BLOCKED BLESSINGS

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.”
Job 42:10

I personally am not one to play video games often. Yes, I have a version of air hockey and Cut the Rope on my phone, but they are there mostly to entertain me when I am waiting in line at school on days when I pick up the kids. At home, however, it is a rare thing to find me playing videos games and working to save the world. For my children it is a different story. It seems as though they are so set on saving the world via the game system that to deny them is a sin in their eyes. That said, there have been many times when I have had to put my foot down and not let them play. In my eyes it is not that I am trying to be mean, but rather am pointing them into other behaviors that are not so addictive. Sometimes in my stance, however, I my denial of playing the games leads to an attitude issue and ultimately a taking away of the system altogether for some time.
I share all this not to inflict you with my methods, but to ask a question. As I have seen in my kids, so I wonder. How is it that my children think having a tantrum with me over a video game system is going to make me change my mind and give it back? How is the child being mean in action to me going to make me think, “Oh no, I should give it back so this will stop?” If anything, it only goes to prove my point that they are consumed and need a break. Yet, while I am not addicted myself to the game system, I still find myself grumbling, complaining, and throwing a fit at times when God asks me to cease something. Do I think that my fit will make Him change His mind and grant me what will spoil me?
This question became more real to me as I was reading through the book of Job early this week. When the devil came before God in Job 1, God gave permission for the enemy to test Job’s faith in hurting his family and possessions. Disaster happened and Job took it in stride, not once cursing God. Frustrated perhaps, the devil came a second time before God and was given permission to inflict Job as long as his life was spared. This time Job suffered pain, depression, and a host of instances. In all this, Job did not curse God. He cursed the day of His birth (Job 3:3), but never God. His wife even encouraged him to let go of his faith and curse God in Job 2:9, yet he did not. With so many reasons to throw a tantrum to try to get his way, Job did not. Truth is, Job took it in stride.
I once heard it preached that our complaining only stops the blessing that is coming to us. Let us think about this in the angle of what I experienced just yesterday. Having taken the system away over the weekend based on attitudes and such, I was prepared to return the game system to the children, with an understanding of what games I was going to allow to be played. When the attitudes began to fly again about why I would not allow violent games to be played in the home anymore, and tantrums began to be had again with negative words being spoken and over-dramatic crying fits being played out, I simply disconnected the game system again and returned it to my hiding place. I was all ready to bless the children, but their complaining once again blocked the blessing. This example once again speaks of me. Job, in his phase of testing, did not throw a fit. I, when I cannot have my selfish way, act like a child and kick and scream and in so doing, block the blessing that is coming.
In the end of Job we read that Job’s attitude brought forth a double blessing on him. Is it safe to say that our attitudes too could produce a blessing on us? If we can understand as parents that we are not going to ‘reward’ our kids for their negative actions and tantrums, then we should be able to understand that we too are not going to receive the blessing God wants to bestow on us when we act childish to His rules, ways, and disciplines. What does grumbling and complaining get us? Nothing. It honestly gets us cut off from the blessing that God wants to give us. So then I wonder, how many blessing have I been denied based on my attitude? How many blessings have I ceased simply because I threw a tantrum? I am embarrassed to know the answer to this, but encouraged now to change my attitude so that I do not prevent any more blessings to come.

DEVOTION AND LIGHTS

DEVOTION AND LIGHTS
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
John 8:12

This year something odd will take place. Chanukah and Thanksgiving will be celebrated at the same time. While Thanksgiving won’t come until tomorrow, Chanukah begins tonight. For the Christian it has true importance, as this is the season of miracles. Expectations grow high, and my expectation is that you will see a miracle in your own life. But let us first take a moment to break down any misunderstandings about Chanukah. Chanukah is not the Jewish version of Christmas. While at Christmas we celebrate the birth of Christ, it is a Chanukah we celebrate the miracle of a people and nation saved. Chanukah has other spellings, but it also has other names. Some call this holiday Hanukkah, some the Festival of Lights, and others the Feast of Dedication. However, the custom of decorating our homes with Christmas lights is derived from Chanukah, as again, it is known by some as the Festival of Lights.
To the surprise of many, Chanukah is named in the Bible and was celebrated by Jesus, Himself. John 10:22-23 reads, “Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.” Let us focus for a moment, though, on the word ‘Dedication. In simply looking into the life of Enoch, we see how his name is translated in the Hebrew as CHANOWK, which means dedicated. Chanukah is derived from this same root word, meaning dedication. It was during this Feast that the Jews recalled the victory of the Maccabees over their enemy, and the provision of God to allow the menorah to burn for eight days when there was only enough oil to burn for one night. This was the provision of God, and a celebration of His miracle working power.
But why do we find Jesus walking in Solomons’ Colonnade during the Feast of Dedication? For that answer, let us look at the verses that follow. The Jews gathered around Jesus to ask for a blunt response - are you the Christ or not? Jesus responded simply, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me.” The relationship between the miracle that God did for the Maccabees, cross-referenced with the miracles Christ was doing currently, should have been enough for the people to link a connection. The season and the hand of the One doing the miracles was staring them in the face.
The burning candles on the menorah are a reminder to us all, not just the Jews, of God’s provision and the victory won by the Maccabees. But as we are talking about dedication, I want to bring our attention to a passage we probably are not familiar with. It is in 1 Maccabees 2:19-22 that we read, “Mattathias answered in a loud voice, ‘I don't care if every Gentile in this empire has obeyed the king and yielded to the command to abandon the religion of his ancestors. My children, my relatives, and I will continue to keep the covenant that God made with our ancestors. With God's help we will never abandon his Law or disobey his commands. We will not obey the king's decree, and we will not change our way of worship in the least.’"
Mattathias, a priest in the Jewish village of Modein around the year 165BCE, along with his sons, saw the evil Syrian King’s officers coming their way and working to enforce pagan rules on God’s people. Faced with the option to forsake God and embrace the Greek ways of life, or die, Mattathias chose to take a stand for the one true God. His dedication was undeniable; his mind made up. Even with death starring him in the face, he would not forsake or denounce his God.
Countless times throughout the Bible we read of men and women who faced disaster and hardship. Yet as we also see, those who stood up for God’s truth and justice were those who received God’s miracles. As we launch into this season, I want to encourage you to stand up for God’s truth and justice. The enemy will find ways to try to knock you down and take you out. He will work to snuff your flame and deplete you of the oil needed to burn for God. But do not lose heart. Do not stray from the ways of God. Your miracle is coming, and the Light of the world will overcome the darkness at hand. Take your stand, my friend.
Happy Chanukah to all.

VENOM

“Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears, that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be.”
Psalm 58:4-5

Not too long ago, as we were flipping through the channels, my son landed on the Discovery Channel. In some ways I think he takes after me in that he also loves to learn new things. It was while we watched an episode where researchers went out in search of the creature with the greatest amount of venom in its bite, that we both learned a little more about venom. Surly on the list were different types of snakes, spiders, and scorpions. But I was surprised to learn about other creatures such as the blue ringed octopus and cone snail. When all the tests were completed and the rankings shown based on location, interaction with people, aggressiveness, and toxicity, the title of the most venomous creature went to the box jellyfish.
Now while I plan to stay away from this jellyfish, and any other creature that has venom in it, I find that there is one creature not on the list, but just as venomous. That creature is the unjust judge. Psalm 58 starts off questioning, “Do you rulers indeed speak justly? Do you judge uprightly among men? No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth. Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies.” These lies and judgments are the exact same venoms that come around and bite, injure, and kill the innocent. And as is written, we teach our children at a young age to judge others and go astray as well. Rather than showing them how to use their poison, we should point out to them, and be reminded ourselves, of Matthew 7:1-2. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
In considering further this passage of Psalm 58:4 where we read of the venom of the one who judges, let us take a look also at the thoughts of Matthew Henry. “Though the poison be within, much of it may be kept from breaking forth to injure others. When the Savior's words are duly regarded, the serpent becomes harmless.” So then, how do we become harmless? How do we move from the point of injecting venom to the point of bringing healing? Is not the anti-venom made from the creature’s venom? If the poison kills, then can we use the same method as scientists and use our venom for good instead? Yes, we can.
When I think about this, I think of the cliché, hate the sin and not the sinner. If we are judging a person we are judging the whole of the person, therefore making ourselves the measuring stick. But we cannot hold the position of God. We are told in Galatians 6: 1 that when we see our brother in sin, we are to help him out, not sit there and judge him. Then, with this truth, let us judge the sin of a person against God’s measuring stick, not the person as a whole. For we all, at one time or another, have fallen or will fall into sin. In those moments we do not want to hear how terrible we are. Instead, we must point out the sin and how wrong the sin is. Let us use the venom in us in a good way, as the anti-venom that brings a healing verses judgment.

SAVING THE REFUGEES

“’Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…’”
Matthew 28:19-20a

Recently I watched the movie “Tears of the Sun”, starring Bruce Willis. In the movie he plays a Special-Ops commander who leads a team into the jungle area of Nigeria to rescue a doctor. His mission was to get only the doctor, but the doctor refused to go without the deliverance of the seventy refugees as well. As Bruce’s character is arguing this point with his Commander, he makes a statement that I find bold. “My team will complete this mission.” He went in for one mission, to save the doctor, and yet when faced with the possibility to leave helpless more to suffer the fate of death, he changed the rules by changing the goal of his mission.
I think what I find so bold about this comment is not that he stood up to his Commander, but that he saw the bigger picture. It would have been enough to obey his orders and get the doctor. It would have been commendable even. But seeing that all these innocent people were in the line of soon coming fire and disaster, he made the choice to extend his mission to include them.
This reminds me of our mission. However, I think it is safe to look at our mission in two ways. First, our mission is to get to heaven. How do we do that? We do that by accepting Christ as our Savior. In Romans 10:9-10 we read that, “If [we] confess with [our] mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in [our] heart that God raised him from the dead, [we] will be saved. For it is with [our] heart that [we] believe and are justified, and it is with [our] mouth that [we] confess and are saved.” This action and confession of Christ as our Lord brings us into a relationship with Him. Still this is only a portion of our mission. Should our mission stop here, however, it is still commendable. In essence we saved the doctor.
But the second part of our mission, and perhaps the part that many do not complete, is the making of disciples. In the final words of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus gives these words. “’Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’” This is the saving of the refugees. Are we completing this order given by our Commander? Granted some are. Yet not all people are Billy Graham. Because I am not, does that mean I should not even try to complete my mission? By no means. Keep in mind that not each person is given the same drop off location in the military. Does that make one unit better than another? It should not, for we are all on the same team.
So what is it I am trying to suggest in this devotional today? I am trying to get us to answer honestly the question of if we are saving the refugees. A few days back I posed on On The Vanguard’s facebook page this question, “If we are soldiers in God’s army, and the mission is clear, then are we fulfilling our mission?” Can I just be honest with you? I cannot say I have been fully fulfilling my mission. Some days I try, other days I leave it to the others in my unit. But those orders were given by Jesus to us, both individually and as a unit. Following this, I was placed here, at this drop off location in time and space, to work to save the number of God-less refugees that I can touch. It may be commendable that I am saved and my rescue is coming, but there are many more who need to be saved still. What am I doing to save them?

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3000 LOST, 3000 SAVED

“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
Acts 2:41

I realize we are not currently within the time known as the Festival of Weeks, between the time when Jesus ascended to heaven and when the Holy Spirit fell in the Upper Room, but I felt inclined to share some today concerning events that happened around this time. The Festival of Weeks is first named in Exodus 34:22, with a command given to celebrate with the first fruits of the wheat harvest. It is actually one of three times on the Jewish calendar when men were required to go to Jerusalem to celebrate and pay tithes. Following the timeframe of fifty days from the start of Passover, Jews and Christians alike celebrate and remember what we have come to know as Pentecost. But to gain a little more understanding behind this celebration, I want us to draw our attention today to Exodus 32:28. It is here that we read of more than just an agricultural significance to this festival, but rather are able to relate Pentecost to a commemorating of the giving of the Law, the Torah, to Moses. Let us start our journey then for today.
Starting a few verses earlier in Exodus 32:25, we read of Moses coming down from Mount Sinai to the sights and sounds of the Israelites worshipping the golden calf. The Bible describes that the people had allowed themselves to becoming the laughingstock of their enemies based on this action. So then, Moses took a stand. Standing physically at the entrance to the camp he said, “’Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.’” This decision shot to the hearts of the people and it is recorded that all the Levites rallied to him (v26) as well as others. Moses then turned to those who had come to him and gave the command of God, to strap a sword to the side and go throughout the camp killing those who had not chosen to follow God (v27). When the Levites had completed this command, three thousand people lay dead. Now right away one could argue that God’s ways seemed extreme, but does not Romans 6:23 tell us that the wages of sin is death? For these Israelites that chose not to follow after God and obey Him, they found death to be their punishment. For the remainder that had sinned, Moses sought the LORD’s forgiveness, begging that He forgive them or wipe Moses’ name out of the book.
In order to catch the relationship from this action then to Pentecost, we now need to skip ahead in time to Acts 2. It is here that we see another aspect of God’s redeeming qualities. To quote the former pastor of the church I attend, Don Finto, “On Pentecost fifteen hundred years earlier, when the Law was given on Sinai, three thousand died because of rebellion. On this Pentecost three thousand became the first fruits of new life in the Spirit.” After the Holy Spirit fell on the people in the Upper Room and empowered them with boldness, among other characteristics, Peter addressed the crowd that had gathered around mocking them. He explained that although they looked physically drunk they were indeed not, but rather drunk in the Spirit. Then, starting with a verse in the book of Joel, Peter preached one of the best salvation messages ever recorded (Acts 2:14-41). In the end, when the simple fisherman under the influence of the Holy Spirit had completed his message, he gave an altar call. And here’s the awesome part. “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
In one day, three thousand were slain because they chose to rebel against God and His commands. Years later, three thousand came into a relationship with God because their eyes and hearts were opened to who God was and they wanted to follow Him. The question beckons then, which one are you? Be careful to answer, though. I know personally that I have at times declared to God that I will follow Him and then shortly following found myself worshipping my own golden calf. If not for the grace of God, I too would face the Romans 6:23 penalty of death for my sins. God is looking for people who are sold out for Him so that He can pour His Spirit out on them. I pray this is not only the cry of our hearts, but also the way of our actions.

PROSTITUTING

“Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the LORD’s commands.”
Judges 2:17

On a pretty regular basis I arrange with the Red Cross to donate my blood. I figure, freely I have received, freely I can give. While that may not be the true point of that verse (Mt 10:8), it does make for a laugh, or at least a smirk. Yes? Anyways, I have been donating my blood for some time now and for the most part know all the pre-giving questions that I will have to answer. I know what countries affect my ability to give, as well as my general overall health. So far I have never been turned down. But one question always catches my attention. It isn’t that I have done it, but that for me it is something I have never even considered. “Have you, even once, traded money for sex?” Honestly, while I know people do it, I cannot say I have ever, nor would ever. Yet while this may be true in the physical, I wonder if it is true in the spiritual.
The last few months I have been reading through the Bible. I recently finished the book of Joshua and found this fact. In Joshua 24:15, Joshua speaks to the masses that they needed to choose for their own selves who they would serve, the one true God, or other gods. The people answered in the verses to follow that they would serve the one true God. But in Joshua 24:19 Joshua says to the people, “’You are not able to serve the LORD…’” Why? Was God too much God for the people? Were their motives wrong? Were they just saying what Joshua hoped they would say? Regardless the answer, the nation again declared they would serve the true God. To this Joshua called them out as witnesses to their own words and choice, ordering they throw away whatever gods they happened to have, and yield their hearts solely to God.
The book of Joshua ends and the book of Judges begins. Joshua has now passed and the people begin to work to rid their new land further still of the ungodly inhabitants. Because the people of Israel were unable to cleanse the land fully, though, the evil began to sneak back in. This is in many ways the same lesson we see when looking at the account of Lot. In being close to Sodom, he eventually gave into the lifestyle of Sodom, even to the point of offering his own daughters to a sex-hungry people. But Israel’s giving in was not an overnight thing. In fact, we read in Judges 2:10 that when those who had followed Joshua passed, a new generation arose who neither knew the LORD, nor what He had done.
Now hold on! You mean to tell me that none of the fathers taught their sons the ways of God? None of the mothers taught their daughters the truth of what God had done? How can this be? Abraham passed his beliefs to Isaac, who passed it to Jacob, but the men who fought alongside Joshua failed to pass it on to their children?
Looking at the verses to follow we read of the problem this brought about. “Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals” (Jud 2:11). By not having the faith of their fathers passed to them, this new generation of Israel gave into the worship of idols and foreign gods. Maybe as a last ditch effort, God sent judges to save the people (Jud 2:16), yet they would not listen. Instead they prostituted themselves to these other gods, refusing to give up their wicked ways.
So that brings me back to my original thought - while I may not prostitute myself in the physical, or have been with anyone that has, have I prostituted myself in the spiritual? I have not bowed to other gods made of wood, stone, iron, gold, or materials like that, but have I bowed down to other gods in any other fashion? Am I guilty of prostitution? Have I taken the world’s payment in exchange for my allegiance to Him? If God is looking for a heart sold out for Him, for a person who will be obedient to His ways, and for a life that reflects His, then yes, I am guilty for I have not been all these things. As sad as it is, I have prostituted myself spiritually in exchange for the world’s payment. What then is to become of me and this behavior?
The answer for me is the same answer given to the people of Israel who constantly were wayward in what God decreed. Turn back to Him. Each time Israel went off track they went into bondage. But when they confessed and got right with God, the chains of their bondage were broken. Spiritual prostitution is sin and puts me in bondage. Therefore, like Israel, I too must confess it as sin and turn. When we confess our sin God forgives our sin. He cleanses us, forgives us, and forgets the actions done.

GOOD OR GOD?

Video devo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_fB-I-4a70&feature=c4-overview&list=UUBpDAju7oW9cppxV0BUIAXQ

SO YOU WANNA GO BACK TO EGYPT

“All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’”
Numbers 14:2-3

Do you ever finding yourself remembering the good ole’ days? I’m not necessarily talking about the days when a soda pop cost only five cents, but the days when you were a free bird. I remember them. I remember my single days in college, when I would spend my summers overseas on missions, or stay out late with the guys, or even go to Wal-mart by myself. But then something happened. I got married. Suddenly my alone time was couple time, which in time turned to family time. Gone were the days of being the free bird, now I was a papa bird. If you know my story, though, you know that after nine years of marriage I became a single papa bird. Over time I missed what I had had, that sense of a complete family with my kids and a wife. So I prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and invited you to pray, and prayed some more. Then something else happened. I got married again.
I have been married now for a little over four months, and I have to admit, sometimes I miss those free bird and single papa bird days. Sometimes I miss jumping on a plane and taking a trip, or splurging some money on myself, or even being able to waltz around Wal-mart alone. I think back and recall my freedom…but I never get too far. Why? Well it is because with all the good ole’ times also came a great deal of pain. When I was a free bird I suffered from being lonely. I had no wife or children to keep me occupied. And the same feeling of loneliness followed me when I was a single papa bird. I wanted the adult companionship that my children could not offer.
So which is better? Does the thought of missing the alone times sound better than the thought of being lonely? Or better yet, why is it that when we receive the blessing of God we soon long for the days before the blessing came? What do I mean? To help explain this thought, let’s look at the times of Moses. With the people of Israel enslaved to the Egyptians, they called out for a deliverer. When the time was right and the prophecy given to Abraham fulfilled, God sent Moses. Out of their slavery they came, a nation so numerous, yet thanking God that He had heard their prayers and made a way. But it didn’t take long before their joy turned back to sorrow. Exodus 14:11-12 records the people of Israel saying to Moses, “Didn’t we tell you to leave us alone and let us serve the Egyptians?” And this was not the only recording of their desire for the good ‘ole days of slavery. The Israelites are also recorded in Numbers 14:2-3 as saying, “’If only we had died in Egypt!’”, and in Numbers 16:12-13, “’Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert?’” And what is so sad about this last passage is that they considered Egypt to be the land flowing with milk and honey.
As I contemplate my life now, I can see where I too tend to have this same mentality. I fail to see just how God saved me from my ‘slavery’, be it my loneliness or what have you, just like I prayed He would. And now, when even the smallest of trials comes along, I desire to go back to the good ‘ole days, back to my slavery, with the thought that slavery is better than freedom. I have it wrong, thinking Egypt was the land of milk and honey when I know for a fact it is not. But I venture to say I am not the only one who does this. If you were to be honest with yourself, would you agree that you too have at times desired to go back to Egypt? Sure we survived in Egypt, but did we really live? God’s desire is for us to live in the Promise Land. So let us not find hardship and give up half way, travel back to our slavery and tarry. Let us live!

THE WORD OF GOD

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12

Awhile back I wrote a devotional about the sword Excalibur. As a lover of history, the age of knights and fair maidens is one of my favorite times to study. So it is then that I know well the tale of Excalibur. English history tells the story of a young knight who would become the British leader of the late fifth and early sixth century. That leader would be known in history as King Arthur. Although much of the life of the brave knight who became king is composed of folklore, due in part to the writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth, there is little doubt that he did in fact exist. Perhaps the greatest debate then is the method in which he obtained this sword known as Excalibur.
There are two stories that continue to circulate, but the commonality to each is the sword’s magical powers. The first tale explains that Excalibur was the Sword in the Stone. In this account, the pulling of the sword from the stone was a feat that only a “true king” could perform. With his future rule as king granted because of his ability to lift the sword from its stone, he also won the rights to the sword itself. However, there is a second tale. It is in this folklore that the Lady of the Lake extended her hand from the waters to give Arthur his destiny, the enchanted sword named Excalibur. In both tales, the power of the sword is defined, for it is able to cut through iron as though it were wood and bring healing to its owner if he be injured in the fight.
While we may never know the truth of the sword that tall tales confuse for us, we do possess our own enchanted sword. The powers that cover our sword are not fabled uprisings or extensions from the waters, though, but rather a power that comes only from God Himself. We have the Word of God. This lamp unto our feet (Ps 119:105) is sharper than any double-edged sword. It is said that it can penetrate so precise, even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. And it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. It is this sword that we must take up daily as part of our armor (Eph 6:17). For how able to defeat the opponent is the knight who has no sword?
And while the sword may show itself needed for battle, it also shows itself needed as the medicine and healing agent for the wounded. It is to be hidden in our hearts so that we may not sin against God (Ps 119:11). It is to be obeyed so that the enemy does not have grounds to produce worse actions in our life (Jn 5:14). And it is God-breathed and useful for our teaching, rebuke, correction, and training (II Tim 3:16). This sword, the Holy Bible, inspired by men who followed hard after God, holds the key to eternal life and the power over eternal death.
You have been given this sword, this Excalibur, from God Himself. What are you doing with it? Is it sitting on the shelf collecting dust? Is it being used to ward off the enemy? It is the mysterious lamp unto your path, or the weapon that you’ve tossed to the side because you feel it doesn’t work right? Are you nurtured by this sword, or too afraid to consume it because it will change your life? God is no Lady of the Lake, but He has given you the power you need for every obstacle you will meet. He is handing you His sword now. Take it, and rise up as the warrior He is calling you to.

PLAYING WITH FIRE

“I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
Psalm 16:8

When I was in my pre-teen years, I suffered briefly of being a pyromaniac. I know, you may think it hard to believe, but it is true. It started when my best friend and I were messing around with lighter fluid. We would squirt little patterns on the ground and then stand back, dropping a lit match. The fluid would burn up and leave us wanting to do it again. The patterns got more elaborate until one day I got the ‘bright’ idea to make a design from the ground up to his club house. I loaded the wood floor with fluid, being sure it was good and soaked, and trailed my path down the stairs, through the brush, and to our starting point. Then, standing a little distance off, I lit the match and watched as the liquid burned up and black smoke appeared. My ‘bright’ idea wasn’t that smart, though, and soon we were panicked, trying to grab the hose quickly to put out the fire that was eating away at the floor boards of the club house now. Between a mixture of water and sand, we got the fire out. I can still remember to this day the fear I felt, with legs shaking, as I think back to the potential blaze we just about had.
These days my pyromaniac-ism is under control. Sure, since then I have poured gasoline on a few hot wheels and watched them melt. Yes, I have made a bonfire in my BBQ. And true, I have tried to repeat the fiery furnace from Daniel 3 in my fireplace, but other than that it is under control. The fires I want to set these days, however, are of a different sort. I want to set people on fire with a passion for God.
I think of the words penned by David in Psalm 42:1. Just as the deer desired a drink, so David’s soul thirsted for God. Or how about Psalm 57:7 where David wrote that his heart was fixed on God. To me this speaks of passion. In Psalm 40:8 David even states he delights to do God’s will and His law is within his heart. But the one that sticks out to me most is Psalm 16:8, where David boldly proclaims, “I have set the LORD always before me.” The Message translation reads, “Day and night I’ll stick with God; I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.” Yet what does this mean? The word ‘set’ is the Hebrew word SHAVAH, meaning to agree with, become like, or resemble. David was so passionate about his relationship with God that he worked to resemble God.
So then, the next question I pose is how? How do we resemble God? Ephesians 5:1-2 tells us to be imitators of God and live a life of love. I Corinthians 11:1 tells us to follow Paul’s example as he follows the example of Christ. So perhaps the answer to how is in doing the things we know Christ did, which even Christ says were the things God did (Jn 5:19). Christ burned with passion to see people reverse their evil ways and come in surrender to Him. Christ portrayed a life of passion in healing people from all wounds, physical, emotional, spiritual, everywhere He went. And Christ etched out a life of passion in that while we were sinners He died for us.
I may have been a fire starter of sorts back in the day, but these days I want to set a new blaze. I want to reach out to people and extend the blaze I have for God to them, and walk in the example that Christ left for me. I am not the way to heaven, but I just may be a vessel God can use to start a flame in someone else. That said, I want to burn with a passion so blazing for God that it leaps off me and sparks a wildfire for God in someone else. I want to play with fire.

***check out this song by Britt Nicole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHIPe0JOr4w

SIMCHAT TORAH!

“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
II Timothy 3:16-17

Here is a question for you? Does the Word of God bring you joy and happiness? Does the Word of God make you so happy that you cannot wait to dive in and read it? I ask because tonight we celebrate Simchat Torah, translated as ‘Rejoicing of the Torah’. In the Jewish faith, Simchat Torah celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of reading the Torah, as well as celebrates and marks the beginning of a new cycle of reading the Torah. This cycle ending tonight began October 7, 2012, or on the Hebrew calendar, the 22nd of Tishrei.
While it may be probable that you have not been following the readings of the Torah in the past, and it is not my intention to shame you for that, the question I ask still remains. Does the Word of God bring you joy? To many it seems like it may be just a collection of tall tales, derived and penned from a number of different people who just so happened to have their tale found and published. To others, the Word of God is a set of rules, especially within the Torah, and they give no thought to it since who really wants to live under so many rules anyway. Others look at the Word of God as just another book, nothing special and nothing to live by.
And yet, to those like myself, it is life. These words are the words of God, spoken by His Spirit to prophets, apostles, kings, priests, shepherds, slaves, and the Son of God Himself. These are His words, used to urge me in living a life aimed at righteousness through teaching, rebuking, correcting and training. The Word of God is my instruction manual and its aim is to equip me for every good work. So then, within the pages of the Bible I find life. I find answers to questions, I find healing for my wounds, and I find a path in my darkness for His Word is my lamp (Ps 119:105). Every chapter, every sentence, every word, and every piece of punctuation is for my pleasure. His Word sustains me, feeds me, refreshes me, and protects me. How can I not find joy in His Word?
And so, tonight as Simchat Torah is celebrated, the Torah scrolls will be taken out of the ark and read by the people. They will first read the final chapters of Deuteronomy and then begin with the opening chapters of Genesis. In each occasion, when the ark is opened, worship will arise. The people will get up from their seats and dance and sing with the Torah in their possession, sometimes for hours at a time, because of the joy that comes with God’s Word. I ask again, does the Word of God bring you joy? When was the last time you celebrated in joy the Word of God, dancing and singing joyously, parading His life-breathing words? Maybe recently; maybe never. Maybe this is a good time to start. Come and let us rejoice in the Torah!

***If you would like to watch a live view of the Wailing Wall and the celebrations that will take place over the next 24 hours, please view the following links:

close up:
http://www.virtualjerusalem.com/livekotel/newkotelcam/virtualjerusalem/index.php?affid=18

far away:
http://english.thekotel.org/cameras.asp

YOM KIPPUR

“It is to be a permanent regulation for you that on the tenth day of the seventh month you are to deny yourselves and not do any kind of work, both the citizen and the foreigner living with you.”
Leviticus 16:29

As we are now just days away from Yom Kippur, I wanted to take some time to review with you just what this holiday is all about. Before I go on, however, I want to point out something from our main text, Leviticus 16:29. With many of the Jewish holidays, people assume that if they are not Jewish, they do not have to celebrate. This is not correct. In becoming adopted into God’s family, (Rom 8:14-17), you also became subject to His feast, celebrations, and appointed times. Leviticus 16:29 states specifically that Yom Kippur is not just for the citizen (the Jew), but also for the foreigner (the Gentile). With this clarified, let us learn about Yom Kippur.
It is on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, that we want to find an AT-ONE-MENT with God. The Day of Atonement is God’s biblical holy day established on Israel’s sacred calendar as a covenant of repentance and promise. It is on this day that the fullness of his blessings and presence come into our lives. It is on this day in history that once a year, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and make atonement for the nation. It is a perfect illustration of regeneration for those who follow God's atonement.
To be so blunt, Yom Kippur is the equivalent of the church goers who attend church on Christmas and Easter. If a Jewish person goes to synagogue on no other day, he will make an effort to not miss this holy day. The Jewish people on this day will refrain from work, fast, and attend synagogue services. As during the Days of Awe when God inscribes our names in His books, on Yom Kippur the judgment is sealed. This day is, essentially, our last appeal, our last chance to change the judgment and demonstrate our repentance and make amends. After the sealing, the destiny of the person is set for the next year.
Let us consider the fast related to Yom Kippur as we read of in Leviticus 16:29. The focus of this fast is the depriving of ourselves so that we may focus fully on God’s Word. This holy day is considered a complete Shabbat, meaning that no work can be performed. This also includes the refraining of eating and drinking for the 25 hour period, starting before sunset the evening before (this year being Sept 13, 2013) until after nightfall on Yom Kippur (Sept 14, 2013). Let me add to save us from any confusion that the Jewish days begin at sunset as opposed to sunrise. While additional restrictions are named in the Talmud, the Bible speaks nothing against bathing, wearing perfumes, leather shoes, or being intimate with your spouse. These truly named restrictions within the Bible can be lifted where a threat of life is concerned, and the fast is not mandatory for children under age twelve and women who are pregnant.
The term Yom Kippur is seen in the Bible as plural, written as Yom Ha-Kippurim, indicating the process of cleansing from transgressions, iniquities, and sins. The term also alludes to the two great atonements given by God. These include the nations turning to Jesus for cleansing and forgiveness, as well as the purification of ethnic Israel during the great Day of the LORD in the end times.
Kippurim translates into “a day like Purim”. If you recall the spring festival of Purim, you may also recall it was the celebration of the salvation of the Jewish race under Esther. Promoted as Queen, God placed Esther in a key position for a specific time. Her act of bravery in going before the King uncalled and requesting he come to a dinner she was having, in which she begged for the lives of the Jews, brought about not only the death of Haman, but also the salvation of the Jews. It is this same truth that we find relating to us at this holiday as Yom Kippur celebrates our deliverance and salvation for which Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross, delivering us from the hands on our enemy.
While being delivered is enough in and of itself, we must make a choice at this time. Will we come back? Will we repent for our sins, seek forgiveness of God and others, and offer forgiveness to those who have offended us, or will we deny this chance. I ask because as I stated above, this is our last appeal, our last chance to change the judgment and demonstrate our repentance and make amends before the sealing of the books. Where will your name land? The books that will be sealed include the names of those who will live verses pass away, of those who will have a blessed life, and of those who will live a cursed life during the next year. Forgiveness plays a huge part in this decision. So where will your name be found?
While the details of the fast are important for Yom Kippur, there is a deeper detail found earlier in this same chapter of Leviticus. Leviticus 16:5-10 reads,
5 "He is to take from the community of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering
and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 Aaron is to present the bull for the sin offering which is
for himself and make atonement for himself and his household. 7 He is to take the two goats
and place them before ADONAI at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8 Then Aaron is to
cast lots for the two goats, one lot for ADONAI and the other for 'Az'azel. 9 Aaron is to
present the goat whose lot fell to ADONAI and offer it as a sin offering. 10 But the goat
whose lot fell to 'Az'azel is to be presented alive to ADONAI to be used for making
atonement over it by sending it away into the desert for 'Az'azel.”
The ceremony begins with two goats. One goat was named the Chatat and would be slain as a blood sacrifice, a symbol of the covering of sins for the people. The second goat was named the Az’azel, or Scapegoat, and would be brought before the priest. The priest would lay his hands on the goat's head as the sins of the people were confessed. Whereas the first was slain, the Scapegoat was released into the wilderness as a representation of the sins being removed from the people. But one important detail concerning this needs still to be made known. Watchmen were planted on the borders of the land to make sure that the goat did not return. As this goat was their sin, the sin was not wanted back in the land. It is for this fact that I question of us – do we have watchmen set out in our land to make sure the sin does not re-enter?
When Jesus our Messiah died on the cross, He did so for our sin. Jesus, who knew no sin, became our sacrifice and Scapegoat. As his body was beat and cut, He became our Chatat with His blood being spilled out for us. Yet He also became our Az’azel in that He took our sin away from us. It is only because of His sacrifice and forgiveness of our sins that we have the ability to stand in His presence. The Greek word KAPPARAH means propitiation. In Greek mythology this word was used in showing appeasement to the gods. But this word also means atonement. On the cross, Jesus was displayed as our kapparah, our sacrifice, the fulfillment of all that is celebrated at Yom Kippur. The atonement has been made and forgiveness is offered.
It is in Leviticus 17:11 we read that the blood of the sacrifice paved the way for our atonement. The verse reads,
“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement
for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”
Without this price paid or atonement made, our sin would continue to separate us from God. It is because of His love for us that we have been redeemed and given access. It is because of His payment that we have been sought after for unity with Him. It is because of His atonement – His at-one-ment, that we are able to have relationship with Him.
The message within all the Bible is simple – God is holy and we also must live our lives to reflect His holiness. As such we read of the things that are clean, blessed, and right in contrast to those that are dirty, cursed, and sinful. We are to be holy as He is holy. But we are human and prone to sin. God knew this would be a fact for we have freewill. Yet He did not create us and leave us to live without a chance. Rather He made a way for us to be redeemed from the curse. Jesus Christ, our Messiah, is our high priest and has offered a true atonement for our sin. He has paved the way for our at-one-ment, so let us then come before Him, confessing our sin and turning from our wrong way to embrace the oneness with Him.
Lastly, let us look at Yom Kippur in relation to Jonah 3:10, which reads, “When Adonai saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened."
It is in the book of Jonah that we see the truth of confession. If we confess and turn from our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive us as He did the people of Ninevah. Because of the great wickedness of Ninevah, God had determined an exact time in which He would destroy the city. However, before He did so He gave warning. God asked Jonah to go and proclaim that His destruction was coming. After Jonah ran from Him, spent a few nights inside a fish and was vomited out, and then finally obeyed, the proclamation was made. When the people heard this warning, however, they began to believe the words. In fact, the city people declared a fast. Yet once the king caught a hold of this warning, he too declared a fast. The king went even so far as to declare a fast not only of the people, but also of the animals (Jon 3:7). He reasoned, "Who knows? Adonai may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish." Talk about a serious change of direction for Nineveh.
As God watched the change in the hearts of the city, He relented. Jonah 3:10 goes on to say that, "When Adonai saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened." I don't know about you, but I read that and find myself stirred with hope. He knows the many stupid things I have done, and the sins I have committed both on accident and on purpose. Yet in reading this account I am encouraged to consider that maybe God is saying the same thing to me. Perhaps He is warning me to get right so as to avoid destruction. It would only seem to make sense. And truth be told, that is exactly right. He will forgive us all.
From the beginning in Genesis, God has only wanted for us to obey His decrees, follow His ways, and serve Him only. Is that any different than what He desired from Nineveh? Is it any different from what He desires from us now? So then maybe instead of being hard headed and walking around with cotton balls in my ears, I should listen and obey. Maybe it is time for a fast, a change, and a requesting of Adonai to forgive me as I recommit the path I am on in this new year. There is hope for us all that He will relent, but we first must admit our errors and change our ways as Nineveh did.

HANNAH AND ROSH HASHANAH!

"You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea."
Micah 7:19

Here we are again, finding ourselves about to announce "Happy New Year". According to the Jewish calendar, the New Year has now arrived. Starting at dusk, or around 6:00pm, Jewish believers will celebrate their New Year. Rosh Hashanah kicks off what is known as the high holy season, ushering in the holidays of Yom Kippur and Sukkoth. In short, Rosh Hashanah follows the 30 days of the month of Elul as a two day celebration.
One of the greatest illustrations of the blessing of Rosh Hashanah comes from I Samuel 1. We read in I Samuel 1:11 a portion of the prayer prayed by Hannah after she excused herself from the table. “Then she took a vow; she said, ‘ADONAI-Tzva'ot, if you will notice how humiliated your servant is, if you will remember me and not forget your servant but will give your servant a male child, then I will give him to ADONAI for as long as he lives; and no razor will ever come on his head.’” When Eli the cohen (priest) saw Hannah with lips moving, he assumed her to be drunk and offered words of wisdom to her concerning her drinking habits. But once he realized that she had been praying, in faith he replied that Adonai had indeed heard her prayer (I Sam 1:17). Yet why was Hannah's request for a son granted? The answer is because she already had the idea of what she would do when she had him. She purposed that if she had a son, she would give him over to Adonai's service. May I then suggest that Adonai wants to bless us, but He wants to know why? He wants to know the purpose for why He should bless us.
Think of it as such. A man who wants to build a house for Adonai may not have all the tools needed to do so. For instance, he is lacking a hammer. Would it not be wise for the man to pray something along the lines of, “Adonai, I want to build You this home, but I need a hammer.” As He provided a son for Hannah with purpose known, so then He would also provide a hammer for this person who knows the purpose but lacks the means.
Can I suggest that in this season, as we celebrate Rosh Hashanah, that we do celebrate the sweetness of the holiday, we do empty our pockets and allow our confession to be heard and forgiven, and we do increase our giving. But may I also suggest that like Hannah, we come before Adonai not with a list of wants, but with purpose known. Praying with the reason instead of just praying because we want something seems like it will make the difference, and keep us focused.
There is so much more to write concerning this high holy day, but the theme and purpose have not changed and despite beliefs, is not only for the Jewish people. It is a message for us all. As we stand on the brink of a spiritual new year, let us also prepare. This is a season of new beginnings, and I cannot wait to go deeper with Adonai and see just what He does for me this year.

POLES AND STONES

“You are not to plant any sort of tree as a sacred pole beside the altar of Adonai your God that you will make for yourselves. Likewise, do not set up a standing-stone; Adonai your God hates such things.”
Deuteronomy 16:21-22

In looking back at Exodus 20:3-4, we read that one of the commandments given to the people of Isra’el was that no other gods were to be before Adonai. Whether carved out or not, or even representing Adonai or not, the fact remained that nothing was to be worshipped except for Adonai Himself. Here in Deuteronomy 16, we see again Adonai commanding His people that no pole or stone was to be used in any form of worship.
Right away my mind travels to Judges 6 and the account of Gideon. It is here we read about his tearing down his father’s altar to Baal and cutting down his Asherah pole (Jud 6:25). In the morning when the town awakes to see what has happened, they question the people and find that it was Gideon who caused the chaos. Livid, the people demand the father, Joash, to release his son to their punishment. However, Gideon’s father leaves the argument stating that if Baal is god, then he can defend himself (Jud 6:31).
Another account I am reminded of is found in Numbers 21:4-9, where Moses builds a bronze snake to lift up for the people to look at when bit by a snake. While this was ordered by God not as a god they were to worship, it soon became this. As we see in II Kings 18:4, King Hezekiah removed the high places, smashed the scared stones and cut down the Asherah poles. “He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan).” For approximately 750 years after it was first raised as a way of bringing healing to the people, the people had been worshipping this bronze idol.
But what happened in both these cases? What was it that turned the people over time from agreeing to this command of no idols and gods, to what we read in Judges and II Kings? I come up with two suggestions, and in all honesty I pray they never become our reasons. First, the people were swayed. We see this in the account of Solomon also. Just as Solomon allowed the women in his life to sway him from Adonai, so also Adonai’s chosen people swayed from their first love. As such, they began to serve sticks, poles, and rocks. The second suggestion, they did not see Adonai as all He proclaimed to be. Because of the trial in the desert, because of the battles that had to be fought, because life was not served to them on a silver platter, and because they continued to live in the healing of the past, the people began to question who Adonai was. Instead of remembering Him as the one who had parted the Red Sea, or the one who provided manna and quail in the wilderness, or the one who delivered them from all their enemies, they began to see Him as the one who brought them there to die with a lack of water in a land of giants.
Here is the challenge, though. We must be careful that in the times when things do not come handed to us, we do not turn our backs on Adonai. We must be careful not to get stuck also serving the god of the past as opposed to the God of the now. We are to worship the Creator, not the creation. We are to be allegiant to the Healer, not the method of healing. Serving the rocks, the poles, and the sticks will only put us back in Egypt instead of the Promise Land that awaits us.

UNIQUE TREASURE

“In turn Adonai is agreeing today that you are his own unique treasure, as he promised you; that you are to observe all his mitzvoth; and that he will raise you high above all the nations he has made, in praise, reputation and glory; and that, as he said, you will be a holy people for Adonai your God.”
Deuteronomy 26:18-19

About twelve years ago I was out taking a walk and saw a coin on the ground. Now I am the kind of person that will stop and pick up money when found, even if it happens to be only a penny. So when I bent down to grab this coin, I found a coin I had not seen before. Using a little spit to wipe the dirt off, I found the top to look like a nickel. When I turned it over, though, I saw a buffalo. In my mind, I had just found a treasure. I hurried home to do a better cleaning job and found the date. Oh I was sure this was something now. Later that day, I made a call to a local coin collector and told him about my treasure, wondering exactly how much it may be worth beings so old. I was shocked to hear his quote. “Because I have so many and they are still common, it won’t be worth more than a dollar.” What? How could it be only worth that much? If it was so common why was this the first time I had seen one? I was perplexed that my treasure was not as unique as I had thought.
I was reading the Bible last night with my children and we read a section from Deuteronomy 26. Even though the passage doesn’t say the words “IF” and “THEN”, the latter part of the chapter really is an if/then statement. Let me show you. “You are agreeing today that Adonai is your God and that you will follow his ways; observe his laws, mitzvoth (commands), and rulings; and do what he says.” This is the “IF”. If we agree to do all that God has decreed, keeping His commands and walking in His ways, then we get to enjoy the benefit. And the benefit, the “THEN”, is so worth doing what He has commanded us.
Here is the “THEN”. “In turn Adonai is agreeing today that you are his own unique treasure, as he promised you; that you are to observe all his mitzvoth; and that he will raise you high above all the nations he has made, in praise, reputation and glory; and that, as he said, you will be a holy people for Adonai your God.” The “THEN” is that He raises us up above others in praise, reputation, and glory. But what is more, in doing the “IF” we become His unique treasure. Unlike my coin which did not turn out to be worth thousands, God places a great value on us.
But before I close, I want to take a minute to explain just how valuable we are to Him. The word for ‘unique’ in Hebrew is CAGULLAH. We translate it not only as unique, but also as valued property, peculiar treasure, a jewel, or possessed. Think about this. In God’s part of this joint relationship He is agreeing that we are His possession, His jewel of value, and His treasure. There are many days when I do not feel like a treasure. In fact, I probably have more days when I feel like a trash can in His presence as opposed to a treasure. Yet He thinks highly of me. Granted I need to do my part in keeping His commands and walking solely in His ways, but when I do as He has commanded I am looked at as His unique treasure.
I am so tired of looking in the mirror and feeling overtaken with disgust. I am so tired of stepping out of line with Him and being left to my own demise. I want to walk only in His ways, agreeing with Him today that I will follow Him, observe His laws and commands, and do what He says. I do not want to do it only for the “THEN” portion, but because in the “THEN” portion I begin to see myself as He sees me. I begin to see I truly am His unique treasure.

FORCEFUL MEN

"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."
Matthew 11:12

History recalls the events of June 6, 1944, more commonly known as D-Day. For many soldiers who made the attack on Omaha Beach, this was their last stance. Many in the unit were drowned during the approach from ships offshore as they sank in waters. Of the 29 DD tanks filled with men on route toward Omaha, only 2 made it to the beach. An onslaught of German firepower met the remaining allied forces as they made their way on land, seeking shelter behind Hedgehogs and other obstacles where they were protected from gunfire. Under the command of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the Germans had found defense in their strong points and trenches. Omaha literally became a killing zone. Bodies lay dead floating in the water or scattered across the beach. Remains of Landing Craft littered the front.
By 7:30am a second wave of troops was released and hit the beach, joining the fight. At 8:30am the landings ceased and troops were left on their own to face danger without the possibility of retreat. In small groups the men made the deadly race across the beach to find little relief along the seawall. Navy Destroyers attacked with pounding arms against the German fortifications at close range. Within hours, German fire had decreased and defensive positions were taken from the rear. By nightfall, the remaining soldiers stood their ground around Vierville, Saint-Laurent, and Colleville. Four years of preparation for only hours of combat, and yet, the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, is said to be the beginning of the end of World War II.
As one who loves war history, I enjoy reading these stories of bravery and forceful advance. Recently, however, I read an article speaking on the forceful advance named in Matthew 11:12. The article was written to question our aggressiveness as believers. The author penned that if we are not aggressively righteous then we become passively wicked. He also stated that just because we are "Christian" does not guarantee our place in heaven. This is true as we read in Matthew 25:31-33 where Jesus writes of the separation of goats and sheep. So then the question begs first, are we sheep or goats? And then second, are we aggressive or passive?
In looking at Matthew 11:12, which I long ago coined as my main text for On The Vanguard Ministries, we see the passage can be broken into three sections. First we read a timeline, spanning from the days of John the Baptist until now. Second we read of what has been happening during that time frame, which so happens to be that the kingdom of heaven has been advancing with force. Lastly we are left with what I now see as a challenge more than a statement. "...and forceful men lay hold of it." Note that it is only the forceful who lay hold, not the casual, passive, or hardly trying.
The men who landed at Normandy and attacked on Omaha Beach were not casual. They were not passive or barely trying to make the plan work. They were forceful. Their mission was to forcefully take the Germans out, preventing them from attacking further. We as followers of Christ must also be forceful. The allowance of sin is the allowance of the enemy's attack. The forceful men lay hold of it, they cease the uprising and prevent the future attack. Let this be said of us, then. Let us become the forceful men.

DRIVING OUT THE NATIONS

“When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations – the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you – and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.”
Deuteronomy 7:1-2

After marching in the desert for forty years, the people of Israel were standing on the brink of entering into the Promise God had given them. In just a few short days Moses would stand on the mountain and watch as Joshua took the people into a land God called theirs. But there were a few final restrictions that God wanted to emphasize, or re-emphasize, before His people crossed the border. This second law that Moses repeated included a called to obedience, a challenge to teach the next generations of God’s ways, and here in Deuteronomy 7:1-2, a plan to prevent who God considered outcasts in His people’s land. Naming seven nations specifically, God through Moses made the point to call out nations which needed to be destroyed. But have you ever wondered why? True, they did not serve God but rather gods. But what was it about these nations that defined them?
The religious beliefs of the Hittites were based obviously on the worship of other gods, a “thousand gods” to be exact. This extreme polytheistic people were to be completely destroyed as their focus was not on the one true God. But let me also point out that these people were thick with terror, as the Hittites stemmed from Heth, whose name means terror. Let us not confuse fear with terror. Terror is the thing inside your mind you cannot see yet still paralyzes you. This same spirit of terror, however, is linked also to suicide, which can be linked to the massive number of suicide missions within terrorist groups. Furthermore, a deep depression and sadness followed these people based on the umbrella of terror they lived under. But God does not want us to live with terror.
The Girgashites were known as ‘clay dwellers’, referring to the fact that they focused on earthly, temporal things. Right away we see how this is contrary to God’s way as we are advised to focus on God and things eternal (II Cor 4:18). The Girgashites focused on things visible and as such were analytical people, basing their decisions on the pros and cons as opposed to the things ordained within God’s law. But we know that in some cases God’s ways are not seen visibly at first. Case in point, the book of Esther. Nowhere in this book is God even named, yet we see His hand in the very words penned. God may be working to warn you, preserve you, and keep you, but if our decision is based only on what we see as opposed to how God leads, then we will never fully know His still small voice. God wanted His people focused only on Him and His ways, therefore these people also had to be destroyed.
Nestled within the mountains were the people known as the Amorites. These ‘mountain people’ were bent on self-exaltation. The Hebrew word AMAR is defined as uttering or saying, and it was this people that wanted their five minutes of fame constantly. The spirit of these people can be seen in past leaders such as Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler, whose pictures of themselves plastered cities and subjects worshipped them. However, when the Word speaks of removing mountains, it may not only be referring to removing big problems. It very well may also be referring to the removal of the Amorites in our own life, those issues which strut their pride and prevent the humility that God calls strength.
The term Canaanite refers to the lowlands people, but also refers to low earthly passions. What is a low earthly passion? The answer to this is an addiction or sexual perversion. The best examples of a Canaanite cluster are the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 10:19). It is safe to say that the spirits of homosexuality and lesbianism, along with all forms of fornication, derive from the Canaanite spirits which operate the feel good emotions and close the mind to sound judgment. Why would God want these people destroyed? The answer to this can be found in Leviticus 20 where God lays down the law on sexual things not to do. These people were going against His law and to prevent Israel from following these un-Godly ways, they had to be taken out.
The term Perizzite means belonging to a village, giving the connotation of ‘smallness’. The Perizzites, though large enough to be named in this passage, were people who lived under the idea of limits. There was very little opportunity to get ahead. Their limited vision damned them as they were unable to dream big. Not only was their vision small, but the self-esteem was small. So as not to allow a spiritual stagnation, a low self-esteem, and the prevention to experience all God desired to pour out on His people, the Perizzites too had to be destroyed. God’s ways and thoughts are better, bigger, and higher than ours (Is 55:9), so let us not get stuck in the woe is me when bigger is He.
The only distinction between the Perizzites and Hivites, as both were of small villages, was the way in which they allowed themselves to be limited. The term Hivite is related to the idea of life in the Hebrew. These people enjoyed life. To really break it down, Hivite comes from the Hebrew word CHAVVAH, meaning life or living. CHAVVAH is where we get the name Eve. In Genesis 4:1 we read that Adam knew his wife, and the Hivites knew one another via the practice of hedonism. Again we can point to Leviticus 20 and see God’s list of don’ts concerning sexual matters and clearly see why these people were to be destroyed. God wanted, and still wants, His people pure. God not only did not want His people mixing sexually with other nations, but also did not want His people following the practice of this corrupt people.
Lastly, the Jebusites were to be expelled from the land. The Jebusites were known as threshers, people who beat the grain from the husk. This seems harmless – until we also realize that these people threshed and stomped others down as well. These people were constantly putting others down, constantly humiliating others, and constantly making themselves big at the cost of making others feel low. Sadly enough, we see this within our nation, our communities, our churches, and even our families still today. Add to this the fact that they worked to turn people against each other and we have a bigger problem. But God desires we be one body (Jn 17:21-22; I Cor 12:12-26). We are not to tear down, but rather we are to build up. We are not to divide for our benefit, but rather are to work in unity for the greater cause.
No treaty was to be made with these people, and perhaps we see a clearer picture of why. God does not want us to unify ourselves with terror when we are to walk in love. It is His perfect love and a trust in Him that drives out terror. God does not want us to base our decision only on the things we see, but calls us to faith and belief in things we cannot see but know as truth. God does not want us to exalt ourselves, but rather exalt Him and lift Him up. God does not desire for His people to be bombarded in addiction and sexual perversion, but wants us to walk in freedom, with an overcoming power that only He can deliver. God does not want us to see ourselves as the grasshopper when He has called us the victor. God does not want us to live in the freedom sin when He calls us to walk in the freedom of His ways. And God does not want us to live in the pattern of threshing others when He has called us to build up one another and work in unity. Making a treaty with these people, these sins, is wrong and must be stopped. Israel failed to do all that God commanded and as a result suffered the consequences. Let us not make the same mistake.

YOU LET THE WOMEN LIVE?

“Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the community leaders went to meet them outside the camp. But Moses was angry with the army officers, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds coming in from the battlefield. Moses asked them, ‘You let the women live?’”
Numbers 31:13-15

I was reading over this portion of scripture last night as I was preparing to film another one of my Torah portion videos, and something began to burn inside of me. I have read this passage before, so it wasn’t like this was my first time in reading it, but there was a different feeling this time. I noticed as I then began my small budget filming, which is no more than me talking into a cheap video camera, that I was getting mad on the inside. I was beginning to have a revelation right as I was speaking. I was beginning to feel a holy hatred suddenly.
Perhaps a little background is needed here. In the few chapters prior to this verse we read of the account of Phinehas (Num 25). It was he who took a spear and drove it into the stomach of an Israeli man and Midianite woman, thus breaking the curse that God was pouring out. God then honored him because he had zeal enough to stop the interbreeding of God’s people with those God never intended for His people to mix with. Why? Because the Midianites represented sin. Their ways were not the ways of the one true God.
It is in Numbers 31 that God said to Moses that the army of Israel was to take vengeance on this people. With this direction, Moses sent the army out and they killed the kings of Midian. However, just as King Saul did in his time with the Amalakites by reserving life for the ones he chose despite what God had ordered (I Sam 15), so the people of Israel did here. When Moses went to meet up with the army, he found the women and children spared. The command of God was to kill all, not to spare. This disobedience angered Moses and he questioned, “You let the women live? Why, these are the ones who – because of Balaam’s advice – caused the people of Israel to rebel, breaking faith with God in the Peor incident, so that the plague broke out among God’s community.”
The account continues, but I must stop because I feel so strongly the point that is being made in this account. It is the same holy vengeance that rises in me when I read of Saul in I Samuel 15. God expects to be obeyed. He doesn’t counsel us just because, but because there is purpose. He directs us so that sin is kept from our camp. But in letting these women and children survive, Israel was giving themselves the chance to be swayed again. These people, these Midian’s, did not worship God. They worshiped foreign gods, and they swayed the men of before in disrespecting God along with them and serving idols.
This anger rises in me as I read this account because I know of too many who have done the same. God has commanded they split from this evil, yet they stay connected, they keep a portion back, and they leave the door open. But I cannot help but wonder if this anger rises in me because I see it in myself. Am I too holding back a portion that God has repeatedly told me to get rid of? Am I, in essence, letting the women live when God has commanded to kill everything? Brothers and sisters, we have to kill the women. And no I am not speaking of our physical woman, but of our sin. She, sin, must die as God has commanded. Let us then be obedient to kill what God tells us to kill, to close the door that God commands us to close. If we fail, we leave ourselves open only to another plague.

GOD'S GOT YOUR BACK

“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Exodus 14:14

A few days back I was chatting on two different occasions with friends on Facebook. In one instance as I was reading the words typed, I began to feel as though God was saying to her that He was going to work things out concerning her employment. In the other instance, as we were going back and forth, I literally had the pages of my Bible blow and land on I John 5:18. This would not have been so strange except for the fact that there was no wind blowing in the stagnant office. But what was it about this verse God was speaking? Perhaps the part that reads, “…the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.”
I honestly began to think to myself, as I later shared with my wife, that maybe God was not only using me to encourage these ladies in their trials, but perhaps He was also working to encourage me in mine. As I am sure you have felt at times also, life is hard. Truth be told, the enemy is constantly working to pound us down. Remember that game Whack-A-Mole? There are days when I literally feel like I am the mole that the enemy continues to hit and keep down. But despite what the enemy does, there is one key we must remember. That key is that the Lord fights for us.
We see this truth in I John 5:18, where we are told we are kept safe and the enemy cannot harm us. We see this truth in Romans 8:31, where we read that if God is for us, who can be against us. And we see this truth in Exodus 14:14, where when standing on the banks of the Red Sea, with Egypt ready to pounce, God delivers the Israelites. “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” But what I love about this Exodus scripture is that it defines me. Why did God tell them to be still? He told them to be still because like me, they were running around in fret of what they were going to do. They could do nothing. They could not escape. And they could not redeem themselves. So because of this God told them to be still and watch His hand fight for them.
I am a numbers guy, and outside of history, math was my next best subject in school. Maybe it is for this reason that I find the next bit so exciting. It is true that when the Bible was written it was not divided with chapters and verses, yet still I think that we find the Holy Spirit at play in how we read the Bible now days with these divisions in place. That said, this promise that God would fight comes in Exodus 14:14. So then, what does the number “14” mean? To write fourteen in the Hebrew one uses the letters yod and daleth (יד), which together signify a hand on the door, or better yet, the opening of a prison door and the allowance of deliverance. It is in this verse that God states He will fight for the Israelites, and it is in the number fourteen that we find the meaning of deliverance and release. Coincidence?
Now with the number fourteen defined, let us look at a few other key “14’s” in the Bible. Numbers 14:14 shares, “And [the Egyptians] will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, O LORD, are with these people and that you, O LORD, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.” To me this shows not only God’s releasing Israel from their prison, but the power of God’s hand when on the door. Proverbs 14:14 reads, “The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his.” Is it not safe to say that in this verse we again see the hand on the door, opening to God’s outpouring of blessing and deliverance?
Granted this is not true of each “14”, we can still see this definition of deliverance and release in other passages. It is in Judges 6:14 that God says to Gideon, “’Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midan’s hand. Am I not sending you?’” God again was fighting for Israel and sending His servant Gideon to open the door of imprisonment. Or how about in Daniel 6:14 where we see the king so distraught that until nightfall he was determined to rescue Daniel from the prison of the lion’s den. We may even want to recall I Samuel 13:14, where we read that King Saul had acted foolishly and already the LORD was looking for one who would open the door of imprisonment by having a heart to follow God’s command.
So what am I trying to point out here; what am I trying to make us aware of in all these verses and numerology? The answer is one thing. I am wanting us to understand that on those Whack-A-Mole days, when it seems like all we know is the prison of our situation, god has His hand on the door, opening it to our deliverance and release. There really is nothing we can do, just as there was nothing Israel could do when standing on the banks of the Red Sea. But what we must remember to do is be still and trust that God has our back and will fight for us.

FREEEEEE-DOM!

“What the Messiah has freed us for is freedom! Therefore, stand firm, and don’t let yourselves be tied up again to a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1

In the year 1995, one movie alone took Scotland and the rest of the world by storm. That movie was Braveheart. In the retelling of the life and events of William Wallace, writer Randall Wallace sought to honor the praised Scottish hero of times past. It is at the end of the movie that now caught and being tortured, William Wallace yells out, “FREEEEEE-DOM,” as the cloth of his cherished fair-maiden floats gently to the ground. However, in reading the true events of Wallace’s life, Wallace suffered a different death. It is believed that the defeat of the Scottish army at Falkirk was also the defeat of William Wallace’s glory in the eyes of the nation. For the next quarter of Wallace’s life, he would continue to fight for freedom, but never be given the authority he had once possessed prior to this defeat. The worth of Wallace as a warrior for Scotland may have been lost, but the greater loss was the worth of Wallace in his own eyes. With little to live for, Wallace simply gave up on himself, or so it would seem. Long before he declared his final words he had already returned to slavery.
As I was driving into work yesterday this same concept struck me as I was meditating on the scripture only to be confirmed later on in the day when listening to a podcast by Perry Stone. The sad revelation is that so many people get freed only to return to slavery. Jesus speaks of this in John 8:30-38. It is here that Jesus tells us the return to sin is the return to slavery. Furthermore, “So if the Son frees you, you will really be free” (Jn 8:36). If we are really free then why do we return? With this thought then, I want to direct our attention today to words penned by Paul in Galatians 5:1 where he writes, “What the Messiah has freed us for is freedom! Therefore, stand firm, and don’t let yourselves be tied up again to a yoke of slavery.”
May I suggest that one of the main reasons we find ourselves returning to slavery has to do with our stance. Paul warns us that the way to stay free is by standing firm. This term of standing firm or standing fast in the Greek is STEKO, meaning to stand in persistence and keep one’s footing. This is the same term used by Paul in I Corinthians 16:13 where we are told, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.” I am reminded of the product Stucco and the firm grasp it holds against the conditions of nature. This binding agent is applied wet but hardens to a very dense solid. In many ways we too are to be on guard, persistent toward the forces of the enemy like Stucco to the forces of nature, courageous, and strong. The question is, are we? Are we persistent against the enemy and his desire to bring us back into slavery, or is our footing found in our standing in mush?
Once we have experienced the freedom that can only be given by the LORD, we are to not allow ourselves to be wrapped up again in the slavery that once bound us. This in essence was the true downfall of William Wallace. Despite his victories in battle, the one loss at Falkirk pushed him to see himself again as a defeated Scotsman. His footing moved from solid and persistent to standing in mush, opening the doors of slavery. When he did pass away, and if he did indeed cry out, “FREEEEEE-DOM,” as portrayed in the movie, was his victory chat only because he would no longer be slave of his own demise? I cannot answer this, but I can take note that for myself I want to declare freedom now from the sin that has for so long enslaved me. Furthermore, I want my footing to be solid as opposed to wavering and allowing a return of slavery and bondage. The Messiah’s sacrifice has freed me, once and for all, but unless I stand firm I am subject to return. I do not want this for myself, nor do I want this for you.

BANKING ON IT
“Isaac prayed to God on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. God heeded his prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant.”
Genesis 25:21

Being married now, I find myself being asked a new series of questions. People ask about our home and if we are finished with mixing our décor styles. Please ask if we are going to be getting a minivan to tote the whole family in one car (which we just got this last weekend). People ask how we are adjusting as individuals and as a family unit to all the changes. But occasionally people ask if we are planning to have any more children. It is for these people today that I write this devotional.
Are we going to be having any more children? I cannot answer that fully, and here is why. While the desire is there, the ability is not. Back in 2005, following the birth of my daughter, my wife at that time and I decided to have no more children and I had the ‘man surgery’ done. But I cannot say that that may have been the wisest decision. I knew even back then that I wanted another child and I began to regret my decision within hours of the procedure. Now, married again with a total of four little ones running around in the house, I feel a fullness as well as an emptiness. While the quiver may be full, the desire to add another youngster to the home still weighs on me.
In my alone morning moments with God this past Monday, I was reminded of a verse talking about prayer for a barren woman. I am sure you know the verse. It is Genesis 25:21. “Isaac prayed to God on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. God heeded his prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant.” For Isaac and Rebekah, I feel the feelings may have been the same. He had a fullness in that he had a wife, but he lacked the pitter-patter of little feet. The difference in their story, though, was that she was barren as opposed to him having had a procedure done. Shortly after their wedding they found themselves in a position where children were not coming. So what was the action taken? Isaac prayed.
Isaac had seen the faith of his father, Abraham. He had seen God work His miracles as he himself had been a miracle. So in learning that they would be unable to have children, Isaac prayed to God on behalf of his wife and asked that her womb be opened. God heeded his prayer. Soon after Rebekah became pregnant and gave birth to not one child, but two. But I want you to notice something in this fact. The enemy was at work. Abraham had been promised that he would be the father of many. Abraham had in all eight sons. But only one of those sons was the true promised son. But now the true promised son from whom the promise would continue was faced with the fact that his wife was barren. Right there the promise could have ended, the devil could have won, and God could have been named a liar. But, Isaac prayed.
This speaks to me because it gives me hope. Just because I have gone under the knife does not mean that God cannot work a miracle. I have talked with people who have had body parts pop out of nowhere, have had ears and eyes open, and have been healed of deadly diseases. If God can do all that, can He not mend back together my man parts to function and produce another child? I will answer for you…YES! So I stand in faith that it will happen. And this is just one area. I stand in faith that the promises in the Bible will happen to me. I am reminded of Deuteronomy 28 where God speaks via Moses that the people are blessed coming and going, are the head and not the tail, and are the lender not the borrower. It may be hard to see this knowing I have a student loan I am still paying and truly am the borrower, but again I stand in faith that what God has said will come about. Nothing is too hard for God, and this ‘thing’ of having a baby is ‘nothing’ difficult in His eyes. So, will I have another child? All I can say is we will see…but I am banking on it.

DECISIONS
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Over this past weekend I was helping my wife unpack some boxes from our moving and stumbled upon one of my first journals following my divorce. As I flipped through the pages, I found one of my early entries talking about the decisions I was making at that time. This trip down memory lane got me to thinking over the past twenty-four hours, and I would like to share a few thoughts with you if you have a minute or two. Before I jump into my enlightenment, however, I think it is best that we define the word ‘decision’. According to Webster, decision is defined as the act of deciding; a conclusive judgment, determination, or firmness; or the power of making up one’s mind easily and moving into action.
Some decisions are easy to make, like what clothes to wear, or what to prepare for dinner. Others are not as easy to make, though, such as choosing a mate or deciding on which college to attend. Still other decisions are thrust upon us, like the final needs of a passing relative. And some decisions we have power over, like deciding how many children we will have and when to begin the family. We make decisions daily, such as whether to exercise or not, what to watch on the television, whether or not to answer the phone when it rings, and giving 100% to our job today instead of the 50% we normally give when the boss is not looking.
But what about our decisions when it comes to living for Christ? Looking in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, we read of a warning we should keep fresh in our minds concerning our decision making process. This passage reads, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” It is here we are told first to fear God and keep His commandments. This word ‘commandments’ is the Hebrew word MITZVAH, meaning laws. In Exodus 24:12 we see the relationship of this word to the stone tablets and Ten Commandments. And it is these commandments that again we are being told by God to keep fresh in our mind. Why? Because this is the whole duty of man. In keeping His mitzvah we have our purpose while in refusing to follow His commands we have our ruin. An example of this is Adam and Eve. The command to Adam and Eve was to not eat of a certain tree, for death would happen if they did. Yet, while we can argue they were deceived, the fact is they ate. The blessing of the Garden was gone and death was found. True, they did not die immediately, but they suffered a death far worse…the knowing of what was, and the knowing they could not have it back. Their decision to not obey the command ended in death.
Yet as we continue in this text, however, we read that every deed, good or bad, will be known. Basically what this means is that every decision we make will be exposed. Each one of our MA’ASEH, our deeds, pursuits, undertakings, and achievements, will be made known. Every one of our ‘ALAM, concealed actions or secrets, will be presented for viewing. There is no decision, good or bad, that can be hidden from the judgment of God. This concept reminds me of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, who thought no one would know when they changed their minds on the price they would give the apostles. When the home sold and the money was in hand, they pocketed a little and thus found physical death for their decisions. What they thought they could hide was brought to light by the Spirit of God. There is nothing we can hide from God and I know this well. Back in 2000, I was convinced that I could hide my pornography addiction from my then wife and friends. This thought pattern went on for months and I remember saying boldly to God, “I’m too good to get caught.” Within the next twenty-four hours my world came crashing down as God exposed me. I had been able to hide it from those close to me, but could not hide it from God.
Daily I make decisions, be it good or bad, that I will one day answer for. But then why is it that so many of my decisions are made so hap-hazard? I am not talking about what shirt I choose, but rather what I choose to do when no one is around. In college I heard that the definition of ‘integrity’ is what you do when no one is looking. Who am I when it is just me? What decisions do I make when it is just me? What determinations do I allow myself to choose when I think no one else will be affected by my actions? Does my integrity prove that I fear God? And I am not referring to a fear as if God is going to strike me down with a stick, but a fear as in reverence. We are told in John 10:27 that His sheep know His voice and listen. So, do we?
I can only answer that question for myself. If I was to be honest with you, my answer is that some days my decisions bless Him and in reverence I obey Him. As such, my actions, determinations, and decisions are all based on what God requires. However, there are other days where the decisions I make reflect an answer that is ‘me’ centered, and what will accomplish ‘my’ will. This challenge of right decision making is for all of us, though. Will we consider our decisions? The man who allows himself even a single stray, a single bite of the fruit, or a single lie, wakes up later only to find that Eden is no longer where he walks. It is because of this death sentence that our decisions can bring us to that we should all make our decisions wisely, and in the fear of the Lord.

DON'T MESS IT UP
"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, 'The LORD has kept me from having children. Go sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.' Abram agreed to what Sarai said."
Genesis 16:1-2

Sometimes when I write these devotionals I am triggered by a word or phrase I hear in a song or read in a book. At other times I am inspired by a memory or something going on in my life. It is in these times that God begins to work through that avenue, whatever it is, to prompt me into what is next. And sometimes in these moments of prompting, God shares with me a nugget concerning my future. But it is only a nugget, never anything more. In feeling and seeing these nuggets lately I have come to a point where I am asking God, "Why so little? Why not show me or tell me everything?" It’s funny how we can hear God if we really listen.
I know the answer, even if I do not always want to admit it. The answer is because I would find a way to mess it up. I would follow the steps of Abraham and walk right onto the path of my trying to be God and take matters into my own hand. Take a look at his life with me. In Genesis 15, Abraham, at that time still called Abram, spoke with God about his family line. He was concerned that should he pass, he had no son to give his wealth to. Hearing this heartfelt cry, God responded, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be" (Gen 15:5). God was showing Abraham his future, sharing with him a promise of what was to come.
But like us, Abraham got antsy. Here he was with promise in hand, but time was slipping away from him. When was this promise going to become real? When would the family start being birthed. Years were slipping out of reach and he wasn't getting any younger. Then an idea came about. Sarah, Sarai at this time, offered her maidservant to Abraham so that he could perhaps build a family with her. I laugh at this knowing the outcome, but wonder if I too would have done what Abraham did. Abraham agreed (Gen 16:2). He agreed, slept with Hagar, and a child was born. But the child was a child of contention and eventually both Hagar and Ishmael were forced out from the camp. God had plans for Abraham to have a family, but he stepped out before God. His playing God became his error.
When the time was right, when God deemed it right, Isaac was born. Finally Abraham was holding his heir, his son, his promise. The promise came with lessons spanned over twenty five years, but still it came. And this should be hope for us. You see, there are times when God tells us something and gives us a peek at the promise. But that does not give us the right to play God and force more. It is in these times that we must sit back and allow God to teach us the things we too need to learn so that we do not mess it up. Our promise too will only come when God deems the time. Do not give up on the promise, though. Hold on to it, but let God bring the fullness in his time.
I end today with perhaps an example from my own life. Following my divorce I questioned my next steps in life. I hunkered down with God for a few years, after trying my hand once more at dating, and found that God had a plan still for me. Little by little, as I allowed myself to heal, God began to give more nuggets. Three years back, the nugget He gave me was that I would be married again. He didn’t tell me how I would meet her, what she would look like, or where she would live. He only told me that I would marry again. I could have played God and forced something to happen, but it would have only made a mess. Instead, I waited on Him like He asked of me until, one day, we crossed paths. On June 8, only days from now, I will marry this woman that I know God has picked out for me. I say all this to point out that when we do it God’s way, it cannot be messed up.