GOD OUR FATHER

If one were to move away from the misconception that God is so distant in His status and truly understand, as Christ so often pointed out, that God is wanting a relationship with His people, then I venture to say that many would finally understand the heart and nature of our God.  Yet it is, though, that so many see God simply as the abuser, the precursor to a profane phrase, and the downer to all they consider grand.  To look at God as Father can be a hard accomplishment for many based on a relationship shared with their own earthly fathers.  For Jesus, though, His over 200 references point to not only the works of God, but the character of God.

            Addressing first the attributes of God, Jesus speaks of His being of Spirit in John 4:24.  As such, Jesus also notes when speaking to the woman at the well that He must be worshiped in spirit and in truth.  Jesus also points out that God is omnipotent and that He is not limited like man in His being able to accomplish the impossible (Mt 19:26).  God is all knowing, and Jesus again points out this fact when speaking in Matthew 10:29 of how the sparrow does not fall without God’s knowing.  God Himself speaks of His holiness in Leviticus 11:44-45, as He challenges the people of Israel to be holy as He is holy.  Yet His holiness was even confirmed by Jesus on many occasions.  And finally Jesus spoke of His Father’s love in John 3:16, where He notes that it is this love for the people that gave the world Jesus as a way of salvation.

            One key factor to remember when looking at the Doctrine of God the Father is simply that, He is a Father.  Not only is He Jesus’ Father, but He is our heavenly Father as well.  In looking first at God as Jesus’ Father, we read of Jesus in John 20:21 commissioning His disciples, sending them out as He Himself was sent out by His Father.  We read also in John’s writings of the honor the Father gave His Son (Jn 8:54), of the love the Father has for the Son (Jn 10:17), and of the glory the Father gives His Son (Jn 17:1-5).  Looking in John 8 again, verse 29, it is evident that the Father is satisfied with His Son, Jesus.  Because of the love the Father has for His Son, it is understood that the Father exalts His Son (Phil 2:9-11) and made Jesus the head of the Church (Eph 1:22-23).

            Lest we should think that is all, let us consider how God is the Father for all believers.  I think it important to first point out God’s love for us, as for His own Son.  For those who believe, 1 John 3:1 speaks of His love for us.  In John’s Gospel, Jesus shares that there is blessing that comes over the disciple, and that this blessing comes from God their Father.  Hebrews 12:5-10, while some may think it abusive, speaks of God’s correction for His children.  But read in context and true understanding, this passage speaks that a father will only discipline his children, and that in love.  To be disciplined by God is not abuse, but rather evidence of His great love for us. 

In all this, God is a great Father.  Where our earthly fathers may fail, God never will.  Where our earthly fathers may be unloving, God is full of love for His children.  Where our earthly father may deny, God blesses and raises up.  1 John 4:8 states, “God is love.”  What an awesome attribute for our Father to possess.

IT WILL STUNT YOUR GROWTH

Growing up as a child I heard many things spoken by adults that over time I have learned are not true.  Fact is, though, I have told them on my own children.  You know the myths I am talking about.  "Gray hair is a result of too much stress."  This is actually not true.  According to research done, stress can cause hair loss, but the graying is simply a sign of aging and can begin as early as 30 years old for some.  Does that mean that every bald person has stress, though?  No, but it makes one scratch his head in wonder.  Or how about "Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis", "If you keep crossing your eyes they'll get stuck", and "If you pick up a toad you'll get warts on your hands".  The fact is these are just not true.  (I apologize if you still believe them).

          My personal favorite, however, is that "Drinking coffee will stunt your growth".  I have been drinking coffee for thirty years now and I am happy at 5’7”, haha.  Joking aside, I remember as a child being at church and hearing both my dad and the older people in the church telling me this as I would work to sneak a cup of joe in hopes that no one was looking.  Many times it did not work to my advantage.  But there is no true research to support this.  Truth be told, at one time people believed that caffeine was the reason for osteoporosis, which receded bone mass and height.  And if that was true, then why did parents deny children coffee but offer them soda?  I'll let you 'brew' that one around for a minute.

          While coffee may not stunt our growth, there is one thing that comes to mind which has that power.  That thing would be sin.  Now obviously the growth I am referring to is not a physical height per se, but our spiritual growth.  In looking at the younger days of the prophet Samuel in I Samuel 2:26, we see that he was dedicated to the LORD's service and lived with Eli.  In time he began to grow in stature (his physical frame) as well as in favor (pleasure) with the LORD and men.  He was found with favor specifically before God because he put aside sin and chased after the righteous ways of God.  Was he perfect?  By no means.  But he saw the benefit in saying no to sin and yes to God's commands.

          Psalm 119:1 reads, "Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD."  In walking according to His law, we are growing and reaping the benefit of blessing.  Psalm 1:3 confirms this in saying about the one walking in God’s ways, "That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers."  What does water do for a tree?  It helps in the growing process.  But on the flip side, walking in the ways of sin will only have us finding that our spiritual growth is stunted, for as Psalm 1 goes on to say, those who are not like the tree planted by the stream, those who are not growing, are like chaff which the wind blows.

          Now I am not here to condemn you in what I say, for it was just this morning on my way to work that God challenged me with this same thought.  I want to see the effects of growth in my life.  But in order for growth to happen I need to remove the obstacles that are stunting my growth.  I need to remove the sins as God is showing me.  And it isn't that I need to get rid of only a little sin in order to grow, but rather I need to get rid of all sin in order to grow.  As long as I leave an open door for sin, sin will continue to romance me from God.

          It is time we realize the perhaps hidden truth of this myth.  While coffee will not stunt our growth, physically or spiritually, sin most definitely will stunt our growth in the spiritual.  But I don't want to be stunted.  I am pretty sure you do not want to be either.  What must we do?  In the spiritual we must stop drinking our coffee of sin.  We must stop drinking in sin and suffering its effects, but instead allow ourselves to be like the tree planted by the stream - planted and growing firmly with our roots fully in God and His ways.

LED BY THE SPIRIT

Fall is in the air again and I must admit that one of my favorite fall past times is going for a hike.  I have noticed, however, that there are two ways to hike.  I can go it alone, finding my own way on the path, hoping to not get lost, and being so focused on the trail that I miss the details.  More often than not this is what I do.  But I can also go with a guide, one who is experienced and knows the trail so well that while leading, he is still pointing out the best views, the splendors of nature, and the finer details I would normally miss.  If I was honest with myself, as much as I want to do it alone, I much rather prefer being led by a guide.

Sadly enough, I have tried this same tactic in my walk with God.  As I have take steps in my walk with God over the years, I have seen where in time I have moved from baby steps to steps of maturity.  Probably much like you, when we first allow God to be the head and master of our lives, He starts us out with small steps, such as changing a behavior, beginning a daily devotional time, and plugging into a church body.  Over time, though, as we grow we find ourselves being rooted deeper into His ways, wanting to do His will and hopefully wanting to be led by Him.  Without a solid foundation in those baby and toddler stages of our walk with God, however, we can be easily swayed.  The voice that we are trusting to lead us can actually be the voice of one trying to hurt us. What exactly do I mean by this?

Do you remember the tale of Pinocchio?  The wooden puppet wanted so desperately to be a real boy that he began listening to wrong voices.  In the Disney cartoon, the cricket was there to be his guide, but soon he found himself being swayed by the voices of the foxes, the great puppeteer, and others.  It wasn’t until he began turning into a donkey that he began to see the error for not following the wisdom of the cricket.  But we as followers of God have one greater than a cricket to guide us.  We have the Spirit of God.  Saving us from transforming into donkeys ourselves is the one He gives to help us and direct us on our path.  The question is if we are following His Spirit, or listening to the foxes and others who secretly are working to take us down.

In Galatians 5:16-18, we are frankly told to live by the Spirit. “So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.”  It is in living by the Spirit that we are able to say “no” to the desire of sin.  True, sin promises us the world much like the foxes promised to help Pinocchio to become a real boy.  But sin’s boast is a lie.  The Spirit, however, does not lie.  As the Spirit guides and directs us, so it also brings us to the truth we have been promised, the truth of a deeper and fulfilling relationship with God.

The Father knew we would need help.  He knew the foxes would come and we would be tempted by the smooth talking that follows.  But instead of leaving us to fend for ourselves, He sent His Spirit to guide us and direct us.  The challenge, however, is knowing the Spirit's nudging, and allowing the nudges to lead us.  The promise is, though, that when we live by the Spirit we will not satisfy the desires of the flesh.  Perhaps we should change who we are following.

THE TIME FOR TESHUVAH

Teshuvah.  Whether it is a word you may or may not have heard before, I would venture to say its meaning is well known.  Teshuvah is from the Hebrew root shuwb (H7725 – shuv), meaning to return, turn back, repent, or to bring back.  More accurately, teshuvah can be defined as a turning back to God.  According to Jewish tradition, starting forty days prior to Yom Kippur and lasting until Yom Kippur itself, Jews are beckoned to turn from their ways of sin and return to a life committed to God.  While I am not advocating that each one should follow the Jewish customs, I do stand by the fact that taking a personal inventory of our lives to see where we may need to repent and return may be a wise decision for each of us.  Let me explain.

Perhaps there has been a time when you were driving down the road only to realize you went too far in your journey.  In that instance you made some type of turn around so that you could eventually end up at your desired location.  In my years of driving I can recall vividly one such trip when I was on the Interstate to work and focused on another thought.  By the time I realized it, my exit had been passed.  As a result I had to get off at the next exit and turn around.  This U-turn of sorts is much like the concept of teshuvah.

This same need for a turn-around can happen to us in our Christian walk.  We start on the right course, going down the path that leads us to God and then another thought takes us captive.  Perhaps it is a temptation that we are allowing to flood our mind, or a sin that continues to lure us.  Anything that has taken the place of God and become an idol in our lives can be looked at in this way and prevent us from continuing down the path God intends.  But God, in His patient, loving-kindness, allows us the opportunity to come back to Him; to make a U-turn and come back.  This is teshuvah.

We read of teshuvah quite a few times in the Bible.  The account of Jonah is a great example.  The people of Nineveh were about to experience God’s judgment for their ungodly and defiling actions.  Yet because of God’s love for them, He sent Jonah with a declaration that destruction was coming.  These words so moved the people and the king that the king even declared a fast.  In the end we read, “When God saw their deeds, that they turned (teshvah) from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it (Jonah 3:10).

The idea of teshuvah is seen also in the words of Jeremiah.  In Jeremiah 3, we find the prophet speaking on behalf of the LORD against the house of Israel.  He calls the people of Israel faithless.  The context here is that Israel had committed adultery against God by pushing Him aside and seeking relations with stone and wood, items which God considered sin.  God had fully desired Israel to come back to Him, but they never did.  The end result was a certificate of divorce for the backslidden nation of Israel.  But Judah sinned as well.  Continuing on we find that Judah was watching the sin of Israel and had begun to follow suit.  It was to Judah that God then named them the unfaithful sister.  Seeing the certificate of divorce given to Israel, Judah still had no fear of her own certificate.  The return that Judah would eventually offer was poor and only in pretense, being nothing more than a deceitful sham.  But here is what I want us to see from this passage in Jeremiah 3.  I want us to wrap our minds around the truth that God continued to desire that His people turn back to Him. In Jeremiah 3:12-14, we read the pleading of God as He beckoned for the faithless to return.

So what does this return look like?  Near the end of the seventy years of exile which Jeremiah had prophesied, we find an answer in the prayer of Daniel.  In Daniel chapter 9 we find a prayer written from the prophet as he has determined the time frame and the expectation.  Seventy years is almost done, but have the people's hearts changed and made the U-turn back to God?  Daniel's prayer shows his heart, and perhaps a blueprint for our own.  In his prayer he admit and teshuvah-ed for wrongs.  He made a point not to cast blame, but to take ownership.  Daniel related to the sin, looking internally at the damage it had done.  Daniel acknowledged that the shame being felt at this time was based on where they are, a place of forfeiting relationship with God, allowing themselves to be led astray, and seeing themselves only to blame.  As verse 19 would go on to note, Daniel was requesting that God not procrastinate is this request to hear His people’s plea for teshuvah and pardon them.  Daniel was asking God to heed this prayer and accomplish a sparing of His people.

I urge you to read the prayer of Daniel.  Just like the people of Judah, who were still God’s chosen people, we have sinned.  But like Daniel, if we call out to God and ask for forgiveness for the sins we have committed, He will forgive us.  He will spare us from more years of slavery if we only ask Him now to forgive us, and truly turn from any sin we have embraced.  The time for teshuvah is now, what will we do?

RING RING

Ring Ring

"Hello?"
     "Hello Jonah."
"Yeah, this is Jonah.  Who's this?"
     "This is God."
"God?  God as in the big guy in the sky, or just another false ba'al god?"
     "God as in 'I am that I am'."
"What would You have me to do?  I am Your servant."
     "I want you to go to Nineveh, Jonah.  I have a message for the people of Nineveh, and I want you to deliver it for me."
"Yeah, that's probably not going to happen, God.  You see..., well..., those people are way too wicked."
     "I know, and it is their wickedness that has come to my attention.  I am sending you to go and preach against this city."
"...making static noises... What's that God?  You're breaking up.  I think we have a bad connection.  Call me later on a better line!"

Click

     We all probably know the story, that when called to go to Nineveh, Jonah decided to run in the opposite direction instead.  His running, however, was met by a storm that rocked the boat until he was finally thrown off, only to be swallowed by a big fish and eventually vomited out on shore after three days time.  All of these experiences could have been avoided if Jonah had simply done what God was calling him to, right?  Now we know that eventually he did go to Nineveh.  In fact, we read after the fish vomit incident that in Jonah 3:3, Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh where he preached God's original message that the city was about to be overturned.  The people fasted and repented, and as a result the city was saved from destruction.  Happy ending, yea!!!

     But before we harp on Jonah for his original response to God's calling, perhaps we should take a look at ourselves.  God hasn't stopped calling His people, but like we read in Jonah's case, some people have decided to stop listening.  We vow, "God, I'll do anything!"  We plead, "God send me anywhere!"  We pray to be used by God, yet when the call comes in and the assignment is given, we run the other way because we do not like what or where He is calling us to be.  He is looking for that obedience we promised, yet finds us running the other way.

     Jonah did eventually do what God called him to, but at a cost.  Would it not have been easier for him to simply obey God from the start?  And wouldn't it be to our benefit to do the same?  How many more steps are involved in the task simply by trying to avoid the task?

     Perhaps God has called you.  Which direction are you running?  Are you running away from what He is asking of you, or are you running full steam into the calling?  Ring Ring.  Its for you.  Its God and He has a mission for you.  How will you answer?

GASPING FOR AIR

A while back, in the summer of 2012 to be exact, I took my kids to the local water park.  Now I will be the first to admit I am not the world’s best swimmer.  Keep that in mind as I tell my story.  My son (10 at the time) was in a tube, and my daughter (7) and I were sitting in another tube together.  I noticed that it wasn’t all that comfortable for her, the way we were sitting, so I decided I would get out and let her sit in the tube with me holding on to the outside.  The plan seemed wise but failed from the start.  The moment I went to lean out, the tube flipped.  She had arm floaties on but still I went to grab her closer to me.  As I reached to grab her by the floatie, I pulled her floatie off.

I began to panic because now neither of us was close to a tube and in water I could not touch the bottom of.  My thoughts went to getting her up out of the water as I knew she must be scared.  But in all my fighting to get her above water, I began to need help myself.  From under the water I could see my arms extending out putting her face above the water as I continued to gasp and cough and gulp.  I heard the whistle and knew help was coming.  Within 20 seconds I was being saved by a lifeguard.  My first thought was embarrassment.  I couldn’t believe that I was the one that had to be saved.  But after the humiliation wore off that a teenager had to save me, I felt relief.  I was relieved my daughter was alright and our lives were both saved.  I was thankful also that God was watching out for us.

Now I don’t go around looking for ways to get into trouble so I can make illustrations from my follies, but as I was driving past that water park last night, the memory of this event played again in my mind.  I remembered my gasping for air.  Never before had I been in a position where I was so desperate for air.  And then I heard this little voice in my spirit ask, “Are you that desperate for Me?”  What?  Of course I am.  “Are you so desperate for Me that you need Me as much as you needed air that day?”  Until I gave an honest answer, the question played over and over in my head.

It is from an honest heart that I share with you that I was raised in a Christian family, received the Holy Spirit, went to a Christian college, and did all the right religious things.  But the one thing I find that I struggle with at times is a passion for God.  I know that God loves me and has a great plan for my life, and I embrace that.  However, God wants me to have a desire for Him just as I had desire to breathe that day.  I was one track minded in that moment – get my daughter to safety and myself next.  I could not have been here today without this focus and determination to hold on for the help of a lifeguard.  But I cannot afford to live one more moment without a passion for God and His statutes either.  My life means nothing without God in it.

The challenge I lay before you today I first lay before myself.  Does my soul long after Him?  Do I linger in His presence, crave Him, desire Him, want nothing more than to be with Him?  Psalm 42:1-2 reads, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, Oh God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet God?”  Am I as desperate for God as I was for breath?  I can guarantee you that after not only my water park salvation, but also after having God ask me this question, my desire must change.  What about you?  Will you join me in making God your desire today?  But let's go one step further and answer the question of how.  We can vow change till we're blue in the face, but what will we do to make the desire to change a reality?  God is reaching out, like the lifeguard, and He has brought salvation to us.  What will we do?

TAKING OUT THE TRASH

“[Hezekiah] removed the high places, smashed the sacred 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).”

II Kings 18:4

In reading the account of King Hezekiah again in II Kings 18 recently, I found myself asking questions concerning what I thought was precious and what is truly not.  Better put, I found myself contemplating trash.  Odd, right?  But let me explain.   In II Kings 18:4, we read about how this 25 year old king of Judah began to take a stand.  Idols had replaced God, as the people began to worship all the things that were not of God.  So then, Hezekiah made the demand and took the actions to remove the high places, smash the sacred stones, and cut down the Asherah poles.  He even busted the golden snake from Moses' time which they were still worshiping.  Following this in verse 6, we read that the young king held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow Him, keeping the commands as were originally given to Moses.  It was because of this that the LORD gave him success in all he did.

Now with this brief outline of the story, let’s talk ‘trash’.  This passage has me questioning of myself just how much 'trash' I need to take out.  Is it possible that in some way I too am worshiping or giving time to what I need to give up?  Very much so.  But how?  Let me explain it this way.  Back in March we purchased a home.  While the thought of moving into a new home is always exciting, the thought of packing for the move can be far from it.  Not only did we need to grab all the heavy furniture, but we also needed to go through everything as we were packing.  The more trash we got rid of in the process meant the more excess trash we weren't taking with us to the new home.  With a family of six, however, you can imagine this was a long process of sorting and throwing many things out.  But this cleaning was not for nothing, for in it we removed a great deal of what was no longer needed.  We had been holing on to it because we thought it was precious at the time, but in the end it waste we hadn't removed prior.  Still, isn't this the exact same thing we do spiritually?  We hold on to what we think is precious when all along it is a weight that simply holds us back from the freedom God wants us to have, and ultimately from God.  

In a way, this trash is nothing more than an idol.  Agreed, you may not be bowing down to it like the high places, scared stones, Asherah poles, and the the snake that Hezekiah dealt with, but anything that takes the place of God is indeed an idol.  Any trash that we fail to remove can also become an idol as it prevents our relationship with God.  In a season where I want to move freely in God's work, I find that I need to get rid of things in my life.  I need to 'take out the trash' so to say.  And in order to do this I am going to need to go through everything in my life, take an honest inventory of whether it is still needed or just assumed precious, and throw away the garbage.

What are a few of these "trashy" items that need to be tossed?  Consider attitude.  In all honesty I find myself battling (even at 43 years old) my attitude.  I want it my way and in my timing and in demanding this I am being selfish, putting me above others and above God.  For me, this is a high place in that I put myself in this high place of status and prominence.  Another piece of trash in my life is very easily my devotion to watching television.  You may not think this as an idol, but to me the ability to watch TV, and even control to a degree what is watched in the house, is a sacred thing for me.  This may even be a sacred stone in my own life that needs to be smashed.  And I think pride also battles for my devotion, a pole that needs to be chopped down.  While I go through the waves of esteem, I also battle with thinking I am better than others, be it spiritually, mentally, or in talents.  In taking this look into me, I see a great deal of trash.

But Hezekiah also dealt with the snake, Nehushtan.  Going back to Numbers 21:4-9, we see that Moses was told by God to craft a snake and put it on a pole to prevent the people's deaths when bitten by a snake.  These biting snakes, however, were a result of the people's words against Moses and the LORD.  They were instructed to look at the snake in order to live, but as John 3:14-15 points out, the intention was not to worship the snake but rather to aid the people to look up to heaven.  Years after Moses, this snake was still being looked at, and worshiped.  What in my life is the same, meant to have brought me to God but that I have turned into an idol?  Perhaps food.  I have become somewhat of a glutton.  While food is a gift of God to aid in our survival, I have allowed myself to be a little too cozy in my relationship with food, and have allowed it to lead me to areas of weight gain, health issues, and the like.

When Hezekiah got the kingdom right, and in essence took out the trash, what happened?  He received the benefit of God’s blessing.  Because Hezekiah got right, the LORD gave him success.  That is what I want for us.  I want you and I to be doing things right per God that even the sweat of our brow is blessed by God.  So this is why I feel that the trash must be taken out that has been crowding up our hearts.  We need to get out of the house the things that have managed one way or another to come in and are not of God.  We need to do it now so that we too can see the fullness of God's blessing like Hezekiah did.

COWBOY UP!

I attended my first bull riding event while in college.  I was so taken by the event that soon after I went out and purchased a cowboy hat.  Maybe it was the Oklahoma backdrop, maybe it was a calling, or maybe it was bad take-out, but instantly I knew I thought I wanted to be a cowboy.  I even went out and purchased a few old western and rodeo movies so I could work on my strut and my “howdy ma’am.”  But it was while watching 8 Seconds, the story of bull rider Lane Frost, where I first heard the term “Cowboy up.”  And it wasn’t just thrown in the movie casually.  The words followed a moment where Lane had been bucked off his bull and then stepped on in his sensitive areas by the bull.  As he was in the doctor’s tent, ready to give up, his friend came in and told him that it was time to “Cowboy up.”

Let me just say, I think these are the same words God is speaking to His people.  "Cowboy Up!"  Too many times we have gotten on the bull only to be thrown off.  Too many times we have not lasted the eight seconds needed to complete our event.  And too many times we have been sitting around, injured, wallowing in pain and offense, and ready to give up.  But this is not the time to give up; it is the time to cowboy up!  This is the time to get back on the bull, to strap ourselves in tighter and hug that bull with our legs a little firmer.  This is the time to use the pain given by the enemy to outlast the enemy.  What am I really talking about here?  I am talking about Christians who have been called to something big, who have gotten knocked off, and who have given up.

I have personally seen this.  I have seen a man I admire greatly who at first got on the bull and came out matching the jerks and contortions of the bull.  But one zig instead of a zag in his ministry and he was bucked off before the timer sounded.  Early on God had given him a mission, a calling, a vision for his life, and he saw that bigger picture.  I saw him doing his cowboy strut as he walked in relationship with God.  I watched as he began to take on a pilgrimage with God, in essence learning the tricks of the trade for his spiritual bull ride.  And then the day came when he finally got on the bull only to be thrown off.  Even to this day, he suffers from being bucked off, wallows in what could have been, and blames God for his defeat.  Instead of cowboy-ing up to ride that bull again, he has given up.

Far too many believers have allowed this to happen.  Far too many have forsaken the purpose God has given to them, allowing defeat to define them instead of getting back up on that bull.  I recall the words of Jesus in John 16:33, "In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."  

Moses had a bull named “Speech Problem,” yet with God’s help he rode it.  David had a bull named “Goliath,” but he too was ridden.  Jesus even had a bull named “Death and Hades,” and it too was defeated.  Yet too many bulls have won because the cowboys have given up.  Solomon is an example of such.  He started riding that bull with the trophy in sight only to loosen his grip and be bucked off.  The bull "Woman" won in his case.  And the tag-team riders Adam and Eve were doing well until the bull "Serpent" reared his ugly head and the two landed in the dust.  But before you and I become another statistic of those who give up we must determine in our spirits to cowboy up.

I pray that you see the bull as a challenge to defeat and not run from.  I pray that you see the mission God has for you as an adventure, as something you cannot do alone.  Know that there will be times when the bull will buck you off, and why not?  The enemy doesn’t want you to hold that trophy up high as the winner.  But with God you can do all things for you are more than a conqueror.  Are you afraid to ride?  Then cowboy up!  Have you been knocked off the bull?  Then cowboy up!  Have you been stepped on by the bull?  Then cowboy up!  This is the time when we get on that bull and ride for our eight seconds.  This is the time to cowboy up! (and that ain’t no bull).

Yeehaw! Ride ‘em Cowboy!

STRONGHOLDS and STRONGMEN

My heart is troubled as I consider the sad revelation of so many people who get freed only to return to slavery.  Jesus speaks of this in John 8:30-38.  It is here that Jesus tells us that 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?  Let us direct our attention 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, depicted in the movie Braveheart.  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 chant 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 my declaration of freedom to be one of freedom from the sin that had 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.

But let us go one step further.  Looking again at Galatians 5:1, and our stance against the enemy, once we have been set free from the slavery we were in, we are urged not to return.  Now I want to continue this thought with a look at the strong man as named by Jesus in Matthew 12:29.  To understand this teaching of Jesus, let us begin in Matthew 12:22.  It is in this portion of scripture that people brought to Jesus a man controlled by demons who was blind and mute.  The Bible records that Jesus healed him and the man was able to both see and speak.  While some onlookers were amazed and asked, “Could this be the Son of God?,” others said, “This man only drives out demons because he is the ruler of the demons, Beelzebub.”  To these ideas Jesus responded, “If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself, and every house divided against itself will be ruined.  Furthermore, if I drive out demons in the name of Beelzebub, whose name do you drive them out in?  But if I drive them out by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.  ‘Or again, how can someone break into a strong man’s house and make off with his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? After that he can ransack his house.’”

In looking at this passage I believe we see a few key points.  First, in this passage Jesus is explaining that in order to overturn the works and activity of the enemy, we must bind him.  We must go into battle with the name, the blood, and in the power of Jesus and His Word, and neutralize the enemy’s works, dealing directly with the source and binding up the foe so that his hands are rendered useless. It is only in doing this that we will be able to take back what was stolen and halt further negative actions.  Second, we must realize the power of the enemy.  I say this not as a factor to cause fear, but as a reminder to the weapons of warfare we have been given in Ephesians 6.  This enemy inflicting God’s people is strong, and he is titled the “strong man”, but we must not forget that our God is stronger and our God has given us the shoes, the belt, the breastplate, the helmet, the sword, the shield, and the spear with which to battle against him.  And third, I believe it is important to point out that a ‘stronghold’ is not only defined as demon possession, but as any strong influence or grip on a person.  In our passage the man was titled as a “demon possessed man who was blind and mute.”  The blindness and muteness of the man was his stronghold.  Other strongholds could be addictions, oppression, obsessions, or hindrances and these too must be bound up.

There is still one more factor I want us to look at in relation to our freedom from strongholds, but before we go on, I set before you a challenge.  We have looked ever so briefly at the stance we are to make after freedom, and we have looked at Jesus’ words concerning binding the strong man.  So my challenge to you is to consider what strong man is inflicting damage on you.  What addition, oppression, obsession, hindrance, ailment, or harassment is keeping you enslaved?  That is your stronghold, and that needs to be bound.  Do not let it continue to keep you as the slave or victim.  In the mighty name of Jesus, and in whose blood you have been washed, bind the enemy!  It is for freedom that Christ has come to set you free.

To wrap up this detail of the strongman and our stance against him, I feel we need also to consider the words of Matthew 12:43-44.  It is in this section of scripture that Jesus notes a very valid point in relation to spiritual warfare.  “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.  Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’  When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.”  Quickly defined, once a spirit is cast from a person, the spirit begins to find a new place or person to inhabit.  If it cannot find one, it decides to return to its previous victim only to find the place swept clean.  The spirit then makes a decision to go and retrieve seven spirits more wicked than itself and bring the whole gang to live in this victim.  In the end, the condition of the man is worse than when he started.  It sounds hopeless, yes?  It sounds as though we will never know freedom.  But wait, it gets better and there is hope.  I pray I do well to explain this to you as I have been learning this myself.

It is no secret to any of you who follow my writings that for many years I was bound in my own personal addictions.  I too was bound by a stronghold.  Many times, starting at the age of twelve, I would go up for prayer to be delivered from this strong man’s grip.  Yet it seemed that with each prayer the deliverance only lasted three days at most.  It wasn’t that the prayers weren’t working, but rather that I was the problem.  In some instances I did not really want it to go while in other instances I didn’t have the strength to say no to its temptations.  What I realize now is that God did bring deliverance with each prayer, but I was subject to the warning Jesus gave concerning the return of the spirit and his friends.  This in part had to do with my stance, but also in the term “swept clean”.

First allow me to point out that a spirit cannot enter a person’s body without legal right.  A spirit gains legal right based on the doors we open.  Obvious doors are occult activity, witchcraft, and the like, but doors can also be opened because of thievery, pornography, anger, lies, and the like.  Any action that is disobedient to the Word of God becomes an open door that the enemy can come in through.  In opening the door even a crack we allow the access of the enemy.  If the enemy is not cast out, as it will not voluntarily give up its position, it will stay for the long haul.  However, when the enemy is cast out, the once victim now free man has a clean house.

It is important to point out next that this spirit will return as Jesus said.  The spirit remembers its past home and decides to return.  But what will it see?  If the spirit finds the home empty, then he apparently has the legal right to return back to that person.  Now I know what you are thinking because for so long this was my thought also.  Isn’t empty good?  Yes and no.  Empty in the sense of no evil spirits, yes.  Empty in the sense of not embracing of the Spirit of God also, no.  If the evil spirit sees it was kicked out but that the place has not been re-inhabited with the Spirit of God, then he will work hard to return.  This then shows us the importance of filling the empty places of our life with God’s Spirit, knowledge, presence, and grace, allowing ourselves to grow and mature in Him.  It is when we fail to do this, and the single enemy spirit returns to see no change, that he calls for his seven buddy spirits which all then take their legal position in the believer, making the end worse than the start.

In many ways it is like a circle.  A person is freed, the strong man bound and defeated.  However, without us taking our stance against the enemy and filling this empty voided area with growth in God, we become subject to another, more forceful attack.  Furthermore, the doors we open, whether on purpose or not, give the enemy legal right to infesting us.  As such, we need to walk carefully.  I will admit that growing up, my parents seemed to have so many rules about what we could and could not do that I felt I was unable to have much fun.  There were rules concerning the music we listened to, shows we watched, and peoples’ houses we went over to.  But now as a parent myself, and as one who is not wanting to let the enemy in, I find myself being the same way with my children.  I do not want to give the enemy grounds to come in.  I was bound for way too many years to let anyone go on without this warning.  So in closing of this topic, I urge you once more to name the stronghold in your life, bind it in Jesus' name, and receive your freedom.  Remember this next portion too, though, that we need to fix our stance and find a growth toward maturity in Christ so that when the spirit returns, and it will return, that it does not find an empty place but rather a place inhabited by God’s Spirit.

WHAT'S YOUR APPLE?

As cunning as the devil is, it is obvious what he desires.  He desires our destruction.  Jesus told us this by exposing the enemy’s plan in John 10:10.  “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”  Yet while the end result is known, the way in which he carries out his mission is different for each person.  Whereas for me the apple used was an addiction, for another person it may be money, pride, or idleness.

Look at some of the apples he managed to use throughout the Bible.  In Genesis 3:4-5, we find the enemy in his serpent form tickling the ear of Eve.  “’You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman, ‘For God knows that when you eat of [the fruit] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”  In this case he used the apple of vanity, and with it came the entrance of sin and physical death.  It is in Judges 16:4, we find the enemy using lust as an apple.  Here, as ever so constantly, Delilah was used to obtain from Samson the secret of his strength.  In the end, Samson would break and be taken as a slave of the Philistines.  And in Acts 5:1-11, the enemy uses greed as the apple.  In this account we find the full promised amount not given, and both Ananias and Sapphira finding physical death as a result.

On and on, example after example, the Bible is full of accounts where the apple caused the doom.  I wonder if that is where the Brothers Grimm took the idea of the apple in their classic tale of Snow White.  All it took was one bite from the poisoned apple and the princess would be done for.  How fitting then, that the devil works to do the same with us.  He presents the apple to us, dangling before us in all its hidden yet wicked glory, and encourages us to take just one bite.

So what is your apple?  What is it that the enemy has as his go to in order to bring your destruction?  I have learned, albeit the hard way, what my apple is.  I have come to realize that as long as I live for Christ the enemy will continue to come after me with his apples in hopes that I will take a bite.  His apple may promise to be fun, to meet our needs, and to satisfy our souls, but in the end it will only lead to a spiritual and perhaps physical death.  So then, it is imperative that we deny his apple and instead eat of the Word of God.

NO HEART, WHOLE HEART, HALF HEART, YOUR HEART

Saul, David, Solomon. These were the first three kings to rule over the nation of Israel in the time when the kingdom was still united. But while their title as king was a commonality, their hearts were very distinct. The Bible points out that one of these men had no heart for God or His ways. It is stated that another of these men had a heart that was fully given over to God. And the last king, as smart as he was, still only managed to give half his heart to God. Let’s attempt to do some heart surgery for a moment.

First to be king over the nation of Israel was King Saul. The Bible records Saul as one without equal, a head taller than the others of his tribe. Under the direction of God, Samuel anointed Saul as king when the people cried out for one as opposed to a judge, despite the warnings that also came. But Saul’s heart was far from God. On two specific events Saul was rebuked by Samuel for his behavior against God’s ways. The first occurrence is in 1 Samuel 13 where we read of a battle between the Philistines and Israel. Saul was in Gilgal waiting on Samuel as instructed. After seven days, Samuel had still not shown up. Saul then decided to take matters into his own hands and complete the burnt and fellowship offerings, a task only done by the priest. As he finished, Samuel came to the meeting place. Samuel was angry with Saul’s actions and spoke to him that his actions were foolish. If Saul had obeyed God, God would have established Saul’s kingdom in history. But instead, God would look for one who would obey with a whole heart.

But God gave Saul a second chance in 1 Samuel 15. We see again, though, that Saul refused to fully obey the command of God. Here Saul marched against the Amalekites. The command was to kill everything, from people to animals. Nothing was to survive. Saul’s army went out and fought, but in the end they held back the Amalekite king and some of the animals. When Samuel arrived on the scene and saw the king and heard the sheep, he questioned why Saul had not obeyed. Saul’s response was to blame the soldiers, but Samuel quickly pointed out Saul’s lack of obedience. As a result, God was now rejecting Saul as king.

Saul continued in the role of king, but God found a man whose heart was completely for Him to take the king’s place. His eyes landed on David. In the very next chapter, 1 Samuel 16, Samuel anointed David as the future king of Israel. It is soon after that David also defeats Goliath, which opens the door of jealousy in Saul over David. Vexed with an evil spirit and suffering from jealousy, Saul begins a bi-polar fit to end David’s life, rule a nation, and conquer his enemies, all with no heart for God.

David, the man after God’s own heart, was made the people’s king with the passing of Saul. One of David’s first acts as king would be to bring the Ark back to Jerusalem, as it had been with the Philistines for some time. As the Ark was coming into the city, David was dancing before the LORD. What embarrassed his wife was not his dancing, but rather what he was dancing in – his underclothes. When she confronted him about his clothing he told her that he was dancing before the LORD, not people, and he would get more undignified than he was if need be. His concern was not of how others viewed him, but rather how God viewed him.

One of the most famous stories concerning David is found in 2 Samuel 11, where David is out walking one evening and lays eyes on Bathsheba. Not only did he see her, but he liked her and ordered her to spend the night. She became pregnant with a child, and David found himself in trouble. Bathsheba was married to another man, Uriah, and David panicked that since Uriah was out serving in his army, the truth would be found out. David decided in the end to have Uriah killed in battle to hide his sin. But his sin wasn’t hidden from God. Instead God exposed it through the prophet Nathan, and Bathsheba lost the child. It was here, where his sin became known, that Psalm 51 was written, a psalm of confession and repentance from a king who still strived to serve God with a whole heart.

David would pass eventually, and the kingdom would be given over to his son, Solomon. Solomon started well, for when given the option from God of what he desired, his response was wisdom. In his early years he served God well, but in time his heart was swayed. Solomon is an example to us all that no man can serve two masters. He could not serve both God and his thirst for women without one or the other being compromised. In the end, Solomon’s choice was women, having 700 wives and 300 concubines. It is for this reason that Solomon is known for having only a half heart towards God.

But this brings us to look at ourselves. How is your heart? I am not asking you how others view your heart, but rather asking you specifically to look at your own heart. Do you have no heart for God? Is God simply pain in your backside, a prelude to a curse word, or a person that you blame when life takes a bad turn? Or is God the only one you desire, the only one you want to please, and the one you give your all too? Perhaps you are on the fence, wanting to give God some of your heart, but not the whole thing. You want to give Him enough to keep you from hell, but not the whole. After all, how will you have any fun if you don’t have some control of your heart, right? Consider this, Jesus gave His WHOLE heart for you, not none and not half. For Saul, David, and Solomon, their choices have been made and their heart conditions told, but what will be said about your heart?

AN INSIDE LOOK

In light of my new book, CRAVING, I wanted to provide a small sample of what you can expect, while still leaving you with a challenge to think on over the weekend.

Psalm 34:8 - Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

"Being a bit of a bookworm and also a fan of research, I often find myself digging in Scripture for what the Bible really says. When I read the Bible, I normally read it with the intention of looking up words in the Hebrew or Greek in order to get a solid understanding of that word. With this in mind, I decided to look more in depth at the Hebrew words here in Psalm 34:8, the words ‘taste’ and ‘see’.

Taste – TA’AM – to taste, eat, perceive

See – RA’AH – to see, look at, inspect, consider

In looking at just these first two words it becomes clear that David is encouraging us to both eat of the Lord and inspect the Lord. Why? Because as the phrase continues, he wants us to perceive just how good, how pleasant, how excellent (TOWB in the Hebrew) the Lord really is.

When I decided to go to college I chose a school in Oklahoma. I wasn’t trying to get away from my family who lived 2600 miles away in California, it just so happened that this school was where I felt God calling me to attend. But beings that my family was not abundant in finances, I was not able to inspect and explore the campus in person beforehand. Instead, the knowledge I had of the school was based on what I read in pamphlets, heard from current and past students, and saw on the school’s daily prayer show.

When I finally arrived at the school, there was so much more to be experienced. The buildings were bigger than I had pictured in my mind. The campus itself was bigger. The student life was abundant with clubs and organizations I had not even fathomed. And as I walked the sidewalks between the classes, dorms, cafeteria, chapel, and library, I began to take in for myself the fullness of this place. I began to see then how both my imagination and the reports of others failed in comparison. In this case, what I saw was becoming my knowledge of the school instead of the knowledge of someone else.

I can attest this same concept in some ways to the birth of my children. While my children were both in the womb, I did not know them fully. I knew I was having a child, but with both we did not know the gender till the actual delivery. With both there was that feeling of excitement in the air. But the details were not known. Would the baby be a boy or girl? Would the baby have brown hair, blonde hair, or no hair? Would the child be colic, or would the child be one to rarely fuss? As long as the child was in the womb, these questions could not be answered. I could only wonder. However, once the birth happened I was then able to begin to know the child for myself. And this is what God is wanting of us – to know Him for ourselves.

I am reminded of Moses also. Moses became the channel of communication between God and the people. But this was never supposed to have been. In Exodus 20:18-19 we read, When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.’ God wanted a relationship with His people, to talk directly with them, but they refused a relationship with Him. Instead, their whole experience in the desert was based on Moses’ relationship with God as opposed to their own personal relationship. While they may have been hungry and thirsty to get out of Egypt, they did not appear to be hungry and thirsty enough to seek God for themselves."

Thank you for allowing me to share this portion with you, but as I said in the beginning, I want to leave you also with a challenge for the weekend. First I would question of you, how hungry and thirsty for God are you? Have you tasted and seen for yourself how good God is? Do you find yourself craving God and all He has? Or are you, like the Hebrews, hungry and thirsty only to leave your situation but not to have a relationship with God? Take some time to think about it this weekend.

If you would like a free ebook copy of CRAVING in exchange for your written review of the book, please email me at: danonthevanguard@yahoo.com

PRESENT AGAIN

Hello...

It has been a while, I know. You may be wondering where I went and what I have been doing. The answer is a little bit of everything. I have been busy with second jobs, school, writing books, raising kids. Don't worry, I'll will touch a little on it all.

My last post shows February 2016. I had returned from England in January and soon after dove into my schooling so that I could finish my Master's program. I am happy to say that in July of 2017 I finished my Master's degree in Business - Human Dynamics. However, as if school was not taking up enough of my time, I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to finish the book I had started in 2009. So in October of 2016 I self-published my baby, ON THE VANGUARD. (If you are looking for a good read that mixes war history, the Bible, and real life together, then I would suggest this book.) It wasn't soon after I completed my Master's, though, and life threw a little curve ball. As such, I had to go out and do the 2nd job thing. Since October 2017 I have worked as a dessert caterer, worked at Fed Ex loading trucks, and begun driving for Lyft. About 4 nights per week I find myself driving for Lyft, and while some may not think this is the job for them, I absolutely LOVE it.

In March 2018 I had this pull to return to school again, in addition to the 2nd job. I am currently working on my PhD in Theology with an expected graduation of Sept 2019. Why go back? Well I feel a pull to open a Bible School. In working with a friend from India, God has spoken to us both to team up together and open Warriors of God Global Bible Institute. It is still in its early stages, but you are free to check it out here and even enroll in the 3 classes we currently have up and running.

Capping off my disappearance, I actually just released my 2nd book, also in June 2018, titled CRAVING. This book is the first in a 6 part series of Bible Studies I felt God orchestrate.

So as you can see, I have been busy, but I have also returned. Writing and teaching remain my passion, so I plan to be around again for a while. This time around, however, I want to engage the audience more, highlight the writings of my friends more, and make new friends also. So I am calling out to all the writers, bloggers, and poets; to all those who have God's word in your heart and a pen in your hand...I would love to read and highlight what God has given you. Please feel free to send me a chapter, book, post, etc and let's help each other out as we move toward the goal of where God is leading.