Author: Travis Manhart

2 Chronicles 20:21- 22

And when he (King Jehoshaphat) had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army (it takes courage to praise the Lord as one faces the uncertainty of battle) and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth forever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 

Can we apply this principle of praise instead of our normal reactions? If we do, we can immediately start taking control of the situation and start sowing seeds of victory as we enter the storm. God responds to faith, and the declaration of praise is the outward manifestation of faith. It’s the last thing we feel like doing, but it’s a “gut” decision that, despite what the circumstances look like or how we feel, doesn’t change the truth that God is God and big enough to handle whatever we are facing. Either to defeat it or take us through it. 

My praise to Him is not conditioned on how my world is going. He’s praise-worthy in good days and on not-so-good days and even on downright awful days. He has redeemed and saved us and, through my faith in Him, has given us an Eternal Hope that cannot be taken away regardless of what happens here. Therefore my praise to Him in these times declares His Greatness and my confidence in Him. He is always worthy of our praise. Even when we hit bottom (I mean the lowest low,) He’s still praise-worthy, not because of the bad stuff that has happened but because through it, He will rescue me and make it turn out for my good. When the Bible speaks of our faith as being refined through fire, it means it. It is only by going through these trials that we learn that God is still greater. Otherwise, it’s just words on our part. When we long for Eternity more than we long for the passing pleasures of life, the refining process is having its good work on us. 

Psalms 139:7-10

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

Psalms 84:1-4

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; 

my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,

at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house,

ever singing your praise! Selah

When we don’t feel like thanking Him or praising Him is when we need to the most. That expression of faith and trust in our God honors Him, and in so doing, we are most acting like a son or daughter. We are sowing into our future, and we will receive a blessing from it. We are learning to see with eyes of faith. God’s Kingdom runs just the direct opposite of man’s kingdom. If you have a need, you give; if you want love, be loving; if you want forgiveness, forgive. What we want we must sow by faith first, and if we want victory in the hard times, we must praise Him. For He is always good, always loving, and constantly molding us into His image. 

Galatians 6:7-9

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

A great example of this is the obedience of the widow who fed Elijah. In 1 Kings 17, she only had enough meal and oil for one dinner, and afterward, she and her son were going to die. This is the situation and the woman God told Elijah to stay with. That she would provide for him. It would not surprise me if Elijah said, “are you sure God, do you have the right woman, or really, is this the best you could do?” We would expect a woman that was well off, but God provided a poor widow (God is constantly challenging our faith). Elijah asked this woman for water and to make him a cake from her flour. She told him her story… 

1 Kings 17:8-16

The Widow of Zarephath

Then the word of the LORD came to him, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” And she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’” And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.

Only when we are willing and ready to live beyond our understanding, which is what faith is, do miracles occur. As long as we are “hedging our bets,” our faith is divided, and a divided man will not stand. It’s either all or nothing. Through her sacrificial obedience, giving what she didn’t have to give, did she open the way for God to be God, and through it, God did only what God can do. Her act of obedience provided for her, her son, and Elijah for months. When it doesn’t make sense, it’s probably the Lord allowing us to step outside our comfort zone; so much so that our actions can be interpreted as being irresponsible. Jesus said the poor in spirit are the faithful ones. Is this an example of that? It’s when we are desperate we are willing to risk it. What did she have to lose? She was one meal away from starvation. If we took that attitude, what do I have to lose by trusting God? I only have two choices, do it my way or God’s, and how much success have I had doing it my way? Can we learn from the example of this widow? Through obedience and praise, we allow God to create an answer for us that only God can do. What kind of impact will this kind of living have on you, your children, your marriage, your testimony at work etc.? It will be amazing…

In God’s Kingdom, opportunity comes when you only have a little oil and flour. That’s how God likes to work. With Gideon 2/3rd’s of the army was sent home; there were too many. God likes it when the odds are crazy in the enemy’s favor. That way, when He intercedes, He receives all the glory and credit. Creating an opportunity for God to be God is such a powerful way to live that this is the last thing the enemy wants. Instead, he wants to discourage us and keep us under stress with worry and fear, but if in that, we start to praise the Lord, even if things get worse (which we should expect). We continue to praise and give thanks for His Faithfulness our gold (our faith) is becoming tried and fired and purified unto all pleasing. Circumstances do not define His character, regardless of the night season. He paid way too much for us, however without the fire and the trials, we will not become purified nor become the sons or daughters or the Bride that such an honorable King deserves. The real question is, are we willing to go on the journey to become that for Him?

Deuteronomy 33:26-27

“There is none like God, O Jeshurun( Israel) who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty.

The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy.’

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

That way of escape is to turn to Him, pray, fast and find promises in His Word that pertain to the problem. I have shared this before many times but my two most favorite go too scriptures is Joshua 1:1-9 and Proverbs 3: 5&6, (though I love all of Proverbs 3). These verses I have hung my life on, and never ever have I been disappointed. 

My son-in-law is a fire chief, and I’m sure there are fires he arrives at that as they start to apply the water, it is as if it fuels the fire, not put it out. However, a steady application of water eventually changes that. The fire begins to weaken as they turn the corner and see its end. Problems are just like that, you start praising the Lord for His absolute greatness and ability to turn this around, and it only gets worse! You must believe that praise is the correct response, as water is to fire. For this to work, though, some conditions must be met. 

For one, is my life in obedience to Christ, am I Born Again (John 3:16)? Is my life serving Him, or am I compromised, living a double life? Do I go to church just on Sundays and ignore Faith, Truth, Prayer, and personal Bible Study the rest of the week? Am I just a weekend Christian because that will not work. Going to church only on Sunday is like having one good meal a week. Like normal food, we would starve to death, and the same is true in the spiritual world. To have victory in fighting temptations, overcoming the vices of the carnal man and all the worldly influences we are bombarded with etc., requires frequent if not daily ingestion of God’s Word. 

For the principles of life in the Spirit to work, all of me (or as much as I am aware of) must be in submission to all of Him. I need to be having regular Bible study/prayer times with The Lord where I bring my concerns, my fears, and hopes, etc., to Him. When done in earnestness, there is an exchange that takes place where I walk away feeling lighter and more hopeful. That may not happen every time, but like fighting a fire, eventually, we will win and, in the process, grow much closer to the Lord.

To continue to praise God (throwing water on the fire) when things don’t look so great shows that we are under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That He is firmly seated on His Throne in the Heavens and in me. This type of Praise lacks in our Christian experience. We don’t think of praising or giving Him thanks when things go wrong or facing a crisis. It’s always afterward, but to thank Him beforehand acknowledges your role as a son or daughter and His role as our Father. Praise hones our focus and gets us back onto His page and into Kingdom Living.

We all acknowledge that God cannot be conquered, but we don’t live like that, so until our life fits what we confess, we have a growth curve or strongholds in us that need to be conquered. There should be no difference between what I confess to how I live. Our faith in God can be such a powerful tool that when applied to life and its problems, it causes the strongholds in me to crumble, just like the walls of Jericho came down with praise. The praise of the faithful moves the hand of God unlike anything else. He takes note and answers His child. Daniel, a man of similar passion, was given great revelation. What was his “secret,” he communed with God 3x times a day. His heart was extremely soft towards The Lord.

Daniel 10:11

And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken — this word unto me, I stood trembling.

I desire that we all would be Daniels, and when we praise God, it is not praising Him for the bad things that happen, but it’s praising Him for the fact that despite the bad things, He is no less God and can use them for our good.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

Isaiah 51:12-13

I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have (you) forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of the oppressor?

When we take our eyes off our problem and look to Heaven and see all God has made and done, our problems become small in comparison. 

Psalms 19:1-6

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them, he has set a tent for the sun,

which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them,

and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

It’s acknowledging Him for the very thing that Israel continually failed at, that He can care for us and guide us through the good, the not-so-good, and the awful of life and see us to the other side. Where is your hope? If it’s here in this life, it will fail you. You are building your life on the sand. If it’s in Christ and your hope “investment” is in the life to come, will are building your life on the Rock of Christ, which defeated Hell and crushed the enemy underfoot, and your life and the lives you care for will have a sure foundation. 

Therefore, in conclusion, since He already has the answer and is big enough to deliver on it, praise is therefore a most appropriate response to give Him IN THE MIDST OF THE CRISIS. Let’s not repeat Israel’s errors. GOD IS ETERNAL AND ALL POWERFUL, and we need to start living like that, Amen? The same truth said as a question is “How big is your God?” 

How we live, answers that question. 

Father God, 

Thank you for this compelling study. Help us get a hold of it and reread these truths until they become us. Let us know to live as such is to invite the enemy, but he only but a tool in your hand using him to accomplish your perfection in us. There is no need to fear at all. He may appear as a lion ready to devour, but he has a choke collar and leash made from the Power of the Resurrection held in the hands of no one other than the Conquering King, the Lord Jesus Christ, whose very blood bought our freedom. Amen and Amen

Though present-day society has changed much from Bible times, the human soul has not. Fear is still fear, strife and anxiety still wreak havoc on the soul, and a strong faith in Christ is still the antidote that calms the storm. No emotion from the human venture has really changed. Sin or rebellion from God’s ways are still paths that trap and betray people, leaving them broken and hurt. Those that can maintain faith in God in the chaos of life will excel and reign. So the question is, will that be you?

Psalms 1:1-3 

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither (in times of trial); and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

A person who cannot be controlled, manipulated, or bought by what life throws at him and maintains allegiance to Christ is a threat to the forces of evil. 

To make sure there is no confusion of what evil is, let’s define it. There is the obvious “evil,” but there are other evils that go undetected. We need to be able to recognize it, know its intention, and then defeat it. Important note: For evil to be evil, it does not have to look the part. It can be kind, considerate, play its role well. Still, ultimately it seeks to dilute our faith and pull us away from a life that is 100% devoted and dependent upon the life of faith, prayer, bible study, and seeking Christ in church. Therefore, if the good we do prevents, interferes, or hinders us from growing in and serving our first love, then it’s evil and immediate action must be taken.

What did Jesus tell the Ephesian church in

Revelations 2:4-5?

Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent.

Thy “first love” responds to “first works.” What were they? What did we do before life got complicated and busy? Before we became “professional Christians.” For me, it was Bible study and prayer every chance I had. Nothing else mattered. Jesus saved me, and I knew it, and I wanted to know this Savior that filled my heart with His love. As life goes on, we become busy, get married, and have families. Work becomes challenging, and there becomes “competition” for our time. Should I work, or do I sit down and spend time with the Lord? Do we go out to lunch with our coworkers or stay and have our Bible study?

I can’t tell you how many lunch invitations I turned down. After a while, you stop getting asked. It’s sad, but the joy I receive from spending time with the Lord far exceeded the shallow laughter over lunch. As we learn and grow, we can become so filled with “Christian knowledge” that we forget the simplicity and the child-like approach of our early years. Remember, it’s not head knowledge that saves us, but a tender relationship with Jesus. Jesus teaches this through the example of a child.

Matthew 18:1-5

At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me (that’s a huge statement from Jesus. We think we are just babysitting or, in my case, grandpa and grandma sitting but in reality through our actions and love, we are sowing seeds for the Kingdom; that someday Christ will take the throne in their heart because of our action).

In Matthew, Jesus also speaks against any interference that hinders our walk with Him. I warn you; His words are tough love. 

Matthew 18:8-9

Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee (get in the way of seeking Me), cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life (Eternity) halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

These words of our Lord may seem somewhat radical, but we must learn to hate sin as He hates it. Wouldnt you hate an action that’s sole purpose is to lie to your children or spouse to separate them from you? Of course, you would! We would tell them, “cut it off, do it now before more damage is done. Before it hurts you or comes between us (which is always the end goal of the enemy, to divide and then conquer.).” 

“Cut off your hand or foot,” and “pluck out your eye” are very extreme statements, but He’s fighting for us!!  To the degree He is radical in His approach to sin is to the degree HE LOVES US. If we could understand life from His perspective and see that our decisions affect Eternity, we would be 110% percent in agreement with Him. We must use our heart and mind to make sure our eyes and hands don’t cause us to stumble. They are gateways to righteousness or to sin, we decide.

We have been offered the Keys to Life: Faith, Love, Joy, Hope, and Peace; these are part of our Christian life. However, for them to be contagious to others and inviting to a world increasingly filled with fear and uncertainty, they need to be lived out. There is no such thing as an undercover Christian. Jesus said we are to be the light of the world; it’s hard to be undercover if we are to be the light of the world (Matt. 5:14-17). 

The divide between faith and fear, peace and anxiety, needs to be seen in us. Will we be ready to share the hope that the Gospel gives us? We cannot share it if we are first not experiencing it. Also, we can only give what we ourselves are receiving. We cannot manufacture Faith. 

Next question, do you know how God shows off his kids? I was once told that when a non-believer dies or suffers, a believer dies or suffers so that the world can see the difference. One dies with peace and hope, and one dies without peace or hope. One suffers without hope; the other suffers with hope. He does not give us a cozy, comfortable path, but one filled with thorns, boulders, steep climbs, and jagged edges so that the world can see the difference between a life that trust’s the Lord versus a life without His presence. 

What do people see when they look at you or me; do they see us navigating life’s hardships with strength and confidence because of our faith in Christ, or when the hardships come, are we just like everyone else? Also, do we think that being nice is all we have to be, or do we go deeper than that? We are not called to be nice; we are called to love people, which should cause us to be much more than just nice. We need to be able to engage people, put a mark on them that far exceeds being nice, which in my opinion is just playing it safe, kind of a cop-out from Christ’s words “to love your neighbor as yourself.” Living out your convictions of faith and trust on “your sleeve” is what calls people to take notice. It’s what “marks them” and engages them causing them to wrestle with the Truth of Christ, especially when life is tough. 

King Jehoshaphat, a King in Old Testament times, had such difficulty. Let’s see how he deals with this bigger than COVID situation. 

2 Chronicles 20:1

“It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle ( substitute “ children” for nation – its King James language) 

Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazon-Tamar, which is En-Gedi.

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set — himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah( he didn’t seek his advisors, or sought to make alliances with other Kings like his father did, but he “set” or determined in himself to seek the Lord). “

Our first response to any crisis often sets the stage for what will follow. Will the problem become worse because we rely on the arm of man? Will we begin to sow seeds of victory by first coming to the Lord?  To “stop life” and to seek the Lord is the right decision. A far better decision is to always maintain fellowship with the Lord so when the crisis comes, you are armored up and ready to fight; no time is lost. With a walk of faith, you are already in communication/fellowship with the Lord; you don’t have to “close the gap.” King David drifted from the Lord and hence committed his sin with Bathsheba. Jehoshaphat also made some serious mistakes. By allying with King Ahab, an idol-worshipping King, he almost got himself killed in battle save for God delivering him. Both Kings were rebuked by God’s prophets for their actions. And now Jehoshaphat has this coming at him, but this time he responds correctly.

2 Chronicles 20:5-6o

And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, And said, O LORD God of our fathers, — art not thou God in heaven? And rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee (Jehoshaphat was repeating the Truth of God to God, as we should repeat His promises back to Him)

2 Chronicles 20:13-15

And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite (priest) of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;

And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s (this is also true of us if we would remember that the care of the sheep is the responsibility of the Shepherd, AND INSTEAD OF FEAR, TRUST HIM FOR HE IS OUR GOOD SHEPHERD. 

Life feels like this, everything is coming against us, and we are outnumbered, not by a little bit by a lot. 

King Jehoshaphat’s battle is an excellent example of how we are to face ours. Fear is fear, hopelessness is hopelessness regardless of the century or circumstances, and faith in God’s ability to deliver is what being a Christian is all about. I’m His son, and He’s my Dad, and I need His help. 

What happens next is incredible. As believers, all the battles we fight (fear, anxiety, depression, our boss, neighbor, issues in our marriage or our kids, etc.) initiate in the spiritual world first. Recall Ephesians 6:12 “ our fight is not against flesh and blood,” it’s not against your boss, or your neighbor, or your spouse or children, etc. They are not the problem, and God can use them to show us our areas of weakness, areas where we need to grow. They may be doing wrong things or just different from how we would do them. However, our response to them is what is critical. It is in the problems that we are to sow seeds of righteousness.

God uses our response in these difficult times to bring them to an awareness of God’s love and grace for them. We need to show much wisdom, patience, and kindness, asking the Lord for help.

If we become exhausted and frustrated with them, we need to step away and spend more time in prayer and God’s Word. Their behavior would not rattle Christ, and we are tasked with being Christ to them. Also, depending upon how out of sorts we get, if this situation or person causes us to break our fellowship with the Lord, it says that I want my way more than serving Christ. Is this the price you are willing to pay? Because nothing good will come from it. Actions sown in the flesh do not reap peace, harmony, or understanding. This is quite a price tag to pay to get my way. Instead, let’s back away and commit it to prayer and seek prayer or help from other believers or a pastor.

John 15:7-8

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you ( what a promise! yes Lord make my will your will)

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit (especially in the difficult situations mentioned where our testimony counts); so shall ye be my disciples (Lord glorify yourself through our lives. Let us be as a sign pointing to Heaven saying this is the way).

Will we be His disciples? This is our calling. This is what we are to look like and the direction the Spirit wants to grow us into.

Ephesians 4:20-27

But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off ( as in taking off a garment) concerning the former conversation the old man (or old woman, denoting our former life) which is corrupt (ruined) according to the deceitful lusts (there is nothing redeemable in us); And be renewed (made new) in the spirit of your mind(Born Again, we are now to be governed by a mind indwelt and controlled by the Spirit)

that ye put on the new man, which after God is “being” created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another (these verses have so much, spend time, prayerfully meditate upon them).

Be ye angry, and sin not ( don’t lose control): let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Neither give place to the devil. 

There are two kinds of anger, there’s my anger, I’m not getting what I want, and then there’s righteous anger that as His son or daughter His ways are being violated and righteousness is being thwarted, and people are getting hurt because of it. It’s not about me now, but about Him and about the people He died for. God has promised to take care of me (us), so if I trust His Word, that frees me from worrying about myself and my future. So we can replace anger with trust. 

Our highest honor is to bring Him Praise. Do you think that happens when I want my way, or I am easily angered? We are telling the Lord we want our rights, while Jesus gave up His rights to save us. The battles we fight are with the carnal man. These carnal attitudes are brought to the surface via our interactions with others. Also, unpleasant situations, the car breaks down, we get fired, or we become injured, end up owing more taxes, etc.; these are all unpleasant circumstances that we must learn to navigate through via trusting the Lord. Hence the need to know His Word so we can more readily respond in a manner that honors Him. We also need to realize that we are fighting “against principalities in spiritual places,” which may sound “hyper spiritual,” but it is only because we have a great need to mature in the ways of the Spirit. Therefore there is a SPECIFIC WAY to overcome difficulties. 

Ephesians 6:11-13

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

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.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand ( continue to read in Eph. 6 for more important instruction). 

Another critically important weapon in the Christian’s fight for righteousness is Praise, and we will discuss that with our next Vida; in the meantime read 2 Chronicles 20:21-22

2 Chronicles 20:21-22

And when he (King Jehoshaphat) had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth forever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. Can we apply this principle of praise and immediately start sowing seeds of victory as we enter our storm? Let’s see. 

Father God, 

Thank you for this study. Please give us your grace to apply it into our life. You seek only to benefit us, to enrich us in all our ways, and hence be your representative to a culture that does not understand your principles or know your ways. 

Jonah 4:10-11

Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for them which thou hast not labored, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:

And should not I spare Nineveh (Roseville, Rocklin, Folsom etc.) that great city, wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? 

This is our world today; morality has been mocked and thrown out, sexual roles challenged and redefined, gender identity downplayed, so now the freeway of life that use to direct traffic safely has had all dividers removed, and one no longer knows what side of the road to drive on, especially the youth. Casualties will be numerous, and people will become “damaged souls,” making them harder to reach for Christ if the church does not step in, you and I are the church. “Where two or more are gathered I AM in the midst.” Matt. 18:30

Grow in Grace (fast) – Arthur

The perfecting of the saint is found on the road of hardships. The victories and defeats gained on this road become the bedrock of our praise and the eventual demise of fear. 

How important is it for us to conquer our fear? It does not become the son or daughter of the most-High God to fear. There is no basis for it because God is always greater. However, there are times it seems pretty natural to fear. Fear can become a terrible obstacle. If left unchecked, it can cripple us emotionally, putting us in an emotional wheelchair. Even the disciples feared while Jesus was with them. The storm was so fierce that they were taking on water, but Jesus was asleep! In his humanness, I’m sure Jesus was exhausted, but in his divinity, he was not concerned. There is no storm that He cannot calm, whether physical, emotional, or financial… if we go to Him. However, we do not realize that Jesus uses the storms in life to get our attention and bring us closer to Him. He wants us to seek Him out, being confident in His love for us. Yet, we are most like the disciples, “Jesus, do you not care that we perish.” 

The Greek text uses the word “mega” for a large, foreboding, threatening storm which they were in. However, they were going to learn an unforgettable lesson necessary for coming to a deeper understanding of who Jesus was. It is the same with us. Unless with go through these kinds of storms, we do not know the greatness of our Lord. They were going to understand that His greatness exceeded any threat they would face. 

We need to learn the same lesson. As soon as he spoke peace to the wind and waves, they obeyed. Jesus instantly became something other than a great prophet or teacher. These actions moved the disciples into a deeper understanding of Jesus’ Divinity. The same is true with us. The greater the problem or need, the greater the miracle needed. Once received, the greater our God becomes. This is called the School of Faith. There are no shortcuts, no easy way, and it can’t be textbook learned. It’s the promises of God applied to real-life situations. 

Mark 4:37-41

“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full ( they were sinking) 

And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?

And they feared (revered) exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

“Who is this that even the wind and waves obey Him?” The conclusion they were coming to was He was not just a man but also God. So let’s ask a question. Are the fear and anxiety we deal with the problem? Do we have a fear problem, or is it an identity problem? Do we not comprehend the greatness of our Lord? Fear went away when they saw more of His true identity, His Lordship over the winds and waves. Since we are just like the disciples, our fear, anxiety, and worry problems have to do with us not knowing Jesus as we should. There is no surprise there. He must become more significant than our problems. We, like the disciples, have an Identity and a Lordship problem, not a fear or an anxiety problem. In fear, we see the problem as more significant than the Lord, and the Lord takes issue with that. 

Mountains look big till you see the sun above, then they don’t look so daunting; it’s all relative to your perspective. So ask yourself, where’s your focus? We know it’s off if we are continually struggling with fear, worry, and anxiety. I do not mean to guilt anybody. I have had my share of fear knocking at my door, but we don’t have to keep fearing. We can choose to change. Some of us are like a revolving door of fear. No sooner does one issue get resolved than another one comes beginning a whole new cycle of fear, anxiety, and worry. As believers in Christ, we are supposed to grow through our trials, not repeat them – but it does take time. Remember that the problems and concerns of the sheep (which we are to Him) are the concerns of the Shepherd (which He is to us). Without a shepherd, the sheep are vulnerable and in grave danger. (Read John 3:16 & 17 to learn how to have Christ become your Shepherd ).

In Psalm 23, David said, “Even though I GO THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, (why?) for THOU ART WITH ME. The realization that the INFINITE CREATOR GOD, with all His power, is with me is where our solution to fear lies. And if knowing that doesn’t change us, then as stated, it’s not a fear problem that we have but an identity and Lordship problem. Get those resolved, and the answer to fear and anxiety will resolve itself. We don’t trust strangers, do we? No, we trust our friends and family that love us. So how can we grow the Lordship of Christ in our life? We need to spend time with Him, grow in our closeness to Him. 

Case in point; a pastor was invited over to a couple’s house for dinner. The meal was good, and the evening was pleasant as he counseled them on overcoming life’s challenges by knowing the Lord more intimately. Routine time in His Word was what the pastor encouraged. When the evening was over, the couple thanked him for his heartfelt counsel. Once the pastor had left, the wife could not help notice that the pastor’s fork was missing. She could not figure out why the pastor would take a fork? A year passed, and the couple had the pastor over for dinner/counseling (things hadn’t improved much), and as the evening was ending, they thanked him again for his counsel. However, the wife could not resist asking the pastor if he had taken their fork? The pastor said, no, I put it in your Bible. 

Fear, anxiety, and stress will never be conquered if that’s our approach to knowing the Lord. Sunday alone will not do it, nor midweek study. Nothing compares to getting alone with the Lord and reading the Bible for ourselves.

The Lord’s comments on fear:

Isaiah 51:10-13

Art thou not He which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over ( the dividing of the Red Sea as mighty as that was, was only one of many great acts of God).

Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning [and fear] shall flee away (this is a picture of when the Lord rightly takes His place in our lives).

“I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;

And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor ( worries, bills, covid, life in general, etc.) as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?”

God gave us memory so we could recall His acts. His heart towards His people has not changed. His desire is to be crowned on each of our hearts is as strong now as it was then. We answer His question by recalling His acts; Father, you have quenched the fury of the oppressor through your Greatness. 

Isaiah 51:15-16

But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his (My) name.

And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people (His Creation is the signature of His might).

God makes known His feelings towards us. It’s not like when we were dating and wondering if the other person felt the same about us as we felt about them. God puts it out there. He loves us and gave His life for ours, and if we want Him, He’s overjoyed. Recall the father of the prodigal son, “when He saw his son off in the distance, he came running to him and embraced him and threw a party, so great was the father’s joy (you should read it). Well, that father mirrors our Heavenly Father. He makes it easy for us to know that He loves us; there is no question. So once the decision is made to surrender ourselves to Him, the battle to take the “promised land” within our soul begins. Our will lining up to His will is the challenge. The Bible calls it the “flesh or the carnal man.” That is the rebellion that lies within each of us that must be conquered (not negotiated with, but conquered). The prodigal did many stupid and arrogant things before he decided to come home to His Father. He paid the consequences for it, but once he decided to come home, the Father was right there as He is right HERE to help us.

Galatians 5:1 

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:16-18

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law but under grace (under the law means you and I obey the law and are judged by that, under grace means we have the Holy Spirit helping us to obey and have His forgiveness when we fail so that we can live sanctified lives). 

Therefore, in times of fear, uncertainty, doubt, take action, reread the great acts of God and bring to mind His marvelous works. Use your memory to recall God’s faithfulness to you, starting with your salvation. If you have not accepted Christ, it’s time that you did.

Lamentations 3:21-26

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him ( is the Lord our portion?). 

That is what needs to happen. The more that He becomes our portion, the greater peace, joy, and His presence will we enjoy. 

The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. The word “wait” comes from a word meaning “to twist or bind oneself around.” Picture the steel cables that are used to support suspension bridges like the Golden Gate Bridge. Multiple strands are bound into one unified strand many times stronger than the individual strand. By our faith and trust, we bind ourselves around Him, and He honors that and intercedes for us. 

When Moses sent the twelve spies to go and see the promised land, all but two brought back a negative report; why? They did not recall to mind the great acts of God, nor did they consider the character of their God. God Almighty Promised them the land. They instead chose to believe their eyesight. They saw the problems as greater than God, consequently losing heart and courage to fight. If we have big problems, it’s because we believe in a small God. However, believing in a Big God equals small problems. This is still true even though the problems in both cases are the same. 

Unfortunately, our first reactions are to “mediate” upon the problem instead of meditating on the greatness of our God. The Bible says that Israel was acquainted with God’s acts. However, Moses was acquainted with God’s ways. Moses spoke with God as a man speaks to another man. Moses knew the character of God, as we should because of The Cross. He held nothing back to redeem us back from sin. No price was too much to pay for you or me. He leaves the ninety-nine to seek and restore the one. What is the value of that one?

Matthew 18:12

How think ye? If a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

Psalms 103:7

He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

The disciple’s hearts were hard and slow to believe. I am concerned that we are similar. All the spies saw the same land, the same people, the same walled cities, and ten were put to flight and brought back a bad report to the congregation. Two were ready to go in and conquer. Who would I be, who would you be? I would hope that all of us would be like Joshua and Caleb. The bad report spread to the whole camp, causing them to lose heart and speak very foolishly of the Lord their God. Lack of faith destroys opportunities and negatively impacts our families and relationships, and our future. If you struggle with having faith, are you sure you want to continue to struggle? Would it not be far wiser to spend time in the Bible, become acquainted with God’s ways, and grow your faith?

Deuteronomy 1:26-27m

Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against — the commandment of the LORD your God:

And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated — us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver — us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

Deuteronomy 1:34-35

And the LORD heard — the voice of your words, and was wroth, and swore, saying,

Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see — that good land, which I swore to give unto your fathers,

“Hated us,” is such strong language for all that God had done for them.

Let’s review what the Israelites had seen the Lord do up to this point. We’re going to exclude all the miracles God did in Egypt and start with the parting of the Red Sea. They saw God provide water several times, once from a rock. They were given quail in abundance, daily manna, military victories, etc., so it’s not like they hadn’t seen some incredible miracles. Seeing the Red Sea being divided should have been enough on its own! Now include all the plagues in Egypt, and they truly had no excuse not to believe. 

The two faithful witnesses saw God’s acts like the others, but their hearts were soft, so each act they saw revealed to them God’s might and His character and love for them. They were convinced that God could and would fulfill His promises.

The ten saw the same acts, but they never saw God’s character because of their hard hearts. We do the same, and we can even develop a sense of entitlement as if God owes us. Entitlement kills faith; gratitude grows faith.

Many of us have aches and pains, and some feel we are entitled to answers to our prayers of healing. We are only entitled to judgment. However, because of The Cross and His great love for us, we have standing, or presence with Him. His presence alone should make us eternally grateful. Anything more speaks of His abundance towards us. His goodness should be the motivation to know God better. All the promises of God find their yes and Amen in Him. 

Romans 2:4

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God ( should) leadeth thee to repentance ( and into a deeper walk with Him). 

In ending, have you ever wondered why Jesus scolded the disciples? We discussed it here, but there is one other clue found in Christ’s own words, can you find it? 

Mark 4:35-38

Jesus Calms a Storm (Matt. 8:23-27; Luke 8:22-25)

And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

Do you see it? 

“Let us pass over unto the other side.”

He stated His intentions. No storm, despite its size, would prevent His Words from coming true. They were going to the other side by Divine Decree, and His promises are His Divine Decree for us. 

Dear Father God, 

Thank you for your message. Cause us to live life according to your Word and according to your person as The Giver of Life. Please help us to stay singularly focused and learn to see and interpret life from the point of faith. To see with eyes, heart, and mind that are being redeemed; thinking, seeing, and being different because of You. That people will take note and say he or she has been with Jesus. 

Thank you and Amen,

Go in His Grace and Strength – Arthur 

Acts 4:13

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

With love, 

Arthur

Ezekiel 16:8-13

“Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I swore unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.

Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.

I clothed thee also with embroidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.

And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.

Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.”

All the material things of clothing and ornaments are all symbolic of the richness of His life in us, beautifying our soul and preparing us for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, something that awaits each believer. These verses are rich and intimate, and for them to make the treacherous journey from our mind, where they remain as just head knowledge, to our hearts where our lives are enriched and changed, it must be purposeful, deliberate, and aided by the Holy Spirit. For without His help, it is impossible. We must stand firm in the truth, defending against the lies of false gods seeking to lure us away. Or the temptations of our flesh telling us that greater pleasure is awaiting, or the apathy of our flesh to pursue God because of being satisfied with our current condition (we can be grateful for our current condition, but never satisfied). All these traps seek to share their bed with our spirit man or woman. 

The flesh will never say do not seek the Lord. It will say you can seek the Lord and do this as well. The enemy knows that from a little compromise greater compromises are easier to gain. The last thing the flesh wants is a united front against him/her. Having a “beach head” a landing in us makes it much easier to go out from there and divide and conquer. The Bible calls that a stronghold, and it can be anything; an attitude, an object or a secret lust. The point is that it is given shelter. This property rightly belongs to Christ, but we have permitted for it to dwell and abide. If this is you, you are in the process of being compromised. Or you are being given an opportunity through the Holy Spirit to see your stronghold(s) and repent of them and come into a deeper relationship with your Lord (this is called Sanctification, and it proves His faithfulness to us). He is your Heavenly Father and Dad (I realize that Father and Dad represent the same person. However, Father is the formal roll of God as my provider, my teacher, and protector. Dad is the relational role that allows us to laugh, hang out and enjoy each other’s company). The scriptures also call the church His Bride, so another role He holds is that of our Husband, which speaks of the intimate relationship and commitment that we have to Him and He to us. However, Israel sadly traded such privileges for worldly substance.

Ezekiel continues; God’s dialog with Israel becomes very serious 

Ezekiel 16:14-22

“And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.

But thou didst trust in thine own beauty ( be it beauty, intelligent, wealth etc. it causes us to forsake Him), and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and poured out — thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was ( if we are not loving God then we are loving something or someone else that is so inferior from a walk with Christ).

And of thy garments [that I gave you] thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places ( places of Idol worship) with divers colors, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so( they were sinning worse than the heathen. At least the heathen were loyal to their own false god).”

“Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them ( whatever we give ourselves over to, God sees it as fornication, and fornication violates all three aspects of man; spiritual, emotional/ soul and the body. We cannot sin on one level and not affect the other two).

And tookest thine embroidered — garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.

My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savor: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.”

“Moreover thou hast taken — thy sons and — thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured ( burned alive). Is this of [all] thy whoredoms a small matter,

That thou hast slain — my children, and delivered them and caused them to pass through the fire( Molech was the god of fire).

And — in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered — the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood ( the picture is of them as a nation being borne, and how God watched over them and prospered them, and now they have forgotten God. “

So much like us, when things are tough, we seek the Lord, and as things get better and He prospers us, we begin to forsake Him and pursue other interests. This is so wrong; God helps us to resist this evil. A great prayer is, “Lord always keep me hungry for You”). 

These verses and others are strong arguments against abortion. People can say what they want, justify the reason as much as they want, but ultimately God does and will have the final say, “That thou hast slain — my children.” Our life is on loan to us. GOD OWNS LIFE, and we are just stewards of it. There is no escaping the love that God has for us and the unborn, and as such, there will be a reckoning coming to all who have treated their lives carelessly as well as the lives in their care. Only repentance and seeking forgiveness is the only way to right this wrong. In Matthew we have this very stern warning from Jesus himself, 

Matthew 18:3-8

“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven ( the simplicity of a child’s trust, we must become in heart and do the same). 

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me

But whoso shall offend ( scandalize, cause to stumble) one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

“Woe unto the world because — of [these] offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come (because we live in a fallen world ); but woe to that man (or woman)by whom the offense cometh!

Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into [eternal] life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.”

Matthew 18:10

“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”

Many a woman and man in the porn industry were sexually abused as children, and that abuse subconsciously placed their life on track to continue to abuse their soul and body. For this reason, God HATES this offense when it is committed against children. It programs them to believe that this is what they are supposed to do. To make “daddy or mommie happy,” it’s wrong, and there is hell to pay for this grievous sin if it goes unrepentant. 

How does one right the wrong done to him or her? These offenses that occur in one’s youth programs the child and often the offender was also the offended as a child. A dear friend of mine had this happen to her repeatedly as a child and as a young teen, and now as an adult, she is always having sex with each “boyfriend” she gets. She gets a new one almost yearly. Her relationships do not last, and it has been so hard to un-program what dad has programmed into her. Her progress towards Christ is slow, but it is coming; there’s always hope in Christ. 

In today’s world, sexual activity before marriage is common. However, the scar caused on a person who has been sexually abused is different than one who chooses to give in to their hormones. One is cultural programming; the other goes deep into their identity. Both actions are wrong and hurtful, but “cultural sex” often ends once the person marries or finds their live-in boyfriend/girlfriend. God’s Word puts a finger right on the problem of those having “cultural sex,” it’s no different than Israel. His Word reveals that we are living a life of idolatry. Idolatry is anything that we put before God. In other words, He says no, wait till marriage, and we say now. The “now” be it sex, be it a person, a lifestyle, a belief, or our pride, anything that we put before God is Idolatry; by it, we say to Him that we don’t need Him. A very foolish thing to say to someone who loves us with a perfect love. 

Our purpose… where our deepest joy and meaning is found. 

2 Corinthians 6:16-18

“And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God [our created purpose]; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk-in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing (lustful action, which could be many things); and I will receive you.

And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty ( the end goal, He seeks intimate relationship with us. Even in judgement He exercises mercy, not wanting the cancer of sin to spread and damn our soul).”

Sons and daughters…,” not just sons. In a time when women virtually had no status in society, God gives them all the status they need. Amen. This is our identity, come out from the world, from what society says you should do and be, take a stand and declare yourself as belonging to God; we are His kids now. Learn to absorb, grow and live LIFE from the GIVER OF LIFE. 

This next verse and I am taking it out of context to some degree. Yet it is a good verse for personal consideration.

Ruth 3:9

“And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.”

In this verse, Boaz is asleep, and Ruth comes in quietly and lays at his feet, signifying that she is seeking from him to be her covering her husband and provider. Boaz, being woken by feeling Ruth at his feet, asks the question, who are you? I think that is an excellent question to ask ourselves. If the Lord was to ask you or me, who are we, how would we answer? Does the life we live, and decisions we make, and the speech we use give evidence to our answer? Are we pursuing Him for what He can do for us, or are we pursuing Him because we know we need Him? He represents forgiveness, new life, the wholeness of soul, which translates to peace, and from peace comes our joy. Are we seeking Him for these things; do we know? I pray that we would spend time in prayer asking the Lord to reveal the true motives of our hearts toward Him (remember, peace comes from a root word which refers to the setting of a broken bone, making the broken limb one with the whole. Sin broke us off from the Lord, forgiveness, and faith via the Cross sets us back into a relationship, making us one again, so good).

Jeremiah 17:5-10

“Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit (a good verse for encouragement in this period of COVID. “

Many who do not have faith in God have much wealth, yet the lack of gratefulness, acknowledging God as the one who gave them the power to gain their wealth they are unable to fully enjoy it. This lack of gratitude makes the profit of wealth burdensome.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 

Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. 

Deuteronomy 8:18 ESV

You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Unless you walk in this truth, it’s hard, no, it’s impossible, to know what your life could be like. 

We have beautiful promises to encourage us to trust in our Heavenly Father. It is not wise to trust in our intellect or anything outside of The Lord. Our view on life, or our opinion of right and wrong must be seen through the lense of scripture. Our view is always skewed, according to our own bias. 

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 

The heart is deceitful above all things and — desperately wicked: who can know it?

I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Matthew 6:19- 21

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[a] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

I want to add to last month’s teaching on identity. As discussed, our true identity is not found in wealth, or the abundance of possessions, or the lack thereof. None of this makes us more or less righteous. It does not make us less or more important in God’s eyes. Our identity does not change when everything is going well or when things are hard and or painful. Disappointments or when we experience setbacks etc., God’s view of us remains the same, and life’s difficulties are the training ground for the believer. 

To encounter God in these seasons of our life brings the underpinnings that we are truly hidden in Christ. It is the key to being Christ’s child. When we stop living for what others think of us, or we give up on the image we are trying to live up to and or project and we “rest” in the identity He gives us, we are now finding our freedom. Whether life seems to be crushing us, or blessing us, maturing to this point brings freedom from this world that few experience, but all are invited into. Our focus changes from fighting or manipulating life to accepting all that comes on the path of pursuing Christ, for we know that He will use it for our good. Amen!!

Philippians 4:10-13

Contentment

“But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

— I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. “

This depth and confidence in Christ only come through seeing God’s faithfulness through trials and hardships. His presence is so much more real and sweeter in these times.

Philippians 4:4-9

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be careful (worry or fearful) for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and — minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things( control, reign in your thought life).

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

Repeatedly do these things keeping your life ever before the Lord, and the promises of The Lord shall be a reality. 

**Isaiah 40:25-31

“To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things ( the stars) that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Why sayest thou, O Jacob (add your name) , and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD ( we often feel like this), and my judgment ( rights) is passed over from my God?

Hast thou not known? — hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait ( trust) upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint ( how does an eagle fly, by flying into the wind. It is the wind that lifts it up controlled under its powerful wings, in like manner, it is the storms of life coupled with growing faith that lifts us through the clouds and causes us to see the faithfulness of our Lord. 

Soldiers of the Cross are made from steel that has been repeatedly fire and pounded and will not and cannot bend because we have been endued with dunamis , the supernatural power of God. All this comes with time, prayer, reading the scriptures and attending a Bible-teaching church. As the saying goes, be patient with me, for God is not finish yet. Amen”

Father God,

Thank you so much for this strong shot of faith. Let us absorb and take into ourselves the strong medicine. You give us, as well as the hugs of love found in Your counsel. Bless us now with the knowledge of Your presence ever around us, and let us as sons and daughters walk in this confidence. Let us reflect You in all we do, help us to change our world, and be patient as You mold and shape us through the hardships of life. There is never a day that You are not mindful of us despite what the circumstances cause us to believe. 

In Christ Name,

Go in the mighty strength of the Lord

Arthur

I ended the last by saying, “we love you, signed your sons and daughters.” That is not just a nice spiritual ending, not at all, but it is an absolute truth that, if believed and acted upon, transforms our lives. How we feel and see ourselves is huge. Our IDENTITY (not ego) is the one thing that either holds us back or advances us forward in life. I had an assistant that worked for me several years back, and as I was ready to promote her, she did something out of character. It was a pattern, so I called her on it and said, is this something you do because you do not feel worthy of the promotion. She said she too was wondering about her actions and came to the same conclusion. It’s crazy how our subconscious voice plays into our everyday life. 

It’s the difference between us believing that our glass is either half full or half empty. It’s the same amount; however, the way we “interpret” that amount is enormous. And that view not only affects us, but it affects everyone around us. Our view of our glass is so substantial that it affects how we relate to life. Whether problems are overwhelming or conquerable; whether we can accept and be grateful for good things that come our way or struggle with accepting them; or feeling as if life has cheated us. 

Whether we view ourselves as losers when we suffer a defeat in life or whether we can accept the corrections that are common to us all, and allow these corrections to make us stronger and better by them. Our attitude of half full or half empty cannot be more opposite from each other. It is the single biggest determiner of the outcome of our life. It’s what literally charts our course. 

Half-full gives us hope and allows us to overcome life’s challenges. Half-empty invites fear and failure and is the foundation of low self-esteem. Half-empty also accepts defeat, as though this is supposed to happen to me. 

I love word pictures. Another way to speak about damaged identity is to imagine a hole in the side of a ship. That ship represents us, and the cause of the hole can be many things. However, it remains because of the weakness of our faith. To not see ourselves as God sees us is why the hole remains and opens us up to taking on water (fear, worry, anger, etc.), thus diluting our faith. This makes us unproductive in our Father’s Kingdom and hurts our relationship with others. We need to make an effort to identify with the truth of who God says we are. 

To honestly believe that you and I are the adopted son or daughter of the Greatest God and King (the one that created the whole Universe and loves you and me immensely) should change our view of ourselves and begin to patch the hole. We cross the line from victim to victor.  

My Dad was one of the school administrators at the high school that I would be attending in a couple of years. One Saturday, I went with him to work, and while he caught up on some paperwork, my brother and I walked the campus. It didn’t take long before we spotted some teenagers climbing the roofs, so I found the janitor and ratted on them. They were doing something wrong at MY DAD’S school, and I wasn’t going to put up with it! The janitor promptly got those teenagers off the roof. Well, they were mad because they knew I had ratted on them. I saw them hiding from us a few buildings ahead, hoping that we would walk past them. 

I told my brother to go back and be within shouting distance of Dad, and then I preceded to walk into their trap. Sure enough, they jumped me. One grabbed my arms while the other was going to hit me. Just before he could, I shouted out to Rick to get Dad. I had no fear in my shout, and it was a shout as if to say you guys are doomed now; they froze. They wanted to know who my Dad was. I told them he was one of the school administrators, and they would be in big trouble if they hurt me. They made a beeline out of the school. 

I’ve often reflected on that incident. I had no fear, not even for a second, and no doubt of the outcome. I knew my Dad, and I knew that he would come out and stop those boys from hurting me. How well do we know our Heavenly Dad? Do we know Him? If not, then that is why we struggle and why life intimidates us. It is the single biggest reason why we continue to battle with stress, fear, temptation, low self-esteem, insecurity, jealousy, etc.; all the negative emotions that slow us down, robbing our joy and confidence. This is the cause for why we take on water diluting our faith. We hit the bed exhausted from another day of bailing water. There is no objective justification for this struggle other than that we don’t know our Heavenly Father. If we have a BIG view of Our DAD, we have much smaller problems even though they are the same. A strong identity in Christ equals strong security, and the problems do not intimate me nearly as much. 

We are raising one of our granddaughters. Her mom, our oldest daughter, is a single mom, and her work makes it challenging to keep a consistent home life. Raising Shawnee takes both Lisa and me, and we spend much time verbally and by our actions letting her know how much we love her. In so doing, we are forming her identity. She’s not only learning that she’s loved, but love adds a sense of value. This sense of value gives her worth and respect for herself. Added to that are God’s love and value which ultimately is supreme above everything. She participates in family decisions as well as the chores of the home. The family that helps us watch her also continues in the same love and affection and chores. I tell my daughters that a second time around is a charm; we know what we’re doing now. 

Christianity at its heart is as such. It is relationship-based via our faith. It’s not a set of rules. Though there are “rules,” the motive and reason behind them are so we can have, maintain and grow in intimacy with our Father. If we follow the rules for the sake of rules, we fall into legalism. Our behavior is modified away from a relationship to merit-based living; I do this, and You do that. There is no joy or peace in that. Living by Grace is choosing to acknowledge and accept that I am loved because of WHO HE IS, not because of who I am. Therefore abiding in Him causes me to want to be pleasing to my Father. 

As such, there is nothing that needs to be earned. It’s already been given at the Cross. Our part is to say yes to The Lord and no to the things that open the door to sin, thus separating me from Him.

** What is Grace? It has been explained in many beautiful ways. Still, the simplest and easiest way to understand Grace is as sinful and flawed human beings, we have been given the privilege and the highest honor to call the King and Ruler of the Universe our Father. Through the death and Resurrection, which we are now about to celebrate, we have access to this Great and Mighty King day or night, and not just access but access to His heart; as a child upon the lap of a loving dad. In its simplest form, this is Grace. Take a moment and process what you just read. It is so beyond incredible. 

When a soldier enlists, he or she is given what they need to fight. They are trained and prepared and do not go into war with the equipment given to inviting injury or death. We’ve been given our identity in Christ. To not grow in that truth and apply it daily is to invite pain and sin into our life. The best investment aside from the Bible to help us with our struggles and fortify our identity is the Jesus Promise Pocketbook. It lists categories of daily struggles and the scriptures that we need to know.

A well-known Theologian was asked in his later years of life what is the one single truth that he has held most dear. Without hesitation, he started to sing a song he learned as a child in Sunday School, “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so, little ones to him belong, we are weak, but he is strong, yes Jesus loves me, yes Jesus loves me for the Bible tells me so. Is the Christian faith as simple and as profound as this one single truth? We say we know this, but we only know it in our minds most of the time. It is a fantastic truth that changes our life forever.

The longest distance we will ever travel is escorting this truth from our heads into our hearts. It can take years to travel 18″ inches. 

How much more significant and more powerful would our faith be if we knew our Heavenly Father as He has revealed Himself. There are those of us that are on this path, and it is beautiful and free. However, many of us are not, and we act more like orphans than the sons and daughters of a Great King. We are intimidated by situations, especially those that are Goliath in nature. By not spending the time knowing the Lord, we absorb the indoctrination of the world around us. Without His Truth guarding our hearts and minds, we are easily deceived by false promises and the Goliaths in life. Secular advertising does an excellent job of this. 

We need to make ourselves unsinkable and unstoppable by memorizing verses that speak of God’s love and faithfulness. Hence distancing ourselves from society’s values (God’s cry from the Old Testament to New is for His people to come out from among the people and adopt and live by His values).

2 Corinthians 6:16-17

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk-in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

There is such a richness in genuinely knowing God as our Father. A Life Truth that is pivotal in our growth. For those who did not have a father or our parents were divorced or had an abusive or absent father, there is a mark made on our soul, making it more challenging to see The Lord as our Dad. As a young man, I so badly wanted my Dad to be saved to talk about the scriptures and pray together, but it never happened. That longing caused me to dig deeper into my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Others I know with similar upbringing struggle with feelings that God will not accept them. Therefore fearing rejection, they live at a distance. My Aunt lived many years as such, getting pregnant before marriage and being a pastor’s daughter she never felt worthy to come to the Lord. Until her later years, God in His Grace wonders in our hearts, preparing us to see Him. 

Also, we tend to reflect on God what we experienced with our father. Since our identity is built, good or bad, over a period of time via our earthly Dad, it is a tough change to right the ship and patch the hole. However, God’s grace, the Holy Spirit, and His Word are all doable. Here are only but a few verses.

Psalms 68:5

[He is] A father to the fatherless, and a judge (vindicator) of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

Hosea 14:3

“For in You the fatherless find compassion.”

Deuteronomy 10:1 

“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.”

The hurt that an abusive father or absent father has caused in you is real, and it hurts. However, the good news is it can be and will be filled with love, forgiveness, and joy if you do one thing consistently. You must DECIDE not to listen to the voice in your head. As noted, it will be a hard fight, but you are fighting for a new life, and for the lives you care for and for the legacy you will leave, so you must give it all. And like all fights, there is an end, but I can tell you with 110% percent accuracy that God loves you. You will win. You are not a loser but a winner because of Him. He’s so thrilled to have you as His child. How do I know this? Because I live every day feeling just a tiny part of His love for His people, for you.  

For the lost, for the one seeking an identity, a place to call home, for women who give themselves over to immorality seeking for a father’s love, not understanding that anything found here is only a bandaid over a wound that only God can heal. It grieves the Lord because his heart yearns and breaks as you inflict yourself with many unnecessary hurts in search for love. You deserve the treatment of a princess as He would treat you, but until you come to Him, you will not understand. The fear and insecurity we have are only there because we are disconnected from Him. If you come to Him daily, ignoring the thoughts that say He’s too busy, or your too messed up, or He doesn’t want you, or your not worth it, etc., you will find in time that those voices will lessen until they are easily conquered.

He will never reject you. Even on your worse day, He waits for you to come; come to Him even if you fall back into your old sin ( which you probably will, but learn from it). In time you will say no to a boyfriend’s advances as you begin to sense God’s love for you. You will grow into being His princess, promise. Stick to and always believe His promises. Tape them to your mirror, wallpaper them to your phone, wash your mind in these truths, and in time your heart will change as well as your view of yourself. 

At times we think that He accepts others because they got their act together, that they are worthy? We spend countless hours in the day and energy trying to put our best face on so that others think we got it together. Yet each night, we hit the bed exhausted because of the energy it takes to wear the mask. We are even more fearful because we are not sure how much longer we can keep it up. 

Well, let me give us some good news. No matter how good we look on the outside, how accomplished we are, NONE of us is worthy of God’s love, attention or presence, “no not one.” The Gospel is never presented as such, but rather “he or she that has ears to hear let him/her hear what the Spirit says( Rev. 2:17).” It’s a choice, on His part; it’s an INVITATION not based on merit, but on recognized need. He died for sinners, for the lost, for those seeking a new life that includes forgiveness, peace, and true love that never leaves. It is only for those who want it, and it gets better as we mature in our faith. We learn that we have hope that remains, even in the darkest hours. If this is you and you are willing to go through the discipline of saying no to old patterns of thought and actions/reactions and lean a new way to live, then say a heartfelt prayer asking Christ to forgive you and ask Him to be your Lord and Savior. Thank Him and now be welcomed to a new family (Amen!!) By learning God’s ways, we learn to say no to our pride, old ways, and yes to God. We are tired of the life we have been living. 

Be the good seed. 

**Matthew 13:8-9

But other [seed] fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

He who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

John 10:10-11

The thief (satan) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Matthew 11:27-30

All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (He’s very approachable).

This is His invitation to us all, those who “appear” together and those of us who are not. It’s across the board invitation, “whosoever,” that means you and me. Peter concludes with these weighty and honest words. 

1 Peter 5:5-9

Concluding Injunctions

Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and [but] giveth grace to the humble.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you.

Be sober ( alert) be vigilant ( on your guard); because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour( but don’t fear him, he’s had all his teeth pulled at the Cross). 

Whom resist (oppose) steadfast ( anchored, grounded) in the [your] faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

James 4:7

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

** memorize scripture and quote it out loud in times of testing.

Once you identify with Christ, meaning that you are in agreement with the Lord and are in the process of dying to self, finding our contentment in being His son or daughter! We then become a target for the devil and his minions. We have been all along, but there is not much he has to do for in the state of being not fully committed to Christ (lukewarm, Revelations 3), most of the time, we are our own worst enemy. It’s easy to cause us to sin. However, once committed, we enter into the fight, yet we fight with the armor that God has provided (Ephesians 5). 

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Pray without ceasing.

Our fight always is preceded on our knees, and the joy we grow in as we follow Christ provides the strength to resist temptation. We never focus on fighting satan, never. We keep our focus ALWAYS on Christ. The enemy deserves no special attention. He and his minions have already been defeated at the Cross. We need to keep him, and us, reminded of this truth. So we fight by being guided by the Holy Spirit and knowing the Word of God. By being sensitive to the Holy Spirit through prayer, we can foresee the traps placed before us. The argument just before church, or just as you are about to pray, or sit down to read the scriptures (though we can read anything else anytime) or sexual temptations (setups) are examples of how and when he seeks to stir up strife. Clothe yourselves therefore with humility and prayer then the enemy has “no wood to burn.”

So to recap… our value of ourselves should not come from our accomplishments, from our education, from how much money we earn or the title or position we have, but from His love for you. If we have been based on prosperity, then let it be known that the Lord has helped you and worked through you to accomplish what you have, and the glory and praise be to Him. Yet, the best basis for a solid and lasting value system and identity is simply being called His son or daughter. No greater title one can have. 

John 1:11-13

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Having our value of ourselves on this level is like living within the bars and walls of a castle. Very few things can assault us for our core. Our foundation is being built on Christ. Like the song, “on Christ the solid rock I stand all else is but sinking sand.” 

Father God, 

Thank you for this wonderful, wonderful study at Easter. It’s particularly beautiful because of its timing. You help us and invite us to examine the foundation of our being and, if lacking, show us a better way, a much better way. Father, help us now to do the hard work of destroying the old foundations we’ve trusted in and build anew with the strength, wisdom, and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Years from now, we will look back on this period of our development and see your hands all over it, as a potter’s hands are lovely and skillfully fashions the clay to take on a form of beauty and purpose. Amen, Thank you, Lord

Grow and Go in His Grace/ Have a Blessed Easter – Arthur

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:7&8

Who doesn’t want to have power in their life? The ability to overcome obstacles, the power to finish out the day strong instead of being emotionally exhausted, or the power to excel at what we put our hand to? However, what about the power to be Christ’s witness? The mindset of a faithful follower of Christ, seeking to put Christ first so that Christ is the center of his or her life, is the one to whom this promise belongs and to whom the power is for. 

“All power comes from the Lord, which is why dunamis demonstrates the power, strength, and force of the Lord God at work in His creation and the lives of His people. The power of God is at work in His people to bring Himself glory ( which is the heart of a true believer).”

Dave Jenkins, Christianity Today.

We get our English words dynamic and dynamite from dunamis. However, when Christ spoke this to the disciples, this was not their mindset. 

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 

An authentic Jewish mind, still thinking about the physical Kingdom of Israel and the glory and prestige they once had as a nation under King David. They even argued among themselves who would be the greatest in this new kingdom. They longed for Christ to rule and to share in his glory. They still did not grasp that the rulership that Christ sought was not an established worldly Kingdom but an eternal Kingdom born anew in the heart of man. All that Christ taught and sought was for this. The disciples eventually understood, but it took a while to get the Jew out of the Jew and connect him to Christ’s agenda. 

Luke 9:46-48 Who Is the Greatest?

“An argument arose among them as to which of them would be the greatest [in his new kingdom]. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great. [ ] not in the scripture, stated for clarification.”

What is your agenda, do you know? Are you or I seeking to build a kingdom here as well? It’s not wrong to work hard and be rewarded for your effort, but what is the motive? Is it to honor The Lord or for ourselves? It is very hard to know. We may think we have the right motives, but until challenges come, or sacrifices are made, or hardships or failures endured, we do not know where we stand. As it was hard to get the Jew out of the Jew, it is equally as hard to get the ego out of our pride.  It is only through hard times, failures, and repentance that Christ begins to take His rightful place in our hearts. We must dethrone ourselves and put Him there instead. Through these trials, we can get a window into ourselves and begin the process of surrendering areas of our lives until we are entirely His. It is absolutely a struggle, but it is a struggle worth fighting. 

Jeremiah 17:9

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it (this is the moral depravity we have all inherited via the fall, most of us do not even realize it. Just like soiled clothes don’t look so bad until you hold them next to clean ones. Our depravity compared amongst ourselves is the norm until we compare ourselves to His Word then there isn’t words to describe our fallen state, only repentance and humility is the answer.”

As the disciples had to receive power, we also need to. Dunamis is the Greek word for power. Its supernatural power refers to the Holy Spirit indwelling in a believer and then activating that believer. It means several things, but internally, it means to be able to overcome and defeat the enemy within. Bitterness, lack of forgiveness, the strong walls of lust and self ambition, jealousy and the like; just like the impenetrable walls of Jericho that came down, these walls can and must come down. I have stepped forward several times in church meetings to receive the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome my Goliaths, and it has been fruitful with many tears.

James 5:16

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power in its working.”

Psalms 51:15-17

“O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering ( the sacrifices and burnt offerings became a thing of pride/works). 

[But]The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

Brokenness and obedience are the sign of a changed heart. We all approach Christian maturity uniquely, but our common thread is to see more of Christ in us and less of self. Brokenness, “sabar” meaning crushed, shattered, to break in pieces also means to bring to birth. The birth of godliness, be it one’s salvation or the end of jealousy, fear or strife, etc., in one’s life only, comes by something of the flesh in us dying first.

.

Luke 11:9-13

“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Essential to understand the tenses of ask, seek, and knock. In the imperfect tense as in-keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking for the treasure or the pearl of great value is Christ. He is worth every bit the effort of disciplining ourselves to say no to the flesh and yes to His Grace ( His favor over our life which is only experienced via obedience) and Truth. And it’s important to know that God wants to fulfill our needs, but are we seeking the gift more than the giver of the gift? That would be wrong. The Giver of the gift should never be second to the gift itself. Getting this confused has cost many a soul pain. We confuse our wants with our needs, making our wants our needs and vice versa. Whether we have the maturity to see it or not, our absolute need is for Christ, period. Everything else is second to Him.

It will help if you trust me here. Having gone through 40 years of seeking and knowing Christ and wrestling with my flesh for this thing or that, going down the various rabbit trails that the flesh will take you on only to come back to the truth of Jesus and His Word. If possible, I would like to spare you the pain. 

John 14:6

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life…” period. Not the big house, or the new car or that promotion, though all this can be good but it should not be what we are living for. These are the things that the world seeks, and they do very little to give us inner peace, improve our marriage or family life, or grow us in purity, inner strength, security, or joy. These are the internal qualities that we seek and desperately need. As people we live life from the inside out, therefore seeking outward things to satisfy an inward need is unwise, to say the least, deception and foolishness at its worse. Unless we maintain a close walk with Christ, we too shall be fooled.”

Jesus says he is THE WAY, not a way. Choosing Christ puts us on a path of righteousness from which there is no regret. Therefore the Truth and the way we assimilate it is critical. The lies that the media wants us to believe and the lust that society is entertained with, and trapped in, all point to the importance of saying no to the flesh and yes to Christ. And as a result of saying no to the flesh, LIFE grows in us. 

His love, His peace, His wisdom, and His joy take time, just like a baby in the womb, and it doesn’t come easy. It doesn’t come without sacrifice, but as He died to gain us, we die to self to gain Him. Hopefully, by now, you realize we got a far better deal than He did. There is absolutely nothing in this life that can compare to what we receive by living in harmony and fellowship with Him – nothing. If you do not yet realize this, you will. It just takes maturity. 

John 10:11-15

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep ( can we find greater security anywhere else?).”

The key is this, if your needs are filled at a soul and spirit level as only God can do, there is very little that we want. Another way to say it is if you eat regular full meals, then the temptation to eat junk food lessens significantly. 

I noticed the only time a donut temps me is when I’ve skipped a meal. I believe the application is accurate spiritually as well. 

“Soul hunger,” which we all have, is the result of the fall. When the Spirit of Lord departed from Adam and Eve and they “saw they were naked,” what did they really see? They had always been naked, but they did not see their humanity because they were clothed with the Glory of God. When God left, He left a void in the heart and soul of man wider than the Grand Canyon, pictured in the physical with them now being “naked.” And with that, their physical being became an embarrassment to them, so they attempted to clothe themselves to cover their inner nakedness. Ever since that day, man has needed to fill or cover the void.

We feel the emptiness in ourselves when we skip our times with Christ. That is what gives lust its power. That person, thing, or thought has power because of the lust behind it. All lust is spiritual in nature. So we have to work through it by saying no. Finding the scripture or scriptures that address the temptation, meditate upon them, and allow God’s Word to strengthen us. It’s a process, and failure is part of growth. However, we have a Loving Dad that forgives and strengthens us for the next time around. 

Some temptations/trials are more challenging and take more diligence to overcome. Have you ever noticed how as we become closer to the Lord, our joy and peace increase, contentment and clarity also? And vice versa, being out of prayer and study, it doesn’t take long for our sinful nature to rise. There’s an old song that speaks of a man dancing with his best friend’s girl, and the lyrics go “guilty feelings have no rhythm.” Whether the singer is singing about himself or not, the point is sin is wrong; we know it, others know it, and it doesn’t feel good inside. We either repent of it or spend a lifetime trying to justify our actions. Such a waste of time and energy. We are not happy, and we know it.  

James 1:12-17

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Do not be deceived ( tricked, fooled, lied to) my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (purity) with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

Father God, 

Place deep within us the joy of being found by You, the determination to never change course despite the difficulty or cost and let us live as though we see the finish line, rejoicing with great joy knowing that you are cheering us on. Amen

We love you, 

Your sons and daughters

Grow in His Grace and Truth – Arthur

Acts 1:1-3

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Acts 1:6-8

The Ascension

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Acts 2:1-3

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.

Acts 2:5-13

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine ( there are always those who will mock the gospel and or the works of God).  

In the first group of verses, Luke says, “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during (for a full) forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God.” Testimony of witnesses is how we establish a fact. We believe in the existence of Lincoln, Washington, Julius Cesar, the Roman Empire etc. though we have personally have never seen any of them. Yet we have not only the testimony of Luke of Jesus ascension but of the other 3 Gospel writers. Imagine being there with them, after you witnessed Jesus being beaten and whipped and then seeing him nailed on the Cross, then hearing him say “Father into thy hands I commit my spirit” and then seeing him die. Then knowing that He said in 3 days he would rise, but would he? No one has ever done that but then no one has ever walked on water, healed the blind, raised the dead, Jesus was unlike anyone we have ever know. However in all these instances he was alive, now he’s dead. How could he raise himself? (Now talking in the first person).

This would be the greatest miracle ever, and now it’s the third day, and our women came back early this morning saying the stone was rolled away and they saw angels? Peter and John, upon hearing this, left to see, and they have yet to come back. Now fast forward all these events to the evening when all of us the are now gathered together in a home, and we hear “Peace to you!” At once we turn to look and it’s Jesus, but is it Jesus or his “ghost”? And the account continues in 

Luke 24:38-40

And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ” 

And he even asked for something to eat, and he ate before them.

From believing that Jesus could overthrow the Roman tyranny, to now seeing him crucified, to now being alive, touchable, and able to eat, the last days have been a rollercoaster of emotions. What man is this, the truth of his Divine nature is beginning to dawn on them. From the God of the Old Testament that if you saw Him you were dead, to the God of the New Testament who could actually be touched and handled. The concern I have with this part of Christ’s story is we read it “flat,” like a textbook with no thought to the emotions, the fear, the marvel; you are blowing my mind, how can this be!! To do this part of scripture justice we must try to see it and feel it through the disciples. To do so is to become changed men and women as they became. Peter was never Peter again, John though most endeared to Jesus became mighty and so true with them all, they were changed forever. And that change in them is how they shared Christ and how it was said of them, 

Acts 17:6

And when they could not find them( Paul and Silas) they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

Can this be said of us? We have the same Lord, and we have the same Holy Spirit? Until we breathe life into these passages and stop reading them as a nursery rhyme or textbook the benefit of this profound truth will not benefit us, or change us into the men and women we could be. 

We are called to the same. We are called to be Jesus to our world and a changing life is the greatest proof of that. Our speech, our ambitions, our person play a huge part of demonstrating that. For example, and speaking to my brothers, do we talk more about sports, our jobs, or our hobbies than we talk about Jesus? Which topic gets more attention? Is there more enthusiasm in our voice when we are talking about our favorite team or hobby than when we talk about the Lord? And for my sisters, is there more attention given to talking about the kids or family life than when we talk about our Lord? Our speech, body posture and tone of voice and the longevity of the topic all speak to its importance in our life. Sometimes I feel that the Sunday morning message doesn’t even sink in. Like the parable of the sower that Jesus spoke of our hearts are like the path the seed is thrown on and then its eaten by the birds. Just as soon as we step outside the church it is dismissed. The very next topic is where are we going to lunch? We could say, that was such a good message let’s go to lunch so we can talk about it. 

Desperation has been the motivator of many movements, and unless we feel or have a sense of desperation for Christ the depth of the message and its impact on us will be limited. We need to see the precariousness of our situation. How the flesh can so easily deceive and fool us into thinking we are right with God, or that we don’t need God. We absolutely need the Risen Savior in our life and we absolutely need to be on a quest know Him better and to be filled with His Holy Spirit DAILY. If we do not take an aggressive stance we will not have the where with all to endure and push forward. Sadly people who I know who were on fire for God when they were younger, have traded their faith for materialism. The success of their life has interfered with their hunger and need of Christ. Though the scripture does not say it I am assuming that this is exactly what happened to Asa King of Judah. From a God fearing King who seriously trusted in God in his early years to a man who took money out of the house of God to pay his enemy to be his friend defend him from Israel. Such a huge fall. Read 2 Chronicles 14 – 16. 

Paul put it this way. 

Philippians 3:3-6

For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

To the Jewish mind Paul had all the accolades to be great, maybe even the next High Priest. He had every reason not to seek the Lord and to trust in his accomplishments. However, The Lord gave him his sight back and in so seeing again he became a changed man. He speaks of this change in his letter to the Philippians. 

Philippians 3:7-9

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. 

We do not use this same terminology but we say the same thing when we say “I think I am good enough, or I’m a good person, God should let me into His Kingdom, or worse yet, I don’t need Him. Paul verses need to be our verses. This is to rightly relate to Christ. When our view of Him is high and lifted up ( Isaiah 6:1) we are on the right track. Therefore whatever accomplishments or rod of confidence we may have in ourselves, if it diminishes even one degree and our desperation for Christ increases, we are growing and we are on the right path. We need to consider our accomplishments as “rubbish,” why, because only faith in Christ brings us salvation, everything else becomes an obstacle to our salvation( salvation in the complete sense, from salvation, to sanctification to glorification). 

Like Paul, extremely accomplished in the Jewish ways, but these things became a hindrance to him seeking Christ. So he took it all and threw it in the trash. Then and only then was he free to fully set his heart, mind and soul on seeking, serving, growing and knowing Christ. This is not easy, but if we continue to know Jesus, read His Word and pray we will gain a greater love for Him and those things that we have trusted in we can begin to discard because our love for Christ has grown..and the catalyst for these changes is the Resurrection of our Lord. 

A pivotal verses out of the life story of King Asa 

2 Chronicles 16:1-3

Asa’s Last Years

In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king’s house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, “There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.”

2 Chronicles 16:7-9

At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong to those who trust in Him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

Aside from this being a cool verse don’t miss what the verse is screaming out, God is a relational God. He searches the whole world looking for INDIVIDUAL HEARTS that want a relationship with Him. That’s what trust is, it is wanting a relationship, whether it be with God, your wife or your neighbor, without trust there is no relationship. Here’s another example, 

Deuteronomy 11:18-24

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth. For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the LORD your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours. Your territory shall be from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the River, the river Euphrates, to the western sea.

When you consider these words, take them to heart you cannot but understand and see what a relational God, God is. He speaks to us on how to teach our children…and that’s how He wants to be with us. He wants to procure a Godly seed, a remnant in the land that will be strong towards Him, a remnant that He can work through and combat and defeat the works of the flesh and save the lost THROUGH US! To not see His heart in these verses is to miss the Cross, “For God so loved the WORLD that HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life! That is so relational it is literally out of this world! To have a relationship with God that lasts for Eternity!!! What more could a soul want? Anything else is so inferior that there are no words in the English language to describe it. 

Father God, 

Thank you for these impactful words. Work in us, change us as only You can. Place in each of us a passion and an awareness of our need of You. Help us to see ourselves as You see us, yet at the same time with so much mercy, forgiveness and love for our weak state of being. Grow us up Father so we can be Jesus to our work, community and place of worship. In Christ name, 

Amen

Go in peace and in the fullness and strength of the Lord. 

Arthur Navarrette

Please watch my video introduction here:

Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money( or anything else). 

Matthew 6:25-26

Do Not Be Anxious

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Matthew 6:32-33 

“For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Welcome to another Vida4U. As of this time it “appears” that Biden will be the new President. My emotions are numb, and this Vida may be a bit messy. I myself am struggling with the outcome, with questions. How could this happen and why did President Trump not invoke the insurrection act etc., are a few of my questions. In rereading the last two Vidas, I find encouragement for myself (I hope likewise for you). 

In my Christmas letter, mailed to you or if you did not receive it,( its posted on my website Executivecareinc.com) can be read to find some of this encouragement. Towards the end of the article I say the following…,

“Though the elections are super important to all of us, we part here. They have no eternal

bearing on our life. A relationship with God super transcends anything that we value or find

important here. Here is temporary, God is Eternal, and we need to keep that in mind. When we

do, it is much easier to live life and to care for one another. The first commandment of the Ten Commandments is to “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul, and strength. The second is “To Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Instead of fighting, arguing, and bickering this is the direction we are to go in.” 

Here in the real world, unlike in Congress where divisions and blocks are the norm, we need to live together with our neighbors and with our co- workers regardless of their political bias and we CAN when it is the “Kingdom of God and His righteousness” that we seek first ( it’s the only way ). 

Another verse of scripture that relates to what we are feeling are the feelings the disciples felt after Jesus’s death. As they were walking down the Damascus road… 

Luke 24:15-21

While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them ( this is so Jesus), but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “ Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

Now let me be clear, nowhere am I implying that President Trump is remotely close to Jesus, but what I am relating to is the sadness, the depression, the lost hope, and what do we do now.. feelings that they were feeling. Feelings that we have as well. However, it would be so much worse if we did not have Jesus. There would be no comfort or future hope, there would just be fear. With Christ, our eternal security is established and because of that it gives us strength for today. If it doesn’t, then we need a “God Focus moment.”  

We need to stop looking at the present with a microscope and step back and imagine how God sees it. Do you think He’s stressed, or do you think He was caught by surprise? I don’t think so, but at the same time that doesn’t mean things will be easy either. Things could become very difficult, but we can make it even more difficult because we tend to white knuckle everything here. We have too much of a grip on this life and not enough of a grip on our Real Life. I’m sure the ease of this life and the materialism we engage with has produced shallow faith. The coming months I foresee as an opportunity to really grow our faith. With Eternity as our hope, life here is all about growing closer to the Lord. The deeper, stronger and more knowledgeable we become in His Word the more able we will be at handling Life. It’s about having a peace here and now, bringing and living in the benefits of being one with Christ, today. 

There is a story of an army Sargent who having been radioed that he and his troops were surrounded and that though help was on its way, it would not arrive till the following morning. After hearing that he gathered his troops and said, 

“Men, we have been given a unique opportunity. Today when we go to engage the enemy we do not need to waste time searching for them, they’ve come to us.”

Life and it’s challenges is all a matter of perspective. Israel saw Goliath as unconquerable, David saw him as an “ uncircumcised gentile.” In other words he was outside of the Convenant that God had established with Israel, so that meant he could be defeated, his size didn’t matter. Outside of the covenant meant that God was on David’s side and that meant that Goliath was going down. Would it be to God that we could see life and it’s challenges as clearly and as simply as David did. 

How would you act if you had an inheritance worth millions of dollars that you could access at anytime. Would there be anything in your everyday life that would cause you to fear or feel hopeless? I don’t think so. Do you know that your Heavenly Father has an inheritance that can be accessed right now though faith. And He gives what money can’t. He has given us all the resources of Heaven to live victoriously here. Do you believe this? What did Jesus say to his disciples prior to his departure? 

John 14:16-19

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.  “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live ( forever is a long time).”

Are we living? To not accept Christ gift and to not press forward into knowing Christ deeper is a fools game. It’s a risk that none of us can afford to take. We need to use wisdom and renew and strengthen our faith and then in turn be a help and a strength to our family and friends. 

1 John 4:15-16

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God (that’s so awesome). So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

So if we are struggling with fear we must spend more time in prayer and in the Word, but it must be purposeful, targeted. Fear is part of being human, but not part of abiding in Christ. So in between being human and abiding in Christ is our need of growth. It’s a journey just like any other journey. It requires purpose and thought but unlike any other journey it is done in conjunction with the Spirit of Truth. There is no other way to do it but to daily abide in Christ; through prayer and the Word. Abiding in Christ is like traveling to the Promised Land. It can take us a whole lifetime to grow a little or we can experience steady growth by committing to a daily intake of God’s Word and prayer. We can act like the Israelites did, regretting and complaining about leaving Egypt, still lusting for the things of the world or fearing the further or we can turn our hearts to the Lord and being focused on the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night( representing God’s presence) and go through the journey knowing that we are not alone. It was their choice to trust God as it is our choice.

And what about those who are politically like us but have no knowledge of salvation or faith in Christ. I worry for them, their anxiety level is probably through the roof. They need to be in our prayers, that they come to Christ. And for us, we need to pray that verses as such become part of the fabric of our soul. Our goal is stated in Paul’s words….

Acts 21:13-14

Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

With the “softness” of our world being turned upside down, we must become followers who are not surprised at hardships or miracles. They tend to go hand and hand. Simply meaning that God intercedes when times are tough. The following verses are an admonishment to us. They speak to the attitude we need to cultivate in our spirits.

1 Corinthians 10:6-14

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 

What is the way that God provides, do you know? How did Jesus, weakened by fasting 30 days overcome his temptations? 

Luke 4:3-13

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God,and him only shall you serve.’”

And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,“‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and“‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone ( satan also knows the scripture but he uses them incorrectly). And Jesus answered him, “It is said, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Jesus dealt with satan by quoting God’s Word. Also in his response he gave us the way to live, the way of Life. First, it’s not in the physical. Bread represents everything we need or “think” we need to be happy. It’s the stuff we feel, see and touch. Those things are NOT the way, “man shall not live by bread alone.” The rest of the verse which, interesting enough Luke did not record, but we find it in Matthew 4 is, “but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God.” Jesus elaborates more with His next answer, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” All of man’s problems would come to nought if he became a worshipper of God. Even now with the disappointment of the election, and all that is being changed worshipping God is the quickest way to get back on track. 

Emotionally we don’t feel like it, but the truth of it is God is not less deserving of my worship when things go south or more deserving of my worship when everything lines up. He is always worthy of my worship. What happens here in this life, or to my life has no bearing or change on God’s nature, His salvation, His forgiveness, His peace or love, or the grace and kindness that He bestrows on us, or the Cross. None of that changes, if anything in tough times these truths become more endearing as we become more needy of Him. Our life here is temporary, our life in eternity is forever. Choosing God as first in our life, gives us strength and hope to move forward. I love this next verse… 

Psalms 29:1-2 Ascribe to the LORD Glory

Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.

For a believer to say “ It is written” means the believer has become a soldier of The Cross. He or she knows and understands the scriptures. The scriptures must become knit into your soul, part of the fabric of who you are and who you are becoming. The Lord Jesus used the scriptures to beat temptation, and He was God Incarnate. WE must know them and use them, or fall into temptation, or fear or uncertainty. I believe this is why the church is so weak, that so many of us have shallow walks or have failed in our walks. If Jesus needed to know the scriptures to defeat satan how much more do we? There will be no excuse and no hiding our selves. We no longer have President Trump protecting the church, however we have someone greater, The Alpha and The Omega, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (which represents the faithful) if we will but become His Bride. 

There’s no greater power, and no greater cause to live for. If we remain strong in the coming days it’s because we are in the Word. If we cave and compromise, or become controlled by fear, anxiety, worry etc., it’s because we have not given Christ our full attention or have fully surrendered. Do you know where you stand? Put yourselves in Israel’s place, you are facing the Red Sea and off in the distance you can see Pharaoh and his army coming . You can look left and see the Red sea and be filled with despair, or you can look to the right and see the army and in great fear try to run, or you can stop and look up “ from whence comes your deliverance,” and see God represented in the pillar of the cloud. He’s there, with us, Immanuel (God with us). 

Last points. Courage is a must for any one wanting to follow Christ, and the depth of your courage is anchored to the depth of your knowledge of Christ.

Joshua is one of my favorite leaders for courage. 

Joshua 5:13-14

The Commander of the LORD’S Army

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” Until Joshua knew who this stranger was, he was ready to fight him, his size ( assuming he was taller) didn’t matter. 

Do we know where courage comes from? In Joshua chapter one, verses that I have shared before and by example Joshua lived out. We have the “founding of courage” e.g. “much like the mythical fountain of youth,” though there is not myth with Christ. 

Joshua 1:8-9

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

I’m not sure if we have seen courage in this light, but according to The Lord courage is found and developed in and through the reading of the scriptures. It’s a direct correlation as in lifting weights builds muscle and muscle grants strength. Courage is the “weight lifting” of building faith, and we see that all through Joshua’s life. Joshua lived real life faith, he had real enemies that through Christ he lead Israel to victory.

A similar verse

Deuteronomy 31:6-7( Moses speaking to the congregation and Joshua).

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.

However, prior to this verse are verses that are unparalleled in the scriptures. They layout life and death, victory or defeat; the road to travel with its blessings or curses is clearly seen. 

Deuteronomy 30:11

The Choice of Life and Death

“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

No matter how we see life, it first must begin with the emphasis of knowing Jesus. Everything must start there. From there we grow and we begin to experience God’s love and peace, in real time, today and now. Next come the challenges that we will face, those challenges can be faced alone or with Christ. It’s our choice, to the end that we either grow deeper and stronger in the faith because of the challenges we face with Him or we allow fear, uncertainty or depression to rule over us. My prayer for us all is we chose Christ. Amen

Father God,

Thank you for this powerful no nonsense study. Sometimes a call to arms is necessary. The church being complacent under President Trump’s leadership has now got to rise and be the Church. The power of Christ is in all those who seek you. Turn us loose on a society that calls good bad and bad good. Let our lives and our words convince them of their need of You. Let us not fail in this our day. 

Thank you, 

Your son by Grace

Arthur Navarrette

Please see the video introduction to my message here:

There currently is so much “misinformation” politically speaking, it’s hard to know what to believe. Some off line news says that President Trump is cornered and must concede. Other news sources say all is well and he has a plan. For those of you that are just busy raising a family and all this is just too much, or for those of you that feel bad news/good news I’ve heard it my whole life and nothing really changes, I would say I understand your perspective. 

For me, I feel I have the obligation and the privilege to pray for God’s righteousness to win in this day and hour and to pray earnestly for President Trump, interceding on his behalf. Spiritually this is where I’m at. I don’t want to come up short in what I believe is my duty. I did not use to care about politics but President Trump is the first President that stands for life, freedom, faith and seeks to protect America and not ship our jobs overseas like other Presidents. He has a belief in God, believes in prayer and writes and approves policies that benefit the American people (when not overridden) and I want to do my part to support him and his efforts. We are also told to pray for those in office. 

1 Timothy 2:1-3

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

What I am concerned about is that the church still needs to wake up more. We are not operating at our full potential. We really need to wake up and see the aggressive agenda that the left has in wanting change society. There is a saying that goes, “all that has to happen for immoral men (government) to take control is for good (moral) men to do nothing.” 

Based on history the patriots saw the tyrannical reign of England and the heavy taxation they wanted to impose on the colonies so they rebelled against England. I sense the same is coming unless we as the church wake up. We need to pray against this leftist agenda and support those who (through legislation) fight against it. 

The scripture enjoins us to do this, “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” It is to our benefit, and to our prodigy that we intercede now when there is still an opportunity to keep our religious freedoms. I don’t want us to be the generation that would of, could of, should of, but didn’t and consequently our children and grandchildren are inheriting a society and social structure that is adversarial to them because we failed in our duties. I would rather die first than to be charged with this failure. I know there is not a one of you that does not echo my sentiments, you also do not want to fail in your duty before God. So I ask you to earnestly pray and seek to fulfill the scripture mandates that are before us. We do not want to fail in this our day (this coming Wednesday 1/6 is the day, pray for righteousness to win). 

Here are some verses… first one we shared in the last Vida,

2 Chronicles 7:14

if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

“This promise is completely dependent upon us–God’s people–humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God’s face, and turning from our wicked ways!”

Ouch! That puts a new perspective on our usual thought pattern, doesn’t it? It brings home God’s message. 

The Church in Revelation 2:4, which says: “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

God wants us to be in love with Him. Therefore, when you pray, pray for revival in our hearts and in our Churches. Pray for Christians to get right with God; to return to their first love; and to seek Jesus with all their hearts (copied from “Ibelieve.com).” We the church must divorce ourselves from our worldly comforts and pleasures, all that stands in the way from being 110% devoted to Christ we must let go. 

In this next story we have the example of courage, faith, and humility, this is our pattern for today. The church needs to rise up and start moving mountains through faith. Will you join me and together whatever the future holds, its best entered into on our knees. 

Daniel and his friends were faced with certain death. Daniel knew that God was able to show him King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, so he sought for time from King Nebuchadnezzar. Here’s a brief reminder of the events.

Daniel 2:5

The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins.

Daniel 2:10-11

The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh ( so this is a behind the scenes look at how God orchestras His will to be done. He creates an impossible situation, here He is using the King and his unrealistic demand to set Daniel up, knowing Daniel’s faith that he will step right into the situation). 

Daniel 2:12-16

Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. He declared to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.

Daniel 2:17-23

God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah ( their Hebrew names) his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.

He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to those who have understanding;

he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might,

and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”

Daniel 2:24

Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”

Daniel 2:26-28

The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:…” 

So Daniel was able to reveal to the King his dream, something that has never been and to this day has not been repeated to my knowledge. Who of us will become a Daniel, a Shadrach, Meshach or an Abendego? Is there anyone? 

How does this apply to our us? We are either going to become a socialist/ communist country or we will remain free. We the church must rise up and turn the tide as 4 Hebrew men did. Surely there are many more than four of us that are willing to fast and pray for our nation in this her hour. I think it’s always important to be ready to be willing to ransom our earthly temple for a greater good, if need be. It’s a sure sign of where our affection is, but I’m more ready to rise up and through prayer and action do what needs to be done here to defeat those that oppose righteousness. Some may think that all this will blow over but I don’t think so, there’s too much at play. However, knowing that we are citizens of Heaven, we are to bring that hope and encouragement here which starts with our relationship to Christ. As Paul said...

Philippians 1:20-24

as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Therefore convinced of this I will remain and continue with you all.

Philippians 1:27-30

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing side by side in the defense of the gospel( maintaining religious liberty as well as living out the liberty found in the pursuit of Christ) and in nothing terrified by your enemies ( this is the church functioning as the church). 

This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Bottom line Theology…

Romans 14:8

For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 

This is the church that the Father is seeking. We live for Him or we die for Him, in either case we belong to Him, not to the world. Amen

Now moving forward… 

This next verse I want to be careful with, for it was given to Ezekiel but it makes the argument that I am my brother’s keeper. To what degree that is the responsibility we must individually answer. 

Ezekiel 33:6

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand. 

Ezekiel 33:7-9

“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

As believers, we bear and know the truth. As many of us that go to church I would think that we would be having a revival, but we are not. Why, because we are weak and encumbered with our own affairs. Here’s a few questions. Last year how many people have we witnessed too, prayed with or for, invited or taken to church or have had a Bible study with, or taken a meal too?

These are all things in each of our reach, maybe not all but at least 2 or 3 are very doable. These are measurements of where we are in Christ. Do we have a heart to put Christ first in our life and then a mindset to spread the gospel? To be a light or be an ambassador for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20) or are we so caught up in our own affairs that we are hampered? Being a light is just being who you are in Christ, that His life is evident and visible in and through you; being an ambassador is actively looking for those open doors to share Christ. 

Let me give you the context for this next verse. This is a picture of war in Heaven were Lucifer, God’s supreme angel and in charge of worship decides that he too is worthy of worship. Once that thought is conceived there is immediate war in Heaven. Lucifer is defeated and he and his demons are thrown out. His name changes from “son of the morning” (Lucifer) to slanderer or the Latin diablos, were we get the name devil. 

Revelation 12:11-12′

And they have conquered him( satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony( the Word of God is our testimony), for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

Interesting that the angels conquered their counterparts “by the blood of the lamb,” before Jesus died on the Cross, and by “ the word of their testimony” before the scriptures were ever written. It’s as if what has been in the mind of God has no beginning or end, and is truth before it is realized here on earth. All this happened prior man. The next time we read of satan he is the snake in the garden. So if knowing the truth for the angels was critical for victory how much more us, who are weak and encumbered with our carnal man? It is so easy for us to get out of focus and get on the wrong side of truth as Peter did. 

Matthew 16:23-25

But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 

For every serious believer this verse memorized is a MUST for it captures the full essence of what it means to be a follower of Christ. 

And Paul gives us an example of what sacrificial life looks like. Here he is in Acts speaking to believers who know that this is the last time they are going to see him. 

Acts 21:13-14

Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

Most of us would consider this to be “hardcore” Christianity. We live in an affluent area and can live fairly content lives without sacrificing much. What if I told you in other parts of the world this kind of Christianity is not hardcore, but the norm? In accepting Christ, persecution is not an if, but when. My concern is our content lives get in the way of sacrificial faith. True contentment does not lie in the possessions we process or the comfort of our life but in the relationships one has, foremost with The Lord. For some it takes a lifetime to learn this truth, as it took the Israelites 40 years to travel a two week journey to arrive at the borders of the promise land. A land “ filled with milk and honey” something God wanted to give them just like He wants to give us His love, peace and hope today. This is not a good comment.

So let me ask you a question, and this is where we get tripped up. As we start a New Year what are your expectations of the Lord? If you get seriously sick do you expect Him to heal you, and harder yet if your child gets sick do you expect God to heal him/her? What if today you get fired from your job, or your house goes into foreclosure what then? How much suffering, pain and just outright misery are we willing to go through? If God does not answer a single prayer, as it seemed for Job (last Vida) but promises us Eternity, AND His presence, for He promises to never leave or forsake us, what then? Can you and I agree with Paul, Jesus, the angels, Mesach, Shadrach, Abendigo, plus countless others that have said “even if He does not deliver me I still will not worship your statue,”or for us curse His name, or forsake my God. Can we say that? 

In Hebrews 12, a chapter that is filled with victories for believers, as well as with sufferings and seemingly unanswered prayers. 

Hebrews 11:32-38

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two ( Isaiah), they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

The world would see us as fools, they would post our names under the “Hall of Shame, or Losers,” for allowing our families to suffer for our resistance to denying Christ. However from God’s perspective, as His beloved sons and daughters we are in the Hall of Fame, for we did not “love our life unto death.” And this death refers to the cessation of life itself. We may experience that one day, but more realistically something we deal with daily is death to our flesh. This is our daily battle, and this is where we need to be strong and non-compromising. For one day builds upon another. There are believers who have “known” the Lord for years but are weak. Why, because they have not denied themselves, surrendering to the desires of their flesh instead of to the Spirit. 

These verses in Hebrews were the early beginnings of the church, and because of them the Christian Faith was preserved for other generations, and generation after generation their have been the faithful, the true, the ones that were willing to die to self so that Christ could live through them. And to the degree that there was a price to pay, they paid it and because of them we now have our faith. We are a part of this legacy, these are our brothers and sisters who because of their unwillingness to compromise we have the Christian faith, we stand on their shoulders. Can future generations say that about us? Will Christianity be around after we are gone because of our actions and faith here and now?

I pray with all my might that this generation will not fail our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren etc., because we were too busy indulging in what I would consider the most materialistic and prosperous generation, where money and things were attainable without too much sacrifice. God forbid that we should fail them. The sacrifice we have very unfortunately made, is that of the family via divorce. It has become as prevalent in the church as outside the church (that is awful). We do so, so we can keep that promotion or keep that high paying job that requires us to work countless hours etc., this sacrifice we very foolishly have made. There is our perspective and reason for doing it, and then there’s God’s unwavering stance on marriage.

**Malachi 2:13-16

And this second thing you do. You cover the LORD’S altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand ( or hears or answers your prayers) . But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, s the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”( I shared this verse two Vida’s ago).

Hebrews 12:1-6

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and chastises every son whom he receives.”

We say, why God, why all this pain? Why is life so hard? He simply says look to the Cross and know that I love you and I see your tears. What I do now you cannot understand, nor could Job, but you will. Stay the course and you will reap the fruit of your suffering, and not just you but your prodigy after you. 

In looking back at the trails God used to give me a heart that seeks Him, they were trials that brought tears, forced decisions and set the course for the man that I am now, and that I am still becoming. Precious trails but also so painful and difficult I could not have stood without the hand of my Father holding me. So my sister or brother if you are in a season of trial and pain know that the outcome will be peace, strength and maturity in the knowledge of the Lord. Despite the difficulty there is no other path. The path the world offers may appear easier, but it to has its pain and hardship as well and there is no peace and no peaceful, joyous Eternity.

Stay the course and after you have struggled a time there will be victory, and you will have something to look forward to both now and in Eternity. With the world there is nothing to look forward too that has any lastly impact on your life. Life in this world is one tangling carrot after another, but never an inner peace or the ever growing knowledge that you are dearly loved. It’s worth it, the narrow way is worth it all. 

Matthew 7:13-14

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Romans 8:29-30

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified ( conformed, to be made into His likeness.”

Imagine the effort and labor it takes to get raw steel and conform it into a sword. Countless hours, countless blows with the hammer, countless hours in the fire till every impurity is gone and the steel has been completely tempered so that it can be shaped and hold an edge. For what good would it be if in the middle of battle the sword became dull? There would be no time to sharpen it. So with us much time is spent in the tempering process so that we hold our edge in the day of trail. That worry, fear, anxiety and the like do not rob our joy, our confidence and most importantly our relationship to our Lord. 

And here’s the prize for all the tempering….

Romans 8:37-39

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

The knowing of His Love, present with us in whatever we our facing, makes us invincible and it is a wonderful place of maturity to be at as we face this new year with all its uncertainty. There is nothing in this life that would ever change His love for us and in that lies our victory. 

Father God, 

Thank you for the repetition of this truth. Many times we here this truth of Your love for us until one day that is all we need to hear. No more petitions to remove this trial from me, please grant me this thing, or this job or this person in my life, or save my child, or heal me or my love one and these latter requests should absolutely be made, but ultimately these things are tempted because we know that whether You heal or don’t, change a painful situation or not, all is well in your love. As the brother who wrote the song “It is well with my soul” on the heels of a shipwreck were his children drown, he was comforted in knowing that they were in good keeping, in your glorious presence. Amen and Amen

Note: In these last three Vidas I have felt the urgency to bring unremovable faith into our souls, so the Vida’s have been strong, raw in the sense that we have discussed hard things. As I finish this Vida on 1/1/2021, the first day of the New Year, my absolute hope is that President Trump assumes office again. The last thing I want is for Biden to come in under the pretense of stealing the election and with Harris not far behind him with all her immoral beliefs. She and Biden remind of King Ahab and Jeezebel. They have the same spirits. This has been my prayer all along. However today as I was running I prayed a prayer that I have never prayed to date. I said Father if President Trump gets in will your church go back to sleep again? Will we all go back to seeking our own comforts and neglect the business of the Kingdom, and most importantly growing closer to You? And if Biden gets in will the church through the governmental legislation that will be placed against it come alive and bring more people to you? Father only you know these answers, therefore whichever way will bring more believers to You answer in that way. I trust You with my most precious possessions, my family. 

Amen Arthur Navarrette

Please watch my video introduction to this message here:

Psalms 18:1-3

The LORD Is My Rock and My Fortress

TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID, THE SERVANT OF THE LORD, WHO ADDRESSED THE WORDS OF THIS SONG TO THE LORD ON THE DAY WHEN THE LORD DELIVERED HIM FROM THE HAND OF ALL HIS ENEMIES, AND FROM THE HAND OF SAUL. HE SAID:

I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

Psalms 18:31-36

For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?—the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.

He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.

You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.

This is beautiful praise that King David renders to the Lord, but the beauty of the praise and its depth are found in the struggle. Just like us, where there is no struggle, no wrestling with fear, insecurity, no Goliaths to defeat, the praise is shallow, lacking sincerity. However, not so when by God’s might we together face and slay our Goliaths. Do you have a Goliath that needs slaying? Have you picked out your 3 smooth stones (as David did when preparing to meet Goliath) verses that speak God’s truth to you and build up your confidence in the Lord? These verses encourage us in the fight, now in faith sling them and watch your Goliath fall…. , and many times they do, but what happens if he doesn’t fall? David felt like that too…. For we have seasons of victory and we have seasons of enduring, seeming defeats but these are all used for the making of a soldier, a son or daughter who one day will hear the voice of the Father saying, this is my son, my daughter in whom I am well pleased. 

Psalms 13:1-4

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;

light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

This is when faith draws a line and says, despite what my eyes see, despite what my heart feels, and despite what advances the enemy is making, I will trust in my God, for He is still on the Throne. This takes guts, like Mesach, Shadrach and Abednego. 

Daniel 3:13-18

Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands( the arrogance of man).Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter ( or translated, we do not need to be careful how we answer you). If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set.

Jesus himself came and stood with them in the furnace. Extreme circumstances require extreme intervention, and Jesus was up for it. Saving those that were so bold as to declare their faith in the face of the world’s most powerful man at their peril speaks to their relationship with God, it was deep. We make no claim to understand all of God’s ways. The claim we do make is that we know the person of our God ( hence the importance of spending time with Him). His ways are his ways, but Who He Is and His Love for us is fully know. The Cross is the defining answer for all of our trials. It is the beginning, middle and final word for all that seeks to cause me fear, anxiety, pain, or doubt. We know that what He does and or allows is always from a heart that loves you and I and seeks to bring us closer to Him; especially in the painful trials. 

These challenging events in particular, are the ones where the enemy comes and says, “ if He really loves you, then why?” But just as Meshach and his companions stood, we too can stand. I do not know the why of these events, but I do know The Who that I need to turn to. I also know that God keeps His promises and has given us precious promises to hang onto. We are to know them and and use them as David used the stones in his sling to kill Goliath. My single most beautiful promise that I use and have shared and kills every Goliath or keeps him at bay is in Proverbs, 

Proverbs 3:5-9

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes;fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

Another favorite verse often quoted without understanding the depth of its truth is Romans 8:28, 

“KNOW that ALL things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28. 

This verse is know so well know around Christian circles, just like John 3:16 “ For God so love that He gave…” that it almost has no meaning, not until you need it, then it means everything. “According to His purpose,” simply means living in His will. There’s a lot of stupid stuff that can happen to us when we are out of His will, but when in obedience stuff happens to us we can have the assurance that it will work out for our good. And when stuff happens because we were doing our own thing, the best response is repentance and then obedience because He will go through the problems with us.

Next question, do the events in my life define God, or does God define the events in my life? For example, everything is going really good, then that must mean God is good; or conversely, my life is awful, that must mean either God doesn’t care and or I am not important to Him. So many of us define God by our personal life experiences. If that’s you, then your God is too small. A Big God equals small problems, a small God equals big problems. So the question is, will life events determine my relationship to God, or will His Cross speak a better word? 

Job had this decision to make as well, and his life was pre Cross, pre Christ. He had a period in his life that was horrific. None of us have been through what he went through. So many of us would have forsaken Christ. Yet Job without the aid of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of the Cross stayed the course. Listen to what he says and understand that his body is covered in boils and “his friends” are continually condemning him. In their theology if your right with God, God promises an abundant life free from harm. So with Job being in absolute misery, he had to have done something terribly wrong. “ His friends” accused him of being stubborn and prideful for his refusal to admit his error. It is not till much much later of this ordeal does God intervene on Job’s behalf; all the while Job being in excruciating pain. They finally understood that they were wrong, very, very wrong. God was proving a point to satan and refining Job in the process. 

Job 13:13-18

“Let me have silence, and I will speak, and let come on me what may. Why should I take my flesh in my teeth

and put my life in my hand? Though he slay me, I will still hope ( trust) in him; I will argue my ways to his face.

This will be my salvation, that the godless shall not come before him. Keep listening to my words,

and let my declaration be in your ears. Behold, I have prepared my case; I know that I shall be in the right.

Job was sure if he could just talk to God that God would understand that Job was innocent, yet his trust was still intact, amazing.

Job 19:9-11 (God has cornered him)

He has stripped from me my glory and taken the crown from my head.He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone, and my hope has he pulled up like a tree. He has kindled his wrath against me and counts me as his adversary.

Job 19:13-17 (he literally has no one) 

“He has put my brothers far from me, and those who knew me are wholly estranged from me.

My relatives have failed me, my close friends have forgotten me.

The guests in my house and my maidservants count me as a stranger; I have become a foreigner in their eyes.

I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer; I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy.

My breath is strange to my wife, and I am a stench to the children of my own mother.

What he’s enduring is off the charts, pain-wise as well as emotionally. Not being able to understand why a loving and merciful God is allowing this, but even worse, not even his family or his servants respect him. 

Job 19:23-25

“Oh that my words were written! 

Oh that they were inscribed in a book, Oh that with an iron pen and lead

they were engraved in the rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

“ For I know that my Redeemer lives, and though He slays me I will yet praise Him” such a deep deep trust,  you want to say to Job what planet do you live on? Who possesses such a faith, such a trust in a God who seems to be your adversary. Job’s depth and knowledge of God is profound. He knows that He knows God, he does not know why God has allowed these horrific events to occur to him, but because he knows God’s character, he is able to trust that God’s dealings are not without purpose. God cannot and will not violate who He is, it’s literally impossible. 

Too many of us allow our situations to determine and define who God is to us. Situations, be they good, neutral or bad do not define God. How shallow and egocentric of us to allow our situation to define God. He honors us by coming into our lives through faith in Christ, coming into our mess; many times created by our own doing. If we invite Him in, then we play by His rules. Done with a life ruled by self interest and wants, we now seek to give Him a heart unmixed with the desires and wants of the world; we seek to give Him a life of purity and holiness and by His Grace and Holy Spirit we can live a redeemed and sanctified life. 

Jeremiah’s 29:11-13

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for your good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart ( He’s worthy of whole heart devotion, He gave us His whole heart).

I liken God’s promises to life preservers. When we are drowning with life’s challenges and problems as Job was, it’s HIS WORD THAT WE TRUST. IT BECOMES OUR LIFE PRESERVER THAT KEEPS US FROM DROWNING AND OUR ANCHOR IN THE STORM THAT KEEPS US FROM BEING SMASHED AGAINST THE ROCKS OF HATRED, BITTERNESS, UNFORGIVENESS, FEAR, WORRY AND THE LIKE THAT CAN CONSUME A LIFE. Job’s life preserver and anchor was his knowledge of God. He knew that he knew God . The profound beauty and truth of Job is that his circumstances, though severe on all levels of life, did not define God. He didn’t understand his circumstances, but that still did not change who God was just because he didn’t understand. Could we do that? So many of us define God by what we can understand. 

Job 38:1-7

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.

Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?

On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone,

when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

(God goes on for three chapters questioning Job, and when done, Job replies). 

Job 40:1-5

And the LORD said to Job:

“Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.”

Then Job answered the LORD and said:

“Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.

I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.”

A couple of chapters later after The Lord completes His questioning of Job, Job answers…and with Job’s answer this concludes God’s dialog with Job. 

Job 42:1-3

Then Job answered the LORD and said:“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

The Lord now goes after Job’s friends.

Job 42:7-8

After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.”

This is an amazing account of one on one with the Lord. It’s been a while since I have been in the book of Job and after reading these accounts, I feel like despite what happens here I feel the steel of the Holy Spirit in me and I know that whatever happens we, you and me, will have more than enough to conquer life’s challenges. Amen

Psalms 13:5-6

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

This is the attitude that is required of all saints. A Job attitude will enable us to prevail in this life, and without it, we will only be marginal believers; saved yes, but without stories of praise.

May we be strong in these difficult times….Merry Christmas, the truth of that first Christmas day is the strong hope we all should carry. God Bless you all.