I Don't Feel Like Doing This Any More

Don't give up!

Those are the words coursing through my thoughts this morning as I sit down to ponder God's love letter. Is it a hard day for you or something? Maybe it's been a difficult month or perhaps year. I don't know. All I know is that the Spirit is telling me to write:

Don't Give Up!

Too often too many people lose heart when the goal is in sight. Or it's a case where victory is just around the corner but they quit before turning the corner. My pastor says that many people drown five feet from shore not knowing the shore is within reach.

Perseverance seems easy at first but when a day drags into a week and then a week into a month, a month into a year and then a year into a decade, a person can begin to second guess themselves. "Is this God's will?" "Would he really ask me to go through all of this?" "I can't see any purpose in this any more." The enemy also likes to stir things up by introducing little seeds of doubt., especially when the work is hard and the "crop yield" is low. But sometimes the ministry or work is more to do with what God is producing in us then it is about what success we are meeting. As I have said in the past, success for us is measured in our faithfulness to Jesus, in what we have been asked to do. Going the distance takes a great deal of perseverance which produces other things in us as well:

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:2-5)

Sometimes it is all about holding on as God fights the battle. Sometimes it's about pushing through great opposition to reach the goal. Sometimes it is simply believing that God is working it all out to his glory. However, it is always about never giving up, never retreating, never sitting by the side of the road because, if it is not about anything else, it is about what God is doing in you:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

Perseverance is bringing us into a maturity. Perhaps that explains the great immaturity among believers in this current age. Praise the Lord that you and I are not like that. We don't know the meaning of quit as we go forward trusting the Lord. However, we come close to failing. I almost failed this summer.

Our school has been facing a bit of a hard time. It is difficult to exist in our part of the world where Christians make up such a tiny part of the population. A great deal of immaturity exists among the Christians that do exist. There is a great deal of low income among the english speaking population to whom we minister. This summer we were facing so many problems we started to allow the thought in that maybe God just wants us to close down. After 8 years maybe our mission was over. The enemy can be so subtle about these things. However, I felt no release from the Lord. We had to push through.

As we made that decision a new determination started to come in. The ministers in the school started making difficult, self-sacrificing decisions. We stopped looking at our deficiencies and concentrated on our strengths. What looked impossible days ago suddenly looked a little more possible as we lifted our eyes to Jesus. The only thing that had changed was our mentality, our decision to persevere in this ministry. Today we are opening our doors for our 9th year and we are all convinced that it is going to be a glorious year in serving our Lord.

Don't give up!

In Hebrews we read this encouraging note:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

We only start thinking about giving up when we allow our eyes to start straying. It's when we look around at other people and compare our situation to theirs. It is when we start looking at what we lack compared to what other people have. It is when we starting thinking "what am I getting out of this". Perseverance only remains important to us when Jesus remains important to us. Don't give up! The Kingdom needs you. What you are doing is important or God would not have called you to it. Trust him. Trust that he has purpose. Trust that he is also producing something in you through this, bringing you to a place of maturity. It takes a lot to go the distance with Jesus but I am certain that you and I have what it takes. Let us give all the glory to God as he leads us from glory to glory, victory to victory! Stand your ground in the face of the enemy's schemes.

I Don't Feel Like Doing This Any More

Don't give up!

Those are the words coursing through my thoughts this morning as I sit down to ponder God's love letter this morning. Is it a hard day for you or something? Maybe it's been a difficult month or perhaps year. I don't know. All I know is that the Spirit is telling me to write:

Don't Give Up!

Too often too many people lose heart when the goal is in sight. Or it's a case where victory is just around the corner but they quit before turning the corner. My pastor says that many people drown five feet from shore not knowing the shore is within reach.

Perseverance seems easy at first but when a day drags into a week and then a week into a month, a month into a year and then a year into a decade, a person can begin to second guess themselves. "Is this God's will?" "Would he really ask me to go through all of this?" "I can't see any purpose in this any more." The enemy also likes to stir things up by introducing little seeds of doubt., especially when the work is hard and the "crop yield" is low. But sometimes the ministry or work is more to do with what God is producing in us then it is about what success we are meeting. As I have said in the past, success for us is measured in our faithfulness to Jesus, in what we have been asked to do. Going the distance takes a great deal of perseverance which produces other things in us as well:

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:2-5)

Sometimes it is all about holding on as God fights the battle. Sometimes it's about pushing through great opposition to reach the goal. Sometimes it is simply believing that God is working it all out to his glory. However, it is always about never giving up, never retreating, never sitting by the side of the road because, if it is not about anything else, it is about what God is doing in you:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

Perseverance is bringing us into a maturity. Perhaps that explains the great immaturity among believers in this current age. Praise the Lord that you and I are not like that. We don't know the meaning of quit as we go forward trusting the Lord. However, we come close to failing. I almost failed this summer.

Our school has been facing a bit of a hard time. It is difficult to exist in our part of the world where Christians make up such a tiny part of the population. A great deal of immaturity exists among the Christians that do exist. There is a great deal of low income among the english speaking population to whom we minister. This summer we were facing so many problems we started to allow the thought in that maybe God just wants us to close down. After 8 years maybe our mission was over. The enemy can be so subtle about these things. However, I felt no release from the Lord. We had to push through.

As we made that decision a new determination started to come in. The ministers in the school started making difficult, self-sacrificing decisions. We stopped looking at our deficiencies and concentrated on our strengths. What looked impossible days ago suddenly looked a little more possible as we lifted our eyes to Jesus. The only thing that had changed was our mentality, our decision to persevere in this ministry. Today we are opening our doors for our 9th year and we are all convinced that it is going to be a glorious year in serving our Lord.

Don't give up!

In Hebrews we read this encouraging note:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

We only start thinking about giving up when we allow our eyes to start straying. It's when we look around at other people and compare our situation to theirs. It is when we start looking at what we lack compared to what other people have. It is when we starting thinking "what am I getting out of this". Perseverance only remains important to us when Jesus remains important to us. Don't give up! The Kingdom needs you. What you are doing is important or God would not have called you to it. Trust him. Trust that he has purpose. Trust that he is also producing something in you through this, bringing you to a place of maturity. It takes a lot to go the distance with Jesus but I am certain that you and I have what it takes. Let us give all the glory to God as he leads us from glory to glory, victory to victory! Stand your ground in the face of the enemy's schemes.

Letting Go Of Our Victim Mentality

Let's start off today with this quote from Jesus:

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. (Matthew 11:12)

It's amazing how this gets interpreted by people. I can assure you it does not give us liberty to become rude and arrogant or to start kicking doors down. What it does tell us is that we must be bold in our faith. It was something Jesus said about John the Baptist who never knowingly ever performed a miracle but whom Jesus said was the greatest man to ever be born. What was his greatness? He turned his back on everything, trusted God and fearlessly preached to the blind.Yet, Jesus said that the one who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than John.

Following Jesus is all about bold faith that allows for bold action. It is saying "I believe" in the face of great odds. It is saying "I trust" when things look disastrously impossible. It is taking actions that reflect what we are saying. It is about being forceful, bold in our faith, in our trust, in our acceptance of God's promises and our belief that those promises apply to us.

Sometimes we find ourselves on a path that requires this forceful faith in order to go the distance. Sometimes there are many courses that we could choose from but we decide to trust God and stick to the course he set before us. Other times we find ourselves on a path that we cannot avoid, we are stuck, there is nothing we can do about it. It requires a different kind of forceful faith. This time we don't get to make the decision to stay the course but instead we must make the decision to trust and to do it in style. We find a good example of this in the book of Acts.

Apostle Paul was being transported to Rome as a prisoner, to appear before Caesar. As a prisoner he had no control over what was happening to him. The captain of the ship had decided to try to make it to the next port even though it was the stormy season. Paul tried to warn them that it would end in disaster, but why would they listen to him, he was only a prisoner. Needless to say they ended up in a storm that looked like would destroy the ship and kill everyone on board. Paul was in the same situation as everyone else, facing apparent death.

This is where we need to understand what Jesus was saying. We are not ordinary people. We are people of faith, and that means something. It means we do not interpret things in the same way as others. It means that we look for God in everything. It means that we are attuned to what the Lord is saying and how he is directing us. It should not surprise us then that this prisoner, as a follower of Jesus, became a leader and encourager in the face of this disaster. He told his fellow sojourners:

Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.  Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island. (Acts 27:23-26)

Paul was forceful in his faith, encouraging everyone by it. He boldly stated that they must be courageous because he had faith in God. Do you hear that? They should be encouraged because Paul had faith. Can you imagine saying that to a bunch of people facing certain death? But this faith did not mean that the disaster would be averted but instead that God would see them through it and not one life would be lost. By his faith we see this prisoner become more powerful than the captain. As the sailors tried to abandon ship Paul gave instructions:

“Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 27:31)

Paul was so bold in his faith, so sure of what God was doing that the soldiers on board placed their trust in Paul's words and showed it by throwing away the last symbol of hope on board that doomed ship:

So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away. (Acts 27:32)

Could you imagine being so forceful in your faith that people would turn away from any other options and put their full trust in what God was saying through you? This is the faith that sees the Kingdom advancing. Not a weak pathetic faith that says "maybe" but an emblazoned faith that provides hope in a hopeless life. Paul's faith became something the others held on to, a beacon, and Paul showed his faith in his words and actions:

"Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. (Acts 27:34-36)

Paul was facing the same disaster as all the rest on board but he knew God's plan and he trusted that God would do what he said. As a result no one lost their life in this situation. They still had to go through the disaster of the shipwreck but not one life was lost, and God received the glory.

So often we interpret life as if we are the center of the universe, as if we are the ones that matter in every situation. But there are times when God allows us to be involved in certain situations and face certain circumstances for the sake of other people. Our faith is not always about us but about the people who are affected by it. Even as a prisoner Paul was an effective servant of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the forceful faith he possessed. A forceful faith draws everyone who is around us into a place of hope. It doesn't matter who we are, what our position in life is, young or old; a forceful faith causes the Kingdom of God to advance in the hearts of people.

There is something that Jesus said that affects me almost every day as it keeps me humble and focused on Jesus instead of my circumstances:

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:44-45)

This reminds me that our Father loves everyone the same, the save and the unsaved. Terrible things happen to the righteous and the unrighteous because we live in a fallen world. Hurricanes will destroy the homes of both. People will lose their babies. Children will die. The difference should be in our response to these situations. We should respond according to our unshakable, forceful faith. We should become a conduit of hope for those who face these things in the darkness of hopelessness. Paul could have panicked like the rest. He could have thrown his hands up in despair but he didn't. He listened for God and he believed. He acted on that faith and everyone was saved.

Go the distance with Jesus no matter what you are facing right now. Go the distance and don't look back. You have trusted him this far, so go all the way and see what he is going to do with it. Trust that you are not the focus here but everyone around you is. Don't act like the victim but instead be the servant. Stop worrying about yourself and become the encourager that people need. Allow God to use your forceful faith to bring others into the Kingdom. Rise up oh warrior and serve your King.  


    

Encourager, Encourager; Wherefore Art Thou My Encourager?

There are not enough encouragers in the Body of Christ. Perhaps they have been hi-jacked by a critical spirit but we need to get them back. This is what I realized the other day in the middle of our school's car wash.

Strange place for a revelation on the function of the body but anywhere team-work is required we will find parallels with the Body of Christ. We were on the second day of the car wash and a few of us were running out of steam. It was sunny, we were all sunburned, water logged and very low on energy. To be honest I was ready to pack it in. That's not like me. I am a "go to the end of it" sort of guy but I was really done in. That's when a wonderful thing happened.

While we workers were slugging it out with the cars, vans and trucks a couple of ladies from the church showed up. They rallied the younger children around and started making tons of noise to draw in other customers. The enthusiasm and joy was contagious. All of us suddenly felt a new wave of energy flooding over us. Their chanting and singing lifted us to a new level; a fresh wind and fresh fire. They didn't even realize what they were doing for us but they became our encouragers.

Oh how we need this in the Church. How many of the workers, the warriors are feeling tired and warn out? How many are at the point of just giving up? How many cannot find the strength to even lift their head? They need Spirit-inspired encouragement, that one word that renews their strength and helps them reach a new level of faith and trust. If we would transfer our energy from a critical spirit to an encouraging one, life would look a lot different for all of us. Scripture tells us:

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

We are expected to be encouragers. Do you remember Paul's friend Barnabas? Do you realize that his name was actually Joseph? He became known as Barnabas because of his character, Barnabas meaning "Son of Encouragement". Should we be surprised then that it was Barnabas who was the first to extend a hand of friendship to Saul of Tarsus? When everyone else shunned him and tried to avoid this former persecutor of the Church, Barnabas came to him boldly and later introduced him to apostles like Peter. When Paul needed a friend the most there was Barnabas. How many more Saul's are out there who need an encourager to help them step into the greatness they have been called to? How many other groups are out there who have been working hard and simply need a cheer leader to come along to lift them up?

Those who have the gift of encouragement, let him encourage. We are desperate for you.

A Word Of Encouragement To Stay The Course

I want to give you a word of encouragement this morning to stay the course. We need to be a determined people, not to fulfill a self-proclaimed destiny but to complete the will of our Father. Part of the problem is that many of us are on a course that we cannot be absolutely sure is directed by the Lord. So that is the first step, determining whether this is the correct course. This will take time as you surround yourself in the Word, spend hours in prayer and seek godly council from the spiritual leadership God has placed in your life. Usually God's will is revealed in our heart and is confirmed by what is said to us. It is seldom that God's will is revealed from the outside, trying to persuade our heart. We never have to persuade our heart as much as our will.

Jesus is an example of God's will revealed to the heart. When he went to pray in the garden he knew what his Father's will was. He knew that he had to face arrest, suffering and then the torturous death on the cross. This may come as a shock to you but Jesus would have preferred an option here. As he prayed he asked his Father if this could be avoided. His flesh was struggling with this whole thing. Not every calling from the Lord is a pleasant thing to everyone and sometimes we have to wrestle with our flesh to submit. Jesus submitted his will to the Father, he stayed the course, paid the price for us and set us free from our bondage to sin, making forgiveness possible.

Doing what is right is not always an easy thing and sometimes comes at great personal cost. Sometimes, when the Lord sets our feet on a certain course, we can actually see what awaits us on the path ahead. Consider the Apostle Paul. He had just come away from a very fruitful season of ministry in Asia Minor, his most successful ministry to date. Now the Spirit was telling him to return to Jerusalem but it wasn't going to be a pleasant thing. He was going to be arrested and jailed for many years. He knew this and still he went.

Some of us may look at this and say that he had a death wish or perhaps a martyr's complex; maybe he was tired and wanted to go out in a blaze of glory. The thing is, there was no blaze of glory, just a long drawn out arrest where he was separated from most of his friends. From a great and fruitful ministry to a prisoner with little contact with people. I wonder how much Paul doubted the purpose of God in this? But there were "road markers" that he could look back on and encourage himself that this was the Father's will.

First, it was placed on his heart. He knew he had to go to Jerusalem and then after Jerusalem to Rome, he just didn't know yet how he was getting to Rome:

After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” (Acts 19:21)   

What we often discover is that after we have started on the course marked out for us the Spirit encourages in it, often revealing more details. This was Paul's experience as he explained to the elders of Ephesus why he would never see them again:

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. (Acts 20:22-24)

Paul now knew what awaited him but he didn't care about the personal cost, he just wanted to stay faithful, completing the task that had been given to him. For most of us prison would not seem to be a great success but to a Christian the only true success is faithfulness. We do not measure our success by numbers, size or riches. Success is always measured by our faithfulness in completing the task given to us, of staying the course, of going to the end.

It is interesting that once we have responded to the course that has been laid on our heart how much opposition can arise from those closest to us. We so often measure things according to our flesh instead of the Spirit. We always want to save people from things that would cause them physical harm. We are too much focused on our physical condition to raise the priority to the spiritual level. As Paul went along people tried to dissuade him from this course. First in Tyre:

Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. (Acts 21:4)

And then just on the doorstep to Jerusalem, in Caesarea, where a prophet met with Paul. Look at the reaction of his closest friends:


Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. (Acts 21:11-12)


Paul was one of the most determined leaders of the early Church. Today we would have called him stubborn, perhaps lacking judgement. After all, with all this foreknowledge, who in their right mind would stay this course? Ummmmm, Jesus? Why is it that we insist that our Father would not call us to such times as this to further his purpose in the lives of people who need to hear about Jesus? Through his suffering Paul gained access to governors, judges and kings. He went all the way to the court of Caesar. What's a little discomfort for the sake of those who need Jesus?

I want to give you this word of encouragement to stay the course that the Spirit has laid on your heart, even if it entails some discomfort. Perhaps you can see that it will include some great personal cost. Well rejoice then, just as the early apostles did, that you have been considered worthy to suffer for the Name. Don't run away from it just because it hurts but stay the course and see what is produced. To this day we taste the fruit of Paul's imprisonment. It did not come as a result of some king receiving Jesus but instead from letters Paul had time to write while in prison. Some of those letters are found in our New Testament and we learn a great deal from them every day. I doubt Paul saw this as the fruit that was being produced but our God has a much larger purpose for the course he has set before us.

Rejoice my friends and stay the course. Do not look to your suffering and hardships but instead to God's glory. Is that not our prayer, that he would glorify himself through us? So stop dictating the terms and allow the joy of the Lord to permeate your heart so that no complaint is found upon your lips but only the praises of our King. Remember:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

The emphasis here is not the suffering but what was being achieved through it. Paul does not say fix your eyes on your troubles but instead on Jesus Christ. To God be the glory!
 

God Told Us How To Face A Hurricane

As the east coast of the United States waits out hurricane Irene, we are reminded that there are some things in life that cannot be prevented. There is nothing in this world that can turn aside a hurricane. We can't shoot missiles at it. We can't offer it peace talks. We can't bribe it or try to deflect its attention. We can't even build a wall to keep it out. No matter what we would try to use to turn it away, it will simply keep coming. There are some things in our life like that. Even though we can see it approaching there is nothing we can do to stop it or prevent it because it is out of our hands.

The people of the east coast have done or are doing everything they can to keep the damage to a minimum. They have watched this storm approaching for days. They have evacuated people out of the most vulnerable areas. They have boarded up or taped their windows. They have added sandbags where they could. They have shut down subways and laid in emergency supplies. They have all their emergency people standing by for after the storm. They are as ready as they can be. That's pretty well all we can do with some of our personal storms as well, be prepared. The only difference is in how we prepare.

King David was a man who faced more than his fair share of storms. Some were of his own creation and others were brought upon him. Regardless of their origin, once started there was nothing to be done but face them. David was a courageous man because he knew where his strength came from:

The LORD is my light and my salvation—
   whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
   of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

These were not just words to David as they are to many of us. Look at his life and you will see that even in the most desperate times David continued to trust God. Even when he was the cause of the storm David knew the promises of God and he had confidence in his mercy and grace. Many of us cave like a house of cards with the least stiff breeze that blows against us. Fear takes over so we throw away our desire for God's will and allow "survival of the fittest" to take over. David would not allow fear to have its way with him:

Though an army besiege me,
   my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
   even then will I be confident. (Psalm 27:3)

We pray, and cry out to God that he would rescue us from the storm or make it all go away but some storms he would have us face because he is developing our character. However, that does not mean he leaves us exposed. He is our Father and he loves us enough that he gave us his best: Jesus. Surely this must mean that he will also give us all other good things if he has already given us his best. He provides us shelter in the storms and that shelter is himself:

For in the day of trouble
   he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
   and set me high upon a rock. (Psalm 27:5)

That shelter is his peace which goes beyond understanding. When all the world is losing its head over things we remain without fear because we have his peace and are confident of our Father's faithfulness. He does not hide us in some building because the tabernacle is himself. Another psalmist wrote:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
   my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2)

The real testing of our faith is not found in how loud we sing and shout on the sunny days. The test is how well we stand on the ground we have been given on the "hurricane" days. It is great to study the Word but if we cannot allow the Word to form us so that we act upon it in the worst of times, there is a problem in the relationship we have with Jesus. How we face these storms are of great importance because it affects our testimony, the testimony that says that we love and trust God. Stand my friends:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (Ephesians 6:10-11)

Just like the people of the east coast we cannot turn away the storms. With some of these storms the Lord instructs us to speak to it and the waters will be calm but others he simply says "my grace is sufficient" and he strengthens us. But just like the people of the east coast  we can prepare ourselves as we see the storm approach. We are told not to neglect the relationship we have with our Shelter:

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)

Standing in the storm is vital; it is of great importance because it is a testimony to the greatness of our God. Our preparedness is not a difficult thing although many in the storm have neglected their armour and suffer for it:

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:14-18)

Fellow sojourner in Christ, this is how we prepare ourselves to face every storm that tries to prevail over our faith. Singing to praise the Lord and to encourage our heart is a good thing but do it knowing that you have prepared yourself to stand. He tells us to get dressed for the battle. The battle belongs to him but we must prepare ourselves to stand. The most important promise in all of this that we must hold on to is this:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:38-39)

That should be all that matters to us in all of life, all that we need to know in order to want to stand. My friends, stay safe, stay strong, remain on alert and be prepared to stand your ground. To God be the glory!

Are You Aware Of How You Are Equipped To Make This A Positive Day?

Here's a thought for you to start off this fine Saturday morning: What you speak will determine what kind of day it will be. Now I am not talking about new age thinking here or anything other than the Word of God. I want you to think about this for a moment: Our tongue will decide the direction of our day.

Yesterday was the semi-annual school car wash. It is s a fund raiser we have to end the school year and again to start off the new school year. It has several noble purposes, such as building school spirit, teaching team work but mostly it is for raising money. Unfortunately some people's attitude toward this important event leaves much to be desired. Considering it's vital nature to the school finances I would think that all the parents would be on board with it. It can also be a lot of fun so I would think our teens would make the most of it. Instead we hear tons of excuses so that it ends up being a small percentage of people doing all the work to benefit the majority of people. Sound familiar Church?

We had a choice yesterday. We could have stood around complaining about what we didn't have, such as more hands to help, or we could realize what we had and have fun with it. Often I have chosen the former, complaining about the deficiencies, my lack, or the lack of others. That is the choice many of us make, but all we end up with is a belly full of complaints, a great deal of bitterness, and a terrible time doing whatever it is that we are doing.

Yesterday we decided to realize what we have and had fun with it. I won't lie, there was a bit of complaining but for the most part we just got on with what needed to be done and ended up enjoying ourselves. Not everyone made that choice so that some of the teens ended up having a miserable time. However, the adults who concentrated on the task walked away at the end of the day tired but with a smile on our face and a song in our heart. Complaining only leads to bitterness but words of encouragement lead to joy and power to overcome. The Scriptures tell us:

Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. (James 3:5-6)

Many of us can testify to the truth of this because we have experienced it; we have allowed our tongue to run unchecked. Often we speak from the overflow of our heart and Jesus told us that our Father judges our heart, so we need to keep our heart pure. Still, there is a difference between feeling something and speaking what we feel. We give life to whatever we speak and we can never take life away from it. We can apologize, seek forgiveness but we still can't kill the thing we brought into existence. As followers of Jesus the only thing we should be giving life to is love. Hatred and bitterness cannot co-exist with the Spirit of God in us, who produces forgiveness, mercy and grace:

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (James 3:9-12)

This is so practical in its truth there is no getting around it, and it's simple. If you love your brother you cannot speak against him in bitterness. If you speak against him it reveals only the immaturity of your love and a lack of love for God. Often it means that we have been distracted so that our eyes are off of Jesus and on ourselves. Confess it; complaining happens when we concentrate on how one person's actions affect us. If we are not so concerned with ourselves we may understand our brother's needs better. This is a sign of maturity:

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. (Romans 15:1)

There is never any excuse for complaining. That doesn't mean we can't address shortcomings in a positive and respectful manner. If you order a hamburger and they give you a hot dog it is not complaining to point out the mistake. If you order a medium steak and they bring you a raw one, it is not complaining to point out their error. In fact most places would be upset that you didn't tell them. They want to get it right. However, it is complaining to sit there mouthing off about it without giving them a chance to correct their mistake. If a brother or sister is failing in something there is nothing wrong with bringing this to their attention, in a kind and supportive manner. They may even thank you. It is not love to complain about it without giving them a chance to correct it. If they still do not correct it you need to let it go and allow the Spirit to bring conviction and teaching. You simply concentrate on remaining faithful to your tasks, not allowing anything to affect your heart for Jesus, keeping it pure so that only good things come from your mouth.

I could have summed all of this up in one phrase: Watch your mouth. What you feel will pass but what you speak will take on its own life. Don't allow complaining to become part of who you are. Praising and encouraging is a much better path to fun and laughter. In all you do stay positive and dependent on the Lord and you will be amazed at how attractive you suddenly become to everyone. As the children of God we are a blessed people so let's start living that way, enjoying the life we have been given. What you speak today will determine the direction of your day.

How God Deals With Our Complacency

Have you noticed how our Father deals with complacency in our lives? You know about complacency right; that place where you begin to let things slip because it is all too comfortable and too familiar? Often some of the first things we allow to slip relate to our relationship with Jesus. Complacency robs us of our energy and effort so that we find reasons to set aside prayer and our Bible study. We still listen to worship music but it's kind of in the background; we don't really participate with it. We simply accept things as they are, go with the flow and start making some compromises because compromise is always found on the heals of complacency.

Jesus does not like complacency because of the double-mindedness it permits to take root. He wants us 100% committed to the relationship and the mission. That's why the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all of your entire being. It is the reason why our God will permit things into our lives that keep us awake, attentive and dependent on him. Our Father has eternity in mind when he allows adversities to arise. He is preparing us for eternity as he has us face these times. What is hard for us to understand is, he is more interested in our preparedness for eternity than he is in our earthly comforts, especially if those comforts become a source of complacency.

Some people consider this mean, hard and even cruel. They are looking for a blessed life, filled with good times, pleasures and whatever it takes to be happy. If God permits adversities in a person's life they consider it to be failure and rejection. It is not their measure of success. But the Scriptures say otherwise:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

That's the Father's plan, to bring us to maturity. Most of us remain immature because as we face adversities we run and hide, asking our Father to rescue us. The Word says that we should feel encouraged by trials and adversities, especially if they come to correct something in our walk in the Spirit:

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. (Hebrews 12:7-8)

How's that for you? Those who judge the trials of another man should perhaps look at his own life and start worrying about his lack of trials. The Scriptures tell us to stop fighting against these things and start learning. Stop crying out to be rescued and start examining the matter and learn something:

Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! (Hebrews 12:9)

Hey, no one finds these things to be pleasant but sometimes they are like bad tasting medicine. It does not taste good at all going down but it has wonderful results for our body. We are suppose to have long term sight, understanding that we are a blessed people and what seems unpleasant today will have great benefits tomorrow:

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:10-11)

Honestly, what is of greater importance to you, to be spoiled and comfortable or to have a harvest of righteousness produced in you? Some people desire peace all their life and never achieve it but Scripture tells us that peace belongs to those who have been trained by the trials. So, in relation to trials the Scripture instructs us:

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. (Hebrews 12:12)

Isn't that what a dad would say? It is what I say to my children as they are learning to ride their bike. My first impulse is to protect them. If I could I would strap pillows all around them or put some kind of foam matting along their path, but it doesn't work that way. They are going to fall and there will be a bit of pain. I will examine the scrape, wipe away the tears and place them back on their bicycle. It is part of the process of learning. Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Allow the trials to make you stronger.

Many of us have been blessed by fathers who taught us some of the hard lessons in life. If we broke a neighbour's window our dad could have rescued us by dealing with the neighbour himself. He could have simply paid to have that window fixed, but there would have been no lesson for us in it. Instead, if he was like my dad, he would bring us over and stand with us as we faced the neighbour and the consequences of our actions. He would encourage us as we worked for the summer doing chores for the neighbour to pay for that window. We would all hate it but we would learn and become that much more mature, Our dad is thinking about how we will develop into adulthood, the type of character we will have.

In saying that, dad's are also protectors. Our heavenly Father would never allow us to face something that was too big for us, that we could not handle. The problem is we can handle a lot more than we think. But if the trial is too big it is like a dad looking out the window to see a bully twice his son's size picking on his son. That dad is going to be out the front door, down those stairs and across the street before the bully can even finish stating his threat. He will be in that bully's face telling him exactly what he is going to do if he ever sees him near his son again and he is going to put that bully to flight. That's our Father.

Complacency is a death sentence for those who serve the Lord and our Father is not about to allow it to get a grip on us. It is simply a matter of us understanding the correction and submitting ourselves to it. I say this with such free flowing words but some of the adversity and trials we face can seem bone crushing. Sometimes they involve tremendous loss. Sometimes they steal our breath away and threaten to devour us in fear, but that's because we look at them the wrong way and allow our flesh to lead us instead of our spirit. Our Father allows these things in order to produce righteousness and maturity in us, not fear. In fact, if we truly know him and love him we would never fear anything we face:

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18) 

Our Father is doing a good thing. Trust that he loves you and submit yourself to the lessons he is teaching you. Remain sensitive to him, pray in the Spirit, and remember he is preparing you for the eternity to come. Be encouraged my friends, you are legitimate children and this is how Dad deals with our complacency.

There Is A Difference Between "Giving Up" and "Letting Go"

Sometimes the only way to rest in the peace of Jesus is to let go. The reason we struggle so much with letting go is because we are survivors. We are fighters. We will fight to hold on even if that means losing the peace Jesus gave to us. Now I am not talking about giving up. Giving up and letting go are two different things. Giving up is losing hope and walking away. Letting go is recognizing that there are some things we can do nothing about and deciding to trust Jesus and the promises he has given us. It is the recognition that we are not in charge, that our Father is and we will simply rest in him, having full confidence that his desire is not to destroy us but to complete us.

I will confess here, there are times when this is a struggle for me. I am not a controller except when it comes to relationships. Relationships is the one area where I will lose a lot of sleep over, especially changing relationships. I hate change in relationships. Whether it be a friend or a child moving away from me, it becomes a big disturber to my peace. I can handle the loss of things but I cry over changes in relationships. These become the stress points in my life. Have you identified your stress points, the things that are the hardest for you to deal with, the things that disturb your sleep?

Nothing is meant to disturb the peace that Jesus gave to us as a gift. Remind yourself:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

That is Jesus' will for us, that we would be a people of peace, his peace, which has been established in us by our relationship with Jesus; a relationship of trust. We are responsible for that peace once we have it. He told us "Do not let" and "do not be". It means we have a choice here. The peace is from him but we are responsible to keep it. It means not allowing anything to trouble our hearts and not allowing fear to take us captive.

It is amazing how much God has spoken against fear, constantly encouraging us, lifting us above this thing that can enslave us and strip us of the blessings of fellowship with the Spirit. Fear destroys trust or is a sign that trust never existed. As the children of God we are obligated by love to know, understand and live according to the promises. We must trust. We maintain such a relationship by knowing the promises and by taking everything, and I mean everything, to the Lord. We need to see him as he is, the great burden lifter:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29)

It doesn't make sense that we think we can hold on to things and still call out for this peace. The peace is already ours, a gift from God. What we need to do is learn to be like Jesus. We need to take his "yoke", his character, his relationship with the Father on as our own. We need to be willing and desiring so that the Spirit can do the impossible in us. Jesus said to look to him, learn from him. He said that, "learn from me" and then we would find rest. In other words we must swim out to the middle of the river and relax, floating in the current of our Father's will, just as Jesus did. "Not my will Father but yours be done."

Often our problem is that we are not willing to consider the Father's will. We are too busy exhausting ourselves trying to swim against the current. We rush around in impossible situations trying to find our own solutions, trying to plan our own rescue. We throw off the yoke of Jesus. There is no rest for us. No trust. No peace because we want what we want and we want it now. We refuse to understand that sometimes our Father has to lead us through those valleys of shadows to bring us to the good stuff, the better stuff, the place of his will. That is the meaning of Psalm 30:5 :

For his anger lasts only a moment,
   but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
   but rejoicing comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

The seed must always die before it can be transformed. The old things in us must die and fall away before our Father can bring us into what he has prepared for us. Sometimes that transition will bring us to the abyss of "giving up". In the face of this abyss the hardest thing to do is let go. Not give up, but let go, allowing the Father to complete his working, trusting him even in the darkness. This is one of my favorite verses, knowing the hardships the apostle Paul had faced:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Those who are able to remain in the rest that is ours through the peace of Jesus are those who understand and trust that God is working these things out for our good. These are the people who have said in their hearts, "No matter what, I place my trust and my confidence in Jesus Christ because nothing else matters to me". The enemy will do everything in his power to destroy that confidence and trust in Jesus but that enemy is also under our feet, having no authority or power over us. I know who I am in Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, my King, the author and perfecter of my faith.

If you have allowed things to disturb the peace you were given as a gift, if you have lost the rest you once knew, it is time to remind yourself of these facts, to let go of what you are struggling to hold on to so that God can do what he desires to do and trust him. You have to trust that he loves you above everything else and he is working out his will in your life. Listen to the Spirit. Obey him especially in the valleys of those shadows because he has promised to guide you. Let go of those things and hold on to Jesus. Remember Abraham and Isaac. Abraham trusted and obeyed. The Lord stopped the knife and provided the sacrifice. Trust our Father.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Who Defines You; Where Do You Find Your Identity?

I praise the Lord this morning that he does not share the same opinions and perspectives of the people around us. Perhaps you aren't aware of it but people are constantly trying to mold you into their opinion of you. We label people because of things they have done or things they have said and then we leave that label there. They become static to us, never changing, always fitting into that box, and people do the same for us. Yet, living is a fluid thing, as we are constantly learning, adapting, changing and maturing. The fact of the matter is, we are not defined by the mistakes we have made, because Jesus has made us a new creation and our identity is found there, not in our mistakes and sins.

If we are not careful we will allow their words and opinions to shape us into their expectations. We will allow their labels to define who we are, even though we know differently. But our identity is not found in the words and opinions of man. Our identity is found in Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. I tell you this because even when we are aware of it we still allow things other than who we are in Jesus to define us. We can allow those words to rob us of our courage, strength, joy, hope and love.

King David did not have an identity problem and even in the worse moments of his life he held on to who he was in God. He remembered God's calling and he refused to back down from how God saw him. One of the darkest moments of his life was when Absalom, his son, no longer saw his father as king and came against him. Too many people had gone over to Absalom for David to remain in Jerusalem so he had to flee, but he did not stop seeing himself as king. He trusted that God was working this out. It didn't matter if the whole kingdom had gone over to his son, David knew who he was in God. In Psalm 3 we see his thinking on the matter:

O LORD, how many are my foes!
   How many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
   “God will not deliver him.” (Psalm 3:1-2)

Typical. Instead of seeking God's will in this, people looked at the circumstances and assumed that this was God's doing, his plan, and David's punishment. Sometimes we find ourselves in valleys of other people's creation, but God will lead us through those as well. These people were cursing David, saying God had abandoned him, would not deliver him, but David knew differently. He knew his identity, his calling and God's desire. Regardless of his enemies' David remained resolute in his trust:

But you are a shield around me, O LORD;
   you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
To the LORD I cry aloud,
   and he answers me from his holy hill. (Psalm 3:3-4)

David knew the only source of his salvation. He knew the blessings of the Lord were still flowing upon him, even in this dark valley. It was in this valley that the Lord would not allow David to be downcast but kept his head lifted up as the anointed king of Israel. He knew even now that God was responding to his prayers, he did not doubt it.

One of the first things that happen to us when we allow fear, worry and doubt to come in by circumstance and word is our loss of peace. Our bed becomes a source of torment as we chase after God's promised rest. We toss and turn, allowing our thoughts to run wild. But when our confidence is found in Jesus, in his promises, in who he is and in the truth of our identity our sleep remains undisturbed. David, in the face of his enemies, did not lose his peace:

I lie down and sleep;
   I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
I will not fear the tens of thousands
   drawn up against me on every side. (Psalm 3:5-6)

I like how David reveals that peace he possessed, "I lie down and sleep". I sleep. He says, "I will not fear". He will not fear because he had learned long ago to trust God. This was far from David's first battle. He was a warrior who at one time had to hide in caves and fight for his life after he had been anointed as king. Do you realize it took 16 years from the moment of his anointing to the moment he wore the crown? David had learned where his deliverance came from:

From the LORD comes deliverance.
   May your blessing be on your people. (Psalm 3:8)

Now before you get all self-righteous about this I just want to point out that this trouble that David faced was a result of his own personal failings. He had brought this trouble on himself. It started with Bathsheba but it was also about what David neglected. He neglected the sin in his family. He failed to deal with his children. He treated his son Absalom poorly. He is the one who seeded this rebellion in his son's heart. God was not about to deliver David from these troubles because of David's righteousness. God delivers us because of his unfailing love. It has nothing to do with us and everything to do with him. He does it because he has claimed us as his own and he defends his own, even in the messes of their own creation.

If you hope to stand against the storms and trials of this life, against the labels and opinions of others, against the doubts and fears that attack your faith, you need to know the Father's heart. If you see him as a mighty holy force, enforcing his rules and regulations, longing to punish our disobedience then you do not have much hope in winning your battles. But if you understand "God is love", that the Father desires everyone to be saved, that his great desire is reconciliation with his enemies, that he desires the best for you, that he longs to build you up and not tear you down, that he is the rescuer even from our own sins, mistakes and troubles, then you will trust him and you will have victory.

I encourage you to stand with great courage, allowing your faith to overcome the fear as you face the battle. Maybe this is your first battle, maybe it is one in a long list of others, maybe you have never won a battle, maybe you haven't known how. Then today make a change in your thinking. The battle is not yours, it is the Lord's. Deliverance is not found in your strength or the strength of anyone around you. Your deliverance comes from only one source: "From the Lord comes deliverance". Allow your peace to be restored to you as you trust the one in whom you find your identity. You are the child of the LORD God Almighty, our Father. He will never fail you, even in the face of a multitude of enemies. Allow Jesus to define you, not the words and opinions of anyone else.

Looking For Joy In The Impending Darkness Of Despair

Ready to give up yet? I am, or rather I would be if it wasn't for one simple fact: The joy of the Lord is my strength. Ever wonder what that verse really means? Maybe it's the last thing you want to hear right now as you face some mighty big stresses in your life but if you understood the context of this verse you may think otherwise.

The people of Israel had been in captivity in Babylon for 70 years. To survive they had let go of their history, of their language, of their God. They had become assimilated into the culture. Now here was a representation of this former nation returning to the land of their fathers, realizing everything they had lost. They had begun to rebuild but something was desperately missing. They were heavy with their sin, with what they had done in their past. They felt crushed, weighed down by their sin. Their captivity was a result of their disobedience to God. As they assembled together to hear from the book of the Law they felt burdened.

We have a wonderful Father who desires nothing but the best for us and from us. As the Law was read to those people he spoke to them and called them back to him. As he brought them to salvation, forgiving them he also renewed them. He lifted the burden from their shoulders and claimed them as his people again. The passage is this:

   They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear^[a] and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.

   Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

   Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

   The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.” (Nehemiah 8:8-11)

You should take the time to read the whole passage because it contains much more than this small portion but what I want you to take from this is that sense of the Lord turning mourning to joy. We become tired from our struggles and burdens. We allow these things to lead us off in captivity. We allow them to separate us from our Father. We become weary. We forget. We set aside the Word. We become too burdened to even pray. But our Father calls us to renewal. He desires to renew us from our sins. Correction may have to come in but our God does not leave us there. He does not desire for us to be overwhelmed by our mourning, our grieving, our burdens and struggles. He tells us to be renewed. Stop grieving he says because the joy of the Lord is your strength. This joy that comes when we realize the goodness and love of the Lord is intended for us even when we feel we do not deserve it. The Word says:

For his anger lasts only a moment,
   but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
   but rejoicing comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

We come with all our burdens, struggles and sin, looking to the Lord for salvation from them. But some come and never receive because they do not let go of the grieving to take up the joy. When we come to the Lord it must be with the acceptance that he longs to rescue us. We must leave these things with him and  receive the joy that comes with our rescue because without joy we do not have the strength to be overcomers. His joy is our strength. A Christian without joy is a Christian who has not understood God's grace and deliverance. The time for grieving is over. It is time to realize joy.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)

This verse is important because we so often let go of our strength which is this wonderful joy. Like everything else with God we think that once is good enough for a life time. But joy, along with everything in our relationship with God, is a daily event. Last week's joy is not going to help us today. Today we must be possessed with today's joy. Every day is a day of renewal in our Lord, a daily refreshing, daily worship, daily rejoicing. It is only then that we have the strength to face the battle we are fighting. The "always" of this verse is what we need to master; in the storms, on the mountain tops, in the valleys, when our hearts are so heavy they want to break and when worship comes so easily to us. Face it, our Father leads us through some pretty dark valleys at times but his joy remains our strength as he fills us with his love and peace. Do not grieve because the joy of the Lord is our strength.

One of the most powerful passages of Scripture is found in Habakkuk 3. The prophet stood before a wave of impending doom, when everything was about to be swept away and changed forever as a result of destructive sin. He writes:

I heard and my heart pounded,
   my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
   and my legs trembled. (Habakkuk 3:16)

What a wonderful description of how fear saps our strength; quivering lips, weakness in the body, legs that cannot hold us up. Even in the face of this the prophet states that he was waiting patiently for his salvation. Then this amazing thing is written:

Though the fig tree does not bud
   and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
   and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
   and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
   I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

Amazing. I want that attitude. I want that perspective. I desire that my relationship with the Lord would lift me far above my sins, my struggles, my burdens, my fears. My strength is not found in my physical blessings but in my spiritual relationship with my Father. This relationship must be greater than any physical lack and my only desire should be to be captivated by my Lord's love. In this way his joy becomes by strength and the briefest grieving is chased away by his joy. Habakkuk continued to write:

The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
   he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
   he enables me to go on the heights. (Habakkuk 3:19)

Yes LORD!! Hallelujah and amen!! My God desires my success not my failure. He desires to build me up not to destroy me. He reveals my sin not to punish me but to rescue me. Grieving comes with the realization of our sins but the Lord has no desire for us to remain there. He rescues us that we would experience his great joy and be able to experience its depth just like Habakkuk.

Realize the generosity of our incredible Lord Jesus today. Do not be overwhelmed by your struggles, burdens and sins. Allow his joy to come flooding in, to rescue you, to wipe away your tears, to fill you with great strength. He must become your everything so that nothing on this earth, not the changing tides or the impending doom, can wash you away from his grasp. Rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice always in every circumstance of your life. Repeat it until you clue in. Allow his joy to be your strength. He loves you. He really does.

How To Deal With The Fear That Seems To Prevail

Make no mistake about it, you are hated. The hatred is not because of who you are or even what you do; it is because of whose you are. Satan can't stand the sight or smell of you because you are loved by the Father. He doesn't fear you but he certainly fears the One in you and for this reason he will use every opportunity to try to destroy you. His usual tools are fear, discouragement, anxiety, panic or anything else he can use against the peace Jesus Christ has given us. He is the great Accuser and he will constantly remind you of your sins and failures, bringing your past up against you any time you attempt to soar with the eagles. But he is a liar! Those things belong under your feet.

The greatest weapon we have against our Enemy is faith but that faith cannot be based on hearsay. Faith that can stand against the onslaught of the enemy is faith that is based in the knowledge of God's promises to his children. We have to know these promises in order for our faith to have any substance. Faith is key to our victory over every scheme of the enemy. Remember:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)

Listen, I know what it is to sink into the dark abyss, when it seemed like the mountains were crashing down upon me, when panic and fear overwhelmed me and what I knew seemed to flee from my grasp. I know what it is to feel the tightness of my chest, and my stomach all over the floor. I know what it is to sit in the middle of the kitchen floor trying to get the room to stop spinning. I know what it is to be lost in doubt and fear in the darkness of the night as my bed became a tomb instead of a place of rest. I know what it is to forget, even for the briefest moment, the love of Jesus. I know what it is to lose myself in that darkness. I know.

But I also know what it is to be rescued from that darkness by the light of Jesus by simply remembering who my God is, who I am in Christ and what his promises are to me. I know what it is to cause the curtain of despair to part to allow the truth of who I am in Christ to come flooding in. I know what it is to preach the Word out of my own need only to have that need met as I ministered to others. I know what it is to take council from the Word of God, to put on the full armour of God and to use that shield of faith to defend against Satan's attacks:

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:16)

But this fight is not a one time thing. You don't defeat the enemy and watch him limps away. Even with Jesus we are told that the enemy left him until a more opportune time. He will come at you from all kinds of angles, always with the same tools; fear, intimidation, doubt, anxiety, shadows, plenty of shadows, shadows of possibilities. Never anything of substance but always possibilities. The situations and the people who may be part of this are not the enemy. In most cases they are not even aware of the war being waged against you. The source of these things is the darkness and so we must fight this spiritual battle spiritually.

Don't lay in your bed late at night allowing those thoughts and ideas to plague your peace. Don't allow your bed to become associated with your fears. All those who belong to Jesus Christ have been promised peace. Get out of that bed and pray. Fight against the enemy with your faith, with the Word of God. Praise the Lord for his promises, repeating them out loud so the enemy can hear them. If you have a spouse or a friend who can pray with you wake them up. Where two or three are gathered Christ is there. We have been told we can ask anything in our relationship with Jesus and it will be given to us. Do battle every night until that peace is restored to you. I pick on the night because that is when the enemy is the strongest in his attacks, but when we contend in our faith joy always comes in the morning.

Sometimes we allow ourselves to be lied to, that the Christian life is all "butterflies and daffodils", that there is no real work or effort, no struggles, just existing with Jesus. When we think like this we are often broadsided by the enemy's schemes. The Christian life is a battle ground because we are part of a war. In this war we are promised the constant abiding peace of Jesus and his joy is our strength but those things will come under attack. We are told:

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:18)

The message of alertness is repeated:

So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

Peter told us plainly so that we have no excuse of being caught unaware of what we are involved in:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

That's another thing to remember, you are not alone in this. You are not unique in this struggle. You are not some kind of oddball reject that God is disappointed in. You are facing the same battle that every other follower of Jesus Christ is facing.

You can't sit back and hope that someone else will take your place in this battle. It is true that the battle belongs to God but he tells us to get our armour on, to take our place and to stand, resisting the enemy. He does not tell us to lie on our bed, in the dark, tossing and turning. Get up child of God! Get that armour in place and fight on your knees until the full victory is yours. The enemy has no power over us except for the power we permit him to have.

What do you do about the fear and anxiety that seems to prevail in those darkest moments? Run quickly to Jesus. Get into the Word and know the promises you have been given. Declare your trust in the Holy One. Get that shield of faith in place. Worship and testify to the goodness of God. Pray. Pray ceaselessly. Pray for others. Partner with people to pray with. Remember at all times who you belong to and why you are in this place. The Holy Spirit will strengthen you and encourage you. The Lord will maintain his peace and joy in you. Our Father will put the enemy to flight. Trust God.

We Don't Know What To Do, But Our Eyes Are On You

Life is never a constant. It is more like the ebbs and tides of the ocean, responding to the many things that affect us and that we affect. Sometimes the ocean of life can been serene, with the almost hypnotic pounding of the waves upon the shore. Other times that ocean is a very frightening thing as the storms whip those waves up in to a ferocious fury. There are times when simple matters, like bill payments, becomes a mountain of a wave threatening to undo us when in reality it is a simple fix. Then there are times when circumstances are such we are not sure we will even be able to survive until morning.

During these very dark moments of life I like to remember King Jehoshaphat, one of the bravest kings of Judah. This is what scriptures says about him:

The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his father David had followed. He did not consult the Baals but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel. The LORD established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor. His heart was devoted to the ways of the LORD; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah. (2 Chronicles 17:3-6)

Jehoshaphat was so devoted to the Lord that his great desire was to see him honoured and worshiped throughout the land so he put in place a plan to bring about reforms. He sent out a team of teachers along with the Book of the Law to educate the people on their past, on the covenant with God and the expectations God had laid out for them. This provoked revival in the land and a respectful fear among the surrounding nations. These were the golden days for Jehoshaphat, the days of the serene ocean:


The fear of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat. Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats.
Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful; he built forts and store cities in Judah and had large supplies in the towns of Judah. He also kept experienced fighting men in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 17:10-13)


But Jehoshaphat had a weakness. He had a desire to see Israel and Judah as one again. He longed to see a better cooperation between the two half-nations. The problem was that God had forsaken Israel and honoured Judah. He did not want Judah to have anything to do with those who had turned their back on him. Israel's fate was already sealed and God did not want Judah sucked down with it. Yet, Jehoshaphat reached out and associated himself with the wicked king of Israel. He sinned against God. This was his own doing.  As a result God gave this word to Jehoshaphat after his close encounter with an assassination attempt:

Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you. There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God. (2 Chronicles 19:2-3)

Because of his inappropriate response to the circumstances of life Jehoshaphat invited trouble into his nation, trouble that he would have to deal with as king. That trouble came in the form of a vast army that was made up of three nations. They had come together to overwhelm this tiny nation of Judah. Make no mistake about it, Judah was only what she was because of the LORD God Almighty because she was too small to be anything on her own. We are only what we are because of Jesus Christ. We are too insignificant to be of any worth or of any concern to the enemy. We too can find ourselves facing an overwhelming situation because we invited it in to our lives, a situation that sends us into panic and fear because it is so much beyond any capacity we have to deal with it. Now consider how Jehoshaphat responded in this impossible situation caused by his own sin.

The first thing he did was call the biggest prayer meeting ever held in Judah. The scriptures say that every man along with his wife and children assembled in Jerusalem and the king stood up and prayed in their presence. But read carefully what he prayed:

O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’ (2 Chronicles 20:6-9)

Notice here that the king does not point out all the good things he has done. He does not ask God to save them because they merit it. They do not even pretend to be anything other than his people. What the king does do is lift up who God is. He reminds God of his promises. He keeps his prayer focused on what God has done and what God has promised. He basically asks God to save them because of his unfailing love and that's it. Jehoshaphat understood the heart of God. He presents the situation to God saying basically, here is the storm of all storms that is threatening to wipe your people off the face of the map.

I can't stress enough here the importance of this prayer because so often we either do not call upon Jesus for help because of our past, all our mistakes, with the attitude "God would never help me". Or, we try to point out all the good things we have done and promise to do better in the future thinking we can merit his help. An earthly father will help any of his children, not because they deserve it but simply because they are his children. How much more our perfect heavenly Father. Jehoshaphat ended his prayer with the most powerful statement of faith that can be spoken in the face of an overwhelming storm. In front of everyone in that tiny nation, the king put the fate of the people in God's hands:

O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. (2 Chronicles 20:12)

This prayer moves me every time I consider it because I understand the honesty of it spoken from a man who desired nothing but to serve God. And God did not disappoint.

The LORD God Almighty responded to his children with words of instruction and encouragement:

Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.

And he told them:

You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Bot notice here that God did not simply send the army away. The nation still had to face it, they still had to walk through that valley of the shadow of death, but the Lord promised deliverance:

Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.
 
He told them:

Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.

The people responded in worship. They were not yet delivered but the word from the Lord was solid for them. They considered themselves saved because of this promise. They were delivered so they worshiped before it actually happened. The next day they went out dressed for battle as the Lord told them to, but they were led by the singers of worship. And the Lord delivered them.

Perhaps not everything we face threatens to destroy us in this manner but everything we face should be dealt with in this same kind of faith. It doesn't matter how the world sees you or what others believe about you. What matters is that your heart is right with God, that you trust him and that you realize that his promises are not based on what you merit but on his unfailing love. Sometimes we have to acknowledge that we do not know what to do and then we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. The writer of Hebrews encouraged us:

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

The apostle Paul wrote:

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Our only appropriate response to the storms, be it small or the overwhelming kind, is to call out to God, to trust his promises and to worship that much louder. May the Lord preserve your faith in the days to come.




 

Stripped Of Everything But Jesus

Often we speak extreme words of affection without much thought, but what if God took you up on them? Many of us have stated that even if we lost everything we would continue to follow Jesus; even if the whole world turned against us and hated us we would follow Jesus; even on pain of death we will go all the way with Jesus. We feel that we have what it takes to go the distance. But what if God took you at your word and allowed you to be stripped of everything; family, friends, job and even your freedom? Would you have what it takes to go the distance, to stay faithful to Jesus?

Don't answer too quickly. First take a good look at your children, who we often take for granted. Look your wonderful spouse in the eyes. Take a good look at all the blessings you are surrounded by. Would you remain faithful if they were all torn out of your grasp?

It is an unfair question because we really don't know until such moments are upon us and thankfully not many have to face such situations. Normal living can be stressful enough. But it does happen to some. It happened to Peter, even if it was short lived. In the blink of an eye Peter lost everything. All his friends had scattered. His purpose for living was arrested and taken from him. He was left with nothing but the clothes on his back so he did what many of us would do, he tried to hold on to what he had. He followed those who had arrested Jesus and sat outside the court in the hopes of a miracle. But no miracle came. In its place came accusation:


“You are not one of his disciples, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter.
   He replied, “I am not.” (John 18:17)


It slipped out of his mouth so easily, he didn't even realize what he had done. Hold on a second. Let's back up a moment here. Wasn't this the same man who only a few hours ago had boasted:

I will lay down my life for you. (John 13:37)

Even then Jesus had warned him of this denial but Peter rejected that thought. The way he felt right at that moment he could never imagine himself denying his Lord. But worry, fear and stress do a funny thing to a person's mind. It wasn't until his third denial of Jesus that Peter realized the words that were coming out of his mouth:

Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:74-75)


Under such times of stress our mind can play terrible tricks on us so it is hard to say how we would respond. However, there is one difference between us and Peter; we have the Holy Spirit through whom we have the peace of Jesus. Such peace is unbeatable unless we take our mind off of Jesus. If we give priority to the stress, to the waves, to the storm we are facing, we lose sight of Jesus and we begin to sink into the waters.

Peter had the right idea, stick as close as you can to Jesus. Peter did not have the access we do, as we live in Jesus and he in us. As the storm increases we do not run away, we sing louder, pray more deeply, dance and shout the praises of our Lord even more. If God cannot help us, what lesser force could? We cannot rely on anyone else, our hope cannot come from any other source. If it is not based on the promises and relationship with Jesus then it is a false hope. Even if everything is stripped away from us in this world, as it was for Peter, we have the greatest treasure, Jesus, who no one can separate us from.

Remember though, if the stress does play tricks on you and you have a moment of doubt leading to denial, God's grace is sufficient. Jesus sought Peter out afterward and restored everything to him by asking a simple question: "Do you love me Peter?" Such a gentle restoration and then a charge to be faithful to the task assigned to him. That same restoration is available to us when we lose our faith, take our eyes off of Jesus and allow denial to plague our hearts. Stay strong my friends because our God is faithful to save.