Nehemiah 4:6 – “So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”  NASB

In this account of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, there were obstacles and opposition but Nehemiah had a heart to see the city rebuilt and believed that God’s hand was upon them and the work not only could be accomplished but would be accomplished.  Sanballat, Tobia, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites were all in opposition because it threatened their standing and was a sign that the God of All Living was restoring a people who would follow Him in the land.

Nehemiah says that the wall was built and the whole wall joined together to half its height because the people ‘had a mind to work.’  Nothing ever gets done unless that becomes the attitude of a people.  We have to look past the obstacles and opposition to the God of All Living and realize that He will enable us to accomplish that which appears impossible.  In this labor, several things shine forth to me.

1. The mindset of the people was to DO THE WORK.

They believed the report of Nehemiah and were inspired to invest their time and energy in the accomplishment of the task set before them. 

• The OPPOSITION surfaced almost immediately.

Anytime the people of God begin to move toward accomplishing a God-ordained task the devil’s crowd immediately and viciously attack. 

• The people not only PRAYED, and WORKED, but the ARMED THEMSELVES.

It was not ‘spiritual weapons’ alone that they took up but swords, spears, bows, etc.  They were committed to ‘fighting in the natural’ if necessary to accomplish the purposes of God and achieve their freedom. 

• GOD demonstrated His greatness on their behalf.

God will bring to naught the attempts of the enemy if we will remain faithful and diligent in pursuit of His purposes.

Whatever is set before you by the Spirit of God and any godly challenge presented by the leaders should be entered into prayerfully but with total commitment to see it through to the conclusion.  If we make a total commitment and rely on God we will find SUCCESS!  That my friend is the Secret to Success – – Commitment. Determination and Faith.  Those will be the lights leading us to the successful accomplishment of the purpose set before us.

May God be with you as you go through your day!

1 John 2:1-2 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”  NASB

It is clear from scripture that only God can forgive sin and that you and I, as sinful human beings, have no claim upon God. Our only access or hope of pardon comes through the sacrificial work of Jesus on the Cross as a sacrifice for the sin of mankind.  It is by ‘grace’ that we are saved through ‘faith’ and not works.  It is recognition of our condition, admission of our guilt, repentance, and reception of what He has done, who He is, and the forgiveness that comes to us as a result.

It is interesting to note that while most of the mentions of the word translated advocate or prakleetos is normally applied to the ministry and person of the Holy Spirit.  Here it is applied to Jesus and depicts the imagery of one representing us in a court of law.  However, it is quite different than what would be the normal course of a human attorney.  For no human attorney would begin his defense of his client by acknowledging their guilt but Jesus does! 

A human attorney would seek to find either justification for the actions of the client or put into question the guilt of that person they represent.  They would be seeking ‘reasonable doubt’ in the minds of the jurors.  Not so with Jesus, He readily and immediately acknowledges our guilt.  He acknowledges that we are guilty as charged and makes no attempt to conceal or justify our sin.  He then becomes surety for us and the universe.  He brings to the fore His sacrifice and identifies that He has satisfied ‘divine justice’ with regard to sin and that based on our repentance and reception of His sacrifice we can be and should be acquitted of the punishment for our sin.  He presents the case for our admission or adoption into the family of God.

Do not think that you will ever be able to argue your case before the Father and win, you won’t.  If you try to stand on your own merit you will fail.  If you fall on the mercy of the court and receive the ‘Blood of Jesus’ as the covering and cleansing of your sin you will walk into eternity ‘white as snow’ having been washed in the blood of the lamb.  The choice is yours.  You can believe and receive, or you can deny and try to justify yourself.  I only recommend the former not the latter.

God bless you as you go through your day!

Proverbs 30:5 – “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” NASB

Psalms 18:30 – “As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.”  NASB

Every word of God is tested and/or tried.  That is a most interesting declaration and one that is somewhat difficult to wrap our heads around.  What exactly are the Psalmist and the writer of Proverbs saying?  With the complete confidence that nothing in the Bible is a casual afterthought but has meaning and specificity I can only determine that “Every Word of God is tested or tried.”  But what does that mean?

At the risk of sounding wiser than I am, I believe it can be viewed from several reference points.  The Psalmist began by saying, “As for God, His way is blameless…”  That is an absolute!  God is perfectly and completely pure, holy, righteous, and perfect therefore nothing in Him or nothing He does is flawed.  Then after making the declaration that the word of God is tested, he says, “He (God) is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.”  That is the same declaration as the writer of Proverbs.  God is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

The revelation found in 2 Samuel 22:31 is the same, “As for God, His way is blameless; the word of the LORD is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.”  NASB In Psalms 12:6 we are told that “the words of the LORD are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.”  That is a picture of putting the words through a process that verifies their validity.  Then in Psalms 119:140, we read, “Thy word is very pure…”

The Words of God are God Himself and reflect the Character and Nature of God.  I grew up hearing, “A man’s word is his bond.”  Also, “A promise is only as good as the giver of the promise.”  Every Word of God is backed by the Character of God which is perfect.  He cannot lie, does not fail, and has chosen to forever love us. 

We have the assurance of God’s Word in Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? “ The Word of God is continually tested and has been proven by and in the lives of believers for some six millennia.  No believer has ever found God’s Word to be anything but the truth.

I have another perspective from which this declaration that I believe can be applied.  If you receive a Word of Prophecy or a Word from God to you that Word is Tested.  Every Promise you receive will be tested.  The enemy of your soul will seek to dissuade you from standing on the Promise.  He will seek to entice you to disbelieve and abandon the promise. 

I have heard things in my Spirit from the Holy Spirit through the Word of God that reflected a Promise or a directive for my life.  Every time, there has been an assault on that promise.  I encourage you to reread Galatians 6:9, “And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.”  Also reread Psalms 91 regarding God’s Promise of provision, defense, safety, and care if we abide in Him.  Also, Matthew 6:33 regarding seeking Him first and foremost above everything.

The admonishment by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:13-14 is powerful.  He said, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand, therefore…”  We are told in James 4:7, to ‘submit’ to God and to ‘resist’ the devil and the promise is that he will flee from us.  The process is commitment to God or seek Him first and make a total surrender of our lives to Him.  Once that is done, we can then ‘resist’ the devil and in the condition of total surrender our resistance has the full power of the Word and Character of God behind it and the devil runs for cover.  We are saying what God says and what God says is…

Therefore, I suggest that the ‘testing’ or ‘trying’ of God’s Word is two-fold. His Word is put to the test and proven in our lives and His Word to us is challenged by the devil seeking to distract us.  If we are not distracted and stay focused, God’s Word is proven, and through the walking out of His promise we bring the Kingdom of God to the Earth and demonstrate, manifest, and represent Christ to others. 

NEVER and I mean NEVER abandon God’s Promises regardless of how things seem.  Do not adopt a mentality that, “whatever His will is will automatically transpire.”  Sometimes we have to enter the Kingdom and Possess the Promises by dispossessing the enemy and destroying his influence.  We have to fight!

God bless you and may you find the strength and grace to Stand after having done all to stand.  Have a Great Day!

Matthew 16:15-19 – “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  NKJV

            Upon this rock!  What rock should be the logical question?  The name Jesus used to identify Cephas (stone) was Peter (rock) is important but if we make Peter the foundation of the church what shall we do with Jesus?  The name Peter or Petros literally means a stone or fragment of a rock and without question, it is used in describing Peter metaphorically as one who has strength and stability.  Yet, when Jesus said, “… and on this rock” he used the word (Petra) which could be described as a Gibraltar type rock or mass which is unmovable and gives the image of impenetrability. 

If we go back to the question of Jesus for the disciples about whom the people believed Him to be and the response of Peter, we understand the rock that Jesus is building His church on.  Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”  You are the Messiah.  You are the One who is to come.  You are the Everlasting Lord.  You are Him!  Therefore, without question, the ROCK upon which the Church of Jesus is being established is the TRUTH of CHRIST, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  The one who is the WAY, TRUTH, and LIFE.  The one who is the DOOR and only access to the Father.  UPON THAT ROCK stands the Church of Jesus Christ, the Glorious Church He was and is building.

This ROCK is unique for it is not immobile but able to assault the very gates of hell for Jesus declares, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.  Jesus conquered hell and the grave and is not ascended on high making intercession for us.  He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us and is with us to the end of the age.  In His Father’s house are many mansions and He has gone to make a place for us and will come again to receive us unto Himself and we will ever be with the LORD.  The ROCK upon which I stand is Jesus Christ!  I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against that day! 

God bless you as your rest on and in the ROCK.  May your daily walk be in peace, power, and love!

Luke 9:62 –“But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”  NKJV

The title and the text have some wiggle room to attain the message I desire to present in this short devotional.  Truly, if one looks back at their past longingly and regrets or pines for the pleasures of sin that is an awful place and fits squarely in the word of our Lord in the above passage.  That is something I would want everyone to hold in the forefront of their consciousness but not specifically what I desire to present today.

I have said and heard others say, “If only I could be eighteen again knowing what I know now.”  There is both good and bad in that statement. But at its heart, it is a wrong frame of mind for the past is the past and time once lived cannot be recovered.  It is gone!  Paul told the Philippians that he knew he had not achieved spiritual perfection but was continuously reaching for the prize.  He emphasized that in pressing forward he refused to look back.  Lessons are learned in our experiences, but they should never become a point of focus that we keep before us.  Learn the lesson, implement the learned, and move forward.

Eighteen is so far in the rearview mirror that I can barely remember it and although I made many mistakes at that stage of my life and have wondered how different my life would have been and be had those mistakes not been made.  I dwell there only momentarily for almost immediately the Holy Spirit reminds me that my path led me to Christ and eternal redemption. 

I made several choices after high school to avoid Vietnam and with each choice, something changed that kept my path headed to Southeast Asia where spent 1967.  I wanted to be an Air Force fighter pilot, I had the opportunity to cross branches to the Army and train for flying helicopters.  Had either of those happened my life could have and probably would have been dramatically different if I had survived.  Experiences in childhood, high school, military, and afterward conditioned my heart to hear the tugging of the Holy Spirit and the wonder of salvation.  I would not change that for anything, so I do not want to be eighteen again.

Some want to be eighteen again or any age younger than their present years because they fear the eventuality of death.  Death is a horror if you do not know the LORD in salvation and forgiveness but holds not sting or threat if we do.  We know that it is simply a promotion, sleep, and/or transition from the physical reality to spiritual and eternal reality. 

If it were possible to turn back the clock, travel back in time, and be eighteen again where is the guarantee one would make the right choices and still arrive at the desired destination.  The desire is somewhat rooted in vanity but even more concerning is it expresses a lack of peace.  It expresses a lack of contentment with where our lives are now.  It expresses a desire to be god and in control rather than walking in faith and obedience to the Father.

We are on an eternal journey and reaching the finish line is not an undesirable thing.  Rather than wishing, we could return to the days of youth let’s focus on making the remaining days of our lives productive and full.  I desire to LIVE not to ENDURE!  I desire to savor every moment of the remaining days and my prayer is that the LORD enable me to fulfill my purpose in this generation.  I want to be a vessel the Master can and does use to touch lives for God and good.    Never focus on the past but keep your eyes on the prize that is before!  The end of the race is better than the beginning!  

May God bless you, guard, and guide you as you walk through this day in Him!   Blessings!

Matthew 18:21-23 – “Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”  22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”  NKJV

I know some believers who are such incredible literalists they often come to some amazing conclusions regarding scripture.  I had to deal with a situation where a church member had gotten into trouble because during an argument someone struck him.  He followed the biblical mandate and turned the other cheek and they hit him on that cheek as well.  He then proceeded to give the other person a thorough thrashing. I had to plea to keep him from being arrested for assault.  He could not understand the problem for he said, “But I turned the other cheek and the Bible does not say anything about what to do after that, so I took it literally to mean I was on solid ground.” 

I remind him and others of this passage and attempted to convey that Jesus was not saying forgive 490 times and then on 491 it is open season.  Several protested that we must take the Bible literally and since Jesus said 490 there had better not be number 491.  I laughed thinking of the ledger they would have to keep for the 490 sins and possibly in the context the same sin.  Imagine being so consumed with revenge and being allowed to retaliate that you kept such a ledger.  I cannot fathom that because by the time 491 rolled around the bitterness would have consumed the one supposedly forgiving.

Forgiveness must have, at its foundation, a desire for restoration.  It cannot be focused on the offense or self for if it is it will prove to be other than forgiveness.  Forgiveness cannot be a balance sheet or scale it must be a matter of choice from the heart that desires to restore the one offending.  If I declare that I forgive you and harbor resentment I have not forgiven.  I have only exercised the application of a faux balm on my conscience, but the root is still there. 

Forgiveness is to release into the hands of God and then take my hands off.  If I am keeping score, I have neither released it to God nor taken my hands off.  God clearly says, “Vengeance is mine…”  Remember this question was about being offended, wounded, or wronged by a BROTHER.  He gives a directive on handling offenses between brothers earlier in the chapter and few, if any, follow that prescription. Few churches are equipped mentally or spiritually to follow that directive.  The ultimate end of church discipline, God’s chastisement or forgiveness is restoration.  It may not happen but that must always remain the objective.

We may not forget but we, just as God does, make the decision to never allow that offense to come into play in our dealings with the one forgiven.  I am not suggesting that you do not guard against being taken advantage of, but you cannot do that to the place that you are cynical and lacking compassion or trust.  If you get burned you get burned and you can turn to God for His comfort and protection.  Never allow your heart to become hardened or filled with bitterness because of offenses.  Forgive and we will be forgiven!  What a promise and provision from our LORD.  

May the Lord be with you and bless you as you go through this day!

Judges 3:31 – “After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel.”  NKJV

This has always been a fascinating sentence inserted in the history of Israel and their struggles for freedom in the Old Testament.  Ehud had led them to victory over the Moabites and 80 years of rest or peace ensued.  As he grew older portions of the land began to fall into the hands of plunderers and thieves, especially those of the Philistines.  There was no one to lead Israel to victory and most people, the historical record indicates, simply stayed off the highways and were isolated and living in fear.

We know little of the man named here and it appears that there was nothing particularly unusual about him except for his obedience to the Spirit of God.  I cannot unfold the account with historical accuracy but simply draw from this verse to say, “Little is much when God is in it.”  Here, it appears that one man, alone, without proper weapons or battle armor withstood what was virtually an army of Philistines with what the Bible calls an “ox goad” or as many identify a plowshare.  This was nothing short of a miracle and in this act of a solitary man, the nation of Israel was once again delivered.

That screams to me that the false claim, “I am only one, what can I do” should be forever eliminated from a Christian’s vocabulary and philosophy.  If God could use Moses, Joshua, Caleb, David, Samson, and Shamgar to perform exploits outside the norm then why can He not find one among us today to deliver?

It is not the armor or weaponry that one has at his/her disposal but the Arm of the Lord that matters.  If God could use Gideon and his small band of men to completely route an entire army can He not raise up deliverers in this generation?   He can but He first has to find willing hearts who will dare to believe Him.  He has to find those so completely trusting they can see no option but success and value His word over their lives.  He has to find someone who will dare to believe in the impossible and attempt the improbable.

In something like the exploits of Shamgar one has to acknowledge the intervention of the supernatural. In the natural it would be impossible for one man with a plowshare to defeat 600 armed men.  Yet, the Bible declares it happened and I believe it happened.  Therefore, I draw from it hope and faith to believe that if God directs it, He will enable and provide.  Rather than focus on the problem focus on the God of the solution and hope will begin to rise, faith will strengthen, and courage will ooze forth from deep within.

Truly, little is much when God is in it, but much is little if God is not there!   Remember He said, where two or three are gathered in My name I am in the midst of them. 

God bless you as you face this new day!

Genesis 25:21-22 – “Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So, she went to inquire of the LORD.”  NKJV

I am a Christian and unashamedly Pro-Life.  I base my belief my understanding of the Bible.  I hear many, including Christians, refer to that thing in the mother’s womb as a ‘fetus’ rather than a ‘baby’.  I understand the medical terminology and that the politically correct approach is to use the term ‘fetus’ but I cannot. I believe that God views that developing and growing life inside the womb as a child, a living human being. 

If you notice in the passage used as our text, the unborn twins in Rebekah’s womb are referred to as “children”.  The Hebrew word (banim) is a common word used to refer to children “after” birth and normally means sons.  In the New Testament, the Greek (brephos) was used to refer to John the Baptist, who “leaped in Elizabeth’s womb” because of the presence of the unborn Christ.   [Luke 1:41-44].

I find no evidence that God considers the unborn babies lumps of tissue that can be disposed of at will I find it impossible to support abortion.  Therefore, since Psalm 139 declares that God knew our parts even before we were formed in the womb, I find it difficult to believe that life does not begin at conception.  Our parts were written in God’s book in the days He fashioned us, and He knew them before they existed in the flesh.  When does life begin?  It begins in the heart of God and if the Bible is to be trusted most assuredly begins at conception.

I realize that many Christians will have difficulty with my assertion.  But I can find no valid evidence that a human baby living in the womb goes through reptile or fish stages.  They do not develop fins, tails, or gills.  Murder, in the Bible, is the intentional killing of innocent human beings and is regarded as a heinous crime and sin.  I know that many believers make exceptions to such events as rape, deformity, incest, etc. but can we really make those exceptions?  Did those conditions somehow transform that living being into a non-living or unimportant mass of tissue? 

Ezekiel 18 informs us that a child is not to be executed for the crimes or sins of his/her father, but each person dies for their own sins. The father does not bear the guilt of the son nor the son the guilt of the father.  The answer to whether abortion is a valid option or not is answered in determining if that living growing thing in the womb is a baby, child, human being, or simply a mass of tissue that can be disposed of as we would a bag of trash.  Once you answer that question the abortion question has an easy answer.  I know what I believe and what I believe the Bible teaches but I cannot answer the question for you.

May God help us to value human life and value that which He has and is creating.  God bless you as you go forward from this day!  Blessings!