise to each of God's children and we are focused on this throughout our trials.  But getting there isn't the only task, it's gathering up all the wandering sheep along the way.  Some will follow, some will not but we still need to call them according to our giftings.  The goal is the finish line, not the bail out.

Each and every one of us wants to give up at times, wanting to go to heaven already.  This mostly comes from the trials we're going through.  It's tough, tiring and sometimes a losing cause.  But we all need to be reminded of our purpuse and refocus through our quiet times, fellowship and sabbath.

Heavenly Father, thank You for being an awesome, caring Father.  Help me Lord to look beyond the trials but at the goal, Your beautiful promises.  In You wonderful name I pray in the name of Jesus, Amen!

Who's the Enemy?

 ¹⁰Finally, ^(S)be strong in the Lord and in ^(T)the strength of His might.
 ^11(U)Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the^(V)schemes of the devil.
 ¹²For our ^(W)struggle is not against ^(X)flesh and blood, but ^(Y)against the rulers, against the powers, against the ^(Z)world forces of this ^(AA)darkness, against the ^(AB)spiritual forces of wickedness in ^(AC)the heavenly places.


Ephesians 6:10-12


We cannot live as Christians in a vacuum, isolated from the reality of battles and conflicts in the physical and spiritual realm.  The Bible is teaching us that the spiritual realm is full of this and we need to arm ourselves.  But before we wag war we need to know who our oppressor is.  Without doing this first we fight our family, friends, coworkers and other people the devil is working through.  Make no mistake, the devil is the one we need to fight not the created vessels.


I get angry, upset and impatient all the time and I take it out conveniently on the ones I'm closest to.  But the battle for me is insecurity brought on by the sin of my flesh.  The battle for me is greed but I blame others because they're standing in my way of feeding myself.  There are so many situations where if we trace it back enough we can see the devil's schemes in action.  We need to fully arm ourselves with God's discernment.


Father God, thank You for loving me so much.  I'm worthy only of death but You pulled me out of the miry clay and set me on a mission.  Enable and equip me for Your calling.  I pray my eyes are open a little wider to see and understand who the enemy is throughout all the distractions.  In Your Son's precious name I pray, Amen!

Cannot Hide from God

 ¹³The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: ^(W)fear God and ^(X)keep His commandments, because this applies to ^(Y)every person.
 ¹⁴For ^(Z)God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.


Ecclesiastes 12:13-14


For most of the book of Ecclesiastes you kind of get the feeling like Solomon gave up, or didn't see the purpose of doing certain things anymore.  But this conclusion sums everything up very well; you can't hide from God.  We all need to concern ourselves with the state of our hearts, where God can see directly, and not so much about the external appearances or circumstances.


This whole theme about concerning ourselves with our hearts has been a driving theme recently starting from Pastor Wayne's message, small group studies on Mark 7 and now in Ecclesiastes/Psalm 42.  We need to work on the internal to influence the external for the eternal.  I see 2 examples at work where I was too concerned with the external (work).  When Don asked me a question while I was tending to an emergency and when Mike stopped by to ask my advice.  Both times I was too concerned with the task at hand and turned away from doing God's work amongst my brothers.  God so graciously provided another opportunity to talk to them but it shouldn't have come to a second attempt.  I could've graciously asked to speak a little later instead of being cold about it.  I need to focus my heart and set up memorial stones at work so I always remember I work for God.


Thank You Father for being so patient with my impatience & self-centeredness.  Lord, I pray that You fill my heart with Your Spirit to acknowledge and wear You well at work, home, in ministry; every single place You call me to be.  Thank You for never abandoning me in the calm or storm.  In the most precious name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen!

Death Assisting Life

    ¹A ^(A)good name is better than a good ointment,
         And the ^(B)day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth.
    ²It is better to go to a house of mourning
         Than to go to a house of feasting,
         Because that is the ^(C)end of every man,
         And the living ^(D)takes it to heart.
    ^3(E)Sorrow is better than laughter,
         For ^(F)when a face is sad a heart may be happy.
    ⁴The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,
         While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.


Ecclesiastes 7:1-4


What is Solomon trying to say in the book of Ecclesiastes, is a place of mourning really a better place to be?  With all that sadness, isn't it better to be in a place of rejoicing and celebration?  Solomon wasn't trying to say that sadness is better than joyfulness; he was stressing the point of understanding eternal joyfulness instead of temporary happiness.  It's better to go to a house of morning because nothing makes us focus on life (eternal or temporal) than death.  It is during this grieving process where we ask the greater, more important questions which lead to transformations of heart.  When we're partying, having a good time, we get caught up in the moment and fail to acknowledge eternity because our minds are distracted.  We become fools and live for the temporary.


I see this to be so true.  It's during our valleys where we realize what kind of faith we have; when we're put to the test by fire in the furnace.  How do I fare?  Not as good as I know God wants me to be but better than I've approached things in the past.  Going through the miscarriage taught me a lot of how I respond in the midst of crisis.  Turning down this job opportunity was another example of leaning on God's provisions.  Serving in Frontlines has also taken me to another level of being tried by fire.  So many opportunities to live correctly by the realization of death upon us.  How can I not grow in faith?


Father God, thank You for blessing me with a beautiful, God-fearing wife.  Thank You for carefully placing my trials along with Your victories and for carrying me through each and every step.  Help me Lord God in this continued season of refining and pruning.. all I can say is Yes, Lord!  In the most precious name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen!

Understanding the Goal

 ¹³Therefore let us not^(U)judge one another anymore, but rather determine this--^(V)not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.
 ¹⁴I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that^(W)nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who ^(X)thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
 ¹⁵For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer ^(Y)walking according to love ^(Z)Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.


Romans 14:13-15


I think for those who are legalistic and try to obey the law to the tee this may be a little confusing.  In one situation we ought to do this and in another situation that. So what do I do?  Which laws do I follow?  We follow the law of the Spirit that frees us from man-made laws extracted from The Commandments.  Here in this passage, the author no doubt tried to make the distinction between clean and unclean foods.  In the OT there was such a thing but Christ set us free from that slavery.  We are to deposit God's laws in our hearts and pursue Him and not laws.  We do this by really understanding God's desire, the big picture, instead of focusing on the immediate task at hand.  For awhile that's what was needed but we've been given an amazing gift that allows us to see further down the road into eternity and that's where we need to focus.  The details will be ironed out through the Counselor and not a scroll.


For me, this is awesome but it also can be a trap.  We can abuse this wonderful freedom in Christ and do whatever we want and call it "spiritual."  That's not what God wants.  He wants us to keep focus on Him while obeying the underlying commands to love Him and neighbors.  I can get out of hand by loving my neighbors more than Him and that's so wrong.  We need to love our neighbors through Jesus.  This wrong path may lead into self-serving spirituality with a Jesus label thrown on top.  This cannot happen.


Father God, thank You for blessing us with Your sacrifice in Jesus.  Help me to fully understand, according to Your provisions, Your calling for my life.  Equip me with Your Spirit to accomplish what You've prepared for me today.  In the most precious name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen!

No Provisions for Sin

 ^12(P)The night is almost gone, and ^(Q)the day is near Therefore let us lay aside^(R)the deeds of darkness and put on ^(S)the armor of light.
 ¹³Let us ^(T)behave properly as in the day, ^(U)not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. ¹⁴But ^(V)put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh ^(W)in regard to its lusts.


Romans 13:12-14


Make no provisions for sin; instead, set ourselves up to win.  We make choices constantly that either place us in God's grace or out of it.  These choices lead us into temptation or into God's word with the mighty Sword of the Spirit and Shield of Faith.  We need to put on armor, not take it off to satisfy our own deeds.


So many times I choose to sin, by doing things that lead me back into Egypt and not into the promised land.  I need to recognize and avoid temptations that lead to sin.  And this isn't an easy choice that shows our lack of faith.  It shows responsibility and humility before our Awesome Creator.


Father God, thank You for Your grace.  Help me overcome all obstacles that prevent me from standing in Your awesome presence.  Thank You for wonderful family, friends and so many others that You choose to do life with.  Love You Father God, In the matchless name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen!