Courage of Your Faith

 Joshua 1:9

Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

The enemy is camped all around us. Satan is using people given to their lust and selfish desires to fight against those who have the courage to stand up for truth and the gospel of Jesus Christ. For too long, those who mock God and deny that Jesus is the truth and the way have controlled the culture of this world. Evil is called good and good is called evil. They have rejected the word of God, and have refused to acknowledge that He is Lord. They have become reprobates and haters of God, being deluded by their corruption that they believe their own lie. In the face of this type of opposition, God says to be of good courage and don’t back down from their accusation. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Charlie Kirk was a man who demonstrated courage for his faith and for the word of God. That is what he desired to be known for, his courage to defend and persuade others to give their lives over to Christ. To believe that Jesus could bring them out of their sins. Much has been said since his assassination on September 10th and his courage has been passed on to thousands of believers. Don’t be afraid of what the enemy can do to you. Like Paul, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Today is the time to let our voices be heard, the cry of the Lion of Judah, and roar it across our land. Jesus is Lord and is the answer to our world’s sinful condition. Be courageous and fearless in this present world. God has promised to be with us.

The Good Fight

 2 Tim 4:7
​​I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

I have never been to a boxing match, but I have seen videos of boxers in the ring. It is a brutal sport, and I'm not sure why anyone would enjoy it or want to engage in it. At the end of the fight, the referee will raise the winner's arm in the air, proclaiming them to be the winner, the champ. They fought a good fight and came out on top. As Christians, we fight an unseen enemy. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph 6:12) We fight to keep the faith, we fight for the salvation of loved ones, we fight for truth and for what is right. Sometimes, the fight comes with a high price, even unto death. Paul’s departure was at hand, his life was coming to an end. Each one of us is on a course, a path to heaven. The "good fight" may not be the same for everyone. The journey we take is personal, and we all fight our own battles and spiritual wickedness in high places. Whatever the obstacle that is put before us, we need to believe in God to give us the strength and power to overcome and fight to keep the faith. The end is near. We don’t know when our course will be finished, or when the Lord will return, but we must keep our eyes on Jesus, fight to keep the faith. At the finish line, we can raise our hand in triumph, and say, “It was a good fight.”

Divine Love

 1 Corinth 13:13
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

On this man-made holiday, love is celebrated throughout many countries of the world, where cards and acts of endearment are exchanged. Many use this day to have a romantic dinner, or do something special together. The Bible refers to this kind of love as “eros”. A love expressed between two people who have feelings for each other. Many capitalize on this day to raise their revenue and add to their profit margin. There is nothing wrong with this, but it is wise to realize that one does not have to spend a lot of money, or none at all, to express one's love and appreciation for each other. 
The love mentioned in this passage is love that comes from God, and is put into the heart of man. It is the kind of love that allows someone to love their enemies. To do good to those who mean us harm. It goes beyond feelings and begins with a heart that loves God because He first loved us. This love is unexplainable and, from a human viewpoint, it makes no sense. This is the love that is mentioned in John 3:16, “That God so loved the world…” This is the love that Paul writes about when he says that even if you give everything you own to the poor, if done for selfish reasons, it is all done in vain. 
How does one obtain this love? Such love is provided when we allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse our heart from the carnal nature of sin.  Allow Him to purify our heart from carnal selfish desires. The Hebrew word for this love is called "Agape". It is the divine love that Charles Wesley writes “Breathe, O Breathe Thy loving Spirit into every troubled breast! Let us all in Thee inherit, let us find the promise rest. Take away our love for sinning, Alpha and Omega be; end of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.”
As we share our “Eros” love with those close to us on this day, may we not forget the “Agape” love that God has given us. Let our hearts be filled with His divine love and share it with a world in need of real love. 

Reward Evil With Good

 Prov 25:21,22

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,  and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

It should be the goal of every Christian to befriend everyone that they meet. It is not our goal to make enemies, but it is inevitable that there will be people who will consider you their enemy. Their heart is darkened with sin and the carnal nature is an enemy of God. “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4) Taking a stand against the sin of this present day is not a popular position. You will have enemies that will make you out to be evil and incentive. The action we take as Christian is critical to the work of the Kingdom of Christ. The teaching of Christ makes it clear that we are not to retaliate with animosity and hatred, yet we are not to compromise the teaching of God’s Word. The principle of “Turn the other cheek” is demonstrated in the words of Solomon. Return evil with good, do good to all men regardless how they may treat you. Let your life reflect Christ in such a way that their hearts are convicted with guilt of their deeds and believe God that they will come to know the truth and repent of their wicked ways. God rewards the faithful who not only are faithful to keep God’s word, but to demonstrate the love of God to a world who is blinded by the darkness of our day, and needs Jesus. Let us return evil with good.

The Lord is on My Side

 Psalm 118:5,6
I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
God is on the side of those who will trust in Him. When we find ourselves up against insurmountable odds, we can take comfort in knowing that God is with us. When David faced Goliath, David came in the name of the Lord, his confidence was secured in knowing that the God he served was with Him. The Lord was with David when he flung the stone. God directed the stone to the head of Goliath, destroying the enemy that dared to come against the God of Israel. The spiritual application we can gather from David’s determination is to trust God that He is in control of the things that happen in our lives, we don’t have to fret or fear our circumstances. The enemy of our soul is out to destroy us and cause us to doubt God’s love and care. He is the one that we fight against. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph 6;12) Satan will often work through others, but our real enemy is the devil. We cannot stand up against Satan on our own power. We need to call upon the Lord, and He will come to our side and deliver us from our enemy.

To Be Perfect

 Matt. 5:48
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Is this even possible? 

The words of Jesus to be perfect must be a mistake. A misinterpretation of translation of the manuscript. How can man with all of his imperfection be told to be perfect? What message was Jesus trying to convey to His followers? I don’t believe that Jesus was speaking of doing everything perfect and without error. Man is not all knowing as God is, he only sees things from one perspective, God sees and knows the hearts of men. So, the command to be perfect must have some other meaning. The messages given on this mount by Jesus were matters of the heart. The essences of man’s soul, the motives of man’s heart. A follower of Christ will seek to love not only His friends, but also his enemies. To be perfect like the Father is to have a heart that loves all people regardless of their actions. A heart that harbors hate is imperfect and does not reflect the image of Christ. The scripture can be read in this way, “Be ye therefore a lover of people, even as your Father which is in heaven loves people.” This is only made possible if one is in Christ and the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to love without reservations.

Our Shield

Psalm 3:3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

David was faced with a lot of opposition, people that desire to do him wrong. He looked to God to put a shield around him and protect him from his enemies. Our enemy is the devil who walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He plants seeds of doubt in the children of God. If God really cared about you, this tragedy would not have happen? If God really loved you, He would have made better provision for you? The darts of the enemy fly from all directions accusing us of having little faith. We walk away with our heads down in defeat doubting God and everyone around us. Like David, our only hope is to put our trust in God and believe in the face of it all. He His our shield, He will come through with grace. He will cause us to lift our head heavenward and trust that He does all thing good and for His glory.

Open Our Eyes

2 Kings 6:16 Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them…And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man.

The odds don’t appear to look good. It appears that the enemy of our soul is getting the best of us. We take one step forward and two steps back. At every turn in the road, we face another set back. We find ourselves surrounded by unfortunate events. The enemy surrounds us with discouragement, disappointment, and desires to destroy our faith and trust in God. What appears is not always what it seems. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Behind the scene of this temporal world, God is working on our behalf. We but need to open our eyes and see what God is doing. He is the God of impossibilities and has us surrounded by “horses and chariots of fire”. We need not fear for tomorrow or our current blight. The Lord of host is with us. He will fight the battle for us. At the right time, He will show himself in our behalf. May God open our eyes and see that God is for us. Seize the day, for God is in control.

In The Face of My Enemies

Ps. 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: 

After experience being in an accident yesterday, I reflected on what happen and my response to the situation. The other drive who was at fault was extremely mad calling me all manner of names. I tried to tell him it was not my fault, and was sorry that the accident happen. But, at that point I was his enemy. I walked away praying that God would give me peace of mind and to prepare my heart not react unkindly. In the presence of my “enemy” I asked the Lord to take control. Frustration and stress was inevitable, but tho I walk this life not understanding all that happens, I can rest assure that He can walk with me. He prepared my table, and I was able to eat and drink from His bountiful grace

Under His Wings

Psalm 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

The protection of God to them that love Him is shown to us in scripture by the way a mother bird protects their young. Shelter from the storms that come, and safe from predators, the mother bird wraps her wing around her own. The devil is out seeking to destroy God’s children in any way he can. God’s children, whether they be adopted in the family or His by creation, the devil desires to keep them from putting their trust in God. God does not play favorites, but to those who draw near to Him, seeking His wing, He draws them in. Under His wings we can know that we our safe, and no harm will come to them that put their trust in God. As a born again child of God, we can be assured that in Christ we our shielded and protected from becoming prey to the enemy of our soul. May we always abide under the feathers of His wings.  

The Whole Armor of God

Eph. 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

The devil is out like a roaring lion walking about seeking whom he may devour. Both Paul and Peter realized that there is an enemy out there who wants to destroy everything that is good and righteous. Satan hates Gods and everything that is holy. Satan despises  anyone who will stand for truth and do what is right regardless of the circumstances. Peter tells us to be vigilant, on our toes, be alert that we not be taken unaware. Paul admonition us to be ready to fight and defend what we believe to be true. Put on the armor of God. Have faith that God is able to deliver, protect our minds again false doctrine, gird ourselves with living lives that our unspotted by the world, and stand up for truth when Satan and those who follow him seek to twist what God says. And above all, take the Word and use it not only to defend but to defeat the enemy. We live in world where the prince of the air rules in the minds of all who rejected God’s truth. He uses whatever means he can to destroy the kingdom of God. Let us stand strong in the face of our adversary, not in our own strength, but by putting on the whole armor of God.

Be Sober, Be Vigilant

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

There’s a part we play in keeping our hearts right before God. As Christians and followers of Christ, we have a responsibility to make every effort to be vigilant and aware of the enemies attack. We don’t want to carelessly walk into one of Satan’s traps due to our failure of letting our guard down. The defeat of the enemy can only be accomplished by God’s might and power.  He is our sword and shield and very help in time of trouble. But failure and defeat often comes when we allow our will to deviate from what God wants us to do. Being sober is to be aware of the temptations around us and to flee the very appearance of evil. It is the grace of God that is able to strengthen us in time of need, when our will power to do what is right is being attacked, we need to lean on Him for help. It is only the grace of God that we our able to be established and settled, but He must have our willingness to be sober and vigilant.