Being A Disciple

This week our church wrapped up a series called Not A Fan which is based on the book by the same name written by Pastor Kyle Idelman. Basically this study and book focus on the idea that many who claim the name of Jesus are really not committed followers but instead are mere fans of Him. Kyle stays completely within the context of scripture as he teaches on how to know whether we are just a fan or if we are actually a follower of Jesus. The book is great way to change the way we live out our faith and to follow the command of 2 Corinthians 13:5 which instructs us to “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”

Why is this important you might ask? I go to church, I give my money, I serve once a week in my local ministry, and I have a little fish sign on the back of my car you probably are saying. I will let Jesus answer this question for you as He clearly states the answer in Matthew 7:21-23,  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'”

That is not Kyle Idelman nor is that Mike Wood speaking. That is a direct quote right from the mouth of Jesus Christ and it is a solemn warning that every single Christian should read and ponder every day of their lives. Our eternal destination is serious business. And Jesus is serious about what He expects out of those who claim to be His disciples.

Though most of us call ourselves Christians I think if we look at what Jesus wants us to really be is a disciple. After His resurrection and not long before He ascended back into heaven Jesus gave what we call the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 instructing us to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

What Jesus wants are disciples. So what is a disciple? A lot of people think the 12 Apostles were the only disciples and the names are interchangeable. In one sense all Christians are apostles because the word simply means sent ones or a messenger sent forth with orders. The word disciple in its simplest form means one is a pupil or a student but Biblically it speaks of being a student of Jesus who follows Him and not only listens to His teachings but also makes it his life goal to become like Him. So every single true Christian is a disciple who follows Christ with the purpose of becoming just like Him.

I am taking a look right now in my personal study on what being a disciple really means in my life and in my next several blogs I hope to share a little more insight into what Jesus expects of His disciples. I look forward to sharing more next time. I hope God blesses you today.

How Not to Sink in the Middle of a Storm

Have you ever wondered why it seems that so many of us Christians still struggle with sin and failures in our Christian walk? It should not be so. Each and every single true Christian has the same power that raised Christ from the dead living inside them. The promises of the Holy Spirit are many and one is that we are being changed from the inside out in a work theologians describe as sanctification. Romans 8:5-11 is a clear example of the work of the Spirit in those who are born again.

Yet our lives continue to be marked by failures that show up in our fears, our sins, and in our bent to live just as the world lives. My own life is a constant battle to defeat sin and to live as the Bible calls me to live. So what happens to us? Why do we start out so well and then drift away back into our old selves?

I believe the answer can be found in the Gospel of Matthew, verses 22-33. This is the story of the disciples crossing the sea after Jesus sent them ahead as He went off to pray. In the very dark of the night in the midst of a terrible storm the disciples found themselves fearful as the waves threatened their very lives. If that wasn’t scary enough, suddenly they see a figure they thought to be a ghost walking on the water. The figure of course is Jesus who calls out to them saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Peter responds by asking Jesus to prove it is He by telling Jesus to command him to come out there to Jesus. Of course Jesus tells Him to come on out and Peter, as usual, does so without a thought. In that moment Peter becomes only the second man to ever walk on water until something happens that I cannot help but think reminds me of a funny scene from an old TV show. Peter is doing find until he takes his eyes off of Jesus and seeing the wind he realizes his fear of the storm and begins to sink. You have to admire Peter for having the courage to step out in faith even though that courage is short-lived. But Peter also knows what to do when he begins to sink, he cries out to Jesus to save him and of course Jesus does. But Jesus does take this opportunity to rebuke Peter for his lack of faith and his doubt.

If we look closely at this story we see that the spiritual lesson is as much for us as it was for Peter and the other disciples. First of all we see here that even when the storms of life overtake us, we can trust that Jesus is there even if at first we do not see Him. After Jesus rose and came to the disciples He promised this as found in Matthew 2, “…I am with you always, even to the end of the age." That promise came on the end of the command of the Great Commission and both the commandment and the promise are to us as well.

Secondly take note that Jesus has the power to stop the storm anytime He wishes. This doesn’t just mean He controls the weather, though careful exegesis of scripture does teach this, it also means Jesus has the power to bring a halt to the metaphorical storms of our lives as well. Again if we look at the entirety of scripture we learn that God uses trials and afflictions in our lives to grow us and prepare us for eternity. In my many years of studying God’s Word I have learned that a proper understanding of the sovereignty of God is essential to growing one’s faith.

But the greatest lesson we can take away from this story is the key to all of our issues and struggles. Peter was walking on water with no problem until he took his eyes off of Jesus. As soon as he lost that focus he saw the wind and became afraid of what could happen if Jesus did not reach out and save him. You see that is the lesson Jesus wants all of us to learn. We can trust Him. We can believe the promises He has given us. It has been said there are over 200 promises that Jesus made in the New Testament and a good many of them are conditional. The condition is that we must have faith in Jesus which would include believing that every single one of those promises is true. Jesus rebuked Peter after pulling him from the water by saying, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

So the way to stay sure we don’t lose out faith is to not look at the storm we are in but to look at Jesus. Are you afraid of something? Keep your eyes on Jesus. Are you lonely? Keep your eyes on Jesus. Are you struggling with an addiction? Keep your eyes on Jesus. Whatever sin you are wrestling with if you keep your eye on Jesus then you will not commit that sin. Are you worried? Keep your eyes on Jesus. He has promised to be there.

Keeping our eyes on Jesus is not easy. Satan will throw every possible distraction at us. He will tempt us with fear, worry, drugs, sex, money, food, and everything possible because he knows if are focused on Jesus then we will be victorious. In order to keep our eyes on Jesus we must do a few things to help us stay focused. First of all surround ourselves with the body of Christ so we are mutually encouraging each other. Secondly we must daily feed ourselves the Word of God. Romans 10:17 tells us that “…faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” Thirdly we must discipline ourselves to “pray without ceasing” as we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. If we do these things then we will grow in faith and be empowered by the spirit of God as we keep our eyes on Jesus. Then victory over every sin and every failure can be ours.

Trusting God In All Things

Every day it seems like this world is getting worse. A simple perusal of our local news reveals a world filled with murder, robbery, child abuse and neglect. The world news reveals war and political upheaval. Bad things happen every single day. There is world hunger and children are dying in countries where even the water they drink kills them. Being a Christian does not isolate us from the often devastating things that happen in life. Cancer, divorce, addiction and financial struggles affect us as well. Even when we seem to be in a season of blessings it seems like someone around us is suffering through a storm. No wonder so many of us suffer from depression and joy plays hide and seek with us.

 So what do we do? What can we do? Well the answer really is quite simple. The answer is not found in anti-depressants or in psychology. The answer quite simply is found in God’s Word. This morning as I struggled to drag myself out of bed to start another week, I did what I do every morning. I pray. Today my morning prayers were listless and tired just like me.

God’s response this morning was a simple reminder of one of the few Bible verses I actually have memorized. Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Wherever you are today and whatever circumstances you are in, the truth of that scripture is the answer. Notice a few things that this verse says. Obviously the main point is that whatever we are going through today God is going to work it out for good. That should be enough to sustain us.

But notice that it says that God causes this. This means we don’t have to be trying to figure out what to do in our need. Not that we don’t need to do anything at all, but the point is that our response to our situation is to trust God, to have faith in this promise. That is good news because this means whether our situation is messed up because we messed up, or because someone else messed up, or things just are what they are, God is going to do what He promises. What we need to do is to go to God in prayer and say “God help me. You promise to work this out to good and right now I cannot see how that is possible.” This is part of what Jesus meant when He said in Matthew 18:2 that we must become like little children. We need to stop thinking we or someone else can solve our problems or fulfill our needs and be completely dependent on Him.

But maybe the most neglected part of all of God’s promises is missed in one word found in Romans 8:28 and that is the word all. You do not need to be a Greek scholar to understand what this word means in this verse. It means all. It means that God is going to work out every single thing to the good. This includes but not limited to the following list:

Our sin. Other’s sin. Illness. Death. The loss of a child. Divorce. War. This means that even when I have messed up completely God can and will use it to bring things together for good. Yes, this verse is talking to you. But there is a caveat here. This promise is only for “those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Do you love God? If you do then you have been called. Today is the day to answer that call. Jesus does not turn away those who cry out to Him as we see in John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

We must believe in Him and that what He says is truth. Today no matter what you face the words of Romans 8:28 are true. We must keep our eyes on Jesus. Read His Word. Pray to Him. Worship and praise Him no matter how tough things get. Some days it’s all that keeps me going. But it is enough. God bless all you.

Five Reasons we Should Preach the Gospel To Ourselves Everyday

First of all every single Christian has been giving the mission of sharing the Gospel (Matthew 28:19) and preaching it to ourselves on a daily basis helps us in this task. Preaching to ourselves will make the Gospel easy to preach for like anything else practice makes perfect. As we go about our day reminding ourselves of the wonderful truths of the Gospel, we place into our memory banks the scriptures we need to know when we share the Gospel to others. The more we mediate on the joy of the Gospel, the more we will desire to know God’s Word and the wonders of the good news of Jesus Christ and the more we will long to share it.

 Humility is the greatest virtue a Christian could hope to attain as we seek to become more like Christ (Philippians 2:5-8). Part of preaching the Gospel is the recognition of our sinful nature and the need for repentance. When we preach to ourselves the Gospel we become acutely aware of our own sin nature. Proper understanding of our need for Jesus and His salvation changes our perspective in how we see others. As we learn to recognize our own depravity by looking past our perceived goodness and see the darkness of our own hearts, we are humbled and lose any pious attitudes we may carry. Then as we see others who we used to judge as being worse than us, we will grow in compassion and grace and learn to love even the tax collectors as Christ did. No longer will we look down on anyone, but instead we will see them as just like us…sinners in need of Jesus.

 Paul commands us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” Preaching the gospel to ourselves is a good place to start in self examination. Part of sharing the Gospel is giving the Good News of what a life lived by a true disciple of Christ brings. The Gospel is more than “going to heaven”, it is a rebirth. When we receive the truth of the Gospel we are born again and the power of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit breaks the chains of sin in our lives. If there is no evidence of rebirth and the process of sanctification is not an active part of our lives then maybe we need to revisit our own salvation experience. The scariest words in all of scripture to me are right from Jesus Himself in Matthew 7:21-23 when He says "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.” Be sure of your election and calling (2 Peter 2:10).

 The Gospel is our hope (1 Peter 1:3). It is easy these days with the proliferation of media to be aware of the evil times we live in. Crime, war, addictions, and abuse are just a few of the daily troubles that in some way affect all of us. If all we have is this life then it becomes easy to become discouraged, depressed, and to see this life as pointless and without hope. But the Gospel is our hope because it is about finding peace in this life and then knowing that we are only here a short time but there is hope for an eternal life where sadness and sorrow do not exist. Whatever things we may not know about heaven we can know that there will be no more strife and suffering. Preaching the Gospel to ourselves daily reminds us of that hope. And the word hope to the world really speaks of some kind of wishful thinking but hope to the Christian is a sure thing. The truth of the Gospel is that what we believe by faith, though we cannot always see it, is actually real and when we truly believe the Gospel then we can have assurance of that hope.

 Preaching the Gospel to ourselves reminds us that the Gospel glorifies God not us. Faith without works is dead as James tells us in James 2:17 but sometimes we get caught up in our own works and think they are what define our salvation. Preaching the Gospel to ourselves reminds us of God’s grace and that as Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “…it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.”  The chief purpose of our very existence is given to us in Isaiah 43:7 “Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made." Give God ALL the glory.

 These are just a few reasons to preach the Gospel to ourselves every day. I encourage you to be a Berean (Acts 17:11) and “examine the scriptures daily” to see if these things are true. Share the Gospel every chance you get. Tell the good news to everyone you meet but don’t forget to remind yourselves of it daily “for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” – Romans 1:16.

Forgivness: Must I?

A great question came up the other day on Facebook and I thought it would be beneficial to look at the answer from a Biblical perspective. The question was this, “Do I have to forgive someone who hasn’t asked for my forgiveness.” What I soon discovered was that the answer to this question is a difficult and multi-dimensional one.

My immediate response just off the top of my head was to say that yes we must. The words of Jesus say this in Matthew 5:23-24 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”  But the problem with using that verse alone is that it does not address every situation. Actually this verse is speaking about our being the one who appears to have either transgressed against another or at the very least having something going on that has caused this person to believe we have offended them. In this case it our duty to go directly to that person and attempt to settle the matter. Without delving deeply into that scenario, it is safe to say the overall tenor of scripture requires us to be loving and Christ-like in our approach, seeking their forgiveness.

But what about people who do not recognize they have sinned against us or simply refuse to seek our forgiveness? The Bible provides a simple procedure for dealing with this. Again it is Jesus who gives us this commandment in Matthew 18:15-17 "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” If we fail to follow the Biblical method then we are in error as well. Most people do not like confrontation but that is what Jesus instructs here. We must seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance whenever we face this type of confrontation; otherwise we will fail in being like Christ in how we speak to others.

So here we have a clear commandment. We are to go to those who have sinned against us and confront them. Notice though we don’t go to take a heavy hand of condemnation, but are to attempt to win them over. Then we see a progression to take that in the end may result in our having to essentially deny the person fellowship. You don’t have to be friends with those who hurt you and refuse loving attempts of correction.

But take note of something; no where does it say to harbor hatred or bitterness toward them. The Bible has plenty to say about bitterness and anger and those are things we simply as Christians cannot carry in our hearts or minds. Ephesians 4:31 says we must “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” Even the world of secular psychology will tell us the consequences of bitterness and anger are not healthy for us and can even cause illness.

Jesus also commands us to go another step in our dealings with those who hurt us. Listen to Jesus speaking in Matthew 5:43-48 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 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. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Again, this type of behavior will require we walk in the Spirit for our own wickedness will keep us from following through on this commandment.

I would like to wrap this up with some solid Biblically based advice from Jay Adams, renowned Biblical Counseling author. In his book A Theology of Christian Counseling he writes;

“While forgiveness must not be granted to those who do not seek it repentantly (if he repents, forgive him --- Luke 17:3), the one who “has something against anyone” may not hold it against him in his heart. Before God in prayer, he is to forgive him (i.e., he must tell God he will not hold it against him no longer). He may not brood on it. But this forgiving in prayer (in his own heart before God) does not preclude his responsibility to pursue the matter with the offender. He does this

            (1) for Christ’s sake,

            (2) for the sake of the peace of the church,

            (3) for the sake of the offender and

            (4) for the purpose of reconciliation.

The one who has relieved his own mind and heart of the burden of the offense in prayer growing out of a truly forgiving attitude, will have little difficulty granting forgiveness when it is sought. And in the meantime, he will avoid the destructive results of resentment.”

I think the point of what Adams is saying is that by going to God and giving it up to Him, we are trusting in God’s Word that tells us that God is the avenger, not us and we believe God when He tells us in scripture that “For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." (Hebrews 10:30). For you see God’s justice is righteous while ours is tainted by our own sinfulness. By letting God be the judge we can more easily fulfill the great commission to take the Gospel to, even those who we are wronged by.

I hope this short study sheds some light on this question. I suggest we continue to be diligent in searching the Scriptures and depending on the Holy Spirit to be our teacher. I think we can sum it up by saying that forgiveness can be said to be dependent upon repentance, but we need to allow God to be the judge of others and in our hearts be prepared for the day when those who have sinned against us will return to both God and us seeking forgiveness. Until that day comes our efforts would be best spent praying for their salvation as opposed to dwelling in the land of bitterness and anger. Colossians 3:12-14 seems to be a good place to start and I leave this study with the Word of God that says this;

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Humility

Humility. Not exactly a trait we find truly exalted in the world today. In reality the man who was to walk in humility amongst our world would be considered weak. Growing up as a boy, I was always small and slight for my age and the abuse I received was amazing to me. The arrogance and prideful nature of the other boys made itself known by verbal abuse exhibited by name calling. Attempts to intimidate me all through school and on the playground led me to develop an act of my own. As I grew older I found that by carrying myself as being arrogant and challenging the bullies to fight, I was able to create an atmosphere of arrogance only to be reflected just as the character Fonzie was in the TV show Happy Days. Later on alcohol would enhance my ability to portray myself as unafraid and confident, if not in size and strength, but in pure lunacy. Crazy acts of bravado performed merely to give off the appearance that I was not someone to be messed with. A sad act, one that, even as a Christian, I struggle to let go of even now.

But now I have come to Christ in full acknowledgment that without His gift of mercy and grace, I am in serious distress. I am blessed that my life as a Christian has developed through God’s use of trials and tribulation to bring me to a point of knowing I need Him. Desperately do I need Him. Not only because I desire to spend eternity with Him, but also I cannot make it through the sorrows of this life without his strength. I am a broken man.

The very essence of Christianity lies in just that position. I am speaking of the position of complete submission to Christ. That is what we are called to. Andrew Murray says this in his book, Humility, “The creature has not only to look back to the origin and first beginning of existence, and acknowledge that it there owes everything to God; its chief care, its highest virtue, its only happiness, now and through all eternity, is to present itself an empty vessel, in which God can dwell and manifest His power and goodness.” This is simple Biblical truth.

Friends, I ask you this; Is it not our calling to seek a life that mirrors that of Christ? The process of sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit in making changes in us that will lead us down the path of being like Christ. Notice this as told in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NASB) “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are to be preparing for the return of Christ by allowing God to work in us so that at His coming we are to be without blame. But we cannot do this within our own power. 1 John 2:3-6 (NASB) says “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” Read that last line again. “The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” The Apostle gives a clear command in 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NASB) “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”

So what was Jesus like? The Bible teaches us that there is one clear attribute of Jesus that best describes Him and thus becomes our greatest pursuit and that would be humility. Again I quote Murray, “If humility be the first, the all-including grace of the life of Jesus, if humility be the secret of His atonement, then the health and strength of our spiritual life will entirely depend upon our putting this grace first too, and making humility the chief thing we admire in Him, the chief thing we ask of Him, the one thing for which we sacrifice all else… Until a humility which will rest in nothing less than the end and death of self; which gives up all the honor of men as Jesus did, to seek the honor that comes from God alone; which absolutely makes and counts itself nothing, that God may be all, that the Lord alone may be exalted,--until such a humility be what we seek in Christ above our chief joy, and welcome at any price, there is very little hope of a religion that will conquer the world.”

Do we understand what Christ did for us? Philippians 2:8 (NASB) “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” When that verse speaks of Jesus humbling Himself it means that He did not have to leave His position of glory that He held in Heaven with the Father. But he came down as a simple man, a carpenter, and walked this earth in poverty and strife. He allowed others to abuse Him and mock Him. He was sentenced to die without even a real charge against Him that was true. Yet He did not fight back. He could have. In the account of His arrest in Matthew He stated that if He wanted He could summon up more than twelve legions of angels to fight for Him. But He sacrificed His own glory, His reputation, and was “obedient” to the point of death.

The entire life of Christ as He walked this earth was marked by His humility. He came as a servant. By His own words Jesus reveals His humility. Luke 22:27 (NASB) "For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” Matthew 11:29 (NASB) "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart…” His teachings were clear that it was the one who is last that will be first in His kingdom. Matthew 20:26-29 (NASB)
"It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

The entire life and teachings of Christ spoke of humility. So why is it that we see so little of it, even within the church? Our ministries are full of pride. There is bickering and back-biting within our work. All of us think things must be done our way. Our marriages are full of arguing. Divorce rates run just as high within the believers as within the world. Turn your Bible to the Book of James. James 4:1-6 (NASB) “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."

The answer lies in our own desires. Our own lustful and coveting flesh. We must put to death the desires of the flesh. We must humble ourselves before God through prayer and fasting. We must take the world out of our lives, our homes, and yes, even our churches. We must discipline ourselves to seek the filling of the Holy Spirit and to ask Him to fill us and empower us to walk the narrow path Jesus speaks of and to be guided by Him away from the wide road to destruction.

This is not an easy task because our flesh will fight against this. Our friends and co-workers will do everything in their power to draw us away from the Father and closer to the world they choose to reside in. We must stand firm in the “Full Armor of God” as set forth in Ephesians 6 and we must develop close friendships with others who desire intimacy with God and then follow the command of Ephesians 6:18 (NASB) which instructs us that “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” We must walk and pray in the Spirit and give up any hope in ourselves or in others and instead do all things through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We must accept that following Christ has a price. Salvation is a free gift, but it does not come without responsibility. We must follow the call of Jesus as set forth in Matthew 16:24-26 (NASB) "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

When I take a good, hard look at myself I cannot imagine how someone like me could ever be like Christ. Humbleness and humility are like pipedreams when I try and imagine myself in that way. The gift of Salvation comes through with a guarantee, but that does not remove our responsibility to grow and to seek a life as close to Christ as we can. It is humility that must be the attribute we most diligently seek. Of course I will fail in this endeavor, but I can never stop fighting this war. I must also remember that even an outward appearance of humility is of no value, God sees the heart and my humility must run deep within my heart. As always our hope lies in Christ and in the eternity He promises those who give their lives to him. Philippians 1:6 is the hope a poor, wretched sinner like me can take great comfort in, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Praise the most Holy name of Jesus. Our hope and our salvation.

Back to War

I guess it was a year ago that I served as the prayer co-coordinator for the Spring 40 Days For Life Campaign at Granite City. I remember that time so very well. It was probably the closest time I have spent with God in my entire life. I walked and prayed in the Spirit more than I can ever remember and know that my life was forever changed. I believe it was a time that I actually allowed the Holy Spirit to fill me on a regular basis and to essentially take over my body in service to God.

I spent most of the Fall campaign out of the fight. Recovering from my injuries in an accident left me in a different position. However that time was not lost either. Because my body was broken I was pretty much stuck in a recliner in my living room. Yet I remember that because of my situation, I was left in the hands of our Father God, and many sleepless nights found me in prayer and in communion with Him. As a famous author once said, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." My relationship with Jesus became the foundation of my existence.

But praise God, His healing hand brought me out of my pain and took me back into this world. Now we are on the eve of another campaign. I do not hold an official title in this war, yet I have felt the hand of God stirring me to prepare for another battle in this epic war that is not only being fought against abortion, but is a spiritual war for both the lives of those babies in the wombs of God's daughters and for the souls of men and women who are in peril of facing an eternity of separation from our Father in Heaven and instead will find weeping and gnashing of teeth should they not bow their knee to Christ on this side of eternity.
Yes, I am ready for battle. I shall "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

I shall proceed as Ephesians 6:10-18 instructs:
"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of Salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."

Tonight at midnight myself and my blessed friends and family will go back into the battle. We shall not be defeated for we fight in the Army of the Lord. Jesus has won the victory. He is risen. And the gates of Hell shall not prevail.