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Millions of citizens in our nation are fussing, fuming, feuding, and fighting over politics.
No matter who is pushing agenda buttons, little, if any, progress is being made to restore our nation to the principles our founding fathers instituted in The Constitution and Bill of Rights. The foundation of their deliberations and decisions were grounded in Judeo/Christian truth and principles revealed in the Bible. Almighty God set America apart as a Christian nation to be a bright, shining witness to a world lost in spiritual darkness. I am emotionally frazzled, worn out if you will. Maybe you are too. Why? Because men and women in authority and their Kool Aid drinking followers are missing the mark regarding what America should look and act like. Its like a person shooting a bow and arrow who strikes the target, but never hits the bullseye.
So, what is the solution for our moral drift and spiritual waywardness? I am glad I asked. Concerned Christians across America are faithfully and fervently praying for revival, and rightly so. But a revival of what?
To revive means to live again, to quicken. Righteous simply means acting in accordance with divine or moral law, justified. To be righteous is to be made right. Right what? Right in the sight of the Lord. God is serious about righteousness. The words righteous, righteousness and unrighteous are used no less than five hundred and ten times in the Bible. The word right is also used many, many times. God cares immensely about what is right or wrong.
The wisdom writer Solomon makes it clear about what makes a nation great in God’s eyes. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” Proverbs 14:34. Sin, choosing to disobey God’s Word and will is disgraceful, a curse that robs a nation of God’s favor and blessing. On the other hand, righteousness exalts, promotes, prospers, and blesses a nation. I like the blessing hand, how about you? Christians are the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Righteousness is secured through God’s only Son who died on the Cross. His blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins, makes the unrighteous righteous.
The Bible, God’s holy Word, is the blueprint for a righteous life and a country’s conduct. What A Righteous Nation Would Look Like
My spirit yearns for and groans within for a Holy Spirit empowered revival of righteousness that would sweep across our country, purifying our hearts and cleansing us morally. I would love to spend the rest of my days raising up and handing off to my children and grandchildren a righteous nation. How about you? Bottom line America: Being in right relationship with God and doing what is right in His sight blesses individuals and a nation.
“How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times.” Psalm 106:3 “For there they are in great dread, for God is with the righteous generation.” Psalm 14:5 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has formed for His own inheritance.” Psalms 33:12 ‘If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14 A Word For Your Week: America’s only hope is in returning to righteousness. It warms my heart to hear people say and sing GOD BLESS AMERICA.
Indeed, America is a blessed nation when it comes to prosperity, comfort, our history and opportunity. No question the United States is the most blessed nation on earth regarding natural things. But reality is this; can God bless us today in our spiritual and moral life? Almighty God, our Creator and Redemer cannot and never will bless sinful individuals and a sinful nation. We fool ourselves if we sing God bless America yet continue to live sinful lives in the sight of the One we ask to bless us. Spiritually and morally the United States is losing her way in a hurry. I wonder if we can call ourselves blessed when the vast majority of our citizens have willfully wandered from the Word of God. According to Webster, blessed in relation to man means “to enjoy happiness, to enjoy the bliss of heaven, to bring pleasure and contentment.” Certainly, everyone in his or her right mind wants to be blessed don’t they? I know I do. But how can a man or nation be blessed, especially by God? David lays out personal and national blessing in our word for this week. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen for His own inheritance.” Psalm 33:12
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to a people.” Proverbs 14:34
Our nation’s spiritual life and moral future is not about rhetoric; it is about repentance and righteousness. It is not about haughtiness or personal happiness; it is about humility and holiness. It is not about playing or paying; it is about praying. It is not about handouts; it is about reaching out with our hands to God for help. It is not about winning someone over to a political point of view; it is about turning from our wicked ways. Being blessed as a nation is all about turning to God with repentant hearts and receiving His forgiveness…then He will heal our land. “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14 The people who know the Lord and those who don’t must fulfill the above verse if America is to be blessed by the heart and hand of God. Ø My friend, join with me in praying for spiritual and moral revival to sweep across America so we may once again consider ourselves blessed by God. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer for them is their salvation.” Romans 10:1 Ø If America is to be a truly blessed nation, it is up to people like you and me to love and lead others to saving faith in Jesus Christ. A Word For Your Week: The blessings of God on His terms is America’s greatest need and only hope. “My gosh, I cannot believe this is happening.” Many people are feeling this way these days.
Let’s list some negatives. Abortion. Homosexuality. Same sex marriage. Transgender perversion. DEI. Unemployment. Home invasions. Family slayings. Terrorist attacks. Runaway inflation. Unprecedented debt loads and deficits. Corporate and personal greed. Political corruption. Government intrusion and overreach. Discrimination. Wealth redistribution. Moral scandals. Worldwide pandemics. Catastrophic natural disasters. Disrespect for lawful authority. Cancel culture. Intolerance. Division. Disunity. Hostility. Violence. Lack of self-control. Unconstitutional legislation aimed at curbing free speech and the right to bear arms. Anti-Christian attitudes. Scathing attacks on Christian values. Public maligning and mockery of all things innocent, pure, holy, and decent.
The people of the United States have blown huge holes in our moral cover. Evil runs rampant, unrestrained. Unrighteousness is not only tolerated but is becoming the order of the day. Clearly, most of our people have lost their way, hurtling blindly toward the hellish abyss of a Christ-less culture. A day of reckoning is coming.
Peter, writing in a day when Christians suffered persecution from the hands of an evil, unbelieving, anti-Christian society wrote to God’s divinely loved ones. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.” I Peter 4:12 Fellow Christians, the “fiery trial” you are experiencing is “no strange thing” if you name the name of Christ. Honestly, the world’s opposition to your faith and mine should be familiar to you by now. It is a daily occurrence if you are a believer who does not have his/her head buried in the sand. So, what were Christians to do? The exhortation is clear: “Do not be surprised” and “keep on rejoicing.” Rejoice? Are you serious Peter? Do you have a loose screw or two brother? Has persecution’s heat melted your mind? NOT AT ALL! Peter had a sound mind in Christ. He understood the times in which he lived. He knew trials would test our faith. Peter qualifies his statement in verse 12 with a further explanation in verses 13-16. “But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name, let Him glorify God.”
You are blessed, yes blessed, not cursed, when as a Christian you share in the sufferings of Christ. Do not be surprised when the world attacks you, your faith and your values. The world persecuted Christ, so they will persecute you who bear His name. Do not be ashamed of your relationship with Jesus Christ. Stand firm in your faith. Glorify God amid the societal shaking going on. Peter is saying that when the time when all this anti-Christian persecution is fulfilled (and only God knows the exact time), Jesus will return for His holy bride the church. Jesus is coming back! He said He would. While we wait expectantly for Jesus to appear, the Lord expects His followers to not be surprised by the suffering and persecution that is setting the stage for His glorious return.
Things will proceed from bad to worse before the return of Christ. Please read Matthew 24, II Timothy 3:1-14 and Jude 10-25. If you think things cannot get any worse, think again! All of this is setting the stage for the glorious return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Do not be surprised. What we are experiencing is predictable. Take heart fellow Christian. Rejoice. Do not be surprised by the fiery trial upon us. Stay prayed up. Confess the Word. Walk in God’s wisdom. Hold your head up high in Christ. Stand up boldly for Him. Persevere. Endure. Guard your peace. Share your faith. Encourage others to look to the Lord during these tumultuous and troublesome times. I would not be surprised if Jesus, in all His glory, accompanied by the heavenly host, splits the eastern sky soon and catches us away to heaven! I am ready…. how about you and your loved ones? Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus. “Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God…For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” II Timothy 2:8, 12 “You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” James 3:8 A Word For Your Week: Do not be surprised by things that should not surprise you. Recently I met with someone facing a critical life decision. After I gave counsel to this person, they shrugged their shoulders and commented “I guess I will just take my chances and hope things work out all right.”
It is an inescapable fact: DECISIONS DETERMINE DESTINY. Joshua fully understood this timeless truth. At the end of his earthly life, Joshua challenged God’s people to make a choice. “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the lord.” Joshua 24:15 The choice was simple: Israel could choose to serve the Lord or not. Joshua had already made his decision: he and his family would serve the Lord. But what would Israel do? Their choice would have significant consequences.
Joshua traveled with Israel from the exodus from Egypt to the crossing of the Jordan into the promised land of Canaan. A journey that should have taken a mere fourteen days ended up lasting forty years! How could that have ever happened? I guess they did not have MapQuest and Global Positioning Satellites at their disposal.
That destiny determining decision was made at the critical crossroads called Kadesh-Barnea. You can study the scenario in Numbers 13 and 14. In summary, Moses instructed twelve tribal leaders to spy out the land and bring back its fruit. God’s plan was for them to go in and take the land God had already given to them by promise. They were told to be courageous. Returning from their covert mission, they showed Moses the fantastic fruit. There were some giants and fortified cities too. But the land belonged to Israel. God assured His people of success if they would trust Him and obey his Word.
Ten negative spies gave a depressing report. Paralyzed by fear, they personally chose not to go and lobbied the people to say no to God’s go. Two positive spies gave a glowing minority report. Joshua and Caleb were ready to rock and roll. The fruit was ripe for picking and the giants were set up by God for a licking! Fearless and full of faith, they were eager to inherit what God had promised.
The decision to accept the bad report of the majority resulted in God’s judgment. Doubting lead to death in the desert. No milk and honey nut cheerios for the fearful, faithless crowd. The doubters spun their wheels in the wilderness until one after another dropped dead in the burning desert sand. Not only did the doubters die, but their innocent children had to experience their parents’ painful expiration. In addition to this they wasted forty years of their lives in the wilderness because of the faithlessness and foolishness of their fathers.
But God remembered Joshua and Caleb. They were spared judgment because they made a different decision. All of God’s people under the age of twenty were also shown mercy and spared. Their destiny would be given another chance when they decided to follow Joshua and Caleb across the river forty years later. Joshua’s decisions determined his destiny. He physically entered the Promised Land. Jericho, which he conquered, is mentioned in the hall of fame of faith in Hebrews 11. And of course, upon his death, he received his ultimate destiny of eternal fellowship in heaven with the Lord God whom he had served on earth.
Directions For Making Destiny Decisions 1. Search the scripture. Does the decision you want to make line up with the Word of God? Is there biblical backing for the course you wish to take? What scriptural examples are similar to your situation and shed light on the decision you should make? · Be certain that you have clear direction from God’s Word that this decision is His will for you. 2. Seek the Lord. Talk to God about your decision. Spend time alone with Him in prayer. Lay your decision before the Lord. Ask Him what you should do. Make sure you take time to listen for His voice. He will direct you if you seek His direction with all your heart. · Know in your heart that you have heard the spirit of God say to you, “this is the way, walk in it….. (Isaiah 30:21). 3. Share with a trusted friend. Bounce your decision off a Christian friend. Inform them of your plans. Then, sit back and receive their honest input. See if they see wisdom in your proposed decision. Remember, the power of agreement is powerful. · Make your decision with the backing of wise, mature believers in Christ. 4. Step out by faith and walk out your decision. When you have made your choice, carry it out with confidence. Charge forward by faith to fulfill your destiny that this decision determines. You can go forward and fulfill God’s destiny for your life! · Be bold about the decision you make and the direction you take! WARNING TO THE WISE: Because DECISIONS DETERMINE DESTINY, do not take any major decision lightly. Never make destiny determining decisions when tired, under pressure, burned out, angry, discouraged or depressed. Never delegate your destiny decisions to someone else. Always give serious, thoughtful, prayerful attention to decisions that determine your future. Ø Are you at a major decision crossroads at this time in your life? Trust the Lord to direct your steps every step of the way. It is not possible for your Heavenly Father to misguide or misdirect you! · Go ahead with confident faith and make a destiny decision this week. “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it.” Numbers 13:30 A Word For Your Week: DECISIONS DETERMINE DESTINY…CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES. A fellow minister asked me what I thought was the greatest threat to unity in the body of Christ. Without hesitation, I responded, spiritual maturity.
I am absolutely convinced that carnal immaturity is the chief enemy of unity in the church. Immature Christians disrupt and divide churches more than any other factor in the body of Christ. Sin in the church is the fruit of spiritual immaturity. Self-centered, flesh-driven, immature character and conduct within Christ’s ranks keeps the church in a continual state of confusion, conflict, and chaos that Satan applauds. Worst of all, spiritually immature believers, who are hung up on themselves and their needs, hinder our progress in fulfilling the Great Commission to reach multitudes of lost and hurting people outside the four walls of our Christian fellowships (Matthew 28:18-20). According to Webster mature means “having completed natural growth and development, having attained a final or desired state, a state of full development, ripe.” In Ephesians 4:13 Paul speaks of the mature person in Christ. “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” The “mature man” Paul alludes to is the one who is fully developed in his spiritual life. He or she is spiritually ripe, having attained the desired state of being like the Lord Jesus Christ. Ripeness is determined by likeness to Christ.
How interesting it is how you and I think we are mature and everyone else is immature! I mean, come on, you and I get caught in the trap of thinking we are so grown up while others need to grow up. Pretty naïve and arrogant huh? Ø If we think we have arrived and are fully mature in Christ, we need to back up the faith train and think again! Making that statement shows we are not as mature as we think we are!
Please note Paul talks about “the unity of the faith,” and “knowledge of the Son of God.” The desired end of unity of faith and knowledge of Jesus is “a mature man.” That spiritually mature man or woman will measure up to Christ. His fullness (the quality of His perfect life) will be seen in them. Note again, all of us are to strive for, go after, a style of living until we attain/achieve God’s standard of maturity: being like His Son Jesus Christ. Believers are ripe for God when they stand tall, fully developed in the spirit and likeness of Jesus.
May I take the liberty of listing ten characteristics of Christian maturity we should all be striving for? Thank you for your permission!
Proverbs 18:21
I Peter 1:6-9, 4:12-13. Ø Imagine what the body of Christ would look like if we all grew up and practiced these marks of maturity. I vote for it!!!
Ø How is your life measuring up to the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Ø Is there some room in your spirit and heart for maturity? There certainly is in mine. With God’s help through His Word and the Holy Spirit, and the assistance of godly people, I purpose to strive each day to grow up, mature, and be more like the Lord of my life. Let’s grow up folks and win the world to Christ! “For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” Hebrews 5:13-14 A Word For Your Week: Make it your life goal to be mature like Jesus Christ Do you ever become impatient with God and His plan for your life?If you answered no, you have another problem...you are not telling the truth!
All of us, including Steve Roll, from time to time, are plagued with impatience with our Christian journey. Patience with the process of walking with the Lord by faith is not the strong suit of most believers. Honestly, you and I want everything our way, on our timetable while we walk with God.
The Bible tells us in Numbers 21:4 “And the people became impatient because of the journey.” Numbers 21:4 On the way to the Promised Land (a promised, prosperous land from God who keeps promises!), God’s chosen people lost their patience. In the context of our verse for this week, Israel spoke against God and their leader Moses (verse 5). Their impatience with the journey caused them to question the Lord and His servant. Time and time again, as you follow their journey, Israel’s impatience caused problems for Moses and reaped negative consequences for the people. Their lack of faith, fear of the future and impatience caused them to wander in the wilderness for forty years until the unbelieving, impatient generation died off. (See Numbers 13-14). The Israelis paid a horrific price for impatience.
We fail to persevere through the process that matures our faith and makes us like Christ. We wimp out when we should hang in there with the Lord’s perfect plan for our life. The perfecting (making whole, complete, mature, lacking nothing) of our faith is a process that requires patience and endurance. No patience…. No perfection. You and I can become impatient with pursuing a college degree, impatient with the dating, engagement and marrying process, impatient with receiving a promotion, impatient with servers in restaurants, impatient with rush hour traffic on the highway, impatient with word processers (like the one I am writing on now!), impatient with healing, restoration, provision or direction etc. We are tempted to become impatient when we experience setbacks, when progress crawls at a snail’s pace, when another Christian’s journey appears to be progressing faster than ours, when the harvest of our labor is less than expected, or when other people wonder why our life isn’t showing more fruitfulness and success. The fact you and I must face with faith is this: Our times are in God’s hands, not ours (Psalm 31:15). Ø Meditate upon, chew on this thought for a moment: Who are you and I to be impatient with God’s plan for our lives? How dare we suggest that our Lord does not know what He is doing because we become impatient with the process? God, and God alone, knows the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. So, who am I to dictate the direction and duration of my faith walk with Him? He, not me, planned everyday of my life before even the first day existed (Psalm 139:16). This type of erroneous thinking that I know better than God sounds arrogant and presumptuous, doesn’t it?
Walking by sight instead of faith always creates impatience. Why? Because we do not see what the eye of faith trusts God for. Impatience with our Christian journey says something about the maturity of our faith. Immaturity breeds impatience. Maturity cultivates a consistent patience with God and His plan for our life.
Questions We Need To Answer v Do you trust God with your journey? 100% trust His plan? v Do you believe God is at work when it doesn’t look like it? v Do you trust God’s timing? Do you believe His timing is perfect? v Do you believe you can grow through a slow growth season? Slow growth is not no growth. Slow growth is solid growth. v Do you believe that God has a way of working all things together for your good? v Do others say you are patient with your faith? v Do you rejoice and enjoy the life in Christ journey you are on?
So, how is your journey going? Are you plagued with destination disease…or are you enjoying each step of your walk with Christ? Be patient, yes patient, very patient, with God’s process of perfecting your faith and enriching your journey with Jesus.
“In your patience (endurance) possess your souls.” Luke 21:19 (KJV) A Word For Your Week: Be patient with HOPE.
A four-letter word that stirs the heart of every person who has walked on the earth.
For example, God’s chosen people were experiencing extremely challenging times. An oppressive, culture crushing captivity clouded the sunshine of hope for God’s people. Hauled off in chains by the cruel Babylonians, the Israelites found themselves homeless, helpless and hopeless. It looked like the future held little hope for the people of God. Enter Jeremiah with a word from the Lord. A timely, encouraging word about a hopeful future. “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares, the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 Speaking directly to the exiled Jews through His prophet Jeremiah, the Lord declared that He had a plan for His people that included prosperity and success. God’s plan excluded calamity and disaster while insuring them of a hopeful future.
Jeremiah’s hopeful words were just what the doctor ordered. First and foremost, the Jewish people needed reassured that there would be a future life for them. Down-trodden, destitute and desperate, they needed something to hope for, a hope-filled word to hold on to.
How about you? Do you see a hopeful future? Or is your future clouded with hopelessness? Do the daily headlines cause the flame of your hope to flicker? Do you need a fresh, bright ray of hope today?
Hopeless people often feel that God has forgotten them. As they sit on the ash heap of their personal misery, they think God does not have a plan for their lives. Loss of hope leads to discouragement, depression and despair.
THINK ABOUT IT. Is your hope for provision based on a human handout, a benevolent bailout, or do you look to God’s hand to provide for your every need? Is your hope for protection, safety and security based on polished, politically correct rhetoric and governmental agencies? Or do you trust in Almighty God to keep you secure and deliver you from all evil? How about your relationships? Is your hope and expectation of healthy, mutually satisfying relationships based on what man does, or what God can do in people’s hearts?
Christian hope is a “living hope” because of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead! (I Peter 1:3). Born-again believers possess the hope of hopes. Alive in Christ, Christians are destined for heaven! If you are seeking hope, seek the resurrected Savior. You and I are never without help when our hope is in God.
Here are several ways you can have hope for your future. Ø Start your day by confessing your hope in Jesus Christ. Ø Saturate your mind and spirit with Gods’ hope-filled promises. Ø Stop listening to society’s hopeless doomsayers. Ø Surround yourself with hope inspiring people. Ø Believe that God causes all things, including challenging times like these, to work for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Ø Remember God’s faithfulness to you and your family in the past. Ø Regularly thank God for the hope you have in His Son. Ø Expect God to do remarkable things in your life today!
My friend, focus your faith. Look up to the Lord. Hang your hope on Jesus Christ. Re-affirm your hope in Him. Expect God to fulfill His Word to give you a hopeful and prosperous future.
“To whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27 “The Lord is my portion says my soul. Therefore, I have hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.” Lamentations 3:24-25 “My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; my stronghold, I shall not be shaken.” Psalm 62:5-6 “Why are you in despair, Oh my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me: Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” Psalm 42:11 A Word For Your Week: Hope for today and the future is found in faith in Jesus Christ. There are many things in our constantly shifting and changing culture that can move us, making you and me feel insecure.
So, what do we do to not be moved by these and other things that move and shake up so many people? In the God’s Word, the Bible, David has good news for all who want to be immovable in a lost world on the move whose movement is away from God and His Word. “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time forth and forever.” Psalm 125:1-2
The key to being immovable is trust. Trust in the Lord. When you and I put our faith in the Lord, we are like Mount Zion, God’s Holy City, which cannot be moved. Please note the word is “cannot be moved.” Mount Zion refers to Jerusalem in the Old Testament and “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” in the New Testament (Hebrews 12:22). Metaphorically, Mount Zion is where God resides. Think about it for a moment. Who or what is big or bad enough to move God’s habitation? The answer is…no one nor anything. Mount Zion is rock solid and immovable. In addition to being unmovable, Zion is eternal. It lasts forever and does not change though everything else does.
Wow! Incredible! Blows my tiny little mind! The Lord God Almighty. The Creator of the universe. Our Heavenly Father who raised His only Son from the dead to save all who believe. The Holy One and His heavenly host surrounds everyone who puts their faith in Him. People of faith are immovable because God surrounds and secures them. In the Roll household we have a surround sound system in our family room. When it is in operation mode, the soundtrack from the movie we are watching envelopes our family. When the woofer is on, the sound wraps itself around us and even vibrates the house! We are so absorbed and surrounded by sound, that nothing can move us from watching the movie on the television. The surrounding sound is cool. But being surrounded by God is absolutely awesome!
TRUST IN THE LORD. You and I are immovable when our trust is in God. He surrounds us with His love, care, might, strength, power and protection when we trust in Him. Conversely, we are movable and shakable when we do not trust in Him. Our lives can be shaken up when we look away from the Lord and allow our faith to be shaken.
As a Christian, I choose to not be moved because I choose Christ. If I truly believe what I say I believe, I cannot be moved because Jesus is the immovable rock of my life. He alone is my rock and my salvation (Psalm 62). All the power of hell can come against me to try and move me away from God. But Satan’s feeble, futile attempts to shake me up fail every time because I put my faith in my unshakable, immovable Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“My soul waits in silence for God only, for my hope is in Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken.” Psalm 62:5-6 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, IMMOVABLE, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58 A Word For Your Week: Do not be moved by what moves other people. There are numerous times in the Bible when a phrase sticks out like a sore thumb.Judges 8:4 is one of those verses in the Word of God that grabs my soul big time!
“Then Gideon and the three hundred men who were with him came to the Jordan and crossed over, weary but pursuing.” Judges 8:4 “Weary but pursuing” is one of those phrases to me. Background and scenario. Study Judges 6-8: Gideon, called a “valiant warrior” by God, tried to wiggle out of his call to deliver the nation of Israel from her enemies. His personal protests were of no avail. The Lord promised to be with Gideon. God would glorify Himself through Gideon’s small, but mighty army of 300 warriors. Though outnumbered and outgunned (they had swords didn’t they!), they tore down altars of false worship, routing and defeating 120,000 enemy soldiers.
Point: Weariness did not keep Gideon and God’s army from winning. Though tired, they pursued the enemy until their adversaries were defeated. As I read my Bible, Gideon and his 300 men did not have a shot of Red Bull to hype them up while making war on their enemy. They pursued their adversary without a caffeine fix. Bottom line: the soldiers were tired from fighting. But tiredness did not stop them from completing their mission. They pursued the fleeing enemy army until they were thoroughly destroyed, no longer a threat to God’s people. Though “weary but pursuing,” Gideon’s army relied on God’s strength to complete their objective. Let us be honest. Life is tiring. You and I become weary at times as we journey through this life. And all the readers said AMEN! Someone commented “Tired men run the world.” Maybe that is why we have so many less than wise decisions, policies and programs because “tired men” make them. Just a thought. “Weary but pursuing” challenges me to evaluate my commitment to God’s plan for my life. I have counseled with people who check out on God’s best for them because they are tired. Countless I have heard in the counseling setting “I am so tired I want to quit.”
Think with me for a moment. Athletes tire, but that does not deter them from competing for the prize. Business people are weary week after week, but they do not quit doing business. Parents can be worn out in a hurry raising their offspring, but they always rise up to the occasion to take care of their children. Evil men and women become weary too, but being tired does not keep them from disseminating evil. · Weary and not pursuing gets us nowhere. Weary and pursuing, with God’s help, takes us somewhere. So, how do you and I keep on winning though weary? Jesus invites His weary ones to come to Him to receive rest. “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, 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 shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My load is light.” Matthew 11:28-30. Christians keep winning though weary by seeking and receiving rest from the Lord. The Lord renews us for each and every round of battle. As we yoke up with Jesus, we learn from Him how to be restful in our souls as we fight the good fight of faith. Certainly, Jesus was weary when He went to die on the Cross. Tired beyond tired through the torturous suffering He endured, the Lord secured salvation for you and me. His shed blood and the glorious resurrection from the dead sealed the deal. Though weary, Jesus was victorious! “Weary but pursuing” His Father’s will, Jesus won!!! Like Jesus, Christians become weary but are victorious winners in Christ! How To Win Though Weary
Currently tired? Worn out? Weary? Seek refreshing from the Lord…. then keep winning in Jesus’ name! “And do not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.“ Galatians 6:9 “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Hebrews 6:11-12 A Word For Your Week: Keep pursuing God’s will and plan for your life in the renewing power of the Holy Spirit. A few years ago, I drove by a church bulletin board that posted the message Battle On!
“Battle On” struck a responsive chord in my heart. “Battle On” is a battle cry for Christians who fight the good fight of faith in an unbelieving, hostile world. Battling the forces of evil can burn us out if we are not watchful. “Battle On” fired me up to stay refreshed in the Lord and battle on. Our scripture for this week is found in the context of the epic battle between David and Goliath recorded in I Samuel 17. “…for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands. Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.” I Samuel 17:47b-48 King Saul and the Israeli army should have easily defeated the Philistines. But an intimidating, trash-talking giant named Goliath showed up to defy Israel and their God. Terrified by Goliath’s mocking taunts, Israel stopped battling. For forty days and nights God’s warriors stood paralyzed on the battle sidelines shaking in their sandals. Enter the shepherd boy David. David sized up Goliath and decided to do battle with the giant. Note what David said and did. Ø The battle is the Lord’s. Not Saul’s, Israel’s, or David’s. Ø God would deliver Goliath into Israel’s hands. Ø David refused to retreat when Goliath moved toward him. Ø David ran quickly to the battle line to meet Goliath. David took out Goliath with a slingshot and a few stones. He cut off Goliath’s head with the giant’s own sword! Israel prevailed over the Philistines because David battled on in the name of the Lord! A married couple I was counseling confided in me that they felt they were being attacked by the devil. I responded by saying “As Christians, we are constantly under spiritual attack. Satan never backs off. Some attacks are more intense than others while some seasons of spiritual warfare are longer than others. But the battle rages on…everyday. And we must battle back in the name of Jesus Christ.”
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:11-13 You and I must constantly battle for our faith, our family, our friends, our ministry, and our nation. Like David, you and I must run toward the battle, not away from it. Soldiers on active duty are on duty twenty-four seven. As good soldiers of Jesus Christ (I Timothy 2:3-4), Christians stand guard against the enemy and take the battle to the adversary when he attacks. The battle is the Lord’s and victory belongs to the Lord (Proverbs 21:31). God trains our hands for war and our fingers for battle (Psalm 144:1). The Lord strengthens us for battle, subdues our enemies and makes them turn their backs to us (Psalm 18:39). Our battle cry is the same as David’s: I come against you in the name of the Lord (I Samuel 17:45-47). How is your battle going? Are you battling on? Are you taking the fight to Satan and his demonic forces? Are you running toward the devil and running him out of your territory? Does the devil tremble because he knows you are not afraid of him? My fellow Christian, battle on! The battle is raging all around us. Battle on. Charge ahead. March onward. Fight forward. No matter what circumstances you are facing, battle on. Resist the pressure and temptation to give in or give up. Battle on! Fight, fight, and fight some more. Refuse retreat. Never surrender ground you have won for the Lord. Stand tall. Do not fall. Do not stall. If you have taken a hit, do not sit. Get up. Rise up with renewed resolve. Battle on! You and I will battle until we take our last breath. There is no option but to battle when the battle is on. Someone reading this devotion really needs to hear the words BATTLE ON. As you and I engage in the firefight of faith, do not fear. Do not faint. Rise up with courageous, confident, overcoming faith in Jesus’ mighty name. Battle on brothers and sisters in Christ. Battle on in the name of the Lord! “Fight the good fight of faith, take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” I Timothy 6:12 A Word For Your Week: The battle is on so BATTLE ON! |
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