Vessels and Versions

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (John 17:3 NIV).

Facebook’s format changes sometimes surprise me, but I’m glad it’s an available tool for now. WordPress has been telling me my browser is out of date and now has made some change that won’t allow me to see my toolbars the same way. I’m using Internet Explorer 8; I checked expecting to see IE6 or something ridiculous, but it’s IE8, and I happened to learn yesterday at work that not all websites even support IE9 yet, however long it’s been out. Even with changed toolbars, I still get to post my appreciation for the Word, a hobby that brings me great joy. Like my photos on Facebook, I know I view my postings more than anyone else, but it still pleases me to share God’s goodness. I want the Lord to know I’m thankful, and I enjoy seeing how He blesses others.

John 17:3 carries a message that even different translations can’t complicate. I like looking at scriptures in various translations sometimes. I’m glad for those who loved the Word enough to prayerfully publish each work, but I know the translation is a vessel. The power of the Word is spiritual not linguistic. Jesus prays for His disciples: For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them (John 17:8). Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17). As I study scripture faithfully and consistently, the Holy Spirit works to change what doesn’t please God. Often I wish what doesn’t please me would take priority, but the Lord works from the inside out. Moses tells Israelites of the Lord’s covenant with them: “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live (Deu 30:6). I might want better eating habits, but the Lord is more concerned that I pray without ceasing and daily put on the full armor of God.

Paul says in Ephesians: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against..the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil” (Eph 6:12). Lord, thank-you for your Word that works to change me from the inside out. Forgive me when my actions don’t reflect the fruits of your Spirit. Help me prevail against attitudes that don’t recognize your authority. “Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law..Your testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors” (Psalm 119:18,24).

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent (John 17:3 KJV).

This is life that lasts forever. It is to know You, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ Whom You have sent (John 17:3 NLV).

And this is the life age-during, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and him whom Thou didst send — Jesus Christ (John 17:3 YLT).

Storms, Circumstances, & Evacuations

I was blessed yesterday to visit a friend from long ago and watch my daughter play with her children. It was a sweet occasion especially after a disappointing performance in the Zoo Zoom and a minor fender bender on the way. While appoaching a red light, looking at the map on my phone, I bumped the car in front of me. Praise God, it wasn’t a pedestrian or bicyclist. The damage appeared to be minimal, the driver received my apology for interupting her day most graciously, and I received a needed lesson on attention at the wheel. Earlier this week, I was ticketed for driving 30 in a school zone. I told the officer I was sure I’d slowed down when I passed the sign and suggested his detector was improperly distanced. I was sure, at the time, especially since the driver in the other lane also pulled over apparently had the same argument. The next day I cringed wondering if I’d slowed down at the overhead sign instead of the street sign some 300 feet further back. I thank the Lord for training all the time. Even if someone could somehow prove to me that all events in my life were random coincidence, I would still praise God for the work He does in my heart and in my attitude. Psalm 89 reads, “I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself” (v2). Undoubtedly, the Lord has established His faithfullness in my spirit. What naturally flows out of me is generally blended with suspicion, accusation, and a bit of self-centered paranoia. Looking for a thought pattern void of that is a semi-litmus test for me as I try to write what is from or would please the Holy Spirit.

Actually, just driving to the friends house is a pillar of personal testimony. Over the years, drugs and alcohol worked havoc on my mind and spirit; towards the end, I was such a nervous wreck, I frequently felt unsafe in my surroundings and responded in various bizarre ways which often included fleeing. A few years after my deliverance, while meeting someone for lunch in a nearby city where he’d established residence, I became anxious around the neighbors we ate with, insisted we depart, and, at his suggestion, ended the afternoon by leaving him carless at a local restaurant. Having my toddler with me contributed to my cotton mouth & panic, but it might have gone down the same without her. Several times since then, I’ve struggled against similar symptoms with varying levels of success. Yesterday, our destination was a house on a two lane highway south of Gonzales. I might have declined the invitation with one excuse or another, but she’s a believer, a friendly face from my past, and I’m interested in joining her Kairos ministry team. Following the fender bender, I was glad she invited us to arrive late since a missed opportunity after the accident and a Zoo Zoom time longer than what I’d hoped for would have made for a unhappy day.

In Numbers, the Lord sets apart the tribe of Levi to care for the tabernacle: “The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal” (v12-13). Our God is holy: whole not partial. He shows His mercy and love to the chosen nation by singling out a tribe to redeem the firstborn of Israel rather than separating families. The numbers are taken, and accounting is done to ensure the process is fair and complete. Psalm 89 continues,“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you” (v14). Numbers 3 begins by recounting Aaron’s loss of his two firstborn, the priests who mishandled the offering. Numbers 4 and other related chapters detail how the Levites are to move and maintain all the articles in the tabernacle. The instructions are specific. The other tribes depend on their redeemer to follow them with care. What compels later generations to give proper attention to lampstands and utensils? I love how Ray Stedman defines our concept of justice: “It is impossible for human beings to be more just than God, because our very sense of justice is derived from Him!..It is impossible for human beings to be more compassionate than God, for our feelings of compassion come from Him.” (Adventuring Through the Bible, ch32). Seeking to understand scripture is so fulfilling because it is already in my spirit. Revelation of the Word is like rediscovering a beautiful friendship.

Jesus says of the woman who finds a lost coin, “there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). Lord, I am sorry for the choices I’ve made that disregard your teachings. Thank-you for your work in me to rebuild faith and correct what does not represent you or glorify your Son. Reading about lives lost and the beating the East is taking from Irene, I pray that all suffering look for reminders of God’s goodness. I pray believers are comforted by the Holy Spirit and able to minister to others. Jesus, help people in distress receive joy knowing you, our redeemer, followed instructions with care, so we can rightfully hope for a permanent home in heaven. Lord, as people are confronted by flooding and storm damage, let the articles of faith maintained by your believers outshine what is destroyed. Enable restoration of trust in those jaded by trials and circumstances of whatever kind. “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness” (Psalm 89:15-16).

Gifts of God: Legs, Hips, and Feet

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31).

Yesterday, I looked for Low Carb Monster sodas but only saw some pricey Sugarfree Red Bulls. Less fond of Red Bull, I opted for the cheaper 12 pack of Diet Mountain Dew which is what I should have looked for anyway on my current budget. Praise God for bringing me to WalMart instead of Winn-Dixie. I appreciate quality and often think the upgrade is worthwhile, but I don’t need a $20 vs a $5 caffeine fix now. I’m drinking the sodas because I’m a little more tired than usual while training for a 5K. Around the time I was reborn in Christ, I ran frequently. Even then, I spent too much on energy gels and things of the like. That running effort wasn’t a long season, but I enjoyed it much, and recently, towards the end of a 40 day liquid fast, I was moved to register for the Zoo Zoom. One of the things I’d been praying about was whether or not to keep my daughter in dance especially since she wasn’t thrilled with it. She had minimal gymnastics exposure and wasn’t too excited about that either. I want her to be active and develop a hobby but didn’t know what we should try next. We took swimming lessons during the summer, and I’d been considering piano lessons. In the last week or two of my fast, I found a music teacher, was gifted with a piano, and joined the Y. I don’t expect to register for many more races this fall, but the treadmill workouts have been so much fun. I thank the Lord for this opportunity; do I show my appreciation by throwing away $15 on deluxe caffeine supplements again? Psalm 78 recounts the Israelite’s tribulations following their deliverance from Egypt: “They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God; they said, ‘Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?’” (v18-19). Looking for the Low Carb Monster drinks, I did not intend to speak against God, but I don’t want my choices to undermine His glory.

Luke 8 tells of Jesus healing a desert man bound by a legion of demons (v26 – 39) and raising a man’s daughter from the dead (v40-56). Jesus tells the man freed from demons, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” Three paragraphs later, after the dead child’s spirit returned, He tells her parents to be silent about this great miracle (v56). What? Tell no one? Earlier Jesus talked to His disciples about the Word of God as seed that bears fruit and said light is meant for all to see. “Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away” (v18). Those who lived among the possessed man knew a miracle occured and were frightened of the power of God at work: “all the people of the surrounding country..asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear” (v37). Maybe because they heard and believed, more faith will be given as the freed man’s testimony is preached.

While Jesus leaves with Jairus, whose daughter is ill, a woman is healed of a life long blood disease by touching His robe. Jesus demands she identify herself and commends her faith in front of the crowd. Jairus’ neighbors know Jesus but are quick to discourage the father with news of his daughter’s death. Jesus returns with Jairus, telling the crowd not to weep. “And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead” (v53). Jairus’ neighbors know Jesus has authority; they said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more” (v49). Sometimes when I think I’m showing respect for the Lord, my lack of faith shines brighter. Jesus says, “nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light” (v17). Maybe the girl’s parents were told to be silent because doubting Jairus’ testimony could shed what faith their community thought they had.

Proverbs 21 reads “There is no wisdom, understanding, or advice that can succeed against the Lord” (v30). The good news is that our God is merciful. Psalm 78 ends with David shepherding the people. The Lord chose David His servant and took him from the sheep pens…to be the shepherd of His people..His inheritance” (v70-71). In Leviticus 14, rituals for treatment of skin disorders and assorted ailments are described. People cleansed of leprosy are to bring three lambs, grain, and oil for offerings, but an allowance is made for the poor: one lamb, two birds, grain, and oil. “This is the law for him in whom is a case of leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing” (v32). Praise Jesus who gives us every opportunity to join with Him in Spirit whether we are rich or poor, walking in fear of God or distracted by worldy favors. Our Savior does not scorn our shortcomings but puts His light on a stand so all may see (Luke 8:16). Putting the Word of God on a stand may mean moving some things aside that could hinder His work. The Son of God was born in flesh and bore the cross so we may be reunited with our Father. We cannot afford the offerings for our cleansing. Lord, I thank you for patiently arranging my circumstances to let me better view your light. I pray for understanding to follow the path that best reveals your glory. You are an awesome God!

And He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” But He answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it” (Luke 8:20-21).

Driven by God’s Goodness

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

In Mark 9, the father of a boy stricken by convulsions asks Jesus to help if he can. The Lord says, “If you can!”, and the father’s desperation fuels his need to believe. Yesterday I was reminded once again how strongly music can influence me. I have a couple iPOD shuffles that I use when mowing the lawn or doing chores sometimes, but I don’t update them often. Right now, a lot of my music is on an external hard drive that I may need a new power cord for & iTunes starts up very slowly on my home laptop. But in the last few weeks, I started using my exercise bike and wanted some of the variety I hear in my car, so I managed to get one reloaded. I truly believe cutting out most secular music from my listening range has helped me spiritually more than I can even know. Reading and meditating on the Word daily is what I usually point to first, but come to think of it, I changed my music before I really started meditating on and receiving from the Word. So, who knows, but on my reloaded iShuffle, I put on a country song from a secular Grammy CD that I listen to on repeat occasionally. It’s not worship, but the lyrics include the line, “You know there’s gonna be a judgement day,” so praise God for secular music that acknowledges eternity in some way. As I started exercising more, I wanted more variety and found an old iPOD touch loaded with mostly Christian music. It holds one of the first “Christian music” iTunes lists I created several years ago when I was trying to work the old music out of my life, a process that took over 6 months, as long or longer than I spent on Suboxone a few years before. The iPOD touch Christian list includes “Wasted” by Carrie Underwood and another country song I won’t mention. It’s not particularly vulgar, but it’s highly suggestive. The first time I listened to the list last week, I wondered if I would skip the questionable song while mowing the lawn. The battery ran out before it played. It runs after one of my favorite Nicole Nordeman songs, “This Mystery,” and after missing it a couple more times, last night I consciously opted to skip it while on my exercise bike. It seems like such a minor thing since I hear all kinds of music in the stores and other places, but after moving on to the next song, I thought choosing not to have that song blare into my ears was a good idea. Not because it’s evil or the person singing it is any worse sinner than I, but nothing wholesome or appreciative of the Holy Spirit could possibly run through my mind while hearing it.

Jesus says, “And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched’” (Mark 9:47-48). I think I used the same quote from Matthew in a another recent blog entry, and I am glad to read again the reminder to guard my mind & my heart. Proverbs 7 reads, “So she seduced him with her pretty speech and enticed him with her flattery” (v21). So much of secular entertainment attempts to seduce us with lyrics or images that flatter and stir our passion in an unholy manner. The preceding passage where Jesus rids the boy of demons also says so much about our need for a clean spirit. The father tells Jesus, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid” (Mark 9:17-18). Ungodly thoughts, including animosity, illicit romance, and other self exalting fabrications, mute our ability to talk to our God in prayer or worship Him in spirit and in truth. I may not foam at the mouth or grind my teeth, but as my heart becomes rigid, set in my ways or unresponsive to the Word of God, I am less in tune to the Holy Spirit and outside the peace that passes understanding. Jesus approaches the boy, and “when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground” (Mark 9:20). The ungodly spirits we have around us, in our thought patterns, in our vision, in our hearing, try to convulse us when we get around the Spirit of Christ. When I first went back to church several years ago, worship was often a terrible exercise in maintaining focus. Except for an occasional emotional moment, my mind was everywhere but on seeking the Lord in sincerity and truth. Today, praise Jesus, the presence of the Lord in worship often floods me with perfect peace, but at other times, the battle persists.

“Jesus asked his father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him’” (Mark 9:21-22). From childhood, most of us are exposed to things that seek to destroy our relationship with the Lord, driving us to an eternity in hell if we never accept the gift of the cross. Psalm 53 reads “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’ (Psalm 53:1). Just this morning while reading the Word, a thought wrestled with that unbeliever door in my mind. One little unwelcome thought, if entertained too long, threatens to shut me down with the question, “Is God real?” An array of suspicions attempt to convulse my thinking and throw my faith to the fire. At such moments, I am so grateful the Holy Spirit has moved me away from much of the music and TV that reject the authority of God. What will I invite to join with my spirit? Shall I revel in the depravity of man or in what glorifies Christ my Savior? David wrote, “Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life” (Psalm 54:4). Of course, secular entertainment is everywhere. I recently started reading Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson. I let my preschooler take dance twice a week last year, and lately we spend a lot of time exercising at the Y. In the last month or so, I’ve spent hours on the phone giving not so holy testimony to a friend in need. Music always has moved my spirit, though, so I must be particularly cautious of it. These other things, I have to examine to see whether they will draw me away from God or enable me reach out to others with the love of Jesus. The demonized boy’s father said, “But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us” (Mark 9:22). Struggling with faith even in the presence of the Lord might be common and is certainly no reason to give up the fight when the question of eternity stands before us. “And Jesus said to him, ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes’” (Mark 9:23).

Lord, I thank you for your guidance. Help all struggling with belief make decisions daily that fuel their faith, squelching the voices of the flesh and of the enemy. Give courage to new believers to demonstrate their belief and ask for more. Help us reject what denies your supremacy and distracts us from your direction. With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good” (Psalm 54:6). Lord, you have delivered me from every trouble (Psalm 54:7)! Enable me to extend your love to those who lack your Spirit. Your marvelous hand is available to all your children. Help me see the need and prompt me with words to speak. Lord, you say some spirits can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. Hear our prayers for your will to be done in the lives of our loved ones, and let the oppressed be delivered as we fast and lift your name in worship.

And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose (Mark 9:26-27).

Healing Pangs of Guilt & Depression

We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.’ (Genesis 44:22-23)

In Genesis this morning, Judah begs his brother Joseph, unknown to him, for his brother Benjamin’s freedom. He pleads that he, Judah, is a pledge for Benjamin’s safety and emphasizes the loss of Benjamin would be the death of Israel. He ends his cry for mercy, “For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father” (Gensis 44:34). The brothers some 15 or 20 years before debated on how to eliminate Joseph and heartlessly returned to their father his cloak, the symbol of Israel’s great love for Joseph, bloodstained and torn. The lyrics to “One More Angel in Heaven” from Andrew Loyd Weber’s Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat displays their apparent callousness so well:

His blood-stained coat is tribute to His final sacrifice
His body may be past its peak But his soul’s in paradise

Their much changed attitude is seen when Benjamin’s freedom is threatened: “And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city” (Genesis 44:12-13). Years before, they would have likely pointed fingers and bid their brother goodbye right there. What could bring about such an about face? Did they miss Israel’s special treatment of Joseph and hearing about his dreams? Were they sorrowful for Joseph’s suffering? When Jacob accused them of being spies during their first visit, they said “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us” (Genesis 42:21). They know what they did was evil, but whatever repentence they have doesn’t lead to a confession of guilt. What trauma coaxes them back to Egypt with Benjamin to insist to Joseph, second in command, that Benjamin be allowed to return? As they declare the Joseph, it is their father’s sorrow. Was there any doubt among the brothers that the loss of Benjamin would bring his miserable demise? None. Likely, 15 years or so of witnessing their father’s grief convinced them.

When the brothers reported to Israel that Joseph was gone, Genesis reads “All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, ‘No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning’” (Genesis 37:35). Benjamin must have been a source of solace to him, but for the brothers to remain in Egypt begging for Benjamin’s life 15 years later, I would guess the grief process was something brutal. There was no discussion of, “well, he got over Joseph. Let’s just go. What can we do?” The brothers were adamant that Benjamin must return to Canaan. Did they express love for Benjamin? No, the loss would send their father to Sheol. I have to wonder if Israel, following Joseph’s loss, ever asked himself, “Why can’t I get past this? When will I know joy again? LORD, help me get through this.” But would an experience any less painful and depressing been forceful enough to retain the other sons in Egypt with Benjamin?

Shortly after I was reborn in Christ, a situation arose in my personal life that might have brought me to a fresh level of sin. I was excited about what the LORD was doing in my life and eager to continue my walk, but I didn’t have the Word in my spirit or a heart prone to worship. My daily habits centered on fullfilling my own desires, and I lacked much inclination that I should live any other way. God is good, but ultimately the pain of my past, long & wretched, kept me in tune to the caution of the Holy Spirit guiding me to refocus on Bible study classes, fellowship with other believers, and worship at a mid week service. Psalm 33 reads “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that He may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine” (v18-19). The LORD used Joseph, who feared Him and hoped in His steadfast love, to demonstrate His power and glory during famine in Egypt. The guilty brothers experienced a famine of sorts in Canaan, a lacking of Israel’s love and joy, following their murderous itent towards Joseph. The sorrow of Israel allowed the family to be reunited, and the resettling in Egypt allowed our almighty God to rescue and rebuild His chosen nation. Our God wants us to be reunited with Him. If in a pit of sorrow or depression, I wonder, “Why can’t I get past this?”, I know as I continue to worhsip, pray, and study His written Word, the gift of life that comes to life as we nurture it, my God will deliver me and may choose to bless me later with understanding. Praise Jesus for what keeps us in tune to the voice of the Holy Spirit. “For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness” (Psalm 33:4).

In the film, The Passion of the Christ, Mary mother of Jesus witnesses the torturous whipping of her son; she says something like, “it has started” and later, as the brutality intensifies, she wanders away a bit dumbfounded. How can this horror continue? Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection reunite us with our Father. Why is the gross and tragic suffering necessary? The LORD will explain all to us one day when He returns, but in Acts 2, after the apostles receive the Holy Spirit, Peter tells the crowds the miracle of tongues they witnessed is the Spirit of Jesus whom they crucified. Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37) They were cut to the heart, and some 3000 souls were saved that day (v41). Surely the suffering our Savior endured was known by many. Would a simple beheading cut to the heart of 3000 souls after one message? Jesus says of what leads us into sin: “And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’” (Mark 9:47-48). Our LORD’s agonized death to the flesh was so terrible as to draw millions to the theater in the modern world. The alternative to following Christ Jesus must be horrific enough that our Father in heaven allowed His Son’s sacrifice. Mary and the disciples did not understand at the time, and we may not really understand until our LORD returns. What we can do today is study the Word in faith, pray to our Father for forgiveness and salvation for others, and glorify God in worship and, as much as possible, our daily walk.

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

Lord Jesus: His Spirit, My Hope & My Strength

The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good (Proverbs 15:3).

The Costly Call tells the stories of people who accept Christ as Lord in religious or political environments where Christians are often persecuted. I only have Book 2, but the incredible courage shown in the testimonies I’ve read fills me with awe. Last night, I read of a young girl in Thailand, Kanya, whose father harrassed her employers, friends, and landlords following her conversion until, in her late twenties, she had nowhere to go. She asked a storeowner for work and was directed to an “interview” with a friend of his later that evening. She resisted the friend’s offer of employment as a private entertainer and, praise Jesus, was able to walk away unviolated. She confessed the money offered to her was a temptation, but she knew accepting would not please Jesus who died for her. Homeless and broke, she praised the name of Jesus to a hotel manager who greeted her as she left. The manager, also a Christian, asked for and received her testimony and then offered her a housekeeping job with temporary living quarters. I’m stricken by her ability to walk in faith despite the hardship of her father’s wrath and encouraged by her confession that even as a virgin, she was tempted by the lucrative offer by some man who may have treated her more kindly than others.

In Genesis, when Jacob leaves Laban with his family and acquired belongings, he discusses his plans with Leah and Rachel, Laban’s daughters, his wives. Their response is similar to my route of salvation (at least, compared to Kanya’s): what option do I have? The ladies say to Jacob: “Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do” (Genesis 31:15-16). Leah and Rachel had no Holy Spirit advantage and were not raised in a Christian environment, so no disrespect is intended, but in many ways, that was my attitude initially despite knowing the love of Jesus from my Christian parents and the blessings I’d received from them. When I read Kanya’s story as well as other testimonies from The Costly Call, I am amazed how strong her faith became with such a limited exposure to Jesus compared to what I’ve had in my own life. She received the testimony of a friend, read the Bible, and participated in a ministry for a couple of years, but she walked through poverty rather than deny Jesus by returning to her family.

The strength of the Living Word is demonstrated through Kanya so powerfully. In Matthew 15 this morning is one of my favorite stories of the Canaanite woman who begged Jesus to heal her daughter. The Lord tells her it isn’t right to take the children’s food (from the Israelites) and give it to the dogs. She responds, “‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed instantly” (Matthew 15:27-28). Psalm 25 reads, “Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way” (v8-9). The Canaanite woman was humble and saw her daughter’s healing. She too was not exposed to the blessings of the LORD throughout her life but yet heard testimony of others and developed a faith that impressed our Savior. She identified Jesus as the source of miracles, as the one able to alter her destiny.

Proverbs reads, “The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but He loves him who pursues righteousness” (Proverbs 15:9). Wickedness for Kanya was disgiused as a sensible option. She states clearly in her testimony, “I am so thankful I had learned that the Lord provides a way of escape for those who seek it (1 Cor 10:13)” (The Costly Call Book 2, pg 109). David writes in Psalm 25, “My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net” (v15). Kanya’s testimony speaks so truthfully of the need to guard the Word of God in our heart. With the storeowner’s friend, she was given a new dress and shoes when hers were worn down, an opportunity to bathe in a posh hotel, and the best meal she could remember before she was offered an escape from street life after 5 or 6 years of struggling. In that moment, in an unholy environment, the Spirit of Jesus spoke God’s promise in her heart enabling her to leave peacefully. Praise God if her tears of fear and sorrow revealed the gospel to her would be client. The Holy Spirit in Kanya led her away from the hotel joyfully enough to declare God’s goodness in strengthening her in a time of need. Her words, “praise be to Jesus” to a hotel manager opened the door for her release from destitution.

Lord Jesus, your Word is amazing. Without your Word, I am powerless, and without your tortured sacrifice on the cross, your Word would not be available to me. LORD, though I’m a sinner, you teach me the way. Let your Spirit keep me on the path of mercy and truth so I may keep your covenant and bear testimony of your glory (Psalm 25:10). I still struggle to know you, Lord Jesus. I yearn to understand how our invisible God, our Holy Spirit Father, came to the earth to live among us, how the one who created my flesh came to life in the flesh without the stain of sin. LORD, help those who need revelation to see God’s goodness in your person who lived and died as a human but walks among us in Spirit. In a moment of doubt, let your Spirit living in any believer speak out a scripture to restore hope in your almighty presence. “The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant” (Psalm 25:14).

“Keep my soul, and deliver me; let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You” (Psalm 25:20-21)

Strangers & Exiles

By faith Moses…refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin…By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible (Hebrews 12:24-27).

Yesterday morning, I completed my daily Bible reading early and considered jamming a little time away on my stationary bike. I enjoy exercise, especially with some good worship music, but I decided to spend the extra time meditating on the Word not fret over my waistline. My recent visits to EBR Parish Prison to gift an old friend likely influenced me, and when I started getting ready for work, my bathroom décor agreed with me.

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I have decided to follow Jesus.
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It’s not that I shouldn’t exercise. I should, but I must recognize when my need for the Word is greater. Lately I’ve wondered if my yard work project distracts me too much. I continue because I’m compelled to, and I’m in the Word, in prayer, in worship, and in fellowship with other Christians. I’ve had a number of experiences which make no spiritual sense at the time, but eventually bring me to a better place. So far, I’ve removed a few nandina shrubs some 6 feet high & several feet thick (only two all the way down to the bowling ball like roots in the ground). I just tore down a wall of these shrubs and am ready to turn this hard mass into another fertile mud pile.

The first time I attended one campus of my church today was to meet this peer who’d been prodding me to attend and insisted the church nursery was excellent. I think my daughter was less than six months old, and I was nervous about leaving her since she wasn’t in daycare; my wonderful mother cared for her while I was at work for two years. This person and I had talked about church before since I’d been to another campus and seen the pastor on TV. I knew my friend enjoyed the music and listened to the messages at home sometimes. Like me, he was trying to get his life together and particularly to restore what the afflictions of addiction had stolen from him. Unlike me, he may have known the problem was spiritual, and the answer was the Lord. Praise God, today I know, and because of His love, I have decided to follow Jesus.

In Hebrews 12, the Word of God points to the pillars of faith from the Old Testament. Other than the passage about Moses above, Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Sarah, Jacob, and Joseph are mentioned. The Word reads, “If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city” (Hebrews 11:15-16). Each of our heroes, whose blessings we receive many centuries later, decided to follow Jesus. Sometimes, the hubbub of the world around me reminds me the opportunity to return to former traps exists, and I think, what could possibly lure me to a previous lifestyle, that land from which I’d gone out: one coated with depression and anxiety, companions to a life built on lies, one where the constantly sought after pearl hidden in the field is a short-lived surge of relief from the claws of emptiness created by tossing aside all that ties us to our Father. Any lifestyle rooted in deception has an unwelcome end, never-ending and horrific without initiating a change by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. Freed from the looming questions “how will I ever get out of this?” and “what am i going to do?”, I have gratefully decided to follow Jesus.

I must humbly be mindful that scoffing at the spirit of the enemy’s antics steals credit from my support system. Most people don’t choose a lifestyle of sin so much as stumble into it, one thought leading to one bad decision at a time. The Lord tells Egypt through the prophet Ezekiel, “because you said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I made it,’ (Ezekiel 29:9), He “will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated countries, and her cities shall be a desolation forty years among cities that are laid waste” (Ezekiel 29:12). If turmoil amongst those with hope is not enough, turmoil amongst those laid waste awaits. David wrote in Psalm 99 “The Lord is king! Let the nations tremble!…Let them praise your great and awesome name. Your name is holy!” (v1,3) The decision to follow Jesus means prioritizing His Word in my thoughts, actions, and choices. His teachings, His example, His suffering on the cross of our salvation, and His resurrection become my lead, gradually in some ways, more & more so in others. This is not a default action for most of us; it takes time, attention, and training. Paul, in prison, fanned the flame of the Holy Spirit in song and was released, but fortunately, the Lord has planted me where I can worship among fellow believers, receive guidance in a small group, attend prayer services, tithe, and do something to serve others as I can: time, attention, and training.

Of course these options were available to me back in 2006 when I attended with my friend, but maybe my old root structure was still too thick to allow new growth. My recent interest in nandina removal marks my first affair with gardening, but driving to parish to deliver a money order is more like a return to Egypt. Experience in visitation and bonding procedures was brought to mind as a different car took the same path past the airport and the animal control unit. Facing unpleasantries of our past can be trying and I’m grateful my yard now offers opportunity to repeatedly hit the ground with the side of a shovel (unexpectedly satisfying and theraputic work). Often when I revisit such crossroads, pieces of my heart belonging to the Lord are cut free from dead weight that ties me down. Hebrews 12 refers to the Old Testament passage where the Lord reveals through Haggai that He will shake the heavens, the earth, and all of creation such that only unshakeable things remain (Haggai 2:6, Hebrews 12:26-27). The prophet Haggai, a few hundred years before the birth of Christ, proclaimed to the remnant of God’s people that it was time to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Hebrews 12 reads “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.” (v28-29). “Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established fairness.” You answered those who cried to you for help. You are a forgiving God, but you punish when your people go wrong. (Psalm 99:4,6,8). Holy Father, reveal to us the wonder of your works, the movement of the wind, the wondrous changes in our lives that defy ordinary belief. Praise God, your perfect Holy Spirit prompts me today. Help me glorify your name and encourage any who have ever walked in faith or looked to you for deliverance to decide to follow Jesus, again and again.

The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’” (Haggai 2:8-9)

Yards & Heaven & Heavenly Bamboo

“And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.” (Isaiah 37:30-31)

One thing I liked about my house when I first saw it years ago was the user friendly yard. Shrubs offered privacy. Azalea & magnolia blossoms waited to please onlookers during their seasons. Other than mowing the lawn though, I did little to maintain or improve the landscape. Suddenly, over the last few weeks, I’ve been stricken with a keen desire to replace nandina with something more attractive than haphazard. After clearing out part of the front, I attacked a small squared off area near my carport not too densely covered by stumps. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Killing the nandina might have been simple enough, but digging up the sometimes large and deep down roots that would interfere with new flowers was vigorous work for a gardening newbie. Swapping the shovel and cutters back and forth, I couldn’t ignore the image of the Holy Spirit working to unroot the tendencies in me that led me away from the Lord again and again in my life. A few choice cuts keep what is dead from resurrecting, but as I’ve heard it preached, the root must be removed for the new life to flourish.
Lately, I’ve struggled wondering how to regain a sense of intimacy with the Lord. My daily yo yo battles of one sort or another seemed to have drawn a battle plan against me. I’ve enjoyed deepening my faith by writing about the Word often, but I’ve been uninspired to write. Good opportunities to volunteer testimony have been scarce, and my tool set for sharing the love of Jesus shown to me has seemed insufficient. Recently I had a disturbing dream about my daughter and I. It occurred a couple nights after I’d asked for a vision during a prayer session following extended worship at my church. That week-end, working to dig out roots and plow hard ground, I wondered if the Lord was telling me to be patient with the process. I don’t know the significance of dreams; maybe there is none, or maybe they are a warning, but sometimes I’ve thought they represented what might have happened had I not developed my relationship with Jesus. When Jesus is accused of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul (Luke 11:14-23), he responds,

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil” (v21-22). I’ve thought the first strongman is like the hearers of the gospel who are sown among thorns for whom “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). Whenever we pin our faith to something/someone other than the Lord, we have removed our armor. Beth Moore said something about this also when speaking of King David’s first attempt to bring the ark back to Jerusalem; this was in “A Study of David” which I watched last month around the same time I was reading Mark 4 and Luke 11. Without looking for the quote, she basically said David’s men put the ark on a cart, not following the instructions given to Moses. She continued, when we step away from the Word and worship of our God, we put our dreams and desires on a cart, to be carried off to an undesirable destination. Faith is such a vague word, but our praise, or lack of it, choices, and actions define our trust even if they don’t line up with our heartfelt (lofty) ideal of how we’d respond to a question about our faith.

When only a little of the Word is in us, and some other thing becomes greater than it, we become vulnerable, and the spoil is divided. Jesus says in the parable of the talents (Matt 25:13-30), “But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him” (v29). As David’s desire to restore the Ark to Judah was good, even my good intentions can draw me away from God. My passions were so misdirected so many years; my security in knowing the right thing to do at any given moment is weak. I rely on the grace of God and the strength of the Holy Spirit within to make the really big decisions, the strategic cuts away from my roots. In my dream, I’d moved in a direction that follows Christian principles, but I’d allowed something to come against my daughter. Every choice must line up with the Word, but every choice that lines up with the Word is not necessarily right. Finding justification for my plans in the Word is too easy. If I start moving in a direction not led by the Holy Spirit, my armor falls away, and I may lose what is precious to me as David lost two men and, temporarily, the holy presence of the ark.

How do I know when the Holy Spirit is leading me? The Bible says pray without ceasing. His grace delivered me from a pit dug with my own hands, and He will still cease what could lead me astray. Regarding my garden, in a moment of frustration, also following an extended worship session at my church, I asked the Lord what He wanted me to do, hoping for a specific direction. The response I sensed from the Holy Spirit was, “I want you to be creative.” Again, I make no claims to having perfect clarity with respect to hearing Holy Spirit direction. However, the same neighbors I have now, 6 or so years ago, may have heard all manner of verbal abuse at any time during the day or night. Air conditions and TV mask a lot, but people caught up in a life of sin are often not very considerate, indoors or outdoors. My new front yard is not Ethan Allen by any means, but it’s my testimony this Easter of the transforming power of the cross, the welcoming of the Holy Spirit that happens when we stop arguing with God and accept the gift of life from His Son our Lord & Savior. He makes all things new! Thank-you, Christ Jesus!

“For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 37:32)

Visions and DVDs

Judges 1-3

Psalm 135

Proverbs 6

Ezekiel 1

Acts 11

Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses (Psalm 135:6-7).

I confess to running the television too often in our house, but at home, since I am not usually in the same room as the TV, my daughter usually plays with her toys, draws pictures or follows me around most of the time instead of fixating on the movies. All she sees are the DVDs I’ve selected for her. We have no cable or antenna for her to view anything else. We will evenutally, I’m sure, but right now it is one less bill and one less hassle. Besides, I love our DVD collection. With few exceptions, Saturdays are the only days we watch Disney or other non-Bible centric movies. As a single mom, I find saturating her in Biblical principles in movies, music, and reading helps us tremendously. We initiated this practice sometime around the age of 3 when I reacted to a strong conviction that Dora the Explorer had to go; over the last year or so, I’ve been so joyful over how sweet her disposition has become. Our movies acknowledge God and cite scripture, and the Word does not return void. The Creation Celebration series worried me at first because the only female figure in Episode 1 is an antiquated maid serving her master, the professor. In episodes 2 & 3, though, the professor’s attractive intelligent daughter returns from her latest pilot adventure to intermingle with the rest of the crew. Adventures in Truth, Faith, and Honesty have a series of stories that are based on historical figures and folk tales in addition to Bible stories. They are very well done despite the talking animals, and my daughter enjoys them. The talking animals are mentors; I suppose this could be comforting to any child that might receive most guidance from someone outside the home. Gigi, God’s Little Princess, is just darling, and unlike Dora, she has parents, authority figures actively involved in her life. The Friends and Heroes series incorporates stories from the Bible into a short story about children growing up in early AD. Again, parents exist, but often the Bible story is told by the son to the father as a means of persuasion. Today, I let my daughter watch her Strawberry Shortcake DVD since we hadn’t seen it in awhile, and I was on the phone with a work situation during the day. This is one I might have to get rid of though, because we barely see the parents, and in the second story, the adult figure is a foolish teacher. Not only that, but the theme of the episode celebrates “just being me.” I had to tell my sweetie God does not want us to just be us; He wants us to be like Jesus. My daughter sees Disney movies at her Christian school; I’m not trying to shelter her from all worldly elementary aged ideas. I just want her foundation in Christ to be as rock solid as possible. I want her to have a vision of who the Lord is to her. I am so blessed when she gets excited for days about Ben Hur expected in the mail this week or when she says, “Can we watch this one?” pointing to a God Rocks or 100 Bible Stories and Songs DVD and tells me which parts are her favorites. Today’s readings show three calls to action from the Lord: to the Israelites, to Ezekiel, and to the apostles. We see in their responses symptoms of their faith, strong and weak.

Judges 1 lists various groups of inhabitants not driven out of the promise land by the Israelites. An angel delivered a word from the Lord to them: “I said, ‘…you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice…So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you’” (Judges 2:1-3). This failure shows well the futility of living under the law. Who had a stronger foundation in the law than the new breed of Israelites who were trained by Moses and, by the hand of God, crossed the Jordan river to conquer walled cities? For whatever reasons, they abandoned their relentless pursuit of the promise land and allowed some groups to remain. I can think of so many reasons why they would prefer this course of action, but all of them negate the authority of our sovereign God. The Lord said to drive them out. “As soon as the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept” (Judges 2:4). As many times as they witnessed the power of God, while living in near isolation from other nations, Joshua’s generation is not obedient to the direct command of the Lord. The next generation acknowledges the Lord even less: “And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel (Judges 2:10). By not driving out the inhabitants, the older generation weakens the foundation for their children and grandchildren, exposing them to pagean worship rituals and societies not chosen by Yahweh to be His people. What is the expected result? “They abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them…They abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth” (Judges 2:12-13). If the parents whose walk was in a more pure environment can’t obey the Lord’s command for settling in this beautiful new land, how can their children acknowledge their Lord and Savior wholeheartedly? I want my daughter to have as much of the Word funneled into her mind and heart as possible. I am certain that her developing character will be safeguarded by our Almighty God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and her ability to make good decisions will grow right alongside her elementary education skills.

While the Israelites were possibly intimidated by their assignment, the apostles in Acts 11 are commanded to break precedent entirely and draw the Gentiles into the church. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, obeys, but he is astounded. He has a vision wherein he sees a sheet floating down with animals unfit for the Jewish people to eat and hears a voice saying, “‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth’” (Acts 11:7-8). By no means, Lord? It sounds like Peter had reason to prefer a different course of action that negates the authority of our sovereign God. The Lord rebukes him: “What God has made clean, do not call common” (Acts 10:9), but the Bible says this happened three times. In our vernacular, it sounds like Peter is denying the Lord’s authority. Of course, this is a vision; Peter is in a trance, but his words might then be drawn from what is in his heart. Peter obeyed the spirit who instructed him to visit Cornelius. Later, the brothers in Jerusalem confront Peter about his sharing the gospel with Gentiles. Peter tells them while he was talking, the Holy Spirit fell on the whole family. “If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:17) The brothers agree and glorify God, concluding, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18). Praise Jesus! The Holy Spirit alive in us drives us to break precedent to satisfy God’s will. Without the Holy Spirit, we would not only be in the grips of the law but doomed to fail as the Israelites were. Maybe it seems overboard to some, but I believe the Lord gave me some instruction for our little family. The vision wasn’t as clear as a sheet full of animals, birds, and reptiles, but I have a great amount of peace with it. I pray that parents not well rooted in a church environment, isolated in their belief in the Lord, are unafraid to break precedent, change some things in thier household, and draw nearer to His authority. It is so rewarding!

Ezekiel, one of God’s two prophets in Babylon, receives a powerful vision of the Lord, one that reveals His awesome facets in images recognizable to us: “As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually…And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures…each had four faces, and each of them had four wings” (Ezekiel 1:4-6)..Ray Stedman, in Adventuring Through the Bible, describes the four faces as the four gospel’s portrayal of Christ:

He appears first in the gospel of Matthew as a lion, as the sovereign king. He appears in the gospel of Mark as the servant, the ox. In the gospel of Luke, He is man in His intelligence, in His insight, in His understanding of life. And in the gospel of John, He is a diety, depicted here as an eagle. These four symbols, taken together, reflect the character of Jesus Christ (p344).

Ezekiel’s vision is complex and magestic. The Lord commands him in later chapters to do things such as eating bread baked over cow dung and lying on his one side for 390 days and on the other for 40 to represent the years the Lord warned the Israelites to turn to Him. He obeys completely. How is it that the prophets, particularly Ezekiel, can be so obedient? They do not necessarily have a strong foundation, so maybe it’s something in the vision. Any argument with the Lord suggests we haven’t seen Him as a cloud of fire. Peter spent some time with the Lord, eating, walking, talking. The Lord didn’t give His disciple a fresh vision of His glory, just a sheet with some reptiles, animals, and birds atop it. Ezekiel’s vision of the Lord’s power is so strong, he accepts the loss of his precious wife without mourning her at the Lord’s command. I am grateful to have the Holy Spirit, but how often do I sound more like Peter than Ezekiel? My readings today suggest I need a fresh vision of the Lord’s power and glory. Praise God, I can find it by prayerfully reading the Word where He lives as the lion, the King of Kings, the ox who gave Himself for us, man, for we were made in His image, and the eagle, divine in power and glory. I can seek a stronger vision of my Lord and Savior through worship and praise. Our amazing Almighty God will renew my understanding of who He is simply by pouring His Spirit on me. When my obedience approaches Ezekiel’s, I will be closer to Him, rejoicing in His presence. Thank-you, Jesus!

My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you (Proverbs 6:20-22).

Tinseltown Showdown

Joshua 21-22

Psalm 129-131

Proverbs 4

Lamentations 4

Acts 9

And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed (Act 9:20-21).

I am so excited The 99 ministry is in Baton Rouge this month. From their website, the 99 is “a walkthrough theater that graphically reenacts the five leading causes of death in teenagers and young adults.” It is a “state-of-the-art production designed to portray the very real consequences of poor decisions that claim almost 37,000 young lives every year.” When the lives of young people are taken, the promises and the purpose the Lord had for each one is left unfulfilled. In one lifetime, we have many opportunities to be a friend, mentor, or blessing in some way to other people. We each have an assignment from the Lord to discover and tackle. None of us are born with a spare. So much is lost when a young person’s talents and giftings are suddenly unavailable because they are no longer in the race. Our world becomes less of a florishing forest with each death. The 99 is a way to startle as many as possible into a close walk with God that will protect them and guide their choices. Young people serving the Lord can often best minister to other troubled youth, so a few solid success stories can reach untold numbers of others. The 99 is also a way to affect parents who are maybe too comfortable that their teenagers will raise themselves. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is not an appropriate parenting tactic. Youth need their parents to interfere in their lives to learn as much as possible while they are most teachable. Small issues hidden under the surface can quickly become a pit of wrong choices and unforeseen consequences. The sinkhole image might accurately represent the surprise and wonder young adults feel when they are first locked behind bars or lose their first home. What happened? How did I get here? Praise God for a ministry that awakens people to the potential outcomes of our choices and leads them to better choices and salvation for eternity through an understanding of and desire for Jesus.

Graphic detail in a ministry environment leaves less room for speculation and compromise. The Lord had His prophets act out various messages before the exile of the Israelites. One went naked and barefoot; another wore bars. As detailed as some of the scriptures are, each prophet was just one man opposing an establishment. Jeremiah wrote after the exile, “The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any of the inhabitants of the world, that foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem” (Lamentations 4:12). So many of us, particularly young people in experimental mode, don’t see the reality of consequences. Many more have no revelation of relationship with the Lord as the truest answer for all of our needs. In Joshua 22, the tribes on the east of the Jordan build an altar facing their brethren across the river as evidence of their brotherhood in case someone in a later generation said the East Jordan tribes had no business going to the temple. The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar Witness, ‘For,’ they said, ‘it is a witness between us that the LORD is God’” (Joshua 22:34).Young people might be in church and still not know the role of Jesus as Lord and Savior in our lives. Parents, likewise, may have set up an altar to remind themselves and others that they are Christians. The altar might be Sunday morninig church occasionally with no discussion of the Lord ever among them as a family. Graphic detail, when not overdone on a daily basis in every manner of entertainment, stretches our knowledge of life as a temporary place forcing the question of “what next?” Am I ready to meet my Maker? What is this sorrow and pain I have? Jesus? How does He fit into this picture? Maybe I’ll try to figure this out for a minute while my heart is stirred.

David wrote, “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning” (Psalm 130:5-6). Praise God, today because of the cross of Jesus, we don’t need an altar to remind us that we are Christians. The Holy Spirit is birthed in us when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. His Spirit is more to us than watchmen in the morning. The Holy Spirit presence is the operating force in an environment such as The 99, where ministry teams prayerfully seek the Lord’s guidance to reach as many people as possible, where the production exists in the first place because someone received a vision from God and followed through with making it a reality. In Acts 9, Saul encounters Jesus on the road to Damascus and undergoes an extreme conversion from a persecutor of Jesus’ followers to a person with great passion for spreading the gospel. His life is threatened early on, but his purpose and promise have not yet been fullfilled. The Lord provides a means of escape for us as needed to allow us to accomplish our earthly mission. “They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket (Acts 9:24-25). Young people need to know, whatever their situation is, the Lord knows where we are and how to rescue us, but we must turn to Him for help and wait for His action. Jesus told His disciples if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. On a day to day basis, our faith should be strong enough to know the Lord will provide a hole in the wall if necessary to overcome whatever puts its foot in our way if our purpose is to bring Him glory. Holy Spirit, strengthen the faith of believers to survive attacks of the enemy that seek to kill, steal, and destroy the spreading of the gospel.

Psalm 130 reads, “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared” (Psalm 130:3-4). Thank-you, Jesus, that through your sacrifice, we have good news to offer in lieu of tragic outcomes: forgiveness and life everlasting. Without the blood of Jesus, His death and resurrection, the gruesome reality presented in graphic reenactments of death would be the only message. Regardless of how we passed, our eternity would be horrible separated from God. The Holy Spirit birthed in believers will be moving on many people over the next few weeks. The experience will be vastly different than watching the evening news with the presence of the Lord invited into the tent through obedience, praise, and prayer. Lord God Almighty, bless this work done in your name for your glory. Bless each participant with salvation for their own loved ones. Soften the heart of each visitor approaching. Awaken counselors to their needs. Let each soul leave knowing they are forever changed. Give them strength and courage to continue their pursuit of Jesus in the days and weeks to come. We praise you that this holiday season will be the first Christmas as a reborn Christian for people all over our city and state.

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied (Acts 9:31).