Something to Shout About?

“You shall not go out with haste, . . . for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard” —Isaiah 52:12

“God requires an account of what is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ. Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

We must be careful that we don’t let our past sins become the reason we say “no” to God today.  The Bible is full of examples of people that God used in a mighty way who had done terrible things .. committed great sins … and yet, they found forgiveness and were given a new start as they walked with God.  There were some things that they could not do because sins do have consequences.  To imagine that we can do anything and it not affect others is an attempt to justify our sins .. to make an excuse for what we have done.

Confession – means to agree with God.  We must lay all of our excuses aside and understand that we are no different from anyone else.  All have sinned .. there are none righteous .. only Jesus … and in Him we can be assured of forgiveness.  Forgiveness means that we are no longer facing the penalty for those sins.

"The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts" - Psalm 103:8-18  
 
We don’t have to be enslaved by what sins we have committed in the past, but can be free to live for God by His grace and mercy for eternity.  Now that is something to shout about!
 
Here is a verse for 2026 and the rest of your life …
 
 “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” - Philippians 3:13-14

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

The Difference Between Being A Christian And A Christ Follower

…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. —1 Corinthians 10:31

 “We have a tendency to look for wonder in our experience, and we mistake heroic actions for real heroes. It’s one thing to go through a crisis grandly, yet quite another to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us. If we are not looking for halos, we at least want something that will make people say, “What a wonderful man of prayer he is!” or, “What a great woman of devotion she is!” If you are properly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the lofty height where no one would ever notice you personally. All that is noticed is the power of God coming through you all the time. To be utterly unnoticeable requires God’s Spirit in us making us absolutely humanly His. The true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life. Our purpose should be to display the glory of God in human life, to live a life “hidden with Christ in God” in our everyday human conditions (Colossians 3:3).” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Let’s say you have two bolts. With one bolt you fix a high performance car that wins a race.  With the other bolt you fix your lawn mower. Which bolt has more significance and has best fulfilled its purpose?  Neither.  Neither is better.  Both fulfilled their purpose as you decided.  In the same way, God has a purpose for every Christian – every Christ follower.  (Don’t you love that expression?  Being a Christian might be viewed as “merely” getting saved. As if that were not enough! But being a “Christ follower” suggests that you are more than saved, you are a true disciple , you have laid down your worldly nets and are following Jesus, wherever He leads.)  

Your fulfilling your purpose is not meant to bring glory to you but to God. It doesn’t matter if God uses you on a sports car or a lawn mower.  What matters is that you are obedient to His call and direction.  People talk to me about what Martie and I do and have done for the Kingdom and other people.  We do it for the glory of God.  Billy Graham did what he did for the same reason.  The faithful widow who is never seen by anyone, she does what she does for the same reason.  I often tell people that the only credit I can take is for saying “yes” to God.  Everything else is from God.  He formed me, He purposed me, He gifted me and He called me. The same goes for you too.

“You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;  you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” - Psalm 51: 16-17

Which is to say that it is not what you do for God, but what you allow God to do in you. 

 “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what the Lord requires of you but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” -  Micah 6:8

There is only one way you can do that and it’s by the power of God, not self-effort. 

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” - 1 Samuel 15:22

To be obedient to your purpose means that you must sacrifice your will for God’s will.  You must overcome your fear and doubt with faith.  You must love God more than you love yourself. It doesn’t matter where you are sent or what you are sent to do … being in the center of God’s will and walking obediently in it is the absolute best place you can be.

I remember a volunteer who was serving with us in Mississippi after Katrina, looked around at the devastation that we faced everyday for 5 years. They asked if we liked being in Mississippi. I paused for a minute and then answered - "There is nothing better than being in the center of God's will for your life - I love being in Mississippi because that is where God has placed me."

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Your Testimony Is About Jesus .. Not About You

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ… —Colossians 1:24

 “A Christian has to be a sacred “go-between.” He must be so closely identified with his Lord and the reality of His redemption that Christ can continually bring His creating life through him. I am not referring to the strength of one individual’s personality being superimposed on another, but the real presence of Christ coming through every aspect of the worker’s life. If we simply preach the effects of redemption in the human life instead of the revealed, divine truth regarding Jesus Himself, the result is not new birth in those who listen. The result is a refined religious lifestyle, and the Spirit of God cannot witness to it because such preaching is in a realm other than His. When we say, “What a wonderful personality, what a fascinating person, and what wonderful insight!” then what opportunity does the gospel of God have through all of that? It cannot get through, because the attraction is to the messenger and not the message. If a person attracts through his personality, that becomes his appeal. If, however, he is identified with the Lord Himself, then the appeal becomes what Jesus Christ can do. The danger is to glory in men, yet Jesus says we are to lift up only Him (see John 12:32).” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

While working in one of the homes we were restoring from a hurricane, I was talking with a painter and his son.  The conversation drifted from what had to be done in the house, to more personal matters … who we are, why we are what we are.  I feel strongly that God has these men helping for His purpose.  But as I shared a little about my past and why I was in Texas, the young man smiled and said that what I was doing was a great thing.  And so back to Mr. Chambers.  If all I do is impress those men with my service and fail to communicate whom it is that I serve and why, I have failed in my mission.  Testimonies are good, but are hollow and vain without the Gospel at their center.  You can impress people with the “whats” in your life but fail in your mission if you do not tell people “why” you do what you do.  (Matthew 22:37-39) Love God and Love People. Paul said, 

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

If people are not drawn to Jesus, but to you, then you have missed the point of your encounter with them.  Be careful that you don’t neglect the Gospel, your primary mission in your new life, in favor of people being impressed with who you are or what you do. Every bit of that is for the glory of God, not your personal glory.  Don’t be like the some of the Pharisees.  

“Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God." - John 12:42-43

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Trying To Manage More Than One Bank Account

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." - Matthew 6:24

 “And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me’ ” (John 21:19). Three years earlier Jesus had said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19), and Peter followed with no hesitation. The irresistible attraction of Jesus was upon him and he did not need the Holy Spirit to help him do it. Later he came to the place where he denied Jesus, and his heart broke. Then he received the Holy Spirit and Jesus said again, “Follow Me” (John 21:19). Now no one is in front of Peter except the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is now asking for an internal sacrifice and yielding (see John 21:18). There was no part of himself he would ever rely on again. No matter what changes God has performed in you, never rely on them. Build only on a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and on the Spirit He gives. All our promises and resolutions end in denial because we have no power to accomplish them. There is now only One who directs the course of your life, the Lord Jesus Christ.” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest 

Martie and I have several bank accounts.  One is for our personal business, one is for the ministry, and another is a temporary account we set up in Texas while we are here serving on mission.  We use each account depending upon what the source of the money we receive is or what the expense is.  That is much the same way that most Christians live their lives.  They have a spiritual account and a carnal account. Oh “carnal” is such a harsh word isn’t it?  Maybe I should have used something softer.  Something that suggests that what’s been deposited in that account is not all bad. That may be true by the world’s definition of good and bad, but not God’s.  Sorry, had a squirrel moment!   Back on point …. Our new life in Christ is transformational, “the old is gone, the new has come” and demands that we always deposit to and draw from our spiritual bank account for everything.  But we don’t do that do we?  Instead we live the best we can and when all else fails, we get out our spiritual “checkbook’.  If this analogy or parable is too obtuse, let me be plain. 

From observation and personal experience, I have come to inescapable conclusion that most of us trust in our flesh and our culture more than God.  We believe that we can live two lives.  Our natural one and our spiritual one.  Our natural one for most things and our spiritual one for special occasions.  In fact … that is heretical thinking.  In fact, we are supposed to crucify our natural one and live fully by our new, spiritual nature.  (Galatians 2:20) The reason, I believe, that we have this problem is that we are not disciplined in our pursuit of a deep relationship with the Father. We don’t spend much time each day focused on the spiritual.  One of my favorite verses is (Joshua 1:8-9) 

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

In computer programming or in logic we would call that an “if-then” statement.  If you do this .. then this will happen.  For most of us .. if … is a big word for only having two letters!  And that is where most of us fail.  If you don’t do the “if” then you won’t experience the “then”. It’s up to each one of us.  I can only encourage you … and you can only encourage others.  Actually “only” is a poor choice of words because we are admonished to encourage each other.  

“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” - Hebrews 3:12-13

Maybe it’s time to close one of your accounts for good … after all, you really only need one  … your new one. 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Rejoice In Your Service, But Give God The Credit

Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. —Luke 10:20 

Every now and again, we all have an opportunity to experience something supernatural.  The movement of the Spirit of God.  Some mighty act of God precipitated through us or through someone else.  We are amazed and perhaps derive a sense of great joy – like the disciples.  But we must be careful – like the disciples.  It is very easy to lose focus on God who is the source of all spiritual power and focus on the event that is the result of that spiritual power.   And perhaps, even attribute credit to yourself or to someone else and not to the Source.  Do you remember Paul's comment on planting the Gospel Seed?

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. - 1 Corinthians 3:5-7

False humility? No! It is his understanding that he can do nothing for God apart from God. The source of spiritual power is from Jehovah God - not book learning - skill with the spoken word but the anointing by the Holy Spirit.

A question that is very often asked of volunteer mission teams at the end of their trips is “What did you get out of your time here?”  A simple question, but it focuses on the wrong point of the mission trip.  Maybe a better  question might be, “What did God reveal to you during your time here?” I have people give me credit for my service all the time.  It is easy to begin to think that somehow I am the reason some good happened.  But, in fact, the source of the “good” was God, not my abilities.  God is the source of my abilities as well.  Jesus told the disciples not to rejoice in what they were doing, but in why they were able to do it.  

Listen.  It is OK to feel good about yourself.  But we must be careful that we don’t take credit for something that someone else, namely God, did through us.  Certainly the world does not understand that. And, actually, that lack of understanding presents you with an opportunity to give God the glory.  

And about that feeling. I was talking to someone the other day. He was telling me about how he had helped someone in need.  He said “It made me feel good inside.” I told him the feeling he had was not “Good” but “Right”.  When we are obedient to God’s leading and will, we have a sense of “Right”.  That can be easily mistaken for good and that can be easily mis-attributed to our own action and credit.  Like the doing of a good thing somehow vindicates us – making us good.  Right– is what it feels like to be walking in obedience to the will of the Father.  Out of obedience springs the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace …. The result of that, in our flesh, is most often the human emotion of feeling good.  

It’s OK to have that feeling.  What is not Ok is taking credit for it.  Make certain that in all you do for God that you give credit where credit is due.  And you can feel good about that!   

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Our New Life In Christ Must Be Based On Faith Not Feelings

“God never speaks to us in dramatic ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand. Then we say, “I wonder if that is God’s voice?” Isaiah said that the Lord spoke to him “with a strong hand,” that is, by the pressure of his circumstances (Isaiah 8:11). Without the sovereign hand of God Himself, nothing touches our lives. Do we discern His hand at work, or do we see things as mere occurrences? Get into the habit of saying, “Speak, Lord,” and life will become a romance (1 Samuel 3:9). Every time circumstances press in on you, say, “Speak, Lord,” and make time to listen. Chastening is more than a means of discipline— it is meant to bring me to the point of saying, “Speak, Lord.” As we listen, our ears become more sensitive, and like Jesus, we will hear God all the time.  Should I tell my “Eli” what God has shown to me? This is where the dilemma of obedience hits us. Never ask another person’s advice about anything God makes you decide before Him. If you ask advice, you will almost always side with Satan. “…I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood…” (Galatians 1:16).” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Do you think that the idea of hearing God speak is a little too mystical for you?  Hearing God speak is not hearing an audible voice .. something that can be recorded.  God speaks to the heart which is realized in the mind and always challenges the will. It may be an impression … it may be a crisis in your life … it will always be consistent with the nature and character and purposes of God.  

Don’t ever become content with where you are in your spiritual growth.  Don’t ever say to God, I have come this far but I will go no farther.  I don’t want to change any more than I have.  I don’t want to give up any more of the world than I have.  I am fine right where I am.  I was talking with a young man the other day who told me that he just didn’t feel like praying.  We don’t do the right thing because we feel like it .. we do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.  

If your faith and practice are based on feelings, you are in trouble from the start. Listen. If  I did  or did not do things because of how I felt at the time, my life would very likely be very different.  If you say, I don’t feel like going to work .. and then don’t … well, it’s a free country. You can make that choice.  And your employer can make the choice of firing you.  My point … there are consequences to not doing what you should.  If and when God speaks to you .. you have a choice … but think about this.  The God of the universe has spoken … why on earth or in heaven would you ignore Him? That was a rhetorical question, actually.  You ignore Him because your flesh .. your old nature .. your carnal mind is ruling the day.  You are living in submission to the flesh and not by the Spirit. 

Here are a few verses to consider this morning

“For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light” - Ephesians 5:8

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” - Galatians 5:25

 “So that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience” - Colossians 1:10-11

 “The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”- 1 John 2:6

 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.  But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Heirs with Christ So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” - Romans 8:5-14 

It's Faith Not Feelings

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Misplaced Trust In Traditions

You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by [vain] traditions from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. - 1 Peter 1:18-19

Can you of something that your parents taught you that their parents taught them? I will call it generational truth. That is not a bad thing so long as it is not in conflict with or opposed to the Word of God - His revealed truth. Sometimes we think that what we have been taught to believe has in fact lost its meaning over time.

I recall a story about a wife always cutting off the end of a roast before she cooked it. When her husband asked why, she said "Because that is what my mother always did." Later he had the occasion to speak to her mother and he asked her why she cut the end of the roast off before she cooked it. Her answer - "Because her baking pan was too small for the roast." 

When I was in grade school - I don't remember which grade - 5th maybe (but that is one of those facts that are irrelevant to the point! - sorry) Our teacher told the class that we should not eat the very ends of the bananas because spiders lay their eggs in the ends of the bananas and it will make us sick. To this day, I don't eat the ends of the bananas. Well, before writing this I had a conversation with Mister Google about bananas and he confirmed that eating the end of the bananas is not dangerous - it is edible. How many banana ends have I tossed out over the years? Traditions, when firmly rooted in our world view of right and wrong can dominate our choices - even in the face of a "greater truth".  Some are trivial - like the ends of bananas. Others are contrary to God's revealed Truth and to follow them is sin.

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. - Proverbs 16:25

That is what Peter was saying to his generation and all generations that followed. As children of God, our primary devotion is to God and His Truth. We should embrace His truth by faith and resist our tendency to defer to our fathers' traditions. Another example just came to mind.

Do you remember Tevye [Tev-Yuh] the lead character in Fiddler of the Roof? He spoke as to why the men always wore hats - he boiled it down to one thing - Tradition!

Traditions can drive behavior - we don't even have to think about - it is a natural response - but Peter was contrasting the old nature to our new nature. Paul also addressed the issue.

Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. - 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Things That Hinder Our Hearing God

“Who are You, Lord?” — Acts 26:15

“God speaks in the language you know best— not through your ears, but through your circumstances. God has to destroy our determined confidence in our own convictions. We say, ‘I know that this is what I should do’ — and suddenly the voice of God speaks in a way that overwhelms us by revealing the depths of our ignorance.” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, January 29.

Knowing what is right to do … the God-thing … and what you actually choose to do are often two quite different things.  Knowing you should not cross the tracks when a train is coming and deciding to wait for the train to pass are two different things.  When you approach the tracks a thought comes to mind … “I think I can beat the train to the crossing.”  Sometimes you are right and other times .. you are dead-wrong.  That is the way it is with believing and obeying God.  God offers His best, and even if you beat the train to the crossing, you have settled for less than God’s best for you. It may bring satisfaction for a moment, but God deals in the eternal ... not the temporal.  The heavenly not the earthly.  Dr. Henry Blackaby, in Experiencing God, said that God speaks to us in four ways – by His Spirit (the still small voice saying “This is  the way”) – through prayer – by His Word (the sword of Truth, a light and lamp for us to see the way) – through other Believers – and, as Chambers suggested – through circumstances.  Dr. Blackaby went on to say that our problem is not in knowing what God said to us – the problem is obeying what God said.  The Scripture is replete with examples of disobedience. Hearing God and doing something else because they thought they knew better.

When Paul, then Saul, met Jesus on the road, Saul’s world was shaken. He was convinced that he was doing right in persecuting Christians – convinced that they were wrong.  They had to be! What they believed violated all that he accepted as right. But he was wrong.

For the Christian, hearing God requires two things to be true.  First, our heart must be right … unconfessed sin will hinder your hearing. Second is the practice of spiritual discipline in our lives .. if you don’t pray .. if you don’t read the Word … if you don’t associate with other Christians who are doing those things … if your focus is on yourself and not God as you live life, then don’t expect anything more than the conviction of the Spirit.  All too often we want to be our own god and decide what is best for us.  

We won’t accept any advice that is not consistent with what we have decided is the best for us.  “I am going to beat that train and you are bad if you don’t agree with me!” We ignore our sins .. having decided they are really not that bad, they are acceptable as far as we are concerned.  We pray asking only for things that support our plan for peace and fulfillment.  We avoid other Christians who will not agree with us.  The fact is that we are practicing vain religion.  We have a form of godliness but deny the power of God in favor of our own devices.  In short we are carnal but are convinced we are spiritual.  

My best and only advice to a Christian who is living like this is repent – you need more Jesus and less you.  You have accepted a life that falls short of God’s plan for you  .. and one day … you won’t beat the train.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Standing Your Ground

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. - Ephesians 6:10-16

This is probably not a popular view - but we are to stand our ground against the world and what it says is right and good. Instead, we are to embrace the Truth as revealed by God through His Word by His Spirit. Standing our ground has the sense of leaning forward - not willing to budge as we face the onslaught of the temptations the shot at us, like fiery darts, from the natural world.  The world we were saved from.

Every day we are challenged to compromise the Truth in favor of what the world - and most of the people we meet every day says is OK to say and do. Go along so you can get along. Think about that in light of what Jesus said.

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. - Luke 14:26

It is one thing to think of those you reject as being someone you don't know - but your relatives? The idea here is that if your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, or others that you care about are not Christians - but are a reflection of that which you have been saved from - then your affection for them must not be what guides what you do - how you live your life. That does not mean that you do not show them Jesus - or abandon them. It means that your primary devotion is to God. 

Conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. - 1 Peter 1:17-21

In other words, we must stand against the temptation to yield to the traditions of our fathers - who trust in the values of men - who rejected God - and put our faith and hope in God. Am I saying that our fathers could not teach us what is good? No - but apart from God - it is not possible to be truly good. 

Now as He [Jesus] was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God." - Mark 10:17-18

You see - from an eternal perspective all goodness comes from the source of good - that is Jehovah God. Anything that might be called good in this world is but a shadow. We must see things as God sees them. Only those who are born again are capable of doing that. Don't expect the world to fully embrace what God has said is truth as truth. And so we must be ready to stand our ground. 

Lauren Daigle wrote and sang a song - O' Lord - that makes the point - 

"Though times it seems. Like I'm coming undone. This walk can often feel lonely. No matter what until this race is won

I will stand my ground where hope can be found. I will stand my ground where hope can be found

Oh, O' Lord O' Lord I know You hear my cry. Your love is lifting me above all the lies. No matter what I face this I know in time

You'll take all that is wrong and make it right. You'll take all that is wrong and make it right

Your strength is found. At the end of my road. Your grace it reaches to the hurting. Still through the tears and the questioning why

I will stand my ground where hope can be found. I will stand my ground where hope can be found

Oh, O' Lord O' Lord I know You hear my cry. Your love is lifting me above all the lies. No matter what I face this I know in time. You'll take all that is wrong and make it right."

Stand your ground Christian!

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Obedience To God Will Bring Adversity

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

 <Journal Entry>  13 Jan 2011.  Another day working in the [new] church. It was the 1 year anniversary if the earthquake in Haiti. [Leogane was at the epicenter] The temporary church was using tarps for a roof. It was full of people praising God – for 4 hours or more. They used a generator to run a sound system. As we built – they worshipped – It was a good picture of the provision of God. He sent His Spirit to connect the hearts of the people – in worship and work. It is good for me to be here – it is sharpening my focus on what it is that God wants me to do.

The men on the team are not well organized for the work. Not many can wield hammers well – so the work is slow – but as I told John the foreman – there is more to it than construction – the experience is changing lives – the work will get done – but more importantly God will be glorified in it.  Nehemiah put Hananiah in charge “because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do” (Nehemiah 7:2) Lord that I would be counted among the likes of Hananiah – known for my integrity and more love and dedication to You, Lord than any skills I might have. After Nehemiah established security, he turned his focus to rebuilding homes – first example of disaster relief work.

There was order and standards. Nehemiah struggled with opposition, opposing agendas, jealousy – but he kept his focus on his calling – I need to do the same – I am not to turn my head to the left or right by keep my eyes fixed on the prize – the goal of my upward calling. (Philippians 3:14)

My Utmost for His Highest – January 11 – “I can disobey God and it might bring relief – but it will grieve God – but if I obey – He will care for those affected by my obedience – so obey and leave the consequences to Him.” < End of Journal Entry>

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” - Luke 18:27

As I re-read the words I wrote over 16 years ago, I can see how God used that trip to shape my thinking – my understanding – my vision.  I have often said that “ministry would be easy if only people were not involved!” God did not say that we would not face adversity nor that what He calls us to do would not be impossible for men. Today we live in difficult – spiritually perilous times – every day there are challenges to our faith and beliefs.  The days seem to be getting darker. We must keep our eyes fixed on Him. We must resist taking the easy path because it seems less stressful and does not require much faith, if any. That should give us a clue about the rightness of our choices!

The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. - Proverbs 14:11-12

Shine Bright my friend and glorify God with your life.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Christians Have Six Senses Not Five

"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.  But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." - Ephesians 2:1-7

I heard someone say something that took me aback - made my "little grey cells" (as Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's detective would say) come to life. So what was it? They said, "God does not see us as dead or alive - He just sees us alive." [in Christ]

I wondered, at first - "Is there Biblical proof that statement is true?"  My second thought was - "So if that is true, what are the implications for how I live my life?"

First. According to Ephesians, God saw us as dead - Spiritually before we were born again. The spiritual me is superior to the natural me. Most of us don't think of it like that.  We see everything through the lens of our natural existence - our five senses. Jesus came to redeem the eternal - spiritual me. 

" .. making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling. " - Ephesians 1: 16-17

First Point. Paul prayed that the Saints "eyes of understanding would be enlightened." That we would understand the world, heaven, and our very lives in the same way that God does. Spiritual understanding is like a Sixth Sense that is denied to those who are not born again. You know the five senses most of us are born with - touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. Not surprisingly, God is not nearly as concerned about our natural lives as He is about our spiritual - eternal lives.  What!!!! What are you most concerned about every day? You might know about the importance of our spiritual nature, but do you understand it? Do you embrace it. Do you live, make life choices, and react to every day circumstances in that understanding? It is the Spirit of God that gives us our sixth sense while we walk on this planet. The Spirit helps us understand spiritual truth - the Word of God - connects us with the Father.

Second Point.  When a lost person dies a physical death, they are dead both physically and spiritually. God saw them as dead spiritually before and still sees them as dead spiritually after their physical death. (When a person is spiritually dead, they are eternally separated from God and bound for hell.) When a saved person dies a physical death, they are dead physically but alive spiritually. God sees them as alive before and after their physical death. When a Christian dies - it does not matter what their physical age was, God sees them as He did then and always. We see them as dead and therefore no longer part of the physically living. We mourn their loss because they are no longer part of our physical existence - five senses. 

"according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:20-21

Obviously, Paul got it. He was not cavalier about his natural life and its frailty. But he understood his physical life in the context of the Spiritual. Our sixth sense gives us a heavenly- eternal perspective on life. To the person who is not born again by the Spirit - our faith is foolishness.

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. - 1 Corinthians 2:14

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Being A Silent Witness - Letting Your Life Speak For You

 And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. - Deuteronomy 6:6-9

If you depended upon your life to proclaim the Gospel instead of words - would it have anything to say?

Spiritual maturity cannot be measured by knowledge alone, but by how you live out your faith. That is a rough quote from a sermon I heard recently in the church my son and daughter-in-law attend in Mesa, Arizona. Essentially, my testimony should not be limited to how much knowledge I have about what the Bible says, information about the Truth, but rather how much of what the Bible says is demonstrated in the way I live my life, daily application of the Truth.

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." - James 1:22

You know what people call a person who says one thing and then does another - yes that's right - a hypocrite. Recall Jesus' words.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. - Matthew 23:27

That same pastor, Jeremy Gills, said "Faith that lives at church will not survive real life because God designed (intended) faith for your walking not just your worship." When I was with the Promise Keeper ministry, I described what I saw some men who attended the annual conferences as using their attendance as a "Promise Keeper Pill". In other words, thinking if you attend one conference a year then you will be good to go spiritually until the next conference. And yet, I had wives tell me that their husband returned from the conference a "new man" but after a couple of weeks they drifted back to be the same old man. The glory faded because there was not real change - just a hope that somehow there had been real change.  

There is a song written by Steven Curtis Chapman and  James Isaac Elliot called "The Change". 

Well I got myself a T-shirt that says what I believe I got letters on my bracelet to serve as my ID
I got the necklace and the key chain And almost everything a good Christian needs
I got the little Bible magnets on my refrigerator door And a welcome mat to bless you before you walk across my floor
I got a Jesus bumper sticker And the outline of a fish stuck on my car
And even though this stuff's all well and good I cannot help but ask myself--
What about the change What about the difference What about the grace What about forgiveness
What about a life that's showing I'm undergoing the change 

For those guys who attended the conferences it was a t-shirt or a hat. They changed the look of the outside of the cup - but there was no heart change. Let me add - that many men did experience real heart change - but like some of the men - many Christians count on Sunday morning worship to be their "weekly pill"

Pastor Gills went on to say that "you don't drift into spiritual strength - you drift into spiritual weakness" It would be like being on a boat and casting off the lines from a dock and trusting that the wind and waves would take you to your destination. It will require effort on your part. "Rowing" until you arrive.

Would people you are around every day be surprised to discover that you are a Christian? Does your life speak for you?

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Anger Is A Choice - Part 2

This is a continuation of my recent devotion on anger.  I realize that many books have been written on this subject. Many people are in therapy for anger. Even Christian people - go figure!  As you know, anger is a secondary emotion, meaning why we get angry is because there is something at the root – working behind the scenes – and the life situation you are facing merely serves as a catalyst or opportunity for our anger to rise up.  

I also realize that people can find a number of verses in the Bible that would suggest that anger is actually “OK”.  Suggesting that it is not actually a sin. But anger is like a loaded pistol.  The gun can go off by accident or can be used for harm intentionally.  It can be indiscriminate, hurting the innocent as well as the guilty.  Anger can be so dominant that the easiest thing is to yield to it and not resist.  But my point is that accepting anger – even rage, is not consistent with your new life in Christ.

Most people are not looking for opportunities to be angry … Those opportunities come suddenly upon us, like an ambush, with ferocity.  Then it is over – the smoke clears – the causalities lie wounded all around.  And we say to ourselves, hoping it is true, that “It’s not a sin to be angry.” Often in an effort to justify the harm we have done.  So what to do.

First – understand, and accept, that Anger is not a fruit of the Spirit but of the flesh - our old nature.  (Galatians 5: 19-21)  “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  (Galatians 5:22-23) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  

These verses contrast the differences between your old life in the flesh and your new life submitted to the Spirit of God – the Spirit that is in you (1 Corinthians 6:19) “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own” How can we reconcile anger and the damage it does with our new nature and the fruit that it bears? I’ll answer that. We can’t!

Second – Have you ever heard or said “You make me so angry!”? No one can “make” you angry.  But they can provide the opportunity for you to express anger.  Everything is going along fine then the ambush is sprung and you find yourself in the “kill zone”.  In ambush-eze, the kill zone is the place where most all of the fire power is directed. Anyone in that area when the ambush starts is a gonner.  The only way to not be a gonner is to do what makes no sense at the time, face the firing and charge it – fighting your way through it.  It is your only hope of survival. In this case, the best defense is a good offense! When you are getting angry, you need to recognize it immediately and deal with it spiritually.  Like salvation – you can’t succeed by trying harder.  You need to attack with the sword of the Lord.  The ambush is within – it’s not the circumstance that gave rise to the anger.

No temptation has overtaken you [including anger] except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. - 1Corinthians 10:13

Third – The best thing to do is to avoid the ambush altogether. To see the signs of danger and go another way.  That requires discernment which comes from the Spirit which requires the discipline of seeking God and hiding the Word in your heart (Psalm 119:11)  I recall an a time at ROTC advance camp at Fort Bragg, N.C.  It was my turn to lead the platoon during a training exercise in the woods.  I was leading the platoon on the most secure route and not necessarily on the fastest route to our objective.  That meant that we cut across difficult terrain.  I reached our objective without incident. Afterwards, I was told that there had been an ambush set up and waiting for us at an intersection along the road, (the most obvious and easiest route) that I had bypassed.  The ambush didn't happen because  we never showed up.

You must be sensitive to the signs of an anger ambush and avoid them.  We choose how we respond to life – in the power of our flesh or in the power of the Spirit of God.  Your success will depend upon your training and preparation.  Most Christians lack an enthusiasm for spiritual growth and maturity. They are content with keeping a firm grasp on their ticket to heaven and talking about how much they love the Lord – around other Christians.  But when faced with the withering fire of a deadly ambush – they falter and fail.  

Perhaps you are thinking that avoiding anger is impossible. It is not any more impossible than the Son of God dying for your sin and you receiving eternal life.  If God can do that, why would you think that your problem with anger is bigger than that? You need to deal with the root of the problem. Paul talks about this in Romans 7:21-25 

I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

You don’t need to try harder – you need to Faith harder.  

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Glorifying God With All My Words

"We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check." - James 3:2

What the Bible says about why I must watch what I say - the words I use - no matter the provocation or situation. 

1. My tongue directs where I go. 

"When we put bits in the mouths of horses ... we can turn the whole animal." - James 3:3

"Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go." - James 3:4

2. My tongue can destroy what I have. 

"Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue is also a fire - James 3:5

“Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach;  good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest. Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose”  Prov 18:20-21 

"... it sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." - James 3:6b

3. My tongue reveals Who I Am. 

“We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people, whom God made like himself.” - James 3:9

"Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." - James 3:10 

"Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ... can a fig tree bear olives or a grapevine bear figs?" - James 3:12

4. The root of the problem is with my heart.

"For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." - Matthew 12:34." 

“After Jesus called the crowd to him, he said, “Listen and understand what I am saying.  It is not what people put into their mouths that makes them unclean. It is what comes out of their mouths that makes them unclean.” - Matthew 15:10-11 

5. The solution to the problem is to Get a new heart!

"Rid yourself of all the offenses you have committed and get a new heart and a new spirit!" - Ezekiel 18:31 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”  - 2 Corinthians 5:17 

6. We must make it a practice to ask God for help every day.

"Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips." - Psalms 141:3 

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer”    - Psalms 19:14 

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. “ - Proverbs 4:23 

7. We must think before we speak

"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." - James 1:19

8. We must be careful what we watch, what we read, what we listen to. 

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." - Joshua 1:8

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you.” - Philippians - 4:8-9 

So does it matter what I say? Yes - It matters. Do the words I use reflect my heart and faith - yes they do. Is it OK to use profanity in my speech - no it is not. 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone