CROSS OVER
"That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok."
Genesis 32:22

Over the past few days I have been thinking about a few important people in my life. Recently I felt encouraged to write them a letter. As I began writing, I began to see you, the reader, in my mind. I began to wonder how many of us may be going through the same frustrations and issues as those dear to me. With that in mind, I felt I was to share the body of my letter with you, in hopes that you would also be encouraged.

"I wanted to take a moment and give you a little encouragement. I am by no means trying to sound 'preaching', but I have noticed that you are struggling with where God is in your current situation. So I prayed and felt God was laying a few topics and verses on my heart as a reminder to you.
"First, do not let the fire die. We both at one time had a deep passion for God. We knew He was real and we knew we wanted to be used by Him. What I have learned over the past two years today as an officially divorced guy, is that all the desires and dreams God gave me back as a child I still have today. If I let my passion for God die, then I let my passion for who God has created me to be also die. Sure, life is hard. I will never know the exact problems and issues that you are currently facing. But I do know mine. I do know that when life seemed bleak and I wanted to die, God gave me the strength to keep going on. I also know that as I rested in His strength, He began to make me again.
"That feeds into the second point I have been hearing God say. He is making things new. You have the hope and promise of a new place, just as Israel had the hope and promise of the Promised Land. It is real, and it will really happen. This place will define you and who God is calling you to be. Please do not get discouraged that it has not happened yet, for God makes all things good in His time. But again, rest in Him. God will use the weeks that follow to prepare you for what He has for you once there. Allow Him to work on you. Do not doubt Him or what He is doing behind the scenes. We are not God; we see through a dirty lens. It looks terrible now, but God is making something new. The bitter tears and clouds of sorrow now, will become the steps God uses.
"I also feel that God is not done with you. You have lost some of who you are, but God has not lost or forgotten you. Again, He is working behind the scenes. But I also feel to mention that all the qualities you may look at as the negatives right now, such as age, location, present situations, they are not obstacles to God. I have been there myself. I contemplate at times, who will want a guy with a rap sheet like mine, years of bondage, fear of rejection, old-er, divorced, kids. Do girls even take a second look knowing all that I have/had. But God is showing me that He is not done. I am reminded of Moses. He left the 'fun' (Heb 11:25) and look what God did with him. We are not to sell ourselves short, for in so doing we are belittling our God. On the heels of this thought I feel encouraged to share with you Jude 3, contend for the faith, and verse 20, build yourselves up in the faith. Yes, we are getting smacked around, but it is no time to sit and take it. It is time to remember who we are in Christ and live it.
"The last point I feel to share with you comes from Genesis 32:22. 'That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.' The river Jabbok is only mentioned 7 times in the Bible. Why is this one so important for me to bring it up? Because all the other 6 times it is mentioned it states that the person only came up to it. Here, the person crossed it. It is time for us to cross over into what God is doing. We have come close many times, but have turned back in fear, pressure, or other obstacles. But this time let us not shrink back but cross over. The land we leave behind is only holding us down. The land the lies ahead is the Promised Land that God has for us. Do not lose the passion, do not listen to the enemy about how worthless he thinks you are, and do not consider yourself done. It is time to cross over."

Now I ask you. Are you swallowed up in your problems and think that surrendering to them is the answer? Then I say to you just as to my friends, God is not done. He is still making you, and shaping you. No, pain is not fun. But after the pain is gone, our eyes are opened to the benefit from the pain. I encourage you to stop coming up to the Jabbok and turn in fear. Stop thinking yourself worthless, that you have nothing to offer, that the world would benefit from your absence. It is high time we cross the Jabbok and live. Cross the Jabbok, and join me ON THE VANGUARD!

YOU USED TO...
"But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted."
Romans 6:17

I would not say that I have ever had a weight issue, but I will admit that my weight has fluctuated over the years. When I graduated high school I weighed 145. When I came home from college for winter break my freshman year, I had doubled the freshman 15, then weighing 175. When I married in 1998 I weighed 155 thanks to a more healthy diet and lifestyle. Over the past twelve years I have maxed out at 180 and gotten as low as 150. Currently I am 160. Now this may be more than you care to know about me, but the point I want to make is concerning who I used to be. I used to be considered obese for my height. Now I am considered slightly overweight and am working again toward a healthy lifestyle.
Paul is addressing the Romans here in chapter 6 on the topic of grace. He shared that sin was not meant to be our master. Our baptism into Christ and resurrection with Christ gives us power over sin. Because of this, we are encouraged to offer our bodies not as instruments of wickedness and slaves to sin, but instead as instruments of righteousness.
I love Paul's charge in Romans 6:15. "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!" Paul later in verse 23 shares that the cost for sin is death. But in the middle of both these verses Paul writes the words...USED TO BE.
...You used to be a slave to sin...verse 17
...You used to offer your body to sin...verse 19
We are people, saved by God's grace, who have been forgiven of our past. However, forgiveness without change is just lip service. Going back to my weight, I can say I want to lose weight. Until I make the effort, however, I am only making noise.
Paul encourages us to look at who we were. Is it worth going back to? Is it worth the risk to my health to be obese? Is it worth the risk to another marriage to bring pornography back into my life? Is it worth the failure as a parent to leave a legacy for my children that shows them that sin is permissible? By no means! Then I must be one who keeps the past in check as a learning tool and testimony of who I used to be. I thank God I am not that Dan anymore, but rather a new creation in Christ; not a slave to sin, but rather an active joint heir with Christ.
Who did you used to be? Who are you now? Put away the old enslaved lifestyle and join me ON THE VANGUARD!

STANDING ON A PROMISE
“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country…Therefore, say to the Israelites: “I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.”’”
Exodus 6:1,6

As is God’s way, salvation is birthed just when the enemy believes he has won. Moses was no exception. Conceived within the years of Hebrew slavery, Moses was born to a Levite family. The Pharaoh had give orders that for every Hebrew boy born, the Egyptians were to deny him life by throwing him into the Nile. Moses’ parents, though, chose to hide him for three months. When they could conceal him no longer, they placed the child in a papyrus weaved basket and set it gently in the Nile. God allowed the delivery of Moses to Pharaoh’s daughter, which would pave the way for the deliverance of His chosen people.
First, though, Moses had to come to grips with what God was calling him to; his destiny. The Bible records the scene at the burning bush with Moses giving God every reason for why he was incapable of such a great task. Yet with every excuse, God answered Moses with a faith building reply. I will be with you, Moses. I am who I am, Moses. I have watched over my people Moses, and am sending you. My signs and wonders will follow you, Moses, and I will help you speak. Joel Osteen writes on this, “With these questions, God was reminding Moses, ‘I have already put in you exactly what you need. Now draw out what I have given you and use it for my honor, for the good of your family, your friends, and your own good.’” In order for Moses to become tenacious against Pharaoh, he first had to catch the tenacity God was charging him with.
With instruction by God Himself, Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh and made God’s plea. Their request was bold, firm, and determined, but nevertheless they demanded the freedom of God’s people. Pharaoh knew the gods of his own culture and beliefs, but he did not know or associate with the God of Israel. He responded by questioning, “Who is this God that I should obey?” His response showed a lack of concern for the needs of the Jews. The short lived confrontation of Moses and Aaron ended with a blunt negative answer and a lack of utensils to complete the chore of brick making. Yet still, Moses was tenacious.
Time after time Moses and Aaron returned to Pharaoh and presented God’s plea. Time after time they continued to experience Pharaoh’s hardened heart. Why would they return? Why would they constantly face rejection? Why allow themselves to be despised by the same people they were trying to free? They returned over and over because they stood on God’s promise.
The promise of God finally came to a head. After four hundred years of slavery, God’s mighty hand of signs and wonders, ten plagues, and the tenacity of Moses, the Israelites were going home.
God could have used anyone, but He chose to use a man full of flaws. Doubt, fear, stuttering, these qualities didn’t matter to God. God became the mouth and strength that Moses needed to stand obstinate before Pharaoh to the end. Moses was raised up to deliver the Israelites to the Promised Land. Let us not forget Galatians 6:9, which serves to remind us that we should not become weary in well doing, for in time our harvest will come.
Moses was raised up in the ways of Egypt, but in the end served God. He denied himself the comfort and pleasure of a sinful nation and by faith sought after the reward of following God (Heb 11:25-26). Inspired and anointed as a leader of many, the tenacity of Moses cannot go unseen. But that same passion, that same tenacity, lives in you and me. We too must allow ourselves to become tenacious and not back down against our pharaohs. Each one of us daily must stand up and declare our freedom. Temptations, bondages, schemes, and traps are all around us just waiting to enslave us. But in God’s mighty name, and under His blood, we can stand up against our Pharaoh, our addiction, our life draining, breath stealing monster and assert our salvation. Now declare that the enemy let you, God’s child, go, and join me ON THE VANGUARD!

IT'S ABOUT TO SHAKE
"No weapon formed against you will prosper..."
Isaiah 54:17a

The word 'Earthquake' has been heard often over the past month or so. It wasn't too long ago that Haiti was shook by just this word; this devastation. And as one who spent his childhood in Southern California, I know first hand the fear that comes with an earthquake. Unlike a tornado or hurricane, they sneak up unexpected and catch you off guard. They range from a little jolt to an all out rumble. Each one is different, yet they all have one thing in common. Fear.
The Bible tells us in Acts 16 that while Paul and Silas were preaching in Philippi, an uproar broke out. Paul and Silas had just cast out spirits from a slave girl and as such, the magistrates weren't too happy about it. They ordered the two be placed in jail with a posted guard watching over them. So with their feet in stocks and no way to escape, they made the decision to worship God.
My mind drifts to the movie Facing the Giants. The coach made the decision for the team that win or lose they were going to praise God. Or even the song Praise You in the Storm by Casting Crowns. Life isn't always easy, but we must praise God, trusting He has everything under control.
"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and every body's chains came loose." Acts 16:25-26
Not knowing what was going to happen to them, Paul and Silas still rejoiced and praised God. They trusted that even if this was the end of the road for them, God had every piece working to His benefit. We must remember that God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isa 55:8). The sovereign Lord God Almighty is in control. He holds our hands and guides our every step. It is He who allows us our next breath. We are nothing without God.
Paul and Silas were bound one minute and being shaken by an earthquake the next minute. When the dust settled they found themselves free from their chains. The chains may have held them in place, but they couldn't hold God back. The weapon that was to be their demise did not prosper. God flexed His muscles and a miracle happened.
Much can be said concerning this story. The moral could be to praise God while you are sitting in your 'jail cell', whatever it may be. The lesson could be the fact that God is in control. Or it could be to encourage us that God has our back. How true it is that there is no chain, no sword, no weapon that can prosper against us. We are all apt for bodily injury, but spiritually, the devil only has power over us when we allow him in. We must shut the door to sin and allow God to be the single Lord of our life. In so doing a hedge of protection is stationed all around us. Evil cannot prosper with God as our rear guard.

PIECES OF ARMOR
Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place
Eph 6:14

In the Strong’s, this word truth, Aletheia, is defined as reality, sincerity, accuracy, integrity, and truthfulness. Just like a belt one would wear to keep his pants up, so without this belt one’s armor will not stay up. Our belt is our best defense against the deception the enemy will throw at us. Do not forget, the devil is the father of lies (Jn 8:44), therefore his nature is to twist and manipulate the truth just enough that we would believe him. But let us not also forget that Jesus Christ is the truth (Jn 14:6), and walking in Him deflects the lies the enemy attempts to hurl at us constantly.
I remember back when I was in high school that I wanted desperately to tell someone of my already growing addiction to pornography. After service one Wednesday night, I approached my youth minister and began to share with him the struggle I was dealing with. He counseled me, prayed with me, encouraged me that God heard my prayer and had forgiven me, and then told me that when he asked in the future, “How are you?”, it meant how am I doing with overcoming this lust I was drawn to. That following Sunday he kept his word in asking, and I honesty told him I was great. But as the weeks passed and he continued to ask, I did not continue to answer honestly. Instead, out of the fear of being labeled a failure, I would lie. I have learned since then that it was the devil who lied to me about being a failure that kept me from being honest and continuing to receive my freedom. As a result, I battled this same addiction for years to follow.
The belt of truth is given as the first piece of our armor because unless we are standing on truth, we will only believe the lies. Notice, when God used Gideon, He first had to rid the thoughts of being the least in his family and show Gideon the truth before he was able to be used so mightily (Jud 6:15-16). There is no point to the helmet or breastplate if the devil is already working on us and bending what we know is accurate. When thoughts come to us that are not in line with God’s word, let us throw them down and stand solid on truth.
The breastplate is vital in that it protects our heart and our vitals. This righteousness is not of our own, but a righteousness that comes from being in Christ (I Cor 1:30). The Greek word here is Dikaiosune, meaning the quality of being right. Who among us is right? We are nothing more than sinners under God’s grace. By wearing the breastplate of righteousness, we are protected by the accuser. Jack Hayford writes, “God declares the believer righteous, in the sense of acquitting him, and imparts righteousness to him.”
When Christ died in our place on the cross, we became the righteousness of Christ (II Cor 5:21). We are urged to live right. However, our human nature and free will pave access to sin. The Bible tells that when we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I Jn 1:9). This act of forgiveness, of making a turn in the right direction, allows us to come again into right standing with God under the umbrella of His righteousness. Let us stand strong with this breastplate in place.

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Hayford, Jack, Kingdom Warfare: Strategies for Victory in the Invisible War, (Nelson Impact, 2004), p 51

MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR
“When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.’”
“’But Lord,’ Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I and the least in my family.”
“’The Lord answered, ‘I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.’”
Judges 6:12, 15-16

Prior to 1941, no African American had ever piloted in the United States military. However, after a checklist of moves stemmed from the United States Congress, an all-black combat unit was formed. The policy of allowing these men entrance consisted not only of flight experience, but also physical and mental qualifications. As the Congress expected very few applicants to fulfill these restrictive specifications, they were left in awe as the Air Corps received an abundance of applications, many of whom had taken part in the Civilian Pilot Training Program from 1939 forward. These men hailed from all over the United States in an act of patriotism. They were known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
The first aviation cadet class for these men began in July 1941 and was completed nine months later in March 1942. Of the thirteen airmen who started in the class, only five completed the training successfully. As the years continued, more and more were allowed entrance in the military program, totaling more than nine hundred by the end of 1946. Completing more than two hundred combat missions, the Tuskegee Airmen did not lose a single bomber to enemy fire. This statistic was unmatched by any other fighter group of its time.
Yet, even with the military success unmatched by any, the men of this all-black unit faced an even worse foe. These men found themselves enlisted in two wars – the obvious overseas combat against the Axis, and the war against racism. Stemmed from hatred within the military as well as overseas, they were simply looked down on because of color. They flew clean and went extra mile in proving their skill, yet were treated as trainees and denied the right to enter the Field Officers’ Club, which resulted in arrest when they attempted. Not until 1948 did President Harry S. Truman enact Executive Order Number 9981, allowing equal treatment and opportunity of all men serving in the United States military, regardless of color. This step became the paved road for the end of racial segregation not only for the military, but also in America overall.
Genesis 1:27 affirms that we are all made in God’s image, His imago dei. Yet for so many, the battle of self image and poor self esteem continues on. Whether it be forced on us, as with the Tuskegee Airmen who fought their own additional battle over skin color, or allowed in our own minds based on generations and events past, as seen with Gideon, God says to us that we are His mighty men of valor. It is high time for us to listen to what God says about us and stop negating. God has called us brave, strong, wise, and a force to be reckoned with as we stand in His strength. Let us move forward in the knowledge that what He says about us stands, period.
Now rise up mighty man of valor, and join me ON THE VANGUARD!

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen
http://www.tuskegeeairmen.org/Tuskegee_Airmen_History.html
http://www.tuskegee.edu/global/story.asp?s=1127695

NOT PHYSICAL, BUT SPIRITUAL
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Ephesians 6:12

Our enemy, the devil, is crafty. He uses schemes and strategies, hides in the unseen, and assaults us when we are not looking. His mission is for our destruction. And as Matthew Henry says, “…he has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls.” He comes to steal our very life from us, kill our souls, and destroy us in every way possible (Jn 10:10). Yet even with his force of demons, the Christian can stand on this truth, that “…greater is He that is in [us] than he who is in the world” (I Jn 4:4). With this promise then, let us be strong in the Lord, wearing His armor, and stand our ground against the enemy.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
Ephesians 6:10-11
The fight is all around us and without the proper stance we are easy kill. Our enemy cares nothing for us, but rather is bent on finishing us off. He will throw at us temptations, illness, injury, and a slew of other schemes from his knapsack of evil. And because this is no secret, we are given instruction by Paul to be strong and stand firm. Strength and courage in God are a requirement when standing against the enemy, as we are powerless on our own. It is God who enables us to accomplish any measure of progress on the vanguard. The standard can only move forward as the battle is fought and won.
But let us not enter into this war unclothed, exposing ourselves to the enemy. We are given armor and the simple command to ‘put it on.’ Nothing we possess in the physical can withstand the onslaught on darkness in the spiritual. Therefore, we would do well to follow Paul and put each spiritual piece on daily. Remember, our enemy prowls around like a lion and watches for whom to devour as his next victim (I Pet 5:8). As we can never know for certain when and how he will pounce on us, let us constantly be ready like David who seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it (I Sam 17:35). David wore no physical armor, but in his spiritual armor he was protected.
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
Ephesians 6:13
Evil has come and there is no chance that it will lighten up any time soon. As a result, our best defense to withstand is to not give in to his allurements and assaults. When the devil stands up to us, we then need to boldly stand up to him under the power of God. The Message reads Ephesians 6:13 as follows. “Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet.” How can we still be on our feet standing if we fail to wear every piece God has provided? And each piece has a specific purpose, enabling our victory against the enemy to be a reality.
Now put on the armor and join me ON THE VANUARD!