ON THE BATTLEFIELD

When you gave your life to Jesus Christ, you became God's friend. At the same time, you inherited His enemy, and you took your place on a battlefield. You may not think of yourself as a warrior, but that's just what you are. And the battle is for the very hearts and minds of human beings.

In Ephesians 6 we read, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (v. 11).

The word "wiles" means schemes, tricks, tactics or plots, and it's used of an animal that stalks its prey and then suddenly pounces. In 1 Peter 5:8, Satan is portrayed as "a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." Don't underestimate him. He is a clever foe, and he has studied human nature for thousands of years.

To fight him, you need the right armament--spiritual armor for fighting the spiritual battle. Paul uses the illustration of a Roman soldier in Ephesians 6:10-18. Here's what I think these verses mean.

Having your waist girded with truth means we should live truthful, authentic lives, without hypocrisy. The breastplate of righteousness means right behavior, the practical, day-by-day adherence to the precepts of God. The "preparation of the gospel of peace" means to always be confident because you have peace with God, and always be ready to proclaim your faith.

The shield of faith means your daily trust in God, which enables you to stand against anything Satan has to offer. The helmet of salvation means to have knowledge of the Bible, and to be confident because salvation is an ongoing work.

The Word of God is your offensive weapon, as Jesus showed in His temptation in Matthew 4. Studying the whole Word of God gives you an arsenal of truths to use in a spiritual battle. Prayer is also an offensive weapon. In the midst of the battle you are to talk to God, not the devil. Resist the devil; don't carry on long conversations with him.

The day you gave your life to God was the day that you got a whole new start. That day, Satan lost. But he doesn't give up that easily. He would like nothing better than to make you spiritually powerless, to steal your commitment, to make you less fervent, and to make you ineffective for the Lord.

If you are a growing, thriving Christian you will be a target for the enemy. Satan attacks you to hurt the purpose and heart of God, and you need to know what his strategy is. He can be blatant, but he can also be subtle. Either way, expect the fiery darts!

But I have good news: "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). And as Paul said in Romans 8:31, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

God is on our side! Remember that as you "suit up" and enter the battle.

"But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world." - 1 John 4:4 (NLT)

JUST A LITTLE SIN?

"Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him." Genesis 37:17b-18 (NIV)

Today, there will be a moment. No one will snap a picture of it. It probably won't make it into the journals of those who journal. Or linger in the thoughts we carry with us to sleep tonight.

It will come.

It will go.

It will slip by seemingly unnoticed. But its affects won't slip. They'll stay. And if fostered, grow to epic proportions.

This moment where something creeps into our heart and pulls our focus from right to wrong. It will be just a hint of distortion. The smallest amount. But a slight and seemingly insignificant amount of skewed thought will take root.

And grow.

Beyond what you can even imagine.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is where Moses goes to Pharaoh and sings that song, "Oh Pharaoh, Pharaoh, woah ohhh, gotta let my people go. Huawh! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."

Totally a loose translation, but you know what I'm talking about.

But here's an astounding chain of events to trace and consider. Why was the nation of Israel in captivity? Why was the entire nation of Israelites — all God's people — all twelve tribes — enslaved in Egypt?

As I trace this story backwards I find it's because of one seemingly insignificant moment.

The course of history was changed because a few family members got a little cranky and a little jealous of their brother Joseph. Envy and anger slipped in. Just a hint. But just enough.

It doesn't take much.

Joseph was thrown in a pit and eventually sold as a slave.

Years went by.

Years of heartbreak and confusion passed.

Eventually, Joseph landed in a position of great power in Egypt and had authority to provide food for his family. So, all 11 of his brothers and their families moved to Egypt. Joseph and his 11 brothers make up what became the 12 tribes of Israel. As these tribes multiplied they became the nation of Israel.

What the brothers meant for evil, God used for good. He saved the Israelites from the famine. But there were still lasting effects of the brothers' choices that came out years later.

After Joseph died, "Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 'Look,' he said to his people, 'the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.' So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. (Exodus 1:8-11)

So, the entire nation of Israel suffered oppression and slavery. Why?

Because a few brothers on an ordinary day got a little jealous and allowed anger and envy to slip in.

And the moment it slipped in, the course of history changed.

In a moment.

May we never assume our moments don't matter. The decisions we make every second of every day matter.

There are no little moments or little sins.

There is a domino affect to it all.

So, I fall hard upon soft grace. I thank God for this realization. I ask Him to make my soul even more sensitive, more aware, more in tune to my constant need for forgiveness.

Though I am weak, I walk in the strength of utter dependence.

And I refuse to beat myself up for mistakes made yesterday. Today is a new day. A new chance to set things going in a different direction.

Joseph's brothers had years to try and rescue Joseph — find out where he was — help him — set their past mistakes right.

Years. They had years. But they never did set about to turn things around.

Don't let today slip by.

Moments matter.

Watch for a moment today where you are given the choice to let anger, envy or something else negative slip in. Recognize it. Refute it. And replace it with God's spirit of love.

Dear Lord, You made me. You know me. I need Your help where I am weak. Make me aware of any place where I'm off course today. Give me the desire to do what pleases You. I want to do your will. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

FAITH IS ALL YOU NEED!!!

We have witnessed devastation recently that is so vast that there are some who still don’t believe what has actually happened. The television accounts have allowed us to see a part of what has happened, but there is no account as detailed as that experienced by those who have been in the midst of floods, wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis or any other disaster. Lives have been lost, and uncivilized behavior has raised its ugly head, primal behavior driven by desperation and deprivation.

Every day even small acts of negativity and destruction occur among us. People can be unkind, and in their own personal fear and insecurity, they can be cruel. The associates, teammates, friends, and acquaintances we see every day are often walking around with a world of pain locked inside. On the outside they attempt to deal, thinking the world cannot see, the pain that has caused their hopelessness to make them do and act in ways that are clearly driven by a lack of faith. Faith in themselves, faith in each other, faith in God.

Yet, truly...All we have is faith – faith that God is still in control; faith that if God’s people who are called by His name would humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways, that He will hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal the land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

All we have is faith that America will seek God while God may be found – from the White House to the outhouse, from the pulpit to the pew, from the high-rise to the hut. All we have is faith, and it is our faith that helps us dare to hope when we remember that the unfailing love of the Lord never ends! Great is His faithfulness; every morning new mercies we see.

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, mourns for God’s people in the midst of their own destruction and devastation. It is through the prophet Jeremiah that we understand not only God’s judgment, but God’s mercy and hope for humanity. It is through Jeremiah that Israel is called back to God in the midst of destruction.

We find ourselves today as a nation, a city, a town, a team, a community, affected by all that has happened as related to economics, catastrophic weather, employment, personal crises, and family dysfunction. We are in a position where only our faith will see us through. Our faith will cause us to stay connected to the call and cause of Christ even in the midst of despair and destruction. Our faith will cause us to examine our lives and our walk with Christ. It is our faith that helps us to continue to walk with Christ and not walk away feeling abandoned and betrayed by people and situations. After all, scripture tells us that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. Scripture tells us that the righteous have never been forsaken nor their children begging bread. Scripture tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things will be added unto us. It’s in our times of distress and despair that the enemy causes us to question God and His word. Yet, we the faithful, need only react to the negativity thrown our way daily by standing on scripture, living in love, and believing in the face of anything and everything that challenges us. As Hebrews 11 says be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not yet see. Faith will enable you to look at the people and circumstances around you and KNOW that God will handle them while you seek Him who empowers you to do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Faith is all that we have...and EVERYTHING we need. It is in Lamentations 3:19-24 that Jeremiah declares, “The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”

It is very simple, "If GOD be for us WHO can be against us?!"

All we have is our faith! Stand, Walk, Run...He will blow under your wings until you are flying above all the loss and tragedy and challenges life has thrown at you!

The Small Is Where You'll Find Your Greatness!

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom." James 3:13 (NIV)

What seems small in your world? That place where your vision is grand but your reality isn't. Your influence? Your opportunity? Your business? Your career? Your ability to give? Your ministry?

Look at that small place and tell me what you see.

Now, might I be so bold as to slip a little note into your world to tell you what I see?

I see the strings of a gift that when appreciated will spill forth as wisdom and understanding you can't get any other way. I see the possibility of James 3:13 churning to break free in your life, "deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom."

I see the place from which humility is birthed. That glorious rare quality that doesn't take too much credit. That knows real success is laced with upward glances, bent knees and whispered praises to the One. The only One.

He who gives.

And He who withholds. Not out of spite, not out of ignorance, not out of deafness, and certainly not out of comparisons where others are found to be more deserving.

No. He withholds out of protection. With more urgent restraint than we'll ever possess, He presses back the big to protect the workings of the small.

The small we should not despise.

The quiet nurturing taking place, the unfolding, the stir beneath where none can see.

Soon, a fork in the soul's path must be chosen. One way to haughtiness. One way to humility.

If that soul has never tasted small, it will detest the humble pallet. And crave big, only big, until it is so full of big that being big inflates and distorts and eventually bursts. All things haughty will eventually be made microscopic.

But for the soul that has tasted small, humility becomes their richest fare. The taste that fits. The thing most desired to be consumed. All things humble will eventually be made great.

Oh the beautiful gift of small.

The delight of knowing what small really is.

Small isn't a belittling of one's calling nor an indication of one's future.

It's a place. A grand unnoticed place. A place to be protected and remembered. A place that keeps all things big in good and right perspective.

Small isn't what keeps us from that grand vision.

Small is what keeps us for that grand vision.

So my prayer is,

Dear Lord, help me to embrace the small. I want to see with Your eyes what You have planned for me because of this small. Give me the ability to understand the beautiful gift of small. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

BRIDGES...

Sometimes, I’m not too fond of bridges. I understand their purpose and necessity. I know that I have to cross one to get to the other side. But some bridges can be too long. Others don’t look too steady or secure. Some bridges look strong and unbreakable. Yet, underneath them lie corrosion and faulty design that will one day lead to a collapse.

We are supposed to be a bridge; a pathway over obstacles so that others can make it to the other side. A bridge for the younger generation to cross. But somewhere along the way, the bridge has failed. And there remains a generation who does not know the Lord. Even worse, a generation that doesn’t want to know the Lord.

How would you describe this generation?

As disobedient, proud, unloving and unforgiving? Or as violent, hateful, sexually promiscuous, and wicked? Maybe as envious, selfish, and deceived? Seem a bit harsh? Well, that’s how Romans 1:29-32 describes what happens when people refuse to acknowledge God. This is what we become when God turns us over to ourselves.

But before we shake our heads in self-righteous indignation, I think we need to ask ourselves a question.

How would this generation describe us?

As backbiters, haters, proud, or untrustworthy? Or as immoral, greedy, egocentric, and out-of-touch?

Does that also seem harsh? Well, those same attributes can be found in Romans 1 as well. Somewhere along the way our bridge became faulty. Rather than deal with those faults, we just covered them with more work and service and less prayer and transparency. Judges 2:10 warns of what happens when bridges are faulty.

“When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done…”

Behind us, there’s a generation who does not know the Lord. They’re not just behind us. They’re right next to you. Kids in your neighborhood and your extended family. And some of them are even closer. They’re in your homes. At your dinner table. In the other room watching television.

Wherever they are, too many of them are detached, removed, and disinterested. And some of the faults in the bridge belong to us. We cannot expect the youth to fix what they didn’t break. To repair what they never quite got a chance to experience or to willingly connect with us. That duty falls on us. And until we do that, we’ll just continue to shake our heads in self-righteous condemnation as a generation drifts further from the Lord. Today, let us all do our part. Be an example to the younger generation in word, deed, and conduct.

After all, we may be the only bridge they have.

Scripture Of The Day: "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." - Ephesians 6:4 (NKJV)

Use Your Light!!!

Lately I had been going thru a few "storms," but today I thought I could see the light at the end of the tunnel ... then I realized the light wasn't at the end of the tunnel at all. It had been in my hand the whole time ... I just hadn't turned it on.

No, I am not referring to a flashlight … but to the Word of God. Wait. This is for EVERYONE. Sometimes we get so caught up and bent out of shape in what we see in the natural, that we forget who is really in control. God never promised us that our lives would be smooth sailing all the time, but He did promise us that He would never leave us or forsake us. So when we find ourselves in distress, we need to stop focusing on the storm and turn our attention back to the one who commands the storms to rage or to be still.

There is nothing happening in our lives that surprises God. He isn’t looking at us wondering, “oh my, how did this happen or how are we going to handle this?” There is nothing, absolutely nothing that is impossible for God. I have SEEN miracles. I have experienced, first hand, God talking to me in my spirit and through other people where I KNEW it was Him. I don't need to convince you if you don't have faith, but I promise you that the principles of faith work. Like most people, we have all tried different things, yet the power of God that is displayed when employing the principles of faith found in my Bible are beyond compare. That's why I sold out to it. I have come to believe and my belief evidences itself more and more as I study, seek, and challenge God to be God in my life.

Our greatest storms don’t affect Him and we don’t have to let them affect us either if we would utilize the tool (the light of wisdom) that God has provided us through His Word. The Book of Proverbs is like a play by play rule book for Life, Relationships, Business, and Love. The Psalms lead us into wisdom, peace, and comfort. The Gospels teach us about the greatest man, spirit, God, and power, to ever walk on earth, and leave us knowing that Jesus is the summary of everything spoken by the prophets over thousands of years.

While stress and worry were building up within me about the situations around me, God’s Word was instructing me to have faith.

“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: 16

While I was panicking about the doctor’s report on a health issue, God’s word was saying that by His stripes I was healed.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

While I was confused about what the next steps were in my life, God’s word was saying He would direct my paths.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

While I was ready to give someone a serious piece of my mind, God’s word reminded me to guard my tongue.

“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” James 3:6

While I was devastated at the current state of a relationship, a work situation, or my life in general, God’s word reminded me that all things work together for my good.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

So stop fumbling around in the dark in the midst of your storm, whatever your storm is, and turn on your light … the Word and wisdom of God.

Scripture of the day: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” - Psalm 119:105 (NKJV)

FALSE SATISFACTION

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

Temptation of any kind is Satan's invitation to get our needs met outside the will of God.

One of the subtle ways he does this is to plant the hesitant thought in our mind that God will not meet our needs — that God is not enough. Satan wants us to feel alone and abandoned, so that we turn to his offerings instead. It's the seduction of satisfaction.

Often the script that plays in our head is, "I need __________ so I can be satisfied."

It's what sends the wife on a budget off on a spending spree. She feels the thrill of the sale in the moment. But as she's hiding the bags from her husband, shame creeps in.

It's what pulls at the business man to work harder and longer and refuse to build boundaries in his schedule. Always chasing that next accomplishment or that next compliment but it's never enough.

It's what sends some on many eating sprees. The kids are loud, the house is messy, the demands feel beyond control. So with great justification overaters indulge only to have a bloated stomach and a deflated heart.

This subtle message sold to us by Satan can be exposed when we break it down to understanding the difference between a need and a want.

All of the examples above were wants — not needs. I won't patronize you with the definition of each of these words, we know them. But oh how Satan wants to make them one in the same.

When the difference between these two words starts getting skewed, we start compromising. We start justifying. And it sets us up to start getting our needs met outside the will of God. The abyss of discontentment invites us in and threatens to darken and distort everything in our world.

Listen, Satan is a liar. The more we fill ourselves with His distorted desires, the more empty we'll feel. That's true with each of the desires mentioned above. The more we overspend, overwork, or overeat — the more empty we feel.

Remember, Satan wants to separate you from God's best plans. He wants to separate you from God's proper provision. He wants to separate you from God's peace.

God's provision sustains life. Satan's temptation drains life.

God's provision in the short term will reap blessings in the long term. Satan's temptation in the short term will reap heartache in the long term.

God's provision satisfies the soul. Satan's temptation gratifies the flesh.

Consider these realities when making choices today. God says, I will meet all your needs according to the riches of My Glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19). Trust God. Embrace truth. Live His promise.

Dear Lord, help me to focus only on Your provision in my life today. I don't want to be separated from You, Your best plans for me or Your peace. Help me to notice when the enemy is trying to entice me with false desires, because they only lead to emptiness. In Jesus' Name, Amen.