PURPOSED STEPS
“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.”
Proverbs 29:18
“Then the LORD replied: ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.’”
Habakkuk 2:2

With the end of the year only days away, my children and I sat down together and drafted a list of goals that we want to see come about for 2012. I was quite amazed at some of the items they came up with, without any prompting from me. They shared how they wanted to read more as opposed to watching TV. They expressed how they wanted to do family exercises, take walks together, and balance that with eating more ice cream. And they shared how overall they wanted to be nicer to others, showing kindness and giving people money if in need. All these things were their idea, and all these things got written down on our list. When we ended our conversation, we ended it in prayer that God would help us to accomplish over the next year what we had written down, as well as a few extras I added, such as getting a three bedroom place and paying off a couple bills. But we walked away with a vision. We had a goal. And in so doing we had just taken the first major step to preventing perishing according to Proverbs 29:18.
Proverbs 29:18 tells us that, “…where there is no revelation (vision), the people cast off restraint (perish).” What exactly does this mean? Well it is no different than a blind person walking around. Without some type of assistance, whether a walking stick, seeing eye dog, or friend, he walks around aimless and with the potential for injury. So it is here. The Hebrew word in this portion of Proverbs for perish is PARA’, and means to fail to lead, to let loose, to ignore, or to neglect. To read this passage in context then, where there is no vision, the people ignore and fail to reach the end. I do not want this to be said of me, that I gave up walking toward the vision given to me.
So then I chose to follow the example laid out in Habakkuk 2:2, to write the vision down. In making the vision known and seen, I prevent myself from neglecting or forgetting. In writing the vision down I have it always before me as a landmark or memorial of where I am headed. I then run with this goal in every step I take, working to obtain the completion of the goal. When I traveled to Texas this past summer I didn’t do it aimlessly. In order to get to the specific location in mind, I mapquest-ed my journey so I would know exactly each turn and exit ramp. And so it is with where I am headed next in 2012. My goal is set before me, written down so that I may run with it.
And so now I challenge you. I challenge you to live in 2012 without the possibility of perishing. I challenge you to write out the vision you have, the vision you feel God leading you in for 2012. Let us not fail to reach our goal, or let go of the vision placed in our heart. Write it down, give it to God, bathe it in prayer, and step back 365 days from now to reflect from where you started today. I guarantee you that you will look back and see the result of purpose.

DIRTY
“’I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, “They are my people,” and they will say, “The LORD is our God.”’”
Zechariah 13:9b

I have heard it said before that the more time you spend in God’s presence, the dirtier you feel. I think this is true. I have noticed in my own life that I can rationalize myself against someone else and feel like I am better than them. However, when I measure myself against God’s word, I see where I fall flat. And every time I read God’s word, I mean really read it, a new piece of my inferiority seems to be brought to my attention. While I might think of this as a frustrating circle, knowing that I will never attain perfection, I don’t. I see this instead as the fires of God’s word refining me, cleansing me, and making me closer to the man God has called me to be. The process is hard and painful, but I know that in the end it will all be worth it. For fear of ever being titled out of God’s will, I want to be refined.
I took some time this morning to research the details of how gold in refined in the fire. Gold comes with spots and blemishes, and only after being purified does it produce the end product that we wear on our bodies. This process is called cuppelation, mixing other metals to the gold to bring out the impurities. Gold is mixed with these other metals, one major one being lead, and then heated up till all the solid impure gold is made into a liquid form. In this form, all the materials are separated in a liquid. The lead, however, has the ability to absorb the gold, which it does as it in turn dissolves in the lead. The lead is then taken out of the solution and oxidized, taking with it the impure and crude gold. What is left is the pure, refined gold.
In Zechariah 13:9b, the prophet is speaking the words of God, stating, “’I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, “They are my people,” and they will say, “The LORD is our God.”’” I read these words with great fear and anticipation. There is fear in knowing that this process of refining can and will hurt. The heat in which the impurities of my life will be burned off by scares me. What will be found? What will be shown as my impurities? This fire will burn off the pride, the selfishness, the lies, and the addictions if I let it. But then there is anticipation in knowing that what will remain after each session of refinement will be a closer replica of God in me. That is what I want, for as long as I see my reflection and not His, the refinement process must continue.
When it is all said and done, I want to be able to hear God say of me, “He is my child.” I in turn want to reply back, “The LORD is my God.” So then, I must allow myself to go through this fire, to be cleansed of the impurities I still have. I have been washed in His blood and therefore am His, but my flesh still creeps in to blemish who I am. This flesh must be done away with, and can only be done so through His fire. Oh God, despite how much it may hurt, I ask that you refine me and test me, burn away my impurities so that in your sight I may be of true, pure, undefiled gold.

THE VOICE IN THE DREAMS
“Yosef said to Pharaoh, ‘The dreams of Pharaoh are the same: God has told Pharaoh what he is about to do.’” Genesis 41:25 CJB
“But after [Joseph] had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’” Matthew 1:20 NIV

I am sure we have all had those dreams before where we aren’t sure whether we are being given a message or if we are just suffering from the affects of pizza. I know I have. It seems like some dreams are just so crazy that there is no way that they can be anything but bad food. Yet there do seem to be those dreams that just leave a feeling that they are not supposed to be ignored. Perhaps you know what I’m talking about. I have had dreams, even fairly recently, where I knew God was speaking something to me. There was a peace, an urgency, and a knowing all at the same time. Right away in those times, I flip on my light, grab for my journal, and write down whatever I can remember. I may not know all the details, but I know it is urgent.
I feel that is what Pharaoh may have felt in Genesis 41. He woke up from having not one, but two urgent dreams telling him the same meaning. The details were hidden from him, but God was just placing things in motion. You see if Pharaoh or the magicians had been able to tell the meaning, Joseph would not have been needed. But God kept the meaning hidden in order to promote Joseph. And that He did. Joseph, summoned by Pharaoh, made it clear that the interpretation to follow would be from Adonai. He also spoke to Pharaoh that the two dreams that had just been shared were the same. God was telling Pharaoh that seven years of abundance were coming, but would be followed by seven years of famine. This paved the way for Joseph to find the promotion that God had been saving for him. It was all in due time and under the right circumstances.
But another man named Joseph, years later, also was spoken to in a dream. For this Joseph, he was the recipient rather than the interpreter. Never the less, an urgent message was given. He was being told that he was to be the physical earthly father of the Messiah. I think we get caught up in reading that Mary was highly favored that we tend to skip over the detail written about Joseph. “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man…” God looked at Joseph maybe in the same way as He looked at Noah back in the day. The Christ child was being conceived but the father couldn’t just be any guy just as the mother couldn’t be just any gal. But the point I want to make here is in the dreams. God spoke His news in the dreams. These were not dreams based on spicy food or turned meat. These dreams were the voice of God, Himself, warning, encouraging, and confirming His will.
My advice to you is something I have learned myself. When God speaks, we must listen. He may not always speak the same way, or in an obvious way, but once we see it is Him speaking, we must heed Him. He may chose to speak through dreams, through a burning bush, or through an audible voice, but regardless the means we need to obey the message. Pharaoh had it right, to seek out the interpretation. Joseph had it right, to heed the details in the dream. It would do us well to also seek out what God is telling us, for as with the Egyptians and as with the father of the Messiah, our life may depend on it too.

JOB OPENING
“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you…”
II Chronicles 20:17a

Recently I was looking over open positions within the company I currently work for. I have no intention of changing my position, but was curious as to if openings for my department were available to others. Sure enough I found a few new openings posting on the web site. So then, I decided to look at the qualifications for a new person coming into the company. For my position it read:
• Knowledge of Batch Health care Medical/Hospital/Dental claim EDI transactions.
• Switch and payer requirements as it relates to edits and mapping.
• Knowledge of Mainframe and UNIX based platforms.
• Knowledge of NSF and ANSI Formats.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• 3+ years experience in a call center or technical desk.
• Associates degree preferred
Having been at this company and in this position for almost eight years now, I find this list of requirements to be a true statement. If I was looking at this, though, as a newcomer, I would be overwhelmed by the lack of what I do not know. But it was this very thought that inspired the truth I want to share with you today.
Do you want to know the requirements and job qualifications of being a follower of God? I see it when I think of Moses. It can just as easily be seen in the account of Isaiah, in Isaiah 6. It is seen also in the account of King David, Esther, Daniel, Jeremiah, Abraham, and Paul. All these pillars in our faith worked for God, and they all met the single requirement and qualification needed for the job. Are you ready for it? They were surrendered. Think about it. They had no skills outside of God. David was a shepherd. Shepherds do not usually become kings. Paul was over zealous rabbi who wanted all Christ-followers dead, and yet he started working for God and wrote most of the New Testament. Isaiah had unclean lips, but once touched with the coal of God’s fire, he began speaking God’s Word. Moses stuttered, Esther feared death, Ruth almost returned home instead of going with Naomi, Daniel was set up, Jeremiah was kid, and Abraham was an old man. But what one thing did they all have in common? They all surrendered to God.
I have been thinking lately about this word, ‘surrender’. With all that is going on around me these days I sometimes question if I am fully surrendered to God, or just going through the motions. I also question if I am living in fear, therefore not allowing myself to apply with a whole heart for the job opening God has. My spirit knows that anything that comes my way, God in me is big enough to overcome. My mind, however, fears that if something too big comes my way, I in my own strength will not be able to overcome, therefore becoming a failure. The question I ask myself then, is what would I do if I knew I would not fail? I could write a list of things, honestly.
So perhaps I have been afraid to apply for this position in error. If the only qualification and requirement is simply that I surrender, not that I sit and brew over what may or will come, then perhaps I am more qualified than I thought. God only needs me. More accurately, God only asks for all of me. With a little He can do a lot. With a lot He can blow my mind. I was made for this job. I was made to work under His banner, His company, doing His will, and trusting that His results will come. But I’ll never know all that if I do apply for the position.

BACK TO SCHOOL
“Do all you can to present yourself to God as someone worthy of his approval, as a worker with no need to be ashamed, because he deals straightforwardly with the Word of the Truth.”
II Timothy 2:15

It is right around this time every year that I begin to seek God’s direction for the year to come. I am not one who likes to walk around aimlessly, but rather with purpose. So I spent some time in prayer over the weekend to get a sense for where God is directing me. The answer came sooner than I expected, but the word fit with what I expected. Allow me to explain.
Back in October I felt God telling me to not just make an effort, but to purposefully read His Word. Specifically, I felt Him tell me to read the Torah in daily portions. Sure I have read Genesis thru Deuteronomy many times, but there has been something different in reading them this time. Swallowing a portion as opposed to swallowing the whole made the understanding easier while still allowing me to be fed. But it is in this same simplicity that God spoke the key word for my next year as ‘STUDY’. Right away my spirit jumped at the words of II Timothy 2:15. Depending on what version you read, some will say, “Do all you can,” while others will simply and bluntly state, “Study…”, the truth is all the same. It is time for me to study.
But what am I to study for? In a way I feel like I have been in school all my life. Didn’t I learn enough from the school of hard knocks during my marriage and the divorce that followed? One could say that. This study, however, is different. There is a piece in me that feels like God has me on the edge of something big. I am not saying that this is the final step, but I feel like daily I am getting closer to that launching point. Yet what good is the launch if I have no idea what to do after the launch? It is for this reason that God is saying to me to study. Study to show myself approved, according to the King James. Study to win the approval of God, according to the Complete Jewish Bible. Study because of the fact that God does not want His people doing more harm than good as they work to bring others into the kingdom. The remainder of the verse tells us that we are to study so that we can rightly divide the Word. It does no good if I mash scriptures together to make it say what I want it to say. If that worked then in a way we would all be our own god, doing what we want.
I don’t want to be a god, but I do want to be God’s. I want to be God’s student. I want to be teacher’s pet, called on because I know the answer and am getting straight A’s on my report card. Be it in a physical school or a spiritual school, it comes with study. If I do not study how will I know the answer come test time? If I do not study how will I know the answer when called upon in class? And if I do not study how will I be able to help tutor others? For once I don’t mind being the one others make fun of and call names, for I know that keeping my nose in the books will only help prepare me for what is to come.
I am not sure what God may be speaking to you concerning a focus for the upcoming year, but despite everything, we are all encouraged in this verse to know God’s word. Again, our lack of being able to divide the truth may be the piece that does more harm than good to those we are around. So I encourage you, study. Know God’s commands, know His love, and know what He expects from you. Do I expect you to never fail again? No, for even in college I did poorly on a few tests despite how much I studied. But let us make more than just the effort and be purposeful. His Word has so much power, and it can change our lives just as much as the lives of others. The school bell is ringing. It is time for me, and perhaps for you, to go back to school.

HOLEY REVELATION
“Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.”
Hebrews 12:10

I always try to spend a little time reading before bed each night. Some nights I wait too long and the minute I lay down I am out. Last night, however, I was able to get a few pages read before the book crashed onto my face. It was in my reading that I found a revelation. I guess it was something I had known all along, but the freshness in the way it was said made sense. The author spoke of a young boy who had found his daddy’s tool box. Inside he found all sorts of things. Seeing his daddy hammering nails before, he immediately grabbed the hammer and the box of nails and went to town. His father arrived home from work a few hours later to find the shed door peppered with nails driven through it and poking out the other end. After the dad’s frustration subsided, he called his son out and told him that as his punishment he would now have to take each nail out. Two hours later, with sore hands and wrists, the boy finished. As both he and his daddy examined the shed door the son began to cry. His father questioned what was wrong, thinking it was the pain from his pulling the nails out or such. The son responded, though, “I can still see the holes from the nails.”
I have been reading a book lately concerning the twelve sons of Jacob. The men who became the twelve tribes of Israel were first simply sons, like me. They quarreled, got into mischief, and most of the time came to one another’s defense. Of course there was that one brother Joseph, the dreamer, who they didn’t like, but I’m sure we’ll talk about him later. But as these brothers gathered around their father for a blessing in his final moments, they did not all hear the happy words they were expecting. It was Reuben, the eldest, who Jacob declared was as stable as water, and that history shows never produced a prophet, king, or anyone of significance. He did have the intention of saving Joseph, which was to his advantage in God’s eyes, but it was he who also slept with Bilhah, one of his step-mothers. In the good and bad, Reuben could not change his past, and it defined his future.
While not one of the sons of Jacob, I want to look at another man in the Bible. We all know of David, the giant slayer become king. Most people will remember that David had an affair with Bathsheba and then had Uriah, her husband, killed to save face. But think on this with me. Bathsheba gave birth to a child. What happened to him? He wasn’t Solomon. In fact he is not even given a name in the Bible. Hebrew tradition states the name was given on the eighth day. This un-named son died shortly after birth (II Sam 12:18-23), on the seventh day. For that one moment of sin, David lost his son.
So what do a holey shed door, Reuben’s future, and a dead baby all have in common? They are the effects of sin. God’s Word is clear that if we confess our sins He will forgive us. But it is the effects of sin that must still be carried out. The holes from the nails were still there even though the nails were removed. The lack of much good in Reuben’s future was still played out even though he had been forgiven for his sleeping with step-mother. And the child was still taken from David and Bathsheba even though David repented, and even fasted. These stories only prove to us that sin does carry a price. The encouragement of Hebrews 12:10 should then be for us to learn from our mistakes so that they are not repeated. In God’s mercy and grace for us we are forgiven. In God’s love for us we are disciplined.

THE LOVE TRIANGLE
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
I John 4:8

There were two subjects in school that I would venture to say I excelled in. Those two were history and math. As I have shared in my devotionals before, history has always been a passion of mine, and the core of it coming from the Middle Ages and the time in and around World War II. What has passed is the past. It cannot be changed, but it can be learned from. In regards to math, and in some ways life overall, I have always found that if it can remain constant it is easier to understand. For example, 1+1 will always equal 2. This truth cannot be changed or proven different. So in the aspects of math, God has been showing me a very vital truth over the past month that I feel I now need to share with you. With pencils ready, I now invite you into my classroom as we learn the math of the love triangle.
Do you remember from your school days what an equilateral triangle is? You probably do not recall the term, but I know you will remember this better. An equilateral triangle is one where the sides are all the same length therefore each angle is set at 60 degrees. Every side, every angle, every degree is all the same. There is no side longer, as it would throw off the balance of the triangle by causing the degrees to change. There is no degree different as it would affect the length of the sides. Everything remains even. So then, may I suggest that this is what Paul in essence is referring to in Ephesians 5 when he speaks about marriage? The wife is supposed to submit to the husband who in turn is to be submitted to God.
But allow me to go one step further. In my nine years of marriage and almost four years of divorce, I have thought about this idea. What I have come to realize is that I have no power to change anyone. When I was married I was in a position of suggesting change, but at no point could I force my spouse to change. The same was true with her. All the changes I made were not a result of her sticking a gun to my head, but of me giving in, either to keep peace or because they were valid. Ultimately, however, I could only work on myself.
Since being divorced I have worked on myself. And here is what I have come to realize in the realms of another spouse. Looking at the triangle above, let us imagine God as the angle on the top. Let us picture that we are the angle to the left on the bottom. If God is love, as I John 4:9 shares, then my number one focus should be getting my angle and side right with God. Remember, if my angle is off, or my side is not the right size, the whole triangle will be off balance. Just as much, if I point to the right bottom angle and say that it is my spouse or future spouse, then I can only hope that she too is balanced and equal with God. She needs to be at the right angle and be of the right length. If either my angle or her angle is not the 60 degrees needed to complete the triangle, then what do we have? Not an equilateral triangle.
But here is the end point. When my angle and side’s size are right with God, and her angle and side’s size are right with God, then there is no doubt that the angle and side shared between my spouse and I are also the right degree and size. Basically, my goal should not be to change her, but to keep myself in right unity with God. As I grow in His love, I then have love to share with my spouse. And it is not just my spouse, for a triangle is built for every relationship. I have a triangle with my children, with my parents and siblings, with my co-workers, and with strangers. It all comes down to my love with God and His love with me, though. God is love and I want to know Him.

PREPARING TO MEET ESAU
“The messengers returned to Jacob saying, ‘We went to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you; with him are four hundred men.’”
Genesis 32:7

As Jacob prepared to meet his brother, Esau, once again, fear crept over him. It was at their last engagement that Esau had been tricked out of his firstborn privileges when Jacob posed as his brother in order to receive the blessing. In fear of his brother’s statement that he would have revenge, Jacob had fled. Now unsure if the years had been long enough to overcome the anger, Jacob proceeded with caution.
Sending out his messengers toward the land of Se’ir, the country of Edom, Jacob gave directions to his men of what to say so that favor may be gained. His men however, returned a different message than what Jacob had desired to hear. They replied, “We went to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you; with him are four hundred men.” Right away panic overcame Jacob. Four hundred men were on their way. What would happen to the women and children, the animals, and him? He divided all his possessions into two camps, thinking that if one was attacked the other would be safe. Then, maybe in an effort to calm himself down, Jacob prayed. In his prayer he reminded God of the promise made to his grandfather, Abraham, that carried on through his father, Isaac, and that now rested on him. God had promised through him a great nation, so he pleaded with God for a rescue.
It is here that I am challenged in my own way of life. I, like Jacob, have been told by God of some of the blessings that He has for me. I, like Jacob, have worked to remind God of these blessings when they seemed to not be working out. And I, like Jacob, have allowed panic before prayer. So then, here is the question. Why do I, or we, not make prayer first priority? Why do we allow ourselves to go through the panic and worry and make our own plans instead of running straight to God? We treat Him as a backup plan when instead we should see Him as the first response.
Maybe today we should work to change this. Maybe today when we see our bleak situation, instead of allowing panic to run over us we can decide to go to God first. This thought seems to fit with not only this situation but all situations. Matthew 6:33 reminds us to seek God first. In making Him first we leave no room for panic and worry to reside. In seeking Him first we live and remain in His arms of safety.

GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS
“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance”
Matthew 3:8

There have been times in my life when I didn’t give my all. You know those moments. Like in school when I would turn in homework that I knew wasn’t great but still good enough to get a B or C on. If I applied myself I could have gotten an A with ease, yet I was lazy. But there have also been times at work when I have been asked to review an issue and went through the motions of looking to be intently examining when really not looking at all. The outcome to those moments has been short vague responses. Even in my spiritual walk, though, I have gone through the motions. I have said the prayers and acted the part when really my desire to follow God’s ways has been lacking and flat out unwanted at times. But what purpose does it serve to appear to be what we are not. With all the effort we put into pretending, would it not be better and easier just to be living the truth as opposed to the half?
As I was reading the story of John the Baptist with my children last night before bed, a truth jumped off the page and convicted me. Maybe it was in the simplicity of the story from the children’s devotional, maybe my heart was in a vulnerable place, or maybe it was the fact that God had been speaking to me about my motions already. Whatever it was or was a mix of, the truth is that these words spoke. Allow me to share them with you from this devotional we read from.

“John was a powerful preacher. For example, he knew when people were just pretending to obey God. When some of them came to be baptized, he said to them, ‘You brood of snakes. Who warned you to run from God’s punishment? If you have turned from your sins, prove it by the way you live. Don’t just claim to be from Abraham’s family. That will not help you.’”
*One Year Bible for Children – V. Gilbert Beers

How many times have we pretended? We go to church, we read the Bible, we sing Jesus songs, but do we mean it or are we just going through the motions? What would happen if we gave God everything we say we are giving Him? We cannot pull one over on God even though we at times think we can. So why do we try? Why do we work so hard to produce pretend fruit when it seems to be easier to just produce real fruit? And the real fruit would keep us in right relationship with God.
I guess what I am saying is that God has been convicting me lately of pretending to obey God. God wants my all, not my motions. He wants my heart, not my intentions. I am being challenged in my walk with God these days to be real, be honest, and be completely His. In order to do this, though, I need to stop going through the motions of this Christian life and truly follow Him with all that is in me.

WARRIOR HEROES
“Following are the names of David’s warrior heroes…”
II Samuel 23:8

For the past two years I have been working on an idea for a book, taking the details of some historic events and leaders of the past, mixed with events and people in the Bible, all intermixed with lessons that God Himself has shown me. I am happy to say that I am so close to finishing. But of all the chapters and characters I have written about thus far, I have been most inspired recently by David’s warrior heroes. II Samuel 23 records for us the last words of David before he passes away and leaves Solomon to take his throne as promised. But after these words is found a list of warriors, individually named as David’s mighty men. There is debate as to the categories of these soldiers since they are named as the Three and the Thirty. The group of Three were specifically three, Josheb-Basshebeth the Tahkemonite, Eleazar, son of Dodai the Ahohite, and Shammah, son of Agee the Hararite. It is these three I want to look at today with you.
The first of the warrior-heroes who made up the Three is Josheb-Basshebeth. Josheb-Basshebeth, who some scholars believe is a translation error of the name Isbosheth or Ishbaal, who was King Saul’s son and heir, is described as being the leader (II Sam 23:8). It was he who killed 800 men in a single encounter, using only a spear.
Following him is listed Eleazar. Eleazar was said to have taunted the Philistines at Pas Dammim, much like Goliath of Gath had once done to Israel. The difference was the Eleazar was able to back up his taunt as God was on his side. When the army of Israel saw the Philistines charging at them, they all left. But Eleazar stood his ground. Fighting with God as his strength, he struck down one Philistine after another until his hand grew tired and froze to his sword. When the fight was done, the army of Israel rejoined Eleazar, but only to strip the dead men he had killed.
The last of the three is Shammah who is known for a fight over lentils. Again we read of the army of Israel fleeing the scene when the Philistines arrive, but Shammah stood his ground. In the middle of the field Shammah planted his feet and began defeating the Philistines that attacked him. The Lord brought about a great victory that day and the Philistines that were left went home lentil-less.
What was it that drove these men to fight for David? And what strength did these men possess? To take out 800 men with a spear, to defeat an army with a tired hand, or to stand in a field and defend your ground when all other have left takes courage. But it takes something else as well. It takes the true grit of knowing that God is on your side. These men fought for Israel and fought for King David because they saw God’s hand on him. They wanted to stand in the blessing that God was pouring out over David. To them the Philistines were a curse, and the curse needed to be broken. So ultimately, with God as their strength, they were able to do the impossible. With each thrust that Josheb-Basshebeth took, God directed his point. With each swing that Eleazar had the strength to start, God finished. And with each strike that Shammah leaned in with, God allow him to collect bodies. These men knew that the battle was God’s and gave Him the glory. It is for this reason that God gave them the victory.
These exploits were only able to happen because of God. When David’s men joined with him under God’s banner and for God’s purpose, victory was theirs. And the same is true for us. In my life I have ventured in fighting a number of battles on my own. I have gone out on the field before without the blessing and covering of God. It is no wonder I have failed as I have been fighting for me rather than fighting for the King, for God. But in taking the lessons of defeat from fighting alone, I so clearly see how once again I can do nothing on my own. It is God who gives me strength, God who gives me courage, and God who finishes my blow when I have only the strength left to start a punch. I want to be a warrior hero for God, but it starts in giving my allegiance fully to Him, putting my faith wholly in Him, and praising only Him. These are the beginning weapons of being a warrior for God.

ACTIONS DONE IN SPITE
“Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-Aram to choose a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he charged him, ‘You are not to choose a Canaanite woman as your wife.’”
Genesis 28:6

When I was in high school I began to have feelings for a girl. I knew she wasn’t right for me, but I threw aside all the warnings and ventured out in a relationship with her anyway. In many ways, I see how I did it all in spite. Coming from a family where my parents pushed us to live right and obey God’s word, I quite honestly got tired of being good. I was the one that people looked at as being too good, too spiritual, and too white. So I began to rebel. I began to step out into things I knew my parents didn’t approve of, and this relationship was one of those things. I look back now and wish I could erase that part of my past, slap myself upside the head, and give myself a stern talking to, but I can’t. I can only take the lessons learned and by God’s grace, not repeat them.
What causes us to act out in spite? Rules are set for our protection yet still we push through them. In the end they only prove to make us look foolish. But in that moment, when anger and independence take charge of our lives, we see the ability to take revenge and move on it. This anger is not a righteous or holy indignation, however, but rather it is us being given limits that we do not want. In Genesis 28:5-9, we see an illustration of this fact.
Esau has had one pulled over on him again by Jacob posing to be him and receiving his father’s blessing for the first born child. Now with a vow to get revenge on his brother, Rebekah shares with Isaac that she wants her son to find a wife from her brother’s clan as she is tired of the Hittite women in the land they are now living. They were not worshipping the same god that God had commanded. Isaac and Rebekah push Jacob out of the home with the command to head for the home of Rebekah’s brother, Laban. But Esau, who also knew of this command and of this conversation, went out in spite and married from the tribe of Ishmael, his uncle. God had already pushed these people away because they were not part of the promise, but Esau in spite welcomed them back in through marriage to Mahalath. In spite, in his way of revenge toward his parents, he did the exact opposite of what he knew was right under God’s standards.
So how different are we from Esau? I would venture to say not very different. Like Esau we grow weary of second fiddle. We get tired of seeing the rug pulled out from under us because of deceit and trickery. But let us not forget two things. One, God takes vows seriously. Although done in trickery, a vow was made between Jacob and Esau that exchanged the birthright for soup. While Esau may have agreed to this, thinking it was a joke, or because he was just so famished, God saw it etched in stone. But secondly, we cannot expect to walk under God’s blessing if we fail to do His will. The actions that Esau took done in spite only proved to hurt him. Yes, his parents were probably upset that he continued to take wives that were not part of God’s plan, but I question if they were not more upset that he did this in hopes of getting even with them.
Going back to my high school days, while I was acting out and trying to make my parents look the part of the fool, it was I who was foolish. It was I who made the mistake, acted in spite, and have had to answer to for my actions. I may have caused a bit of frustration for my parents in my choice, but I have had to live with the regret of my actions. Done is spite, done in the heat of the moment, done in an attempt of revenge, the only person I managed to hurt was myself. This story of Esau and Jacob is in the Bible as part of the history of the nation that would come, but let us not read it simply as history. We all have the ability to become like Esau and act out in spite. But we all should refrain, for our spiteful actions will only hurt us.

THE VISIBLE HAND OF ADONAI
“They answered, ‘We saw very clearly that Adonai has been with you; so we said, “Let there be an oath between us: let’s make a pact between ourselves and you that you will not harm us, just as we have not caused you offense but have done you nothing but good and sent you on your way in peace. Now you are blessed by Adonai.”’”
Genesis 26:28-29

Just yesterday we read of a scuttle breaking out over wells that Abraham had dug prior to his death. It was a deep subject. But when Isaac came to reclaim what belonged to his family he found the wells stopped up and filled with dirt. At this, he was told to leave the area by Abimelech. Was the action taken by the Philistines based on jealousy? In Genesis 26:13 we are told that Isaac became rich and prospered more and more. It is possible then that the stopping of the wells was based on the people of the land not seeing the same degree of increase and blessing as Isaac was. Still, it could also be based on the fact that the people coveted. Seeing what God was doing for Isaac could have made the people covet Isaac’s land. The way to get that land that was already showing signs of prospering was to get Isaac and his people off it.
This portion of the story makes me chuckle, I will admit. I think it amusing to see that the very people that told Isaac to move away were now the very people coming back to him and asking him to make a covenant, or pact with them. They saw God’s hand on him when he was there, and in some ways I am sure they all benefited from his being there. This was true with the Ark of the Covenant, where we read that in a failed effort to try and move the Ark, David had it remain for three months in the house of ‘Oved- ‘Edom the Gitti. While it was there, God blessed the household and all he had (I Chron 13:14). So could it be that the Philistines recognized the same thing?
By forcing Isaac to move away, I wonder if the people set themselves up for hard times. History shows this to be true. When the law was passed to separate church and state, removing not only prayer, but the Ten Commandments from being posted in public schools, the affects that followed showed an increase in everything negative. Removing God from the equation always sets downfall into place. So then I cannot help but think that removing Isaac, who carried with him the blessing and promise of God, brought for the Philistines a path paved with one destroying factor after another. And I cannot help but think that it is because of this truth that Abimelech came back to Isaac to make a covenant. He wanted back in; he wanted to be under that blessing once more that Isaac walked under.
I have to ask myself a few questions here. First, am I walking under the same blessing as Isaac? I know that God has a path for me to walk in and that He loves me, but am I walking in His covering of blessing? Do I find myself removing the very piece that holds the blessing, and then wondering why I am falling into destruction at every step? Have I removed God from my city, telling Him He is no longer welcomed? I sure hope not. But the great thing is, Genesis 26:30 states that Isaac prepared a feast share with him. The next morning, Isaac and Abimelech swore to each other. There was no more fighting breaking out during their time. This gives me hope, because even if I have removed God, the covenant can still be made in my asking for His forgiveness. A banquet is held and we come under His protection and blessing once more. I tell you the truth, there is no other god I want on my side than God, no other feast I want to be seated at than God’s, and no other blessing I want to know than that which God gives.

RECHOVOT
“He went away from there and dug another well, and over that one they didn’t quarrel. So he called it Rechovot [wide open spaces] and said, ‘Because now Adonai has made room for us, and we will be productive in the land.’”
Genesis 26:22

It was because God blessed Isaac so greatly that the Philistines envied him. When he planted crops the harvest would be returned a hundredfold. His animals became fruitful and multiplied. And it seemed that everything he touched was blessed by God to the point of being untouchable. But seeing God’s hand on Isaac caused jealousy to arise in the hearts of the Philistines in whose land Isaac was an alien. This then caused the Philistines to plug up wells once built by Isaacs father, Abraham. Maybe still not getting the full point, it finally took Abimelech saying, “Move away from here,” before Isaac finally moved away.
It seemed like no matter where he moved to, these jealous Philistines and men of other tribes still followed him. And no matter what he did to provide for his clan and himself, trouble always came looking for him. When out in the valley, after digging a new well named Esek, the herdsmen of Gerar came to quarrel and eventually stole his well. Isaac’s response was to dig a second new well which was named Sitnah, but it too was taken from him. It was after this, then, that Isaac moved on from there. He moved on and dug a third well. Seeing that no one was challenging him for the rights to this well, he named it Rechovot, meaning wide open spaces. It was here that God allowed him to flourish
Have you ever noticed that what Isaac went through we also find ourselves going through? Let me explain. The enemy’s number one goal is to prevent us from being blessed by God. He knows that once we are in sync with God, nothing can stop the tidal wave of blessings that will be poured out over us. This in a way is the fact of digging a well. In going deeper in our relationship with God we are in essence drilling for the fresh water from which we can drink and be filled. But the enemy comes to fill up our well, covering it with the dirt and debris of sin. As we find ourselves thirsty for a true drink still, we dig again only to have the well be covered up again.
But notice that Isaac did not give up in his search for fresh water. Instead he moved on from there. His desire for a drink without the bitterness or dust flavoring his water was so strong that he continued to dig and dig. And this time his digging paid off as the enemy did not follow and did not fill in his wells.
While this may be a physical story about a well, it is a spiritual representation also of our lives. Again, the enemy does not want us to drink deep of God or of His blessings. But we cannot allow him to continue to cover up our wells. Those who are truly thirsty for a relationship with God will continue to dig and ultimately find that fresh water and fresh relationship with Him. So the question I ask is how thirsty are you? Are you thirsty enough to keep digging even when your wells continue to be filled in? The wide open spaces of a relationship with God may be found in the next well dug. But if we do not move on and continue to dig, we will never find the water we long for. So then dig, my friend, dig.

THOUGHT SHIFT
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.”
Romans 7:15-17

Yesterday I left you with a question I ask of myself, but I am pretty sure you may have found yourself at one time or another asking as well. Why do I run to and from the opposite of what God is calling me to run to and from? I may have left you hanging when I answered that question by saying I need a shift in my thinking. But it is true. As I have come to realize that I can do nothing without Christ, I am also coming to realize that my thoughts are not always, or even half the time, the thoughts that He has. My thought pattern is tainted, skewed, and quite honestly lacking good sense many times. The words Paul wrote in Romans 7:15-17 were custom made for me.
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Rom 7:15). Paul and I are sharing the same idea here in saying that we know the right response, the right character to own, and the right way to live, but why then do we find ourselves doing the exact opposite. Where the sign reads to go left, I find myself wanting to go right. If the sink is putting out clean water I find myself still drinking from the toilet. And if the skull and crossbones are printed on the label marking the bottle toxic I still find myself unscrewing the cap to take a sip. Why do I find myself like Jonah, running from the very command that God has given me?
God has given us His law. As a parent I can respect this. I lay down the rules for my kids and I expect them to be obeyed. Failure to obey them leads to consequence. Are we so naïve to think that when we step outside God’s law that we will not find consequence? True, we will find forgiveness when we repent, just as I offer to my children when they fail to obey, but there still is consequence.
We need to make a shift in our thoughts. We need to pull ourselves away from our ‘self’ and replace the self with God. For instance, one of the methods that I used in pulling away from my addiction was to imagine God sitting right next to me while surfing the internet or watching movies. With the idea that I was sitting next to God, my thoughts changed from ‘my self’ to ‘my God’. The sin that was living in me was beginning to be replaced by a desire to obey God. But without even allowing my mind to be changed, and my thoughts in line with God’s thoughts, I was doomed to be no better than I was. I would have spent my life living in that lukewarm place and running from God.
The change in mindset produced a change in spirit which began a true change in character. It is only because of this change that I am now able to do the right type of running, that like Joseph who ran when temptation came looking for him. It was against God more than anyone else that Joseph knew he would be sinning against, and he was not about to fall into that lifestyle. This should be our resolve as well. Instead of me running to sin and from God, I want to be found doing the opposite and running to God and what He is calling me to and running from the sin that longs to take me down. I have resolved to make the thought shift needed in this hour. Will you?

RUNNING
“But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.”
Jonah 1:3

Truth be told, running is not my thing. After spending the summer walking with a goal to complete 500 miles, I contemplated doing another 500 in the way of running. That lasted one day. It wasn’t that I wasn’t able, but more so that I kept finding reasons to excuse myself from it. I didn’t have the right shoes. I didn’t have the endurance. I couldn’t talk on the phone and run at the same time. Whatever the excuse may have been, the fact was I had one. I find it funny that I can run for the door of the ice cream shop, but I find it harder to run for my health. It reminds me of two stories I have read in the Bible concerning running. Allow me to explain what I mean.
In Genesis 39 we read of Joseph, the son of Jacob whose brothers had sold him into Egyptian slavery. It is in this chapter we find that Potiphar’s wife had the hots for Joseph and had no problem sharing her feelings with him. On a few occasions she was even blunt enough to ask him to sleep with her. But one day, thinking ahead and having everything planned out, she cleared the house of all the servants and caught him by the cloak. Again she beckoned, “Come to bed with me!” Instead of giving in, Joseph left his cloak behind and ran out of the house.
In Jonah 1, however, we read of another type of running. When the word of the LORD came to Jonah to travel to Nineveh, Jonah decided to run from God. And he didn’t just run, he ran with passion in the opposite direction, boarding a boat bound to any city far enough away to not be in proximity of where God was calling him. I think it is safe to say that Jonah learned that hard way that God cannot be outran when the fish swallowed him up.
Two different examples of running, yet both are important for us as believers. Both offer to us a truth that we would do well to learn. As in the case of Joseph we can learn that temptations will come and it is best to run away from them. Temptation has no power over us and God will always provide a way out (I Cor 10:13). I wonder if we are looking for that way out as often as we should. And if we do see it, are we running towards that out? But then in the case of Jonah, I question if we are running from God. God has a specific plan and purpose for us all, as I shared in cowboy lingo yesterday. But when God gives us that calling or mission, do we run from Him? We should learn from Jonah’s example that not only are we unable to run from Him, but it is not smart to run from Him.
So then, here is my final thought. In the beginning I questioned of myself, why is it that I can run for the door of the ice cream shop, but I find it harder to run for my health? It seems like I have my running purposes backward. Change the words a little and the thought could read, why is that I can run to temptation, but I find it harder to run to where God is calling me? This is not the way it is supposed to be, nor the way I want it to be. Why do I run to and from the opposite of what God is calling me to run to and from? I need a shift in my thinking, and that is what we will discover in tomorrow’s devotional.

AT THE POTTER’S HOUSE
“Then the word of the LORD came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?’ declares the LORD. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.’”
Jeremiah 18:5-6

About a month ago I shared with you my most recent experience with watching a piece of pottery being made. It was at the county fair that I stopped in at an exhibit and watched a demonstration where the lady was working to create pottery. Lining the shelves were finished products, but on the wheel was a new creation being formed. I remember watching her throw a slab on clay on her wheel and gently push the peddle down to create speed. As the whole lump began to spin faster and faster, she used her fingers to indent and form this blob into something more. Within only a short few minutes a bowl was formed, perfect in every way and ready to be dried by the heat of the sun. She had taken what was void of form and in her own way, breathed life into it making her own unique dish. But how many dishes were made before that for some reason were not seen as perfect? I know for myself that I tend to see myself as a perfectionist in some areas. When I do my paintings, and even when I type these devotionals, I will sit for as long as needed to make sure I am producing a great piece.
Yet going back to the potter, if she was to begin making an item and found that it wasn’t shaping as she hoped, her next step would be to start over. She wouldn’t have to start over with fresh clay, though, just take the clay she was using and form it back into a ball to start fresh from. In reading the account of Jeremiah visiting the potter’s house, I see the same idea. Jeremiah followed God’s leading and found himself at the potter’s house receiving his next message. As he watched the potter at work, he watched the clay being crafted. But it wasn’t shaping as the potter wanted, so he started over until finally it held the shape that seemed best to the potter. It was then that God spoke. “‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?’ declares the LORD. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel’” (Jer 18:6).
It is said that He is the potter and we are the clay. Lyrics of an old song I would sing in church went on the state, “mold me and make me, this is what I pray.” As I have grown over the last three to four years, this idea has indeed been my prayer. I have found myself many days looking in the mirror. There are some days that I like hate who I see, knowing the person I have become. And there are days that I look and enjoy who I see, again knowing who I have become. But one thing is constant. Whether a bad day or a good day, this prayer of mine is always the same. “God make me more like you.” I can see on those bad days how desperately I need God. Yet I can see it also on those good days when even at my best I still have so far to go to match His reflection.
The words God spoke for Jeremiah to give to Israel are the words I feel He is asking me. “O Daniel, can I not do with you as this potter does? Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Daniel.” I know what this entails. I know that it means that every piece of me that does not reflect God needs to be reworked. I know the pain that will come from this remolding. But I also know that unless I allow God the opportunity to perfect me, then I will only be a deformed piece of pottery. I want to be in His image, be His reflection, and be His masterpiece. This will not happen if I do not yield myself over to the Great Potter.
Perhaps you have days like me, where one day you hate who you see and the next day love who you see. Maybe like me, though, you also realize that a great day still only reflects how much more you need the reshaping that God alone can do. He is asking you, as He is me, if He can please remake you, remold you, refashion you into His image. I cannot make this choice for you. But know that His desire for you is best. Will you allow the Potter to place you back on His wheel and craft you into His image?

TOO HARD?
“’Is anything too hard for ADONAI? At the time set for it, at this season next year, I will return to you; and Sarah will have a son.’”
Genesis 18:14

We read in Genesis 17:16 of God once again promising Abraham a son. This time, however, He specifically states that the son will come from Sarah, whose name was just changed, in stating, “I will give you a son by her.” Yet when the three men approach Abraham in Genesis 18:12 to once again share the plans and promises of God concerning His people, Sarah laughed. I cannot help but wonder if Abraham forgot to pass on the message from his previous conversations with God. I mean, seriously, did Sarah not get the memo? For the past 14 years since the birth of Ishmael, God continued to speak about this promise with Abraham. Now that it was on the brink of happening, Sarah doubted and laughed.
If I may interject here, I would like to add that this response is something that I too have done. There have been instances in my past when God has promised me something. It isn’t that I doubt He can do it, but it is more so that I question, “Why have You wanted till now?” For example, for years I have felt this urge to write a book. I received His promise that I would write and be published back in 1996, when I was in college. I have tried a few times, knowing the topic and title, but in every attempt I failed. By 2006 I had already started and quit a rough draft five times. Then in 2007 I was served divorce papers. I thought at that time that many of the things that I had heard God say or felt He had promised were never going to come about. But as I would spend time with Him, working to be healed from the pains of divorce and who I had become, God began to reinstate His plans for me. Suddenly, what looked to be an empty dream from God, what looked to be a broken promise, was beginning to take shape. On January 1, 2009, in prayer alone just after the ball dropped, I heard Him as clear as day say to me that now was the time. But why did it take so long. In all those failed attempts I was not writing from experience.
I can relate to Sarah. As she looked at her age as the blockage, I looked at my divorce. We both laughed because we both thought we were too far gone. But I love the rebuke that Sarah received, and in many ways that I also received. “’Is anything too hard for ADONAI?” Absolutely not. I have come to realize the same thing that I imagine Sarah learned that day when she was rebuked. God is able to do more than I could ever imagine. And why not; that is His character. Ephesians 3:20 records Paul stating that God is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine because of His power working in us. At that moment when once again the men declared that Sarah would give birth within the year, His power was working. And in that moment when I found myself praying and crying out to God, His power was working.
Sarah did receive her child, and the nation of Israel was one step closer to being birthed, for from Isaac would come Jacob to whom the twelve tribes would be fathered. As for me, that night set me into motion. Empowered by God, I found myself unable to put the pen down. I have since written my promised book and am in the revising stages at this time. My own Isaac is in the birthing stages. So then, is anything too hard for Adonai? Absolutely not. I wonder where you are. Has God given you also a promise that has not yet come to pass? And was the promise so big that you could not help but laugh? I tell you, when God speaks concerning us and His plans for us, you can guarantee that it will come to pass. It might not be in our time, but in the time set, our Isaac will be birthed.

CURLED UP
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
Isaiah 43:2

I was thinking last night. I know, either you are not surprised or you are coming up with overly sarcastic remarks to that truth. But in reality, I was thinking last night. As I found myself chatting with a friend I found myself beginning to think back to my days in college. You may or may not know, but standing in the entrance to Oral Roberts University is a monstrous statue of Oral Roberts hands. There are jokes that the hands clap at midnight, but it never seemed to happen when I was there. For me, though, they became a place of refuge and a welcome invitation to meeting with God. You see, many nights I would come out to this statue, lay flat on the cement, and just stare at the hands with only my Bible in hand. I wasn’t worshipping the statue, so please do not be fearful. But instead I would recall the life of Oral and think to myself, “If God can do all this through Oral then what can He do through me?” I would find hours pass by quickly, just resting there in God’s presence. I would spend time praying, but spend equal time listening.
One of the things I love most about being a father is when my children come and sit on my lap or snuggle up next to me. It is in those moments that they feel not only love, but also security. It is also in these times that we seem to have our best conversations. Our walls are down, our hearts are open, and our ears are listening. In that moment what my children say and do becomes the air I breathe. I want to listen, I want to encourage, and I want to show them my love. Is this not the same as how God feels for me when I come to Him and curl up on His lap?
Isaiah 43:2 reads, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” To me this is such an encouraging verse, and I can picture myself as a child being told these words by the one who has vowed to love me. I can see God wrapping His arms around me and letting me know that even when it feels like I am alone, He is right there with me. My life is His interest. I am at peace hearing these words even now, as I reflect on what I have already come through. I am also at peace as I consider what else lies ahead. Whatever it is that I will face still, whatever waters, rivers, fires or flames, I know that God is my protection. In His promise I find myself curling up.
Sometimes I long to travel back to Tulsa, to lie in that old peaceful place again and look up at those massive hands. That place was in essence the lap I would crawl up into. But that is not the only place I can hear God. And that is not the only place that I can feel comfort in. It was a landmark for my faith, but not the only place where my faith was able to grow. His lap is all around, and His presence close at hand. What is stopping me from curling up with Him now? Nothing at all. And what is stopping you? Again, nothing. Maybe it is time then that we do just that. Maybe it is time we crawl into the lap of our Father where the safety, protection, and love rest, and hear once more the words He longs to encourage us with.

RESISTANCE IS KEY
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7

One of the things that I strive to be with you in these devotionals is honest. I figure that my humor isn’t always the wackiest, and my stories aren’t always the most relatable. So then the only other thing I can really offer you is my honesty. Maybe sometimes I come off as too honest, too blunt, or too revealing of how I have learned the lessons I have, but then I think again and see you the reader. I see you like I see my children. I want my children to learn from my past mistakes without having to experience what I have been through, themselves. I want to offer them advice void of them having to learn it firsthand. I may not be able to come up with a witty rhyme like Solomon did in the Proverbs, but that is alright.
I say all this at the beginning today because I want to share with you another one of those lessons that I have been learning firsthand recently. Resistance is key. I sound like I am interacting with some evil genius who is warning those whose minds are about to be taken over that there is no point in resisting an evil plan, (insert evil laugh here). Well in a way I am. I am warning us to resist the devil. James 4:7 says it just about as blunt as can be said. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” That’s it? That’s all I have to do is submit to God and resist the devil? Yep, that’s all. But it is a task so hard to do it seems.
Why is it that when we decide to live right, something comes to throw us off course? For instance, for the past few years I have been making the New Year’s resolution that I will exercise daily. The first few days I do. One year I even got up to almost a month of exercise. But then I got tired, or it started getting colder, or a co-worker brought in a box of donuts and soon all desire to work out was thrown out the window. Spiritually it is no different. Just recently, as I have shared within the past two weeks, I have felt that I need to grow deeper in my relationship with God. I start off well but temptations move in. The urge to skip church comes upon me, someone tries to lure me into a relationship against my personal standards, or I find myself playing a mind game thinking, “What have I agreed to?” Just like at New Years, so here also I made a resolution or covenant. Soon I find myself weaseling myself out of it, redefining my terms, or just plain giving up. These are the wrongs that will come against me, and the attacks of the devil that I must stand against.
So then, let me ask, what do we do when we find we have not held our ground? What can we do to get back on track when we realize that our sin, our lack of resisting, has opened a door for the enemy? The devil comes against us and looks to weaken our walls. But once the walls have been breached he sends in a full on attack. What then? Let me offer to you what has been shown to me only this week when I asked the same question.
First we must repent. We must repent for whatever we have done to open the door to the enemy. Repentance is the turning away from sin. So then what caused us to turn to sin? It is that thing that caused us to turn that we must repent of. Second, we must break the curses that came as a result of the sin. I realize that not all of you will agree with all I have to say, and that spiritual warfare may be one of those things not agreed on, but warfare in the spirit realm is real. We then must break the curses related to and as a result of the sin. For instance, when I was involved in pornography, I opened the door to pride, selfishness, deception, jealousy, coveting, and on and on the list could go. All these curses needed to be broken, and the third step also performed, of kicking these spirits out. They had no right to come in, but my sin opened the door for them. But the party is over now, the parents are home, and all the guests whether invited or not must get out. The final step then, is to seal up the doorways with the blood of Jesus. Think back with me to the days of Moses. The blood on the doorframe kept God’s people safe. So then, sealing our doors with His blood also keeps us safe and the enemy out.
It all comes back to James 4:7, though, no matter how you look at it. We must submit to God and His ways. The safety we need is found only in Him, protected in His arms and covered by His blood. And we must resist the devil. We must not give him the spiritual legal right to come in. Opening doors as a result of sin gives him this right. So then, let us repent, break the curses, kick him out and seal the door. Let our minds and hearts be fixed on God. Let us be submitted to the ways of God and fully opposed to the enemy. It is time to stand resistant.

GET YOURSELF OUT
“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’”
Genesis 12:1

This week starts the Torah Parashah titled Lech Lecha, which is translated from the Hebrew as “Get Yourself Out”. It was these words that God spoke to Abram when He asked him to leave his family and life in the land of Ur of the Chaldeans. There are times in life when God gives us a simple command. Since we have been given freewill, God cannot perform the command for us. It comes down to us and whether we will obey or not. For Abram, just such a simple command was given. Genesis 12:1 tells us that God gave Abram the command to get out of the country he was currently residing in. He was to get away from the land and away from his relatives and travel to a land that would be shown to him. The blessing of a great nation was given to him at this same time, but everything hinged on Abram’s obedience. In Genesis 12:4 we read that Abram did obey and got himself out.
I cannot help but wonder how many times God has given me simple commands. Too many times I find myself stuck on the big ones and trying to work out ways around His will that I honestly ignore the simple ones. But where is the faith that Abram had? I am not quite sure I have that faith, or at least walk in that faith like I should. Abram heard the command to get out, obeyed, and left. I hear the command and then what? I hear the command to stop sinning, to watch my speech, to be a reflection of God in all my actions, but do I obey? Am I a follower of Him only when it is convenient?
As I continue to grow in my relationship with God, I want to also grow in the speed in which I obey. In only the space of four verses Abram went from receiving the command to moving out in the mission given. I want to stop asking questions and stop trying to find a way around what I am being asked to do and just do it. If He says to get myself out, I want to get myself out. The blessing for doing His will is just an obedient step away.
Let’s just be honest, though, and call sin, sin. Are you surfing the internet, flat out viewing pornography? Are you hiding things or lying to your spouse? Is your mouth dripping with toxic waste, spewing demeaning words or curses in every sentence? Can you honestly say that in every command God has given you that you have fully obeyed? I cannot. But in seeing this command given to Abram so bluntly, so simply, so pointedly, my eyes are opened. I know what and where He is asking me to leave. The land of my sin is my land of Ur. And this land that I have been living in is the land God is calling me to leave behind. But I must ask what about you? What and where do you need to get out from? Do you also see yourself living in Ur? Friends, we like Abram have been given the command of Lech Lecha. Let us get out of our Ur and walk into the land of Canaan, where His life and His blessing become our inheritance.

ON THE VANGUARD
“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful may lay hold of it.”
Matthew 11:12

In my junior year of college I served as a student chaplain. The benefits of being a chaplain, outside of being able to serve others, consisted of knowing ahead of time who the guest speaker would be in chapel and having your own room. One of the benefits of having my own room was being able to put my own message on the answering machine as opposed to having to come to an agreement with my roommate, which many times resulted in the sound of a toilet flushing. I remember one such message I recorded when alone, though. With the song, Taking Heaven by Storm by Steve Camp playing in the background, I simply stated, “I’m out drop kicking the devil, leave a message and I’ll return your call.” Sixteen years later from the humble ideas of that song based on Matthew 11:12, I am still drop kicking the devil. It was also that song that birthed in me the beginnings of the phrase, On The Vanguard!
I have had many people over the years ask me what a vanguard is. Vanguard is a military term. According to Webster, the vanguard was the troops moving or fighting at the head of the army. They were the forefront of soldiers. If business needed to be done, they stood in the front and attempted to get the job done. It is not a phased out word, but perhaps one that many are not familiar with unless they have served or know someone who has served in the military.
So then why would I use the term vanguard? I have never served in the military. Or have I? While I can say in truth I have never fought for America, I can say that I have served for years now in a greater army. I want to be on the vanguard. I want to be on the front line of what God is doing and be one of those who God is using. I want to drop kick the devil and send his little demons running. Recently I was talking to a friend and I said the following. “If the devil knows my name I want it to be because he is tired of fighting against me.” I am tired of seeing myself and my fellow warriors getting beat up. I serve in the army of God. I serve to promote God’s truth and bring freedom to those who have been POWs for far too long. I serve in God’s army, forcefully advancing the kingdom of heaven (Mt 11:12). I fight because I am tired of the enemy winning, deeming his rights and stealing from the saints.
My challenge to you is to join the ranks. Where are the men and women of the vanguard? Are we afraid to take a stand; afraid to fight the enemy and take back what he stole from us? Are we willing to stand and fight? No longer can we continue to be passive and expect things to be okay. If nothing else let us follow the example of Christ and say no the devil, shut him up and rebuke him from interfering in our lives. Warriors rise up and join me on the vanguard!

If you would like to hear Taking Heaven by Storm, and maybe get a little motivated, I encourage you to view the following. This specific song starts around the 3:45 minute mark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ7uAp5zh3U

THINKING POSITION
“For as he thinks within himself, so he is…”
Proverbs 23:7

Do you remember in elementary school when the teacher would say to the class, “Put your thinking caps on”? I remember I had one teacher who would even make us do the motions of placing a cap on our heads and then making a knot under our chin with the invisible straps so it wouldn’t fall off. I’m not sure it ever did much good, but it did make class fun. Over time, though, my thinking caps and positions have changed. At one point I even found my best thoughts coming to me while lying on my bed with my feet up in the air. Not sure I could do that one now days with my lack of Gumby stretching skills. All in all, though, while the positions have changed, I now realize my thoughts have as well.
We are told in Proverbs 23:7 that as a man thinks, he then is. The simplicity of this is that if we think wrong things, we become wrong things. The flip side is that if we think positive thoughts, we become positive. It seems pretty cut and dry, right? But is it? I find myself many times thinking the worst when in fact I know the Scripture tells me different. For instance, I find myself thinking about my finances and the tightness I feel living pay check to pay check. My thoughts of lack being to strangle me as I then become what I am thinking. The strangling affects all of me, draining my joy and placing a mask of depression over my face.
But what does God’s word say concerning my finances? It says we are to bring tithes and offerings before God. It says that we are blessed coming and going when we walk in God’s standards. And it says we are to be the head and not the tail. Put all this together, and faith begins to grow. The shifting of where we place our thoughts will determine our position.
So maybe you are finding yourself in a position where you are feeling strangled, and I am not just talking according to finances. Maybe you are in a relationship, or in an addiction, or even contemplating your life. Check where your thoughts are at. God’s word gives us hope in every situation we face. Instead of being trapped in our carnal and invalid worldly thing patterns, we should be wearing the thinking cap of God alone. And In Philippians 4:8, we are told the thoughts that are housed inside His cap. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”
What are you thinking on, and what position are you in when thinking? Let us be done sitting in the comfy chair of wallow and self-pity which only brings depression for our circumstance. Let us instead sit in the lap of our God and consume our minds with thoughts that are His truth. Let our thinking position be in Him.

EVEN ALONE
“Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than men!’”
Acts 5:29

Following the death and resurrection of the Messiah, the disciples began to preach the Good News of Christ as He had commanded them. They were to go into all the world, and so they did. However, there was much opposition. Many times the followers of Christ found prison or flogging being passed out freely to them for their preaching. Yet, so convinced in the command they had heard from their master, they continued to preach. They did not turn back when opposition met them, yet instead they pressed on. In fact, on one occasion found in Acts 5:29, when they had already been imprisoned for preaching and were being asked as to why they were breaking the rules, the disciples gave the following response. “We must obey God rather than men.”
There are commands that I believe God gives to us even today that we, instead of doing His will, cower in doing. Whether it be in fear or flat out defiance, we turn away from what He has commanded. The funny thing is that we find ourselves asking for His direction and assistance, yet fail to walk out the steps in which He has given us the direction for. This has been true in my own life. Just recently I have been dealing with an issue in where I find myself asking for God’s direction concerning dating. In some ways I want to date, both for my children’s sake and mine. I find myself concerned that they will not see enough of a two parent family and so I want to step out and date for their benefit. But then I also find myself struggling with the words God continues to tell me about seeking Him first.
I find myself asking God for His will and I hear it. He speaks clearly to seek Him and He will take care of the rest. He speaks clearly and I still question, still hesitate, and still fear. Why do I seek His answers if only to run away from His response? I recently re-watched a movie with this same question in it. I would like to share with you the words of wisdom that I heard and am working to heed.

The most important and most difficult spiritual test is the challenge of turning our lives over to God, but no decision can be more fulfilling. Inevitably something will happen that will make us realize that our own power is not enough to get us through these especially difficult times. Our personal power is limited but God's power is infinite. All that is required is one simple prayer - Not my will Lord, but yours. Why are we so afraid of turning our lives over to a greater will? Why do we seek guidance yet fear what that guidance will say to us? Because it means that I have to say to God that I accept whatever it is that you have chosen for me, and I trust that you will give me the strength to deal with it. There's an old hymn that says it far better than I can. “Though none go with me, still I will follow, no turning back no turning back.”

God is calling me to step out in faith and obey His will. As hard as it is, I must become resolute in what He is telling me. Even if I walk alone, I must walk as to be obedient in the ways He is telling me to go. I must set my eyes ahead toward the goal and decide now that there is no turning back. I must obey God over man, and in this case even over my own desires.

• From the film Though None Go With Me

SO CLOSE
“Enoch walked with God, and then he wasn’t there, because God took him.”
Genesis 5:24

Being single, I find myself in different seasons joining on-line dating sites. It isn’t so much that I expect to find someone as much as it is that I am wanting to converse with people like me. There is a bond that comes when someone understands your situation because they themselves are in it. But I will say if it lends itself to a date I may take it, yet one must filter through many wrongs to find that right person on-line. With all that said, I find myself some nights in a chat room, having conversations with all sorts of people around my age. It never fails, though, that every conversation makes its way toward what people desire in a mate. And the number one answer is a best friend. Having been married and now divorced, I can agree. The woman I married, although great in many ways, was never my best friend.
Maybe we didn’t date long enough or didn’t have enough trust built up both before and during the marriage, but regardless, we were never each other’s best friend. We were roommates with benefits it felt like so many days. As I find myself now with the option and fear of dating again, I have come to realize that I too want to marry my best friend. I want someone I can click with, bond with, trust, be myself around, and be encouraged to change but not forced. When I think back to my childhood, my best friend accepted me as I was. We didn’t agree on everything, but we didn’t try to change each other also.
Perhaps I am getting off track. The point I am trying to make is that I desire in a spouse a closeness. Now there are other things also, maybe more shallow things like a preference of hair and eye color, height, background and future goals, but who am I to put limits on God? The plain and simple fact is I want her to love God more than she loves me, yet still be my best friend. I don’t want growing old with her to feel like a burden.
But it seems like Adonai also desires a closeness with us. When I read about Enoch in the Bible, I read that he walked with God and then was no more. He was best friends with God. The two didn’t have some casual relationship where they just met once a month to catch up over dinner and then be on their ways. No. When I read this I think of a tight unit. Enoch ‘walked’ with God. Enoch HALAK with God, if we look at it in the Hebrew. His whole manner of life brought glory to his maker. The two were so close that nothing could separate their bond. Is this not an illustration of the best friend and marriage image God desires and should have with us. Be it in marriage, or more importantly in relationship with God, I long for closeness.
My prayer for myself is this, that God would be my best friend. Not because I want to escape death, but because I want to make Him my everything and walk with Him, and give Him the honor He deserves. I want to be so close with God.

ATTACK AT HOME
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.”
I Corinthians 16:13

Maybe I am still inspired by the truth behind Courageous; maybe that is what is spurring today’s devotional. Maybe it is the realization that I have dropped the ball too often and am seeing my screw ups without the lenses of rational finally. Or maybe I am just fed up with the way my life has gone and the cheap shots I have allowed the enemy to take on me and my family. Granted I know that my past has been filled with more smut than I care to admit, but when I hear of the enemy working to attack my children I get mad. And why not? Isn’t it my responsibility as the father to be the spiritual leader in my home and not let the enemy have any ground? So then imagine my anger when this weekend my son confessed to me that someone had introduced him to pornography.
Right away you may think it was I since my past used to have this stain. You may think that I didn’t cover all my tracks or had a falling back. But in truth it was not me. Honestly, who it was doesn’t matter. What matters is how we proceed with it going forward. I have before me the choice to do nothing or to do something. I can push it to the side, ignore it, not make a big deal about it, and in time watch my son become an addict to this his self. Or I can take a stand, get righteously indignant, break its hold, fight with the tenacity of a great army and refuse the devil and his cohorts any more place in my house. The battle has come to my home, so what am I going to do?
Maybe more so than answering what my next step is, I should review how this first step was even allowed. How did the enemy get access to my son to begin with? I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to answer that question. I let my guard down. In some ways I thought I had more time before we would be at this point. I myself was not introduced to it till around age twelve, so to think of him being introduced at age eight or nine caught me unprepared. Instead of holding my weapons in place and standing watch, I was sleeping on the job. And please, don’t hear me wrong. I am not inflecting self abuse on myself. Quite the opposite really. I am announcing my error so that you other parents and warriors will see the times in which we are in. The enemy is coming in, anyway possible and any age obtainable, and his desire is to steal this next generation. Will we let him?
In the last two days since learning of this information, I have been taking a stand. I have been standing as a prayer warrior of my family, as a father they can speak openly to, and as a dictator in some aspects, dictating what I will and will not allow to pass through my doors. I have taken the verse in I Corinthians 16:13 to heart. It is my job description as a man, husband, and father. “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.” I refuse to let the enemy attack my home again. I refuse to let my faith dangle at the side. I refuse to run when I am scared. And I refuse to be weak in spirit. It is time I rise up as the warrior and champion God has called me to be. Sin has no place in my home, and will not find a home in my place anymore!

BREATH OF GOD
“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:7

Have you ever watched pottery being made? A couple years back while at the county fair, my kids and I stopped in at an exhibit and demonstration where a lady was working to create pottery. The shelves were stacked with different sized and shaped bowls, plates, cups, and pitchers. But in addition to seeing her finished work we were also able to watch her in the process of creating. I remember watching her throw a slab on clay on her wheel and gentle push the peddle to create speed. As the whole lump began to spin faster and faster, she used her fingers to indent and form this blob into something more. Within only a short few minutes a bowl was formed, perfect in every way and ready to be dried by the heat of the sun. She had taken what was void of form and in her own way, breathed life into it making her own unique dish.
I cannot say I am any good when it comes to working with clay. Whether it be a lack of experience or just a lack of talent altogether, I know that creating any kind of dish that is worthy to be viewed by the public is not my forte. But I have to admit, I am relieved. Yet when I consider forming pottery I cannot help but think about how God made man. Genesis 1:27 tells us that God made us in His image. That part I can understand. But to think that God was able to make something from nothing is as mind boggling to me as watching a potter create an artwork from a mound of clay.
When God was ready to make man, He did so by using dirt. I wish I knew more of how God did it as opposed to the ideas that I have in my brain, but for now my ideas will have to suffice. God probably gathered in His hands a scoop of dirt and began turning it, playing with it, loosening it and voiding it of rocks and other debris. I can see God now wanting it to be the purest of dirt. But then I can see God beginning to mold it. I’m sure He did mold to some degree if we were fashioned after Him (Gen 1:27) and there were nostrils to breathe into (Gen 2:7). When the forming was done, however, and God looked at what He saw with great pride, He breathed into the dirt man His breath of life.
I have to be honest, my life has not gone the way I hoped it would when I left home back in 1993. I have seen the view from the mountains at times, like graduation from college or the birth of my children, but I have also seen my share of views from the desert too, like dealing with divorce or more recently the passing of my dad. I know that in the good and bad God has always been with me. I guess what I am trying to say is that just as God breathed into the dirt his breath which gave Adam life, so I need to be revived. Contemplating, I feel like for so long I have been drowning or short of breath and in need of God’s breath blowing again on me and in me, like spiritual CPR. I need His revival of my spirit, His presence to envelope me and once again form me into a living being as opposed to the monotonous robot that I sometimes feel I am.
The potter breathes life into his creation. The songwriter breathes life into a song. The journalist breathes life into his story. And God breathes life into man. It is that life that I again seek. Breath of God, breathe again into me.

LAUNDRY DAY
“’Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’”
Isaiah 1:18

Sunday’s for me are pretty standard. I normally awake around 6:30am and begin working on my devotional. By 8:30am my kids and I are out the door and on our way to church. We normally return home around 11am and the rest of the day is filled with chores interspersed within a few hours of both Nascar and football as I flip channels. Yesterday was no different, really, with the exception being I watched no sports but instead spent a great deal of the day out and about with the kids at the park and such. The chores, however, still had to be done and so late in the evening I found myself still working on my laundry. Having two children I probably do not find myself subject to the laundry monster as often as others, but it still never ceases to amaze me where these clothes both come from and go. I am convinced that my kids put un-used clothes in the wash simply because they do not want to hang the clothes up in the closet. And I still believe that the sock bandit is a real enemy because there is always at least one sock missing from the load come folding time.
It was when all the laundry was done yesterday evening that I found myself doing something odd. I found myself reading the laundry detergent box. Outside of the fact that I realized I may have been putting just a tad too much soap in my cycle, I also read the words ‘with bleach’. All this time I was buying my detergent based on price and scent, not knowing that it additionally came with bleach. But it made sense. I had noticed that since switching soaps about 6 months back my clothes had seemed to be a little more stain free. In fact, I may even suggest that overall they looked a little more whiter. So as is God’s way when opening my eyes to something, God took me to the Bible to make a point.
I was reminded of Isaiah 1:18, which reads, “’Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’” It was here that God showed me the depth of sin. When reading this my eyes first saw the comparison of sin to scarlet. It was not completely clear to me until I looked at the word scarlet in the Hebrew. The word is SHANIY, which is accurately translated. However, it is deeper. The scarlet in this word is actually a dye that was used to color the cloth red and was the dried blood of a coccus ilicis worm. This comparison then makes more sense when you consider that a dye is not supposed to wash out. But still there is more. When the female of this scarlet shaded worm was ready to give birth, she would fix her body to the trunk of a tree permanently, with no intention of ever leaving again. It is there she would give birth and stay until her young left. She, still fixed, would stay on the trunk.
It is in this illustration that two pictures are seen. The first is the dye that was used to stain clothes red. The second was the fixation of the worm to the tree, which seems to be an example of how sin desires to stay fixed on to us. But within these truths about the color red is a greater truth…that of God’s cleansing. Greater than even a laundry soap with bleach added in it are the words said by God. “[Our sins] shall be as white as snow…[and] they shall be like wool.” It was Christ’s blood that paved a way of cleansing for us. Our job then is to reason together with Him. Our job is to see our sins under the same microscope and light that He does, admit we have sinned, and ask His forgiveness. It is in this moment, in this prayer, and with this broken and contrite heart that God hears us and brings His supernatural detergent and stain fighting action to remove the stain of our sin. Let today for us be laundry day; let today be the day that the stain of our sin is washed away as we reason with God.

PEACE
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 14:27

It was recently pointed out to me that I am under a rather large amount of stress. I’m not sure whether I fully agree with that statement or not, or that I am willing to admit the load I am under, but I do know for a fact that I am dealing with some stress. Work is getting busier, the puppy is still in training, the house seems as though it can never be clean, and the funds feel tight. I do my best to not let the issues of life get a hold of me, but there are some days when it truly feels as though I am about to get crushed under the weight of all that I am trying to up. I’m sure you know the feeling yourself.
While we may not have the same issues causing stress, the fact is we have all been subject to it at some point. I would like to think that it is because of this reason that Jesus spoke the words, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” When I hear this word ‘peace’, I automatically think of the word Shalom. While it does mean peace, it is a Hebrew word. This word in John 14:27 is the Greek word, EIRENE. The context is much the same, meaning an exemption from the rage and havoc of war, as well as security, safety, prosperity, and harmony.
These words were spoken in what is termed the final days of Jesus, right before His death and resurrection. Since we have the ability to see hind sight, we can see that Jesus was giving the disciples counsel before these events ever happened. He knew that although the disciples had followed Him, watched Him, heard His words concerning what was to come, they would still be afraid and doubt. As we read on in the account, we see this is true. The disciples didn’t what to think. Peter denied the knowledge of Christ in his fear. Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection until he could physically put his hands in the hands of Jesus.
The disciples were a mess. But the disciples reflect us. In our fear, our stress, our challenges, we too question how we are supposed to get to the next place, the next spot, or the next level. And the question that plays over and over in my mind is why, when I know what the outcome will be, do I continue to allow stress to rule me? I have the ability to see hide sight in reading the scriptures. I know the outcome, that Jesus came to bring peace.
As I continue to read past these first few words in this scripture I see the ultimate truth in Jesus’ words. “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Stress is nothing more than a fear. The fear of my job becoming more than I can handle, or my dog not being fully trained, or of my house being a little dirty, or my bills not being paid is what weighs me down. But it is to these fears that Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.” It is to these fears that Jesus speaks the word “Eirene.” So then, I must choose to sit under His Eirene.

SET THE STANDARD
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.”
I Timothy 4:12

A few days back I wrote to you about raising the standard, and about how this is our time to raise the flag of our beliefs and the measurement of our actions. I also discussed how it is time we revere the Lord as never before, so that when the enemy comes in, like a flood the Lord will raise His standard against the enemy. Today I want to continue on this same idea, but with a more detailed and personal view of our measurements. I am going to tell on myself a little during this post, I warn you now, but it will relate in ways to which God is convicting me in my standard setting.
As I was reading with my kids last night from our Bible devotional, I landed on the story of Jeremiah’s calling. If we look back to Jeremiah 1:5-8, we see that God gently spoke to Jeremiah that He had formed him and called him. But Jeremiah’s first response was, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.” God corrected Jeremiah in responding back that he should not say he was just a boy, but rather should say all that he was commanded to by God. Reading this account with my children last night reminded me once again of I Timothy 4:12, and the words written to Timothy about his youth.
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” I can’t tell you how old Timothy might have been, or even if this has to do with his age in years as opposed to his age as a believer, but what I can tell you is Timothy was encouraged to set an example. Better put, Timothy was being told to set the standard. In speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity, Timothy was supposed to be the measurement. It wasn’t that Timothy had obtained perfection, but he was setting his mark in accordance with the standards of God. In turn, he was now being asked, challenged rather, to be that standard for those who watched him.
Now here comes the look into my life that I warned you about. I have not set this standard in my own life for others to see, at least not in every area. Sure I perhaps set a standard in the writings of these entries and in my faith, but what about in my speech? Believe it or not, I was frustrated with my son this morning and called him a name. That wasn’t very standard setting was it? And it isn’t the first time. In some ways I am grateful he called me out after I said it and confronted me about it because it took that for me to see that I am not setting the right standard here. This is not the measurement I want in my home. Nor do I want my children to see a standard of just getting by when God offers abundance. Or how about in the areas of life where God offers joy but the best standard I can muster up are the feelings of constant anger or frustration. This doesn’t sound like the right standard either.
If you have read my writings for any period of time you know I am not perfect. But that doesn’t give me the right to stop trying to follow after God. God desires that I live according to His standard, even when it is hard and I don’t feel like it. However, God also asks me, despite my youth (or lack of it) to set a standard for others. The words for Timothy are also for you and me. It is time we stop looking at what we are failing at and move on. Let us pick up the standard we dropped and move forward with it again, setting it once more. There are people watching us…it’s time we point them to God through the standard we are living.