Jeremiah 2:31a – “O generation, see the word of the LORD!”  NKJV

In picking up the thought of Seeing the Word of God and our being Called Out, the question comes to mind, “Called out to do what?”   Are we called to “be holy”?  Absolutely.  Are we called out to “go to heaven”?  We will, but that is not why you were saved that is a benefit of salvation.  You were saved for a divine purpose and have a divine destiny here on this planet. God has a Plan!  One of the greatest needs of this hour is for individuals and churches to know God’s Plan and understand Our Purpose. 

I am totally convinced God has a Plan and Purpose for here and now for each of us.  He has called us out to prepare and equip us.  He has given us the full armor of God which, in a real sense, is Jesus.  It is the time that the Body of Christ take up our weapons and launch into the battle.

If your mentality is “Escapism” or “Apostate” you will be fearful and may find yourself just trying to “hold on” and “hold out” unto the end.  That is a wrong mentality and I have good news the Gates of Hell cannot stop you armed with Jesus or armed in Jesus!  We are not those who are to be on the defensive.  We are not to simply “hold the fort” we are to GO YE, THEREFORE!  I am praying for the Church to develop an Offensive Mentality.  NO, not be offensive but go on offense.  Jesus is coming back for His Bride, and she is not an undeveloped little girl or an emaciated old woman, she is a radiant bride full of life and vigor.  The Bride He is returning for is Glorious!

Isaiah 42:4 gives something interesting, “God has called the generations from the beginning…”  The Generations!  I believe that God has designed things so that in each generation He would move and execute His plan unique to that generation always moving toward the Ultimate Goal.  Tragically too many churches and believers are simply trying to “wait it out” until Jesus comes rather than “becoming” and “being” what He has declared us to be.  We have a unique place in history for I believe this is the generation that will usher in the greatest move of God mankind has ever witnessed and we will see the Restored Church rise up and reap the harvest of the End Times.

There are several things that are worthy of note.  Psalm 33:11 declares, “The thoughts of His heart are extended to all generations.”  In Psalm 45:17 we read, “I will make They Name to be remembered in all generations.”  Psalm 100:5 reminds us, “His truth endures to all generations.”  Psalm 145:13, “Your dominion endures to all generations.”  Psalm 119:90 declares, “Your faithfulness continues through all generations.” 

In Acts 13:36the writer declares, “David served God’s purpose in His own generation…”  Isaiah 58 speaks of the foundations of many generations.  In Psalm 17:18 we have a powerful prayer, “Oh God, forsake me not until I have shown Thy strength unto this generation and Thy power to everyone that is to come.”   At some point in human history, God will raise up a people that will demonstrate God’s power and love to Everyone that will Come!  Always keep it in the forefront of your minds that we are, as Peter declared, “…a Chosen Generation…”  (1 Peter 2:9).  That is Us! 

If we understand that a generation is a “single step in the line of descent from an ancestor”.  We have a destiny that God has purposed for each of us.  Many, like me, have had a sense of destiny all their lives and that sense of destiny keeps me moving forward. The devil has tried numerous times to stop me. 

As a child I was sickly and the doctors did not think I would live to adulthood, but I did.  There were times in my youth that I had brushes with death but didn’t die.  In Vietnam, on several occasions, I can pinpoint specific times when God did something miraculous to keep me out of harm’s way.  As an adult, I have had the sentence of death on me, and God healed or delivered me. 

If we realize our Purpose and embrace our Destiny, we must become people of prayer and out of that relationship I believe will become people of power.  In that state, we will become voices that can be called nothing less than prophetic as we speak His truth and light to the world.  That will make us Radical Christians and we will learn to be the Glorious Church Jesus came to build exercising dominion and power over the powers of darkness.

So, believers allow the Holy Spirit to birth in your hearts a sense of destiny and purpose and allow the visions of God birthed in your heart to become the outworking of your life.  

God bless you as you embark on your new journey in Christ!

Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  NKJV

I had a minister tell me that he believed in God and was a follower of Jesus but could not accept the account of Genesis 1:1 as the explanation of the universe’s existence.  I cannot fathom how one can discount the Beginning and hope to attain the End spoken of in Scripture.  The Bible declares and I believe that GOD Created everything.  If I disbelieve the first declaration of the Bible, how can I believe the remaining proclamations?  If I lose faith at the outset, at what point will my faith be solidified and grounded?

Creationism is not an inconsequential topic in the Word of God. It is found in numerous passages, stated in varying ways but the clear message is GOD is the Creator of all that is.  That requires faith to believe but so do the theories of evolution and its variations.  In the Book of Genesis, we find that God not only created the heavens and the earth but all that lives on the earth including man.  I suggest that you read (Psalm 90:2; 95:5; Isaiah 42:5; 45:18; John 1:1-3; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16).  In this world there is design, and any rational mind will recognize that design implies a designer.

Most credit Charles Darwin with originating the thought or theory of evolution, but if you examine the historical record, you will realize that this thought existed long before Darwin’s work in 1859, “The Origin of the Species.”  Some of the proponents of theories contrary to the Genesis account were:

• Anaximander (610-546 BC) introduced the theory of “spontaneous generation.”
• Diogenes (412-323 BC) advanced the idea of primordial slime.
• Empedocles (495-455 BC) introduced the theory of survival of the fittest and natural selection.
• Democritus (460-370 BC) taught the mutability and adaptation of the species.
• Lucretius (99-55 BC) believed that all life sprang from mother earth rather than a specific deity.

After the birth of Christ, others advanced the theories to which Charles Darwin ascribed including Bruno, Leibnitz, and Buffon who taught that man ascended from the apes.  Then you have Swedenborg’s nebular hypothesis which was an early “big bang” theory and Kant.  Man has long sought to discount and remove God from the equation.  Much of that stemmed from a desire to remove the moral code of the Bible as a guide for life but some of it was simply disillusionment and scientific error.

The Founding Fathers were well acquainted with the various theories long before Darwin brought them together in his book where they gained incredible acceptance.  Our Founding Fathers spoke openly about God and Creation and that is evident in the Constitution as well as in their various writings on matters biblical. 

Thomas Paine, probably the most antireligious of the Founders addressed leaders in France in 1798 and denounced their educational system for teaching students that man was the result of prehistoric cosmic accidents and had developed from some other species. 

He said, “It has been the error of schools to teach astronomy and all the other sciences and subjects of natural philosophy as accomplishments only, whereas they should be taught theologically, or with reference to the Being who is the Author of them, for all the principles of science are of Divine origin.  Man cannot make, or invent, or contrive principles; he can only discover them; and he ought to look through the discoveries to the Author.  When we examine an extraordinary piece of machinery, an astonishing pile of architecture, a well-executed statue, or a highly finished painting…our ideas are naturally to think of the extensive genius and talent of the artist.  When we study the elements of geometry, we think of Euclid. When we speak of gravitation, we think of Newton.  How, then, is it that when we study the works of God in creation, we stop short and do not think of God?… The evil that has resulted from the error of the schools in teaching natural philosophy as an accomplishment only has been that of generating in the pupils a species of atheism.  Instead of looking through the works of creation to the Creator Himself, they stop short and employ the knowledge they acquire to create doubts of His existence… But infidelity, by ascribing every phenomenon to properties of matter, conceives a system for which it cannot account, and yet it pretends to demonstration.”  WOW!  What a statement!

Daniel Webster addressed the issue of God as the First Cause of all things and Thomas Jefferson eloquently declared, “The movements of the heavenly bodies, so exactly held in their course by the balance of centrifugal and centripetal forces; the structure of the earth itself with its distributions of lands, waters, and atmosphere; animal and vegetable bodies examined in all their minutest particles; insects – mere atoms of life – yet as perfectly organized as man or mammoth; the mineral substances, their generation and uses; it is impossible, I say, for the human mind not to believe that there is in all this design, cause, and effect upon an Ultimate Cause – a Fabricator of all things, from matter and motion – their Preserver and Regulator while permitted to exist in their present forms – and their Regenerator into new and other forms.”  

Many other of the Founders echoed the same beliefs in the Divine as Creator.  Ecclesiastes 1:9 informs us that there is nothing new under the sun, and that is absolutely true.  John Quincy Adams summed it up saying, “It is so obvious to every reasonable being that he did not make himself, and the world which he inhabits could as little make itself, that the moment we begin to exercise the power of reflection, it seems impossible to escape the conviction that there is a Creator.”  AMEN!

I believe the Bible account and through the study of science and the limitations God put on the interaction of species as well as the intricacies of the human body and much more, I cannot believe there is no God.  Rather, I BELIEVE IN GOD, and HE IS CREATOR!

God bless you as you embark on today’s journey!

Psalm 46:1-3 – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.”  NKJV

I would encourage you to read the entirety of Psalm 46.  Psalms 46, 47, and 48 were written at the same time by the same person.  After you read this Psalm, I suggest you go to 2 Kings 18-19.  In these two chapters, we have one of the great records of faith in the Bible.  It is in those passages we discover the “Ways of Faith” and I believe it so vital that we should examine the account with some detail.  It is quite possible we will discover some things about Faith we have never before seen.

In this account, we see one of the “Mad Dictators” of the Middle East of that era.  This type of ruler has always been a problem in that region and amazingly they always seem to originate by the River Euphrates and most move against Israel at some time or other.  That Despot is named Sennacherib, King of Assyria and he self-identified himself as, “The Great King, King of all the Earth.”  What a display of humility, right?  His goal was to take over and rule the entire Earth as he knows it.  He has already subdued the ten (10) Northern Tribes [Israel] which leaves only Judah to conquer.  Here, twenty years later he has returned and is on his way to Egypt and travels through Jerusalem where he encounters the King of Judah, Hezekiah.

Hezekiah is a “man of faith.”  He hears the terrible news that Sennacherib is coming with plans to obliterate everything and everyone in his path that resists.  Finally, Hezekiah says, Enough!  In a seeming olive branch, Sennacherib demands that Hezekiah must pay an exorbitant tax to him.  Sennacherib passes by and continues toward Egypt with Judah’s gold in his treasury. 

However, as he passes by, he realizes that passing by is a mistake for Hezekiah is not the kind of man to quietly go into hiding and submission, so he turns back.  He sends his choice generals to Jerusalem, and they gather outside the city walls.  Their presence draws a very large crowd of people.  Everyone is there, watching and waiting!  The Generals tell Hezekiah that Sennacherib has changed his mind and Judah must submit to an unconditional surrender.

This is an incredible conversation.  The generals say, “Hezekiah don’t give us this foolishness that you are going to trust in the Lord your God.  We know your history and you’re subject to saying something like that.  Well, let us give you a little history lesson about where the Great King of Assyria has been and then you will see the futility of your decision and actions.  Every city we came to said, ‘We will trust in our gods, but where are they today?  Their gods have been burned with fire and they are in captivity.  What good were their gods?  Hezekiah, Hezekiah, if your God says He will look after you, believe us, there is no God anywhere that can match the Great King of Assyria.  He is the GREAT KING OF ALL THE EARTH!”  

The people of Judah hear this and then the generals begin to speak in the common language that all could understand and say, “Don’t listen to Hezekiah.  Don’t listen to his plan that your God is going to work on your behalf.  Face reality!  Save your own hides!  Come out in surrender and we promise that you’ll have life in abundance with us!” 

The generals then wait for the expected answer.  Hezekiah goes back into the Temple of the Lord. He is distressed and distraught. There is a massive storm brewing just outside the gates and turmoil inside his own heart.  He is in a major crisis, and he begins to survey his situation.  He talks to himself and God saying, “It is obvious if we do not surrender, Sennacherib who is just down the road in the Sinai will return after he has defeated Egypt and will be furious.  At that point, it will be over for us.  This is the Apocalypse!”   This is an incredibly serious situation.  The beautiful dream of the world that Hezekiah seeking for the Israelites is over. This is pressure with a capital “P”. What is he to do? 

Then, he remembers the speech of the generals wasn’t about Hezekiah at all.  Virtually everything they said was about GOD.  They said, “Who do you think your God is?  He is no match for the Great King of Assyria.”  They have insulted and blasphemed God Himself.  But why doesn’t God do something?  Where is He?  Is He listening?  They have openly challenged God, His power, integrity, and authority.  They have cursed His name, so why doesn’t He do something?   This is serious and his faith is terribly shaken. 

Hezekiah’s response was to send a message to Isaiah the prophet, who was also a man of the court, possibly a Royal Prince himself.  He is the man of God of the court, so Hezekiah says, “Man of God, what do you say?”  Isaiah did not hesitate and spoke definitively, “This is what God says:  I will put a spirit in Sennacherib so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land.  Relax, he’s not coming here!”  Really? 

I can imagine the conflict in Hezekiah’s heart and mind, but Hezekiah is ready to grasp at any straw he can find, and he speaks to the generals advising them He Will Not Surrender!  They are totally caught off guard and shocked and when they inform Sennacherib, He is Furious!  He writes a letter to Hezekiah relating what the generals have said in 2 Kings 19:10-12. 

It is a simple letter in which he says, “Hezekiah, I’ve had enough of you!  I’m fed up with your stupid religious talk.  Your God cannot help you now.  You’ve had it, chum!”   The letter arrives and Hezekiah reads it and then took it into the Temple and spread it out on the table.  He assumes God can read the letter and then he prays…   It is in the prayer that we find the incredible power of faith.

Hopefully, I have whetted your appetite, and encourage you to study this account and see the faith of Hezekiah and the Power of God!

God bless you as you enjoy this day the Lord has made and be glad in it!

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  NKJV

1 Corinthians 13:13 – “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”  NKJV

Even a cursory reading of the New Testament reveals the emphasis Jesus placed on Love!  John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  35 By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.”   I would suggest that in truth all of the actions that we are enjoined to take toward “one another” are simply Love in Action!  Philippians 1:9, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in the knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.”

I am 100% convinced when there is a sufficient flow of Agape Love in a life and a church, divisiveness will shrink into nothingness because Love drives out darkness and disarms the devil, like nothing else.  Love brings to light that darkness cannot endure.  Love covers differences in nonessentials and enables “oneness” to become reality.  I, therefore, believe that one of if not the greatest needs of the church and the individual is Agape Love!

When it comes to relationships in churches or believers we would do well to remember and determine that We are Family!  We are “members of one another.”  That is a foreign concept to some but interesting, nonetheless.  I wonder how many would deliberately do damage or hurt another part of their own human body?  Would you deliberately cut off a toe because it bumped into the bedpost during the night?  Yet, we do that very thing in the Body of Christ.  Amazing, isn’t it?

One of the clear messages of the New Testament is that we are “members of one another.”  Every New Testament writer confirmed and echoed that truth, but the apostle Paul made it crystal clear by using the analogy of the Human Body in 1 Corinthians 12:14-26.  There is no way that even the most carnal and immature believer could miss Paul’s message.  He wraps up powerfully in 1 Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the Body of Christ, and each of you is a part of it.”  

I wonder if many or possibly most believers miss Paul’s emphasis here.  We have been told to search for and attempt to discover our spiritual gifts in order to function in the Body of Christ.  We have been told that because in these passages the apostle makes extensive reference to spiritual gifts.  However, if you examine the passage more closely you will find that idea nowhere in any exhortation that the individual Christian is to look for or try to discover their spiritual gift.  I suggest you cannot find that in the Bible.  But, before I lose you, if I have not already, let me address what I believe Paul is emphasizing.

• No Individual Christian can function effectively alone.

Question:  Have you ever gotten a speck of dust or something in your eye?  When you do the natural instinct is to take your finger and rub it, right?  It took more than the eye to resolve the problem.  That is the natural response but in the spiritual, we seem to think we can be islands needing no other member of the Body of Christ.  Wrong! 

• No Member of the Body of Christ should ever feel he is more or less important than any other member.

No individual believer has exclusive rights to God’s grace.  We are all equal at the foot of the Cross.  Romans 12:3, 5, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt with each one a measure of faith… 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”   Ephesians 4:2, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

• Christians should work hard at creating UNITY in the Body of Christ.

We cannot function effectively alone we need each other as the natural body needs all its members for the most efficient functionality.  None of us is more important or less important than anyone else in the Body of Christ even though some have a more prominent role or position.  We are to be clothed with humility, remembering that even the one who has the greatest responsibility is also to be the greatest servant.  Therefore, all of us should strive for Unity and Peace because We Love the LORD and We Love One Another!

Did you follow it?  The emphasis was not on the gifts but preserving the Bond of Peace and creating Unity in the Body of Christ.  The gifts will become visible as the need presents itself and we utilize them, but Peace and Unity are things we must work toward and seek diligently.  I truly believe that Agape Love is the one of, if not the most powerful weapon, the Body of Christ and individual has in combating the forces of hell. 

Agape Love is our ultimate weapon against darkness.  There is no difficulty that enough Agape Love will not conquer.  There is no wound that enough Agape Love will not heal.  There is no door that enough Agape Love will not open.  There is no division that enough Agape Love will not bridge.  There is no wall that enough Agape Love will not scale or pull down.  There is no sin that enough Agape Love will not cover and redeem.

So, make it your goal to Walk in Love at all times and in all things! 

God bless you as you go through this wonderful day in Him.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  NKJV

1 Corinthians 13:13 – “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”  NKJV

The most prolific word used for love in the New Testament is Agape which describes “love at its ultimate.”  However, there are three other Greek words for love and of the four only three are used in the New Testament. 

• ERAN (Eros) – A word that describes the passion and the impulses that go along with it.  It focuses on the physical and sensual and it might be surprising to note that this word is not used in the New Testament.  This can be sinful as in lust but is the natural type of love that occurs between a man and a woman within the confines of marriage.
• STERGEIN (Storgi)- I would venture to say that many have never heard of this type of love but it refers to “natural affection” and is used to describe the love of parents for children or children for parents.  It is found in the New Testament twice with the prefix “a”, denoting the lack of natural affection.  [Romans 1:31 and 2 Timothy 3:3]. 
• PHILEIN (Phileo) – The word means ‘fondness, affection, or liking.’  It is used to describe the love between friends and is NEVER used to describe the love we are to have for God.  It is used 45 times in the New Testament.  It is not a passionate love like that between a husband and wife.  When Jesus asked whether Peter loved Him was “agapao” but Peter, possibly being caught off guard said, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” [John 21:15].  The word Peter used was “phileo” or brother love.  At that point, Peter apparently didn’t get it. 
• AGAPAN (Agape) – This is ultimate love or love.  It is not based on emotion but a conscious decision to act for the welfare of the object of that love.  It is used 320 times in one form or another in the New Testament.  It is not human in origin and is received then given back and is always associated with the love of God.

Love, the song says, “Is a many splendored thing” and without it, there is always Disunity in lives, homes, and churches.  I believe that “love problem” or problem from the lack of love we identify as Disunity is one of the greatest threats to churches in today’s world.  Conversely, Unity is one of the most needed qualities any person, family, or church can have, and I am convinced that Unity can only be achieved through Love, but I am not talking about Eros. 

Paul tells his listeners in Ephesians 4:15-16, we are to “Speak the truth in love.”  He makes it clear that as that transpires, “they will, in all things, grow up into Him who is the head, Jesus.”  He identifies that in that relationship and condition, “the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes the growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”  If you dissect and digest that you will find enough meat to feast on for years and it will change your life.

Over and over the New Testament writers exhorted believers to engage in specific activities that would enable the Body of Christ to function effectively and grow spiritually.  Often, we find a unique word to describe this mutual and reciprocal process – Allelon, “one another”.  It is used 58 times in the New Testament including the Gospels and the apostle Paul uses it 40 times.  Although some of the concepts are repeated from letter to letter, but when all of the One Another exhortations are studied and grouped according to their specific meanings they can be reduced to approximately twelve significant actions that Christians are to take toward “one another” to help build the Body of Christ.

I do not have time to detail them in this devotional but will say that the greatest is Love!  Paul described this as a more excellent way in 1 Corinthians 12:31 and 13:13. The exhortation to “love one another” is found in his writings more than all the rest.  Of the 48 references what we are to do to “one another” as fellow believers 11times we are told to “love one another”.  If you incorporate Christ’s direct commands to “love one another” from John’s gospel the number climbs to sixteen.  It is without question; Love is the most important issue for the believer in the New Testament.  To love fellow believers is a basic injunction and is evidence of spiritual life and salvation.  Yet, amazingly believers are often deficient in exhibiting “love to one another” for one reason or another.

We will pause here and pick up next time in considering this matter.  God bless you richly as you walk in His light and love. 

Matthew 15:1-11 – “Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’  5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God” —   6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus, you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

8 “These people draw near to Me with their mouth And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'”

10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand:  11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”  NKJV

I have met and been around Christians who rigidly adhere to external restrictions as evidence of their faith and piousness.  They have their “do’s” and “don’ts” and religiously keep their list and demand that everyone else complies or be branded a heretic and apostate.  They compare themselves with others and so long as their ledger sheet has them keeping more of their religious requirements, they feel good about themselves and beat their chests saying, “Thank God I am not like them.”  The stench of that attitude surely ascends to heaven and most assuredly does in the minds and hearts of those who have not yet come to Christ in their communities.

David, in Psalm 39:1, declared, “I said, I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me.”  I was once a legalist and a very devout Pharisee early in my Christian walk.  I became that because of my misunderstanding of the message being taught by ministers and older Christians. 

As the LORD opened my eyes and taught me a fuller understanding of His truth, I rejected that mindset and embraced Grace in a way I had never truly known it.  I do not mean I began to wink at sin, but I understood the reality of our LORD’s word in verse eleven above.  It is tragic to have a list of rules, regulations, restrictions, prohibitions, and outward demonstrations and fail to “guard the tongue”.

James 3 addresses the power and danger of an unbridled tongue.  If we keep all the rules but allow our mouths to issue forth words that destroy, are filled with anger, and profane we fail spiritually.  We are allowing the hypocrisy of legalism to defile and that is truly a tragedy.  It is no wonder that the writer of Proverbs would declare in Chapter 18:21 that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”  No wonder much is said about the tongue in Scripture both in the Old and New Testaments.  It is said that the “eyes are the window to the soul.”  I would like to add that the “tongue is the window to the heart.”

Blessing and cursing cannot proceed out of the same fountain and when we fully grasp that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, we will seek the help of the Holy Spirit to guard our words and mend our minds so that we have the mind of Christ and every thought, word, and deed are brought into the obedience of the LORD.

God bless you as you embark on today’s journey.

Matthew 8:5-13 – “Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.”  NKJV

I have heard and preached many sermons preached on “faith.”  I have heard many definitions through the years, but seldom do I hear anyone address the aspect of the dimension of faith as is revealed in this passage.  In my view, it simplifies faith wonderfully and is often overlooked by the majority of Christ’s followers.  The story is not an uncommon one in the Life and Ministry of our LORD.  Here is a military commander with a sick person in his life who was dear to him.  He turned to Jesus for help in his time of need and desperation.

Sadly, too often we do not consult the LORD until it is desperation time.  In desperation, often, faith is nowhere present because “fear” and “anxiety” override our confidence, and faith is relegated to “wishful hope” rather than “confident expectation.”  It is clear, to me, this military commander believed, otherwise he would not have come to Jesus.  He also understood something about authority and obedience that too often we miss or overlook. Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”  That would have caused incredible excitement in most hearts, but this commander revealed something amazing.

The commander addressed his view of his own worthiness and Jesus’ worthiness.  He did not view Jesus as His vending machine to provide whatever he wanted or needed but as someone worthy of great respect and reverence.  He saw Jesus as LORD!  He then said something that most of us believe in our minds but often fail to incorporate into our lives.  One Word from Jesus is enough.  We say we believe, “when Jesus says it is enough it will be enough” but we live as though more is required than His word.  We have His word in the Bible but either relegate much of it to another dispensation or time or we do not truly believe it or that it applies to us. 

This commander unveiled a military aspect of faith that we would do well to not only understand but incorporate into our lives.  He said, “I am not worthy for you to come to my house but if you simply Say the WORD, it will be done.”  If that was all we had it would be commendable but not revelatory. He then said, “For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.”  Catch what he said, “under authority, having soldiers under me.”  He understood Authority! 

Jesus responded saying, “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.”  Remember that Jesus said, “All authority is given to me.”  He also said that He gave us “Authority over the Power of the devil.”  This man understood the power of authority and that if Jesus issued the command it was done.  He said, “if I say to this one, ‘Go’, he goes; and to another ‘Come’, he comes and to my servant “Do This’, he does it.”  He understood that Faith was a path of obedience and understood the power of authority. 

If Jesus is who He said He was and the Bible declares Him to be, and He is, Then we need to view faith from this military perspective and see the power of authority and the flow of the chain of command.  Who has power over all the power of the devil?  Jesus and since we are in Christ and Christ is in us, “We are more than conquerors through Him that loves us.” 

Reach out in Faith confident that HIS WORD is Enough!  God bless you as you go through this wonderful day in Him.

Luke 14:25-33 – “Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it —   29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’  31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”  NKJV

There is a “cost” in following Jesus.  There is a “cost” in virtually everything we do in life, and we must be prepared to “pay the price” for our choices and “face the consequences” of our decisions and actions.   When Jesus presented this scenario of “counting the cost” of the man building the tower He was specifically addressing DISCIPLESHIP!  But we could apply that truth to every aspect of life.  It should, without question, be a clear warning and admonition for us to avoid “running” before we know where we are running or why and to never go off ‘half-cocked’ but to make a reasoned decision in our actions.

I had a person tell me once that God commanded him to “hate” his family in order to be a good Christian and Disciple.  He said, “That is my cross.”  He used the words of our Lord in this passage to justify his belief and estrangement from family.  The word “hate” here does not mean hate in the sense we normally use it but hate in the sense of “love, less”. 

The argument that the Bible teaches Socialism should be quickly dispelled in this passage as our Lord makes it incredibly clear here and elsewhere that He offers no “welfare program” or “easy believism”.  The idea or truth of “counting the cost” means recognizing and agreeing to the terms and conditions.  Following Christ may cost us much and in some cases, everything, in the natural but the prize is worth the cost.

Anyone seeking to follow Jesus for what they can get will not stick around long because they soon find that it is not all “what’s in it for me?”  In verse 33 Jesus makes an incredibly arresting declaration saying, “whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”  This can easily be understood as more than physically letting it go but emotionally releasing it.

God does not ask that you commit to a “vow of poverty” in order to follow Him and that you can never possess any of this world’s good but that they cannot possess you.  We cannot serve God and mammon and if you recall the dilemma of the rich young ruler who turned back because “he had many possessions” you get the picture.  It is one thing to possess something and quite another for it to possess you.

The conflict can be illustrated as I heard another describe.  Suppose you received word that you had been given a lavish property in Hawaii.  There was the provision of airfare, ground transportation, and all expenses were to be paid out of the trust and it would cost you nothing out of pocket.  You have options as to how to address this gift.  You could puff out your chest and brag about what you owned.  You could begin to daydream about the property and even make plans about how you will enjoy and use it. 

BUT until you board the plane and leave where you are you will Never actually possess it.  You cannot live where you are and there at the same time.  You have to take affirmative and definitive action.  That is the way some approach Christianity and Discipleship. They love the idea of eternal life, avoiding hell, and having Jesus at their beck and call, but they are not willing to leave the life they now live.  Their desires, lifestyles, and sinful habits are too precious to them.  Oh, they often have a token change and even join the church and attend with some regularity but want to retain ownership of everything else.  Jesus said, “NO!” 

Salvation is not and cannot be earned only received.  It is the Gift of God and not something we earn, purchase, or deserve.  It does not matter how philanthropic we may be, or how many good deeds we do it is BY GRACE through FAITH and the GIFT OF GOD in Christ Jesus.  If we are going to be Disciples of Christ we must first, “count the cost” and determine that no cost is too great to follow Him.

God bless you as you go through this beautiful day!

Ezekiel 33:1-6 – “Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, 3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.'”  NKJV

In today’s world of heightened danger from terrorism, hate, and crime, there is the encouragement for the public, “See something say something.”  That is something that is practiced in Israel and other parts of the world and has proven to be instrumental and valuable in protecting against an attack.  Yet, I have been told many times from a spiritual standpoint, “Well, it is none of my business” or “I don’t want to meddle.”  

How valid are those arguments when it comes to DANGER?  Would you consider it meddling to warn a parent or a child if the child was in danger of running into a busy street?  Would you consider it none of your business or meddling to warn residents if their house was on fire?  Would you consider it meddling to inform your neighbor if you saw someone break into their house and cart off their goods?   I suggest that we are quite selective in what we deem “meddling” or “none of our business” and tragically consider it good citizenship to sound a warning in the natural on many fronts but unacceptable in spiritual matters.

This passage suggests multiple responsibilities in times of danger.  If we see “danger” or the “sword” coming and sound the alarm of warning and it is heeded people are saved or better prepared to deal with the present danger.  However, if we sound the alarm and it is ignored then their blood is on their heads not our hands.  It is a grave matter, biblically, to ‘see danger’ and not ‘sound the alarm’.  That would be knowingly and deliberately allowing harm to come to others when we could have, at least, warned them of the impending danger.  God does not take that lightly nor should we. 

Although we often declare that our system or code of laws have their roots in the Bible, we might not realize just how true that is.  In Deuteronomy 22:8, if someone falls from your roof, and you failed to install a safety fence around the edge, you would be held liable for the death of that individual.  It may have been gross negligence on their part, but you had an obligation to ‘warn’ or take steps to prevent the danger. 

In Exodus 21:29-31, if a man owns an ox that is prone to harming people, the owner is held liable if he fails to ‘confine’ the ox and it harms or kills someone.  If the ox ‘harms’ someone the owner is fined, but if it ‘kills’ someone, the negligent owner was to be put to death.  You might say, “That is awfully severe,” and I agree it is, but it speaks to the seriousness God has with regard to “warning of danger” whether that danger is “eternal hell” or “physical danger”.  God holds us accountable for Sounding the Alarm! 

I believe that one of the assignments I have from God is to be a “Watchman on the Wall” and to sound the alarm of impending danger that I see.  Therefore, if I remain silent when I see danger, I have violated a commandment of God and could never justify or argue that I was not guilty of “he that knows to do good and does it not to him it is sin.”  If I See It and do not Say Something, sounding the alarm I become accountable before God for the harm that comes. 

However, if I do sound the alarm, then the responsibility shifts from me to those being warned.  In keeping with this reality, we must also understand that the messenger, as well as the message, may be rejected and we should always seek God for ways to make the message palatable, so it is understood, received, and heeded. 

God bless you as you go through this wonderful day in Him!

Hebrews 13:5-6 – “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”   6 So we may boldly say:

“The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”   NKJV

If this were the only place, we find the Promise that God will NEVER leave or forsake us it would be enough, but it is not an isolated promise, but repeated numerous times in Scripture.  It goes to the heart of God’s desire and purpose for our lives.  God did not inspire us to get in this race and begin this walk only to abandon us in the process.  Heaven forbid for that would be a picture of God totally foreign to the biblical view of His person, nature, and character.

In Deuteronomy 31:6, God spoke to Joshua as he was charged with leading the nation of Israel into the Promised Land, “Be strong and very courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave your nor forsake you.”  NEVER!  Take it to the bank, God will not abandon you.  People may but God will NEVER do so. 

God repeats the promise in verse 8 and we read it again in Joshua 1:5. we find the same promise that God will never abandon us in 1 Kings 8:57, 1 Chronicles 28:20, Psalm 37:28, Psalm 94:14, Isaiah 41:17, Isaiah 42:16, and here in Hebrews. We are instructed that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses let everything is established and we have more than two or three occasions in which God has promised to NEVER LEAVE nor FORSAKE us. 

I do not know what situation you are now facing or might face in the days to come.  I do not know what might be around the next corner of life.  I do not know the future, but I do know the one who controls the future and am 100% satisfied and confident that He is a Promise Keeper and if He said He WILL NOT leave or forsake us He WILL NOT leave or forsake us.  Therefore, take heart and comfort no matter what you face God is the same yesterday, today, and forever and HE WILL NOT FAIL.

If the vision He placed in your heart still seems to be light years away from fulfillment it is not a sign that He has abandoned, you.  It might be you have not launched out into the deep as you should.  It might mean that the time is not yet.  It could mean any number of things including the possibility that the devil is hindering, and you need to defeat him in prayer to allow the breakthrough to come. 

It does not mean that God has abandoned you.  If He put it in your heart, He will provide that which is needed to achieve the purpose and vision He gave.  Therefore, be patient, be faithful, and be confident – He is Still God!   If He said it, He will bring it to pass, that you can bank on.  

I encourage you to remember the account of Daniel 10 when the angel of the Lord appeared to Daniel in his time of prayer and said, “Do not fear, Daniel, for, from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.  But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia…”  There was a spiritual demonic hindrance and if you realize that God will do whatever it takes to fulfill His promise to NEVER LEAVE or FORSAKE you your heart will endure the trial and rise to victory.

God bless you as you go through this day!