The LORD will fight for you; you must be quiet." ~Exodus 14:14 HCSB
I remember growing up getting scrapes and in the middle of all the crying mom says, "Be quiet, be still", as she patches you up. The people of Israel had just left Egypt and were camped along the Red Sea. The Egyptian army appeared on the horizon and the people became afraid. Moses stood among the people and told them, "Don't be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord's salvation" and then he closed with, "The Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet."
Moses didn't tell the people to stand up and fight, but to be quiet and trust the Lord. There are times in life when we will face these moments. When we are facing a superior foe and all we can do is be quiet and trust the Lord to fight for us. What are you facing? What is barreling down on you and you are afraid. Today I want to encourage you to stand still and be quiet. Be still and know the Lord will fight for you. There is nothing impossible with God and He will see you through those times, we just need to trust Him.
Lord help us to be quiet, to trust you in those impossible moments. When life is overwhelming, help us to be still and trust you to fight for us. Lord I thank you for all you do, especially in these times. Lord thank you, Amen.
Daily Reading: Exodus 15-17; Proverbs 1
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thoughts of Late
Lately my thoughts have centered on cancer. Cancer is a heavy word. It sinks into the pit of your stomach. From there it seems to draw the life out of your for a moment. It takes time to wrestle with and you never seem to get your hands on it. Cancer has been a part of our family now for the last three years. First my mother got colon cancer. Six months later I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Both of us came through with the grace of God. Then last month my mother was diagnosed breast cancer. Last week she had surgery and they found more cancer. So now she is looking at more surgery and chemo in the next few months. All of this has hit her very hard and it is tough to think about.
Today I wrote about Psalm 23, especially the words "I lack nothing". After I talked to my mom, these words again are lingering in my mind. I am struggling to put it all together and I can feel the tension. I am asking in my heart why God would allow her to continue with this. I know what the Bible says and I believe it to be true, but I lack the faith in this moment in time. In this space and context, I am looking for footing on a slippery rock. I know in time I will find my balance, but for right now I am uneasy.
The Lord is my shepherd and I look to Him to comfort us as a family. I know these are the times when our faith is tested and we grow the most. We don't understand everything that happens to us. So now I leave this in the tension of the now and pray for the peace of the Lord. Please pray for my mother.
Today I wrote about Psalm 23, especially the words "I lack nothing". After I talked to my mom, these words again are lingering in my mind. I am struggling to put it all together and I can feel the tension. I am asking in my heart why God would allow her to continue with this. I know what the Bible says and I believe it to be true, but I lack the faith in this moment in time. In this space and context, I am looking for footing on a slippery rock. I know in time I will find my balance, but for right now I am uneasy.
The Lord is my shepherd and I look to Him to comfort us as a family. I know these are the times when our faith is tested and we grow the most. We don't understand everything that happens to us. So now I leave this in the tension of the now and pray for the peace of the Lord. Please pray for my mother.
Nothing I Lack
"The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack." ~Psalms 23:1 HCSB
We all have heard this translated "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. But when I read this in the HCSB, it sounded so different. "There is nothing I lack", really got me thinking about this verse. In Christ, there is nothing I lack. Jesus tells us he is the good shepherd (John 10:11). He tells the disciples "the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep". Jesus came for that very reason, to lay down His life for the world.
He died on the cross for our sins and in Him we have life. Through His sacrifice we lack nothing. Peter tells us "His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." (2 Peter 1:3) The good shepherd laid down His life; he calls each sheep by name and cares for them. The sheep know his voice and they follow him. He provided everything they need; He protects them from the wolf. No one can take His sheep from Him, they lack nothing. He does this not as a hired hand, but because the Father has given the sheep to Him. He loves the sheep as the Father loves the sheep. Reading this verse again in this light makes it mean so much more. "The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack". Jesus provides it all.
Lord you are the Good Shepherd, there is absolutely no one like you. You know my needs and where I need to go. You provide for me and guide me and I lack nothing. Lord thank you, help me live with this in my heart and let me grateful. Amen
Daily Reading is a catch up day, tomorrow we are at Exodus 15-17 and Proverbs 1. So catch up to Psalm 23 and Exodus 14, God bless!
We all have heard this translated "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. But when I read this in the HCSB, it sounded so different. "There is nothing I lack", really got me thinking about this verse. In Christ, there is nothing I lack. Jesus tells us he is the good shepherd (John 10:11). He tells the disciples "the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep". Jesus came for that very reason, to lay down His life for the world.
He died on the cross for our sins and in Him we have life. Through His sacrifice we lack nothing. Peter tells us "His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." (2 Peter 1:3) The good shepherd laid down His life; he calls each sheep by name and cares for them. The sheep know his voice and they follow him. He provided everything they need; He protects them from the wolf. No one can take His sheep from Him, they lack nothing. He does this not as a hired hand, but because the Father has given the sheep to Him. He loves the sheep as the Father loves the sheep. Reading this verse again in this light makes it mean so much more. "The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack". Jesus provides it all.
Lord you are the Good Shepherd, there is absolutely no one like you. You know my needs and where I need to go. You provide for me and guide me and I lack nothing. Lord thank you, help me live with this in my heart and let me grateful. Amen
Daily Reading is a catch up day, tomorrow we are at Exodus 15-17 and Proverbs 1. So catch up to Psalm 23 and Exodus 14, God bless!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Remember
"Then Moses said to the people, "Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, for the LORD brought you out of here by the strength of His hand." ~Exodus 13:3 HCSB
On leaving Egypt Moses tells the people to remember this day! Remember that you were in slavery and the Lord has freed you. Nothing you did, but that the Lord freed you by His strength. All through the Old Testament you see this echoed, remember that the Lord lead you out of Egypt, the Lord freed you. Christ came also came to free all people from the slavery of sin. He died on the cross for that very purpose. By putting our faith in what Christ did we are saved, and we are freed. Paul reminds us to remember what Christ did for us. "Walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God." (Eph 5:2)
By remembering the Israelites drew confidence from the fact that God delivered them. Their faith in God was strengthened and they trusted God would never leave them. The same goes for us. As we remember what God has done for us through Christ and our faith is strengthened. When we look back and see where we struggled with sin and how Christ freed us. When we faced adversity and we remember how God delivered us, our faith grows. Remembering there is nothing we did on our own, but through the strength of the Lords hand.
Praise God who loves us and delivers us from sin through His Son Jesus. Thank you Lord for your love for us. Thank you for guiding us and directing our lives. Lord help me to remember where I once was and where I am in you now. Thank you, Amen.
Daily Reading: Exodus 12-14; Psalm 23
On leaving Egypt Moses tells the people to remember this day! Remember that you were in slavery and the Lord has freed you. Nothing you did, but that the Lord freed you by His strength. All through the Old Testament you see this echoed, remember that the Lord lead you out of Egypt, the Lord freed you. Christ came also came to free all people from the slavery of sin. He died on the cross for that very purpose. By putting our faith in what Christ did we are saved, and we are freed. Paul reminds us to remember what Christ did for us. "Walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God." (Eph 5:2)
By remembering the Israelites drew confidence from the fact that God delivered them. Their faith in God was strengthened and they trusted God would never leave them. The same goes for us. As we remember what God has done for us through Christ and our faith is strengthened. When we look back and see where we struggled with sin and how Christ freed us. When we faced adversity and we remember how God delivered us, our faith grows. Remembering there is nothing we did on our own, but through the strength of the Lords hand.
Praise God who loves us and delivers us from sin through His Son Jesus. Thank you Lord for your love for us. Thank you for guiding us and directing our lives. Lord help me to remember where I once was and where I am in you now. Thank you, Amen.
Daily Reading: Exodus 12-14; Psalm 23
Thursday, January 27, 2011
This Purpose
"However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you My power and to make My name known in all the earth." ~Exodus 9:16 HCSB
Moses talking to Pharaoh gives him this message from the Lord. He tells him He could have "obliterated" him and his people, "However, I have let you live for this purpose". I have often thought why God allows pestilence, disease, injustice and disasters. He could stop them, but many times it seems He doesn't. I spent time with my mother in the hospital. She was having the cancer in her body removed. Sitting there I can't help to think and ask the question, why Lord. I don't doubt in my heart that God is over all things and the fact I will never fully understand a fraction of what are His ways. But this verse helps me understand.
I have often heard that God is in the aftermath when disaster strikes. In reality he is there in the beginning all the way through to the end. He uses these events to show the world His power, to make His name known to everyone. Watching my mother in the midst of her pain, to see the smile on her face, to hear her laugh at a silly joke when it hurts, declares Christ in her life. She has a peace when facing adversity, that no matters what happens it is in God's hands. That death has no hold those who believe, in the end God's name will be glorified and everything will be made right. I thank God for this, it allows me to move through this life with a renewed confidence. To see God's glory in all things, not just when things are going good. I realize this life would not be worth living without Christ and what He brings to my life…He makes it all possible.
Lord I thank you for all things. That in life we will face hardships and how you use them to build our faith in you. Lord thank you for my mother and her love of you. Heal her and be with us when we face our own hardships. Lord use us to proclaim your power and to make your name know in all the earth! Amen.
Daily Reading: Exodus 9-11; Psalm 22:12-31
Moses talking to Pharaoh gives him this message from the Lord. He tells him He could have "obliterated" him and his people, "However, I have let you live for this purpose". I have often thought why God allows pestilence, disease, injustice and disasters. He could stop them, but many times it seems He doesn't. I spent time with my mother in the hospital. She was having the cancer in her body removed. Sitting there I can't help to think and ask the question, why Lord. I don't doubt in my heart that God is over all things and the fact I will never fully understand a fraction of what are His ways. But this verse helps me understand.
I have often heard that God is in the aftermath when disaster strikes. In reality he is there in the beginning all the way through to the end. He uses these events to show the world His power, to make His name known to everyone. Watching my mother in the midst of her pain, to see the smile on her face, to hear her laugh at a silly joke when it hurts, declares Christ in her life. She has a peace when facing adversity, that no matters what happens it is in God's hands. That death has no hold those who believe, in the end God's name will be glorified and everything will be made right. I thank God for this, it allows me to move through this life with a renewed confidence. To see God's glory in all things, not just when things are going good. I realize this life would not be worth living without Christ and what He brings to my life…He makes it all possible.
Lord I thank you for all things. That in life we will face hardships and how you use them to build our faith in you. Lord thank you for my mother and her love of you. Heal her and be with us when we face our own hardships. Lord use us to proclaim your power and to make your name know in all the earth! Amen.
Daily Reading: Exodus 9-11; Psalm 22:12-31
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Forsaken?
"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" ~Psalm 22:1
These words we recognize. These are the words Jesus quoted from the cross just before He died. Thinking about this verse, I am reminded there are times in life when we feel these words ourselves. When a doctor tells you, you have cancer or when we lose someone very close to us. Reading through Exodus, the people of Israel was brutally oppressed by Pharaoh. When Moses confronted Pharaoh to free his people, Pharaoh responded by making life even harder. The people felt as if God had forsaken them.
In reality God was working in their behalf and in the end they world know He was God and they where His people. In life we don't always know what is happening and we feel abandoned. But God reminds us to be "strong and courageous" and "He will never leave us or forsake us". (Deu. 3:16) No matter where you find yourself we know God will never 'forsake' us. In those moments He is building our faith and we have to trust the outcome to God.
Dear Father thank you for never leaving or forsaken us. Thank you for always being there even when we feel overwhelmed by life. Lord help us in those moments to look to you and to trust you. Build our faith today Lord. Amen
Daily Reading: Exodus 5-8; Psalm 22:1-11
These words we recognize. These are the words Jesus quoted from the cross just before He died. Thinking about this verse, I am reminded there are times in life when we feel these words ourselves. When a doctor tells you, you have cancer or when we lose someone very close to us. Reading through Exodus, the people of Israel was brutally oppressed by Pharaoh. When Moses confronted Pharaoh to free his people, Pharaoh responded by making life even harder. The people felt as if God had forsaken them.
In reality God was working in their behalf and in the end they world know He was God and they where His people. In life we don't always know what is happening and we feel abandoned. But God reminds us to be "strong and courageous" and "He will never leave us or forsake us". (Deu. 3:16) No matter where you find yourself we know God will never 'forsake' us. In those moments He is building our faith and we have to trust the outcome to God.
Dear Father thank you for never leaving or forsaken us. Thank you for always being there even when we feel overwhelmed by life. Lord help us in those moments to look to you and to trust you. Build our faith today Lord. Amen
Daily Reading: Exodus 5-8; Psalm 22:1-11
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
A Name
"God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you." ~Exodus 3:14 HCSB
Names are important. Names establish who we are and say something about us. All of us have names, names our parents gave us and some names we have earned through our actions. When Moses was given the task to go to the Israelites, Moses asked, "Who will I say sent me?" God answered him with, "I AM"! Reading this stirs me, there is no greater name. God is "I AM", there is nothing he cannot do. In the New Testament, at the trial of Jesus the high priest asked Jesus if he was the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? Jesus answered him, "I am", at which time the priest tore this robes and Jesus was crucified for blasphemy. (Mark 14:61)
Just as God sent Moses to free the Israelites from slavery, God the Father sent the Son to free us from the slavery of sin. God took the initiative in the lives of people of Israel and God has taken the initiative in the lives of all people. God freed the Israelites from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh. Jesus sets us free from the chains of sin and gives us a new life. In the name of Jesus, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) Praise God for His name!
Lord praise your name! Praise you Lord for taking the initiative in freeing us from our sins. Father praise you for sending your Son, Jesus. Thank you Jesus for freeing us from our sin and giving us a new life in you! May the name of Jesus be praised in our lives today! Thank you Lord! Amen.
Daily Reading: Exodus 1-4; Psalm 21
Pastor Steve
Names are important. Names establish who we are and say something about us. All of us have names, names our parents gave us and some names we have earned through our actions. When Moses was given the task to go to the Israelites, Moses asked, "Who will I say sent me?" God answered him with, "I AM"! Reading this stirs me, there is no greater name. God is "I AM", there is nothing he cannot do. In the New Testament, at the trial of Jesus the high priest asked Jesus if he was the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? Jesus answered him, "I am", at which time the priest tore this robes and Jesus was crucified for blasphemy. (Mark 14:61)
Just as God sent Moses to free the Israelites from slavery, God the Father sent the Son to free us from the slavery of sin. God took the initiative in the lives of people of Israel and God has taken the initiative in the lives of all people. God freed the Israelites from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh. Jesus sets us free from the chains of sin and gives us a new life. In the name of Jesus, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) Praise God for His name!
Lord praise your name! Praise you Lord for taking the initiative in freeing us from our sins. Father praise you for sending your Son, Jesus. Thank you Jesus for freeing us from our sin and giving us a new life in you! May the name of Jesus be praised in our lives today! Thank you Lord! Amen.
Daily Reading: Exodus 1-4; Psalm 21
Pastor Steve
Monday, January 24, 2011
Take Refuge
"God- His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. His is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides Yahweh" HCSB Psalm 18:30-31
Life has many ups and downs and at times it can get over whelming. I love the Psalms for this very reason, because it gives me a place to go and find inspiration for hope. These verses are a perfect example. First thought I get when I read this is, God, He is the first thought. He is the reason for everything, God. His ways are perfect. Not our ways, not the way of a political leader, pastor or anyone else, God's way is perfect. How do we know this? God has revealed it to us in His word, which He says is pure. It can be trusted, because God can be trusted. It is a foundation of truth for us to stand on, to build our lives one.
Through the revealed word we know God is a shield and a safe place for us to take refuge in. We know that no matter what happens in this life, we know God is in control. He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to take refuge in Him. When we do we quickly find out God does exactly what He says. We will never fully understand everything that happens to us or to those around us, but we know we can trust God. I take comfort in this, knowing God is God and I am not Him.
Lord thank you for being God. Thank you for your word, that is pure. Lord—You are my shield and my refuge, help me take shelter in you first. Help me seek you first in my life, to trust you with everything. Amen
Daily Reading: Mark 13-16 and Psalm 20
Pastor Steve
Life has many ups and downs and at times it can get over whelming. I love the Psalms for this very reason, because it gives me a place to go and find inspiration for hope. These verses are a perfect example. First thought I get when I read this is, God, He is the first thought. He is the reason for everything, God. His ways are perfect. Not our ways, not the way of a political leader, pastor or anyone else, God's way is perfect. How do we know this? God has revealed it to us in His word, which He says is pure. It can be trusted, because God can be trusted. It is a foundation of truth for us to stand on, to build our lives one.
Through the revealed word we know God is a shield and a safe place for us to take refuge in. We know that no matter what happens in this life, we know God is in control. He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to take refuge in Him. When we do we quickly find out God does exactly what He says. We will never fully understand everything that happens to us or to those around us, but we know we can trust God. I take comfort in this, knowing God is God and I am not Him.
Lord thank you for being God. Thank you for your word, that is pure. Lord—You are my shield and my refuge, help me take shelter in you first. Help me seek you first in my life, to trust you with everything. Amen
Daily Reading: Mark 13-16 and Psalm 20
Pastor Steve
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Sermon: Prepare for Battle: The Enemy (Eph 6:10-12)
We are at War!
The very first thing as Christians we have to understand is we are at war. There has been an uprising in the heavens and we have landed in the middle of it. In fact you could say we are in enemy occupied territory. We live like we are on a playground many times when we should live like we are on a battleground. In the letter to the Ephesians Paul outlines this most clearly at the end of the letter in chapter 6. For the last few chapters of the letter Paul tells us 'to live a life worthy of our calling" (Eph 4:1). He tells us to be 'imitators' of God (Eph 5:1), to 'walk in Love' (Eph 5:2), to 'walk as children of the light' (Eph 5:8), and finally to 'walk not as unwise people but as wise' (Eph 5:15). Next Paul outlines how we are to live this new life out in Christ with others, our church, home and work. He finishes the letter with dealing with the enemy. He knows if you are to live the Christian life in the world there will be opposition.
"Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens." Ephesians 6:10-12 HCSB
Reading Paul's word we soon realize we have been enlisted into the army of the Lord. He starts by saying "finally", the word would better translated "henceforth" or "for the time remaining". In others words we are going to struggle with this until Christ returns.
Christ has Overcome
It's easy to think we are in a losing battle. But we must not lose heart and we must always remember Christ has overcome. In John 16:38 Jesus tells the disciples "but take heart I have overcome the world". He has also overcome the flesh (Gal 2:20) and over Satan himself (Eph 1:19-23). We know who has won, we know the score of the game before it's finished. In the end Christ wins and Satan loses. So in reality we do not fight for victory—we fight from victory! And when you really think about it we don't fight all, God fights for us.
The Enemy
So who is this enemy, what comes to mind when you think about him? When I posed this question on Facebook I got a variety of answers and they could be boiled down as "lair, cheater, murderer, divider, and thief. We have to know our enemy! Intelligence is vital to any battle and this battle isn't any different. We have to know our enemy to defeat him and also not to be caught off guard. He has many names, he is known as the Devil which means "accuser". He is called this because he stands before God accusing the saints (Rev 12:7-11). He is also known as Satan, which means the "adversary". He is known as the tempter, murderer and liar (John 8:44), compared to a lion (1Peter 5:8), a serpent in Genesis, and can disguised himself as an angel of light. (2 Cor. 11:13-15) He is also known as the 'god of this age'. (2 Cor 4:4)
You look through the list of names and realize the enemy is very powerful, but we have to realize he was created. Many have debated how Satan fell from heaven and the Bible as passages that allude to it, but many scholars are divided. But I would encourage you to read Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-17, I tend to believe these passages are referencing the rise and fall of Satan, but I will leave that for another time. What we do know is he is limited in knowledge and activity. He is not all knowing, all powerful or everywhere like God. So the question quickly become how does he do so much? The answer is he has help, a lot of help.
The Bible tells us he took one-third of the angels with him (Rev 12:4), no one knows the exact number but that has to be a lot of angels. Secondly he has people in place, rulers and authorities. Daniel 10:13-20 tells us he battles in the heavens and interferes with the nations.
Don't Underestimate Him
Taking all of this into account we do not want to underestimate him. He has been around from the very beginning and we cannot defeat him on our own. And the worst mistake of all is to ignore or make him a myth. Jesus tells us in John 10:10 "A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy." I believe Satan wants to steal your peace, that is get you to believe that God doesn't love you. He wants to disrupt the peace you have with God through Christ. If he can get you to say you're not good enough, he can kill your joy. Losing your joy, takes away your hope and if we lose hope we will certainly doubt our faith. Once faith is gone there will be little talk from you about Jesus to others! This is why we must always remember the cross and the victory won there! It is at the cross where our sins were forgiven by the shedding of Christ blood. It is where God's wrath is settled and by putting our faith in Jesus we have salvation. It is on the cross we find peace with God. In the end Satan and his army with be thrown into the lake of fire, until then we stand and resist. But only through Christ can we have the victory!
I heard an old, old story,
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning,
Of His precious blood's atoning,
Then I repented of my sins
And won the victory.
Chorus
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.
The very first thing as Christians we have to understand is we are at war. There has been an uprising in the heavens and we have landed in the middle of it. In fact you could say we are in enemy occupied territory. We live like we are on a playground many times when we should live like we are on a battleground. In the letter to the Ephesians Paul outlines this most clearly at the end of the letter in chapter 6. For the last few chapters of the letter Paul tells us 'to live a life worthy of our calling" (Eph 4:1). He tells us to be 'imitators' of God (Eph 5:1), to 'walk in Love' (Eph 5:2), to 'walk as children of the light' (Eph 5:8), and finally to 'walk not as unwise people but as wise' (Eph 5:15). Next Paul outlines how we are to live this new life out in Christ with others, our church, home and work. He finishes the letter with dealing with the enemy. He knows if you are to live the Christian life in the world there will be opposition.
"Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens." Ephesians 6:10-12 HCSB
Reading Paul's word we soon realize we have been enlisted into the army of the Lord. He starts by saying "finally", the word would better translated "henceforth" or "for the time remaining". In others words we are going to struggle with this until Christ returns.
Christ has Overcome
It's easy to think we are in a losing battle. But we must not lose heart and we must always remember Christ has overcome. In John 16:38 Jesus tells the disciples "but take heart I have overcome the world". He has also overcome the flesh (Gal 2:20) and over Satan himself (Eph 1:19-23). We know who has won, we know the score of the game before it's finished. In the end Christ wins and Satan loses. So in reality we do not fight for victory—we fight from victory! And when you really think about it we don't fight all, God fights for us.
The Enemy
So who is this enemy, what comes to mind when you think about him? When I posed this question on Facebook I got a variety of answers and they could be boiled down as "lair, cheater, murderer, divider, and thief. We have to know our enemy! Intelligence is vital to any battle and this battle isn't any different. We have to know our enemy to defeat him and also not to be caught off guard. He has many names, he is known as the Devil which means "accuser". He is called this because he stands before God accusing the saints (Rev 12:7-11). He is also known as Satan, which means the "adversary". He is known as the tempter, murderer and liar (John 8:44), compared to a lion (1Peter 5:8), a serpent in Genesis, and can disguised himself as an angel of light. (2 Cor. 11:13-15) He is also known as the 'god of this age'. (2 Cor 4:4)
You look through the list of names and realize the enemy is very powerful, but we have to realize he was created. Many have debated how Satan fell from heaven and the Bible as passages that allude to it, but many scholars are divided. But I would encourage you to read Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-17, I tend to believe these passages are referencing the rise and fall of Satan, but I will leave that for another time. What we do know is he is limited in knowledge and activity. He is not all knowing, all powerful or everywhere like God. So the question quickly become how does he do so much? The answer is he has help, a lot of help.
The Bible tells us he took one-third of the angels with him (Rev 12:4), no one knows the exact number but that has to be a lot of angels. Secondly he has people in place, rulers and authorities. Daniel 10:13-20 tells us he battles in the heavens and interferes with the nations.
Don't Underestimate Him
Taking all of this into account we do not want to underestimate him. He has been around from the very beginning and we cannot defeat him on our own. And the worst mistake of all is to ignore or make him a myth. Jesus tells us in John 10:10 "A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy." I believe Satan wants to steal your peace, that is get you to believe that God doesn't love you. He wants to disrupt the peace you have with God through Christ. If he can get you to say you're not good enough, he can kill your joy. Losing your joy, takes away your hope and if we lose hope we will certainly doubt our faith. Once faith is gone there will be little talk from you about Jesus to others! This is why we must always remember the cross and the victory won there! It is at the cross where our sins were forgiven by the shedding of Christ blood. It is where God's wrath is settled and by putting our faith in Jesus we have salvation. It is on the cross we find peace with God. In the end Satan and his army with be thrown into the lake of fire, until then we stand and resist. But only through Christ can we have the victory!
I heard an old, old story,
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning,
Of His precious blood's atoning,
Then I repented of my sins
And won the victory.
Chorus
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Conflict
Ok I got a secret, I really do. I want to share something startling and downright scary, conflict! Many of us hear this word and we are terrified. I have to tell you I have gone to great lengths to avoid this beast and many times I have had to settle it with a greater cost. Think about how many times things went horribly wrong when you sat on something and hoped it would go away. The longer you waited the bigger the thing got and before long you got Godzilla marching through your life.
So how do you handle conflict, firstly you have to realize conflict is going to happen especially in a church. Wait you mean there are conflicts in church, but everyone is so nice and friendly. I have learned church people can be very unfriendly if you mess with things they love. Add in ages differences, no generational differences, cultures, gender, not to mention sin and a host of other factors and you have a potentially biohazard on your hands. So you have to realize conflict is going to happen and it's ok. Yup, it's ok. In fact if you don't have conflict I think there is something wrong with the church. It's like when your three year gets quiet, when that happens I'm scared! So conflict is going to happen and it's ok, so how do I handle it?
As soon as a conflict starts the person who is offended needs to go to the offender. As soon as humanly possible the person in question needs to be gentle and respectfully confront. Keep this in mind, 97% of what people say and do are done with the best intentions at heart. I know you think I'm naïve, but I truly believe that, they simply don't have the skills or the ability to get it right. I can't tell you how many times people say things to me that I could easily take offense to, but I know they have my best interest at heart. They just said it wrongly, or they didn't know all the facts involved. If you do this you will solve almost all of your conflict issues, even if it is just agreeing to disagree.
In the end you will learn the other person better, they will learn something about you and everyone will benefit. So next time someone hurts you, offends you or whatever you want to call it, deal with the person directly. Don't talk about them for months to everyone else, or let it build up inside you until you burst. Deal with it and accept the outcome. We must always remember what is at stake. It's the gospel of Christ. Jesus said, "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35) We don't want to do anything that would tarnish, take away from or harm the gospel of Christ. The world is watching and many people will turn away from or embrace Christ by the way we treat each other, think about it!
-ps
So how do you handle conflict, firstly you have to realize conflict is going to happen especially in a church. Wait you mean there are conflicts in church, but everyone is so nice and friendly. I have learned church people can be very unfriendly if you mess with things they love. Add in ages differences, no generational differences, cultures, gender, not to mention sin and a host of other factors and you have a potentially biohazard on your hands. So you have to realize conflict is going to happen and it's ok. Yup, it's ok. In fact if you don't have conflict I think there is something wrong with the church. It's like when your three year gets quiet, when that happens I'm scared! So conflict is going to happen and it's ok, so how do I handle it?
As soon as a conflict starts the person who is offended needs to go to the offender. As soon as humanly possible the person in question needs to be gentle and respectfully confront. Keep this in mind, 97% of what people say and do are done with the best intentions at heart. I know you think I'm naïve, but I truly believe that, they simply don't have the skills or the ability to get it right. I can't tell you how many times people say things to me that I could easily take offense to, but I know they have my best interest at heart. They just said it wrongly, or they didn't know all the facts involved. If you do this you will solve almost all of your conflict issues, even if it is just agreeing to disagree.
In the end you will learn the other person better, they will learn something about you and everyone will benefit. So next time someone hurts you, offends you or whatever you want to call it, deal with the person directly. Don't talk about them for months to everyone else, or let it build up inside you until you burst. Deal with it and accept the outcome. We must always remember what is at stake. It's the gospel of Christ. Jesus said, "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35) We don't want to do anything that would tarnish, take away from or harm the gospel of Christ. The world is watching and many people will turn away from or embrace Christ by the way we treat each other, think about it!
-ps
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