Author: Travis Manhart

Joshua 1:1-9

God’s Commission to Joshua

After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord.

¨It came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun (scripture says that the Lord spoke to Moses as a man speaks to another man, so cool. Now it was Joshua’s turn) Moses’ assistant, saying: “Moses My servant is dead. Now, therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.

No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you, do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe 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 of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (is it not worth being in the scriptures so we too can experience this relationship with the Lord which He defines as prosperity? We limit prosperity to wealth, yet wealth does not buy security, peace, courage, hope, love, or salvation). 

The language in these verses is powerful. God wanted Joshua to know that He, God, IS WITH HIM and promises that as He has been with Moses, He will be with Joshua. Do you believe that this promise was only for Joshua, or do you think it is for all believers that follow Him? I know that it is for all believers, but most of us read it as if it was just for Joshua. Joshua was special, but so are we. I discuss this question in a bit; however, for now, let’s consider what Joshua was going to face. They faced armies so large that they made Israel look like a junior high school flag football team, yet Israel conquered them. The scriptures say that the beast of the field killed more enemy soldiers than were killed by the sword. Another battle God rained down large hail and destroyed them. Another battle the Philistines and the Moabites turned on themselves. When it came to fighting and defending Israel, God was very creative, out of the box kind of stuff. Hopefully, I am not confusing Joshua’s battles with David’s. In either case, all the battles except one, where they disobeyed and were defeated, were miracles.

Joshua’s assignment was to conquer the land and give each tribe their inheritance. Our role as parents is to do the same for our children. To model a life of faith in such a tangible, transparent way that they see the value of living life with The Lord. And when they have struggles, which they will, they’ve learned not to fear. They have learned by our example that they are not alone, but Christ is alongside them. This is such a critical lesson and the foundation of being a person of confidence. I hate it when faith becomes a religion, regulated to a list of do’s and don’t. Faith is not a religion. It’s a relationship with the true and living God. A way of living life that brings joy, peace, courage, love, and strength, even in times of crisis.

Towards the end of Joshua’s battling years, most, but not all, the land was conquered. Joshua gave the final responsibility to the leaders of each of the tribes who the land was appointed to. They compromised and did not follow through, and consequently, they intermarried (which was forbidden) and forsook their God for idol worship. It is a good lesson for us. It’s either 110% God, or more compromise is on the horizon. 

As a believer, you must always be growing in your faith. The compromises that exist in all of us should be lessening and lessening as we follow Christ. If six months from now, you do not know The Lord better, something is wrong. You are at an impasse because God is asking you to give up something or do something (maybe forgive?), and that is hindering you from getting closer to Him. We are either not willing or still struggling with it. When life is tough, faith needs to be tougher. The Lord is building fortitude in us. This word means strength in times of adversity. It reminds of the old Rocky Balboa boxing movies. He depicted fortitude. David also, in Psalm 23 saying, “even if I go through the valley of the shadow of death thou art still with me.” David would not have had this confidence had it not been for difficult times, same with us.

There are times of appointed rest where we take inventory of all God has done, enjoy the view, so to say, but then move onward. To rest beyond the appointed time is to risk temptation and compromise. Samson flirted way too long with Delilah. He should not have even been with her. He was a Jew. She was a Philistine, and he was violating a command of God. It was just a matter of time before he would compromise his relationship with God. Sure enough, he did, and it cost him his sight and strength. He was reduced to a beast of burden grinding out grain for Israel’s enemy. He was made to be ruler and judge over Israel; however, because he could not rule over his passions, he became a slave. How many of us are slaves to secret passions, addictions, or patterns of behavior such as fear, worry, insecurity, lust, be it materialistic or physical. These are all valley events, difficult times, the shadow of death if you would, that we all need to pass through, not set up camp as some of us do. This would be a collision course with failure. I heard a statistic several years ago that the number of divorces in the church was about the same as out of the church. If that is not a failure, I don’t know what is.

Joshua was God’s soldier. His passion was for his Lord, and His sole honor was to obey The Lord.

Joshua 5:13-15

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for our adversaries or us?” (As if to say “answer correctly or die.”) So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come.” 

And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”

Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so. 

Joshua demonstrated robust courage, it didn’t matter the size of his opponent, and to the same degree, he showed humility. He was a real soldier and a great role model for any believer who is serious about their faith. It’s worth noting that when we take steps toward obedience, it is met with blessings. It doesn’t mean that obedience is easy, or that it does not come with opposition and sacrifice, but in God’s Eternal Book, there is not one act of obedience that is not noted. Joshua’s obedience was met with victory, but they still had to fight for it.

Many believe that this angel was a theophany (appearance of Jesus) by the fact the Commander tells Joshua to take his shoes off. In no other encounter with angels was this said, (e,g. Mary and Martha encountering the angels at the tomb, or the angel announcing the birth of Jesus, or the birth of John the Baptist, etc.) Also, as mentioned, some believe that these verses (promises) are for a particular period and that Joshua was being groomed to do this, and you would be right. However, I’ve come to believe that these promises are for all who would be God’s Joshua. We all have “land” that needs to be conquered, both inside of us and outside of us. We know people (family, friends, co-workers) that need to enter into the promised land of faith, to know Jesus as their Savior; and there are definitely forces that seek to stop us from seeking Jesus and telling others about him. It takes some maturity to be able to see the “war” between good and evil, but if we continue to grow in faith, we will become sensitive to it.

Romans 7:21-25

“I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

So then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”

Therefore since this is true…

Ephesians 6:10-12 The Whole Armor of God

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places ( since the battle is not against flesh and blood but spiritual, the only way to put on the armor is through faith, and faith comes by hearing/ reading God’s Word. There comes a time in a believer’s life that God’s promises become a reality, and what is seen or interpreted as fact is the illusion. 

***A great prayer is, “Lord open my eyes to see the battle, both in me and around me and daily help me to be your soldier.

Now let’s discuss some specific verses.

“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. “

This is such a great description of faith. In one of the episodes of Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford exits a cave, and before him is a huge drop. He was at the edge of a cliff. He repeatedly recited a Bible verse, and with that took his first step into what seemed to be sure death, but as he stepped in faith, a bridge appeared, and with each step, the bridge continued to grow. It was a great example of the walk of faith. When the Israelites drew battle lines against the inhabitants of the land, this was their promise. They could claim this promise and step into battle or become fearful because of being outnumbered and run, which would have been a sure defeat.

Worthy to note that the armor for the believer is forward-facing, there is no armor for one’s back, running from the battle is sure death. Our Father’s promises are for us today even though the challenges are unknown, he knows them. He is more than able to strengthen us. So it’s our choice, we can walk in confidence or fear. However let me explain the walk of faith, less I mislead you. I still get nervous even though I know all the stories. The challenges of running a business, keeping up with the demand, and keeping work coming in, etc., are plentiful, so I stand on God’s promises. I recite them and they take me through the day. Yet my flesh gets nervous, I feel it in my stomach, and it’s a strange feeling to be trusting and be nervous at the same time. Maybe that will change?

In ending, I leave you with the verse that has become my breastplate.

Deuteronomy 31:6

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

One of my favorite promises. I have claimed this promise so many times. I can’t even tell you. It’s such a courage and hope builder. Sometimes the situations we find ourselves in are our own doing, not God’s. Yet if at that moment we acknowledge our error and repent, God will take us through the repercussions of our disobedience and use it for our good and for His glory. Only He can do that. And the more time we spend with Him in prayer and The Word, the easier it will be to stay on course. No one trusts a stranger, but a close friend is easy to believe. 

So the truth is laid out for us, and it is a choice we make. To become Jesus’s soldiers or to follow Samson and reap his failure. The result of each is clear, and it’s a choice that has been since the time of man. Choose wisely, for not only does your life depend on it, but the lives of many others are watching.

Father God,

The lives of many are a weighty concern, for I am human. However, if I just ask You each day to help me be a faithful son or daughter to You and focus on that, everything else will fall into place. You are always my answer, and help others to see that You are their answer as well because of how You manifest Yourself through me. Amen

The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight (his or her joy) is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law, he meditates day and night.

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,

That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so,

But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the ungodly shall perish (remember that from God’s perspective wealth is not a success. The rich sinner is still going to Hell unless he or she repents [read Luke 16:19-31]. Unfortunately, because of our blindness, that’s our definition of success).

This is a beautiful portion of Psalms 1. It is as profound as it is simple and clear to understand. However, Psalms can also be offensive. People will say I don’t believe I need God, but that does not make me a bad person. There is a definite sense when reading through the Psalms that there are only two kinds of people, the godly/righteous and the ungodly/wicked or the sinner (we are all sinners, but the connotation is that of a bad person). King David, the author of the Psalms, classifies his writings as such. Here in just Psalm 1 alone, he uses several adjectives to describe the unbelieving; ungodly, sinners, scornful, chaff ( kind of insulting) and for the believing, he uses words like blessed, the righteous, and in other Psalms he uses words such as the upright and the just.

Psalms 7:9-10m

Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,

But establish the just;

For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart.

I know a lot of people who “fall in the middle,” good people, some even attend church (kind of like positive Karma). Many of our lives are lived in shades of grey. There is also a T.V program called this. It does an excellent job of depicting its title. The verbiage is too colored and secular for me to consider it as entertainment (I’m more along the lines of Spider-Man or the Avengers). Still, the carnality of man definitely comes through. I think most of us tend to keep a moral compass of really good, good, and not so good, and now I am ashamed of my actions.

No one likes to be ashamed of their behavior, so we try to avoid those actions, and it takes too much effort to be really good. So the most “natural” is the middle of the road boundaries, good and not so good (but not so bad either). However, God does not, He lives in the absolute starkness of righteousness. An eye hurting, unable to view without going blind brilliance, which is still a feeble attempt of me trying to describe His Holiness. If you have ever been around a welder, the brilliance of the arc from his torch can blind you, God is so much more brilliant. After spending time with God, Moses could not be seen so that he had to cover his face. What must God be like? Therefore from His perspective, we are all sinners, wicked, ungodly, chaff, etc. No unredeemed person, no matter how good, can stand in His presence. And the redeemed solely stand in His presence because of Christ being our Savior. Here are some verses hundreds of years apart that are in agreement…

Isaiah 57:15

For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place,

With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Psalms 51:5-6

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin, my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,

And in the hidden part, You will make me know wisdom.

Romans 7:24-25

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

So then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin (my carnal man will always respond to the temptations of the world; however, I no longer am “employed by him,” so I no longer need to obey. My new employer (Jesus) loves righteousness or right doing, both in thought and action).

When a man or woman rightly see themselves in the light of God’s Holiness, pride vanishes like a shadow in the noonday sun. Here in these Psalms, we see King David’s heart, a man who God said had a heart after His own. People may question God’s statement based on David’s sin with Bathsheba, which is a fair question, but I do not believe God labels a man by his sin as we do, but by his (or her) earnestness to repent. Sin is but a deception, we exchange our honor for pleasure or need that we believe that action will satisfy being too immature to realize that all our needs are fully met in Christ, that’s where the deception is.

We have all been deceived, and the higher up you are, the greater the fallout and its effect. David suffered much for his sin, even the loss of a son. Though he repented and acknowledged his sin (Psalm 51, a beautiful psalm of repentance), the consequences of his sin plagued him for the rest of his life. The effects of sin are always more significant than the pleasure derived; there’s always a payday. Galatians 6:8, “whomever sows to his flesh will from his flesh reap corruption for what a man( or woman) sows that shall they reap.”

In Psalm 5, we see the conflict between good and evil and the choices David makes to remain faithful to God, choices we must make as well.

Psalms 5:4-11

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,

Nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity.

You shall destroy those who speak falsehood (lies).

But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You, I will worship toward Your holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies;

Make Your way straight before my face ( a great prayer to pray).

For there is no faithfulness in their mouth. But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You ( Amen).

I love all these verses, but I love the ones in italics most. There is an acknowledged dependence upon God (lead me) a reverence for Him (In fear of You) a love of Him (I will worship) and a personal relationship (make Your way straight before my face) which speaks of an intimacy and “be joyful in You” is the fruit of a life that exalts Christ.

At the time that David sinned with Bathsheba, he was older, he had conquered his enemies and was now COMFORTABLE (the curse of a righteous heart), and now an open door presented itself, and unfortunately, he took it. Of all the things I fear, I fear the deception of a comfortable heart. When the heart is comfortable, pride finds a way to come out. When the heart is stressed, or in battle, or desperate, there is no time for the lust of the eyes or the pride of life. The goal is to run lean, mean, and to conquer. Here are a couple verses that speak to that…

Ephesians 6:10-12

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places( and the verses continue to describe the Believers armor).

Ephesians 5:15-17

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is (the fool says in his heart there is no God – hence he becomes his own god and the biggest fool ever. This is how seemingly brilliant people say, do, and believe stupid things). 

The best definition of circumspectly is the old fashion lighthouse. It’s light always shining throughout the night seven days a week. As ships came close to shore, they would be warned of any impending dangers. Our mind is to be like that lighthouse, and it’s only by the Holy Spirit and obedience to His Word that we succeed.

Every king had this command from God, he was to read and write the scriptures and meditate upon them so that he would remain in fear of God. When they did not obey that command, the consequences were devastating. Typically the kingdom went into idolatry and often was conquered by another Kingdom (what is true of a kingdom is also true of our heart). The king, who was supposed to represent truth, was killed along with many of his men, including his sons. Disobedience has a terrible price. In the end, all actions, whether they be righteous or self-serving, are accounted for. The scriptures have specific commands, and every command that I have read, whether it be given to Samson, not to drink vine (I do cut my hair), or to the Kings to write out the Word and to meditate upon it has become my command. I never read them as an option.

Deuteronomy 17:18-20

“Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.

The King that obeyed this was blessed, unfortunately not many obeyed. Hence the role of the prophets; they spoke on behalf of God to the Kings. Every prophet had his calling. Isaiah was one of the major prophets in the Old Testament, and this is one of many of his verses that is far-reaching in truth and promise.

Isaiah 64:4-9

For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,

Who acts for the one who waits (trusts) for Him.

You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways (the definition of wait is to bind yourself around, like a cord of rope is made up of three strands, and the braided whole is stronger than the one. We are to figurative speaking wrap ourselves around the Lord).

This is what God seeks from each of us. Unfortunately, the following verses are more true, continuing Isaiah…

,…for we have sinned—In these ways, we continue, And we need to be saved.

But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind,

Have taken us away. And no one calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us,

And have consumed us because of our iniquities. But now, O Lord,

You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. Do not be furious, O Lord,

Nor remember iniquity forever; Indeed, please look—we all are Your people!

Hence Jesus came to redeem man back unto His Creator, Lord, and Father. Man’s capacity to hate and sin far exceeds his ability to love righteousness and forgive. Our own weaknesses become our stumbling blocks, hindering us from getting along with our neighbor, be it our spouse, family member, co-worker or just people in general, so we absolutely need God’s presence in our life if we are to succeed in the life that God has invited us to go with Him on. Amen.

Father God,

The blessed life is not a blessed life because it is absent of struggle, no it’s a blessed life because through the struggles we see your Eternal Hand in our life, and for that, we are blessed. Help us to fight the good fight of the faith and to often meet with You in study and prayer. Bring brothers and sisters who can encourage us and likewise we encourage them as we travel upward, the road less traveled. Amen and Amen.

Ephesians 3:16-19 

That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in (His) love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height (of His love) — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

There have always been only two kinds of riches; what can be found here in the world and what the Father offers. At times one has both, yet there are few that can handle the world’s wealth and keep their passion for God. Not impossible by any means, yet sadly it is just not seen. Why, because we tend to value our outward comfort over “the inner man.” Yet it is the state of the inner man that determines our quality of life, not wealth. There are plenty of rich people in the world that are miserable, there’s no shortage of them. The “state of desperation or need,” which wealth so falsely hides, hinders one’s growth. Need/desperation fosters greatly the inner man as he or she presses into God. Taking away desperation or need diminishes one’s hunger for Christ. It’s true what Jeremiah said about the state of man’s heart.

Jeremiah 17:9.  

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked;

Who can know it?”

At face value this is a hard verse to agree with, yet as one travels life with Christ one gets to know his or her own heart and finds it true. I’ve prayed for years against the attitude in my heart that when things go well I lessen my grip on the Lord, and when trials come it’s like, “I’m back God, help me now…. please.” This yo-yo effect of our Christianity is pathetic. Whether things are going well or not I am ALWAYS in need of Him. He is LIFE, I represent the carnal man, sin, and death and without Him I am lost and so much of a lesser person.

A simple example. I like my work shirts freshly ironed, so every morning I plug the iron in and while I’m stretching it’s getting hot. I then pick the shirt for the day and iron it. Once done, I unplug it. If I see a missed wrinkle I need to plug it in again, because there is no “life or use” of the iron without it being plugged in. We are at best nice looking irons, but absolutely helpless when it comes to ironing out our own wrinkles; we absolutely need Him.

Also, and not to toot my own horn, but there are landscapers and there are landscapers. I will get called on an appointment to see a client’s yard. The prior company may have landscaped for a living, but they were not landscapers. There is no design, plant choices are mundane and there absolutely is no invitation to come out to enjoy the yard.

So then maybe we can “do life,” as those landscapers can “do landscape,” but it is a far cry from what the AUTHOR OF LIFE can do in us and through us. He is the BEST in the business at giving us new hearts, and granting us life.

Now back to our main verse. If one was to step back and really examine this verse it is the quintessential essence of a successful, fulfilling Christian life. Noticed I said “ fulfilling” not happy. Happy reminds me of the man who built his house upon the sand. He was very happy when he was all done, especially seeing his neighbor struggling with building his house on rock. However that changed one day as the rain continued and the river rose until it reached his beloved “happy home” and then things were not so happy. He probably had to eat some humble pie as he hiked up the rock to ask his neighbor for shelter from the storm. Happy is a temporal state, it’s not permanent.

My dad divorced my mom because “he was not happy.” I liken happiness to the emotional opioid we all seek, but we are mistaken. We are really seeking meaning, purpose and fulfillment and we confuse happiness with that. Internally we want to know that what we do matters, that who we are as individuals makes a positive difference. Especially for those closest to us. Those who seek just to fulfill themselves are the most shallow and the most miserable. The more we focus on just ourselves and our issues the more “me” looks messed up. Just look at the Kardashians. Yet interesting enough our issues tend to work themselves out as “we love God and love our neighbor.” Imagine that, that loving God and loving our neighbor, the first two commands that Jesus gave us are the keys to a fulfilling life. We are at our best when we “exercise our will” according to Christ’s words; we become conduits and beneficiaries of God’s Grace which is what we were designed for.

These verses give us the “richness” that our souls need, our daily manna. To be able to have something substantial within that not only benefits us but to give and share that will genuinely strengthen and give hope to others is great. To know that you absolutely have the answer to any problem is a great confidence builder. That with The Lord in one’s life things will work out, not easy because it is through the struggle that the Lord builds His foundation in us, but victory is sure to come. To be able to bring a testimony of hope and promise of God’s deliverance to others, there is no better gift to give to a struggling heart.

 Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 

Read more: https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/the-promises-of-god-10-powerful-bible-verses-1/#

Let’s go to our study verse and break it down.

that He would grant you, – First, recognize who is the source. We initially come to Christ because of a crisis. The crisis lessens, things get better and we go back to the business of doing our own thing, the very things we did that got us into the crisis to begin with; manning our own ship, calling our own shots. Proverbs 3 says

Proverbs 3:5-8

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own

understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones (this is my absolute favorite verse to go to for all of life). 

Question, do you believe this and do you believe God answers prayers? I do. Trust is pivotal to seeing God work and learning how to pray so that God will answer is critical. My early prayers were focused on me, to make me look good, to make me happy, to have things, to have a great job that paid well etc. Later the prayers changed to “God change me to make You look good and to make You happy with my life, and thank you for providing for my needs.” There was about 8 years of hard trails and struggles between those two prayers but God eventually got His way, and I’m so glad He did.

according to the riches of His glory, The really cool thing about God is everything He gives ALWAYS comes from His riches in glory. He is never scrapping the bottom or giving from leftovers. He can never be outsourced, outdone, or come up short. His amounts are just right even if they “feel” short. Once we lose our love for the world and understand that all that the world has to offer are idols and false promises of contentment, that it is solely God’s love for you that brings life and lasting peace you will be surprised by how little else you need. Content in Christ there’s not much more we need and there’s much we can put up with when internally we’re sound. 

Our main problem is we live life from the outside. We want the nice things, prestigious job, nice home, because we falsely believe that will make us happy; but when you feel good on the inside because of your relationship to Christ then all those other things matter little. Other than needing the basics in life, our desire becomes sanctification, to grow in Christ. My absolute greatest desire is to be pleasing to Him. No other passion or motive even comes close. It is to my glory and honor (and yours as well) to be His son by Grace (or His daughter). To earnestly seek His will above all else is to live the life of a wealthy man or woman internally. The inner man or woman is full and overflowing, something so foreign to the carnal man that there is no meeting half way, the carnal man/woman must die.

Luke 6:38

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Romans 7:18

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.”

Continuing;

to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, Why are we so lacking in this? We fall at the least temptations, become trapped in carnal vices and then wonder where is God? God also wonders were have you been? Obviously not drinking from His wells that He freely gives. Strengthen; to be fortified or infused with supernatural strength that’s founded on truth.  The picture that comes to mind is that of a hotel which represents our heart and the Holy Spirit going into each room and removing, self, pride, idols, etc., touching and bringing His life to all parts of the room, making that room holy. Then He goes to the next and the next, as long as we give Him permission. He will not force Himself, though at times I wish He would. This is what the Bible calls sanctification and why is this important? Because without holiness we cannot please God. Sanctification means we are now focused on Him, seeking His will for us. Our attention is no longer on this world or our wants, but on His will and the Life to come. When that happens it’s one of the biggest victories we can have. Amen

***that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

Faith is the currency of Heaven, victories are won through faith, Goliath was slayed because of David’s faith in God. Faith is the Heavenly Armor we wear, the power of God against any and all Goliath’s that oppose us. It is the end of fear, insecurity, and the beginning of unstoppable power and victory. It’s the Godly force that brings light to the darkness, fear to every demon and the unarguable answer to every lie. Faith is the key to Heaven riches, the Sword of the Spirit that brings every force to its knees, the key to Heavens riches. To live by faith is to master life itself and to step into to the realm of the Spirit. To bring Heaven to earth, day by day. So help me God, Amen. 

“that you, being rooted and grounded in (His) love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height (of His love).”

As a tree grows, sending it’s roots deep into the earth we to grow in Christ and become strong in the love of our Father. As we “root” into Him via faith and His Word we bare fruits of righteousness. Ultimately….

— to know (experience, engage in, be part of, share) the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (from now unto eternity, forever filled to overflowing in and with His love).”

Father God, 

As we walk this life may Your desire for us become paramount in us, to daily walk in humility and in harmony with your Spirit. We are in weak tents of flesh that challenge us and seek to hinder us in You but it is these very tents like the winds contrary to the eagle that make the eagle to soar upward. Make us masters at subduing our flesh and using these very cross winds to bring You glory because of the unsurpassable blessing of knowing You.

Amen and Amen

Move forward in His Grace – Arthur

Christmas is the only time I switch my writing focus from landscaping to more of a personal note. The silent struggle of who we are and what we do to gain significance is not spoken of in our culture. If we talk about it, we talk to a counselor, a pastor or a close friend. Developing a positive identity (not an ego) is something we all wrestle with. Maturity helps with this as well as the experiences we go through, however issues can compound this. We all have our own journey, but I’m going to share mine with you. I appreciate that faith is a personal journey that we each take, and mine is no exception. I am going to be very honest about my life. My hope is that by being open, it helps you with yours, because our faith is tied to our identity and significance.

My journey started with tragedy at the age of eight. It is from this tragedy that I mark my life. I felt like a forest that had been ravaged by fire, taking lives and destroying property. However, as in nature, it eventually rains and in time new life emerges. That’s my life in a nutshell. I come from a family of 3 boys. One day we were playing around an abandoned home which, unbeknownst to us, had a well. I stepped on the lid of the well, which was unsecured, and the lid gave way under my weight. Fortunately, I caught myself. My two brothers were with me. Rick was seven and Bobby was five. Before I continued the climb, I warned Rick not to step on the lid and I told Bobby to go home because it was too dangerous for him. Bobby didn’t go home.

That night at dinner time, we always ate as a family, but Bobby wasn’t there. It never occurred to my 8-year-old mind until then that Bobby had followed us, stepped on the lid, and fallen in. The firemen came to drain the well and confirmed to my parents that my brother had drowned. By then it had been 3 hours, and my little brother was in heaven. The hours that followed were so horrendous that I could not even process it. We were all in absolute shock. I had never heard my parents nor my grandparents (we were living with them) cry as they did. I can’t recall what Rick and I did, probably just went to our bedroom and eventually fell asleep. The only thing that I can recall is my mom blaming me for Bobby’s death. It took a while for the gravity of that accusation to hit me and when it did, I didn’t know how to deal with it. Her statement was said in absolute grief, but I feel as though I have attended hundreds of funerals, and the sense of death has never really left me. Through school and sports, I could block it out, until something triggered it. We would drive by a cemetery, or I would see a hearse or an ambulance, and the heavy guilt would come rushing in. I could not control It. It literally stopped me, and I needed to be alone. My mom would take us to “see Bobby” at his grave, which strangely helped. After the crying, we would always pray and thank God that Bobby was with Him. My mom prayed because dad never came, at least not with us. In my mind the same thought would reoccur, “if only I had checked to see if he obeyed me, none of this pain would have happened.” Heaven was my only consolation that Bobby was not dead, that he was waiting for us and having a great time while waiting. Had it not been for that truth,  I’m not sure how I would have dealt with the guilt. It became my anchor of hope.

As I matured, I excelled in school, won many awards for scholastic achievements, even became Student Body President of my High School. I was voted “Teachers Choice” three out of four years and “Most Likely to Succeed” for all four years. Yet with all this, the guilt that I lived with made any joy short lived. The guilt was like a cancer that ate away at all the good things that came my way because of my achievements. Much of my early adult life was like this, and becoming a dad of two girls was bittersweet. The thought of something similar happening to them made me hypervigilant; always looking for the “camouflaged wells” that they could fall into. I became a Christian as a teenager, so by the time we had the girls I had some knowledge of the scriptures. I heard the teaching of forgiveness many times but could never get free of the guilt. I knew I was born again. I knew God had forgiven me and that He did not hold me responsible for Bobby’s death, but I could not forgive myself. I didn’t know how. I sensed His presence with me, which was a huge comfort, but this incident was so deep inside of me I wasn’t sure if even God could reach it. Lisa and I got married young and were too young to have the responsibility of being parents. Our insecurities got the better of us, so we argued a lot. In the back of my mind, I questioned whether I could do this. Could I raise these two girls, be a husband, and work my way up the ladder all the while dealing with bosses that acted like ex-drill sergeants? The guilt inside me made everything so much more difficult because there was no rest, and no escape. Everywhere I turned there was tension, stress, and problems demanding my attention. The promise of God’s peace eluded me. This went on for several very long years. One of the more difficult days I recall was an experience I had at church camp. I remember going off into the woods with just me and my Bible. As I read, God’s presence met me. I recalled the joy and the sense of wholeness, as in coming home to a place where I belonged. I decided to return to thereading of the scriptures, and He met me again. My time with God became my only retreat where I found peace, strength, encouragement, and a hope for a better future. I stayed steadfast to this time with Him, even reading in freezing temperatures as I ate my lunch outside. For that half hour, my Bible, my blanket and His presence were all I focused on. It was like He stopped His day just to be with me. Weekends, I spent an hour, getting up before the family. It was the one joy that I could count on. I began to change as His presence grew within me.

I began to excel again, yet there were a few times the girls had near death experiences that set me back. Jessica (my youngest) almost drowned and I lost it, scolding 8-year-old Amber for not watching her better. Lisa had to come and settle me down, and later I needed to ask Amber for forgiveness. As I continued in His Word, I continued to get stronger and could better deal with work stress and life in general. I left the corporate world and started my own landscape maintenance company. I would call on apartment complexes large and small. It seemed that every one of them had a female manager. I needed to give them a bid and then after getting the contract, I reported to them.  Flirtation  became expected, so I learned how to navigate without being insulting. I was friendly but kept the conversation professional. I felt like Joseph, and these women were like Potiphar’s wife (a story in the Bible). Aside from that, the stress of running a business was overwhelming. Yet even that was slowly being conquered by knowing and believing God’s promises. Regardless of the chaos of the day, my lunch time was when I got recharged and took a break from the daily fight. Our marriage got better as Lisa realized that running a business was a team effort, I needed her help. Finally, as I got closer to 40 yrs. of age, I became strong enough to face the two biggest monsters in my life – fear of not getting jobs (at this point we were mostly a landscape company) and the inability to forgive myself. I told the Lord that I was fed up with not fully trusting Him and allowing fear to control me, that I was going to trust Him period. Proverbs 3:4-5 became my stake in the ground, and the armor I wore when fear came calling. I also went back in my mind and remembered that confused, fear-filled little boy and I forgave him. He did nothing wrong; he was just being an adventuresome little boy with no concept of danger, especially death. Death had never been part of his world, so he had no reference to it.

I’m Forgiven, (Ephesians 2:4&5) “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places.

This verse was my ticket to freedom, I believed it, and for the first time I felt whole. The heavy burden that I had carried for so many years was gone. I could breathe. It was an incredible feeling. God finally went deep enough inside me that His Grace reached the hidden fears of insecurity and unforgivable shame in me. I came home that day feeling like Superman. I was bullet proof. The internal battles were now finally conquered. From now on the battles were going to be coming from the outside, and I was ready for them… People will say “Oh I know that God loves me,” but their life does not show His love. They are easily offended, lack grace and kindness, especially in the rough spots of life. Anybody can be nice when life is going their way. However, in the hard times, how are we? Are we hard to get along with, do we blame others for our problems, do we have a temper, or do we demonstrate joy and peace and give grace to others when they fall short? Also God’s love doesn’t prevent hard times from coming; not at all. However, His love gives us the hope, confidence and strength to go through the hard times (Psalm 23). Stress, pain, and heartache are sure to come, but He’s there. Much like crutches help us when we break a leg. A broken heart still hurts, but because of His love, there is healing. How would we ever know the love of God if our struggles didn’t force us to Him? Left to our own, we would indulge ourselves. That is just the reality of our who we are. Struggles prove that indulgences are not the answer, and getting what we want does not prevent hardship, or really make us happy. True life is much deeper than that.  We need a God that can forgive, heal, grant wisdom and give us comfort, especially in difficult times. It’s the hardships that cause us to discover Him. They are necessary to tear our hearts away from this materialistic and superficial world and discover God’s world. There’s a great saying that goes, “a great relationship is made up of two great forgivers.” This is true on a human level, but it is true on a heavenly level as well. I can forgive because I have been forgiven. Because of the clean slate that has been offered to me, by the only One that had an absolute right to condemn me, who am I to not forgive others? My hope for us all is that we take our pain, fears, Insecurities to the God who Is big enough to deal with them. He is your biggest fan, your closest friend and gives the best hugs ever!

To learn more please go to our website and click on My Journey 2. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (so very few of us believe and practice this truth).

This next story is very personal.  Everything that is shared is precious but the thing that moved mountains of insecurity from me (and built fortresses in their place) was learning about my true identity.  We all grow up with insecurities, many of us still struggle with them.  I believe the root for our insecurity comes from the fall of man.  We were designed with an innate need to be in relationship with the Lord.  When sin entered we became separated from God’s presence, became spiritually empty, and void of His presence.  This is a huge deficit because we are at the core, spiritual beings. We can have everything we want and still feel empty.

Most of our study will be in Ephesians but the first Truth we need to receive is forgiveness.  Great gifts of mercy and love amount to little if we have guilt in our inner being.  We never really truly “accept” the merciful gifts because our guilt continues to play the same old tape, “ if people only knew…”

I lived with guilt from the age of 8 to 45.  From 40 to 45 I slowly got better, until 45 when I truly became free.

I’ve shared my story how at 8 years of age my brothers and I were playing around an abandoned home that had an unknown well.  I stepped on the lid of the well, which was unsecured, so the lid gave way under my weight.  Fortunately or unfortunately I caught myself.  I told Rick, two years younger than me, to not step on it and then I told Bobby (5 yrs. old) that it was too dangerous for him and to go home; I then preceded to climb.

Bobby didn’t go home, instead he followed us and he didn’t hear me warn Rick.  He stepped on the lid, fell, and drowned.  I didn’t hear anything that would have caused me to turn around, and all I remember is getting off the roof and seeing the lid somewhat misplaced.  It never occurred to my 8 year old mind that Bobby had fallen in.  At dinner time Bobby wasn’t there.  That was the first time it occurred to me that Bobby could have fallen into the well.  By then it had been 3 hours and Bobby now was in heaven.  The hours that followed were so horrendous that I could not even process it.  We were all in shock.  I had never heard my parents nor my grandparents (we were living with them) cry as they did.  I can’t recall what exactly what Rick and I did.  Eventually we just went to our bedroom and eventually fell asleep.

I can recall my mom blaming me for Bobby’s death.  It took a while for the gravity of that statement to hit me and when it did I didn’t know how to deal with it.  Because of that statement I feel as though I have attended hundreds of funerals, and the sense of death has never really left me.  Through school and sports I could block the feeling out, but something could always trigger it.

We would drive by a cemetery, I would see a hearse, hear of a death and then my mom would take us to “see Bobby” (his grave) which helped a little.  After the crying we would always pray and thank God that Bobby was with Him.  My mom prayed, but dad never came, at least not with us.

In my mind the same thought would reoccur, “if only I had checked to see if he obeyed me none of this pain would have happened.”  Heaven was my only consolation, that Bobby was not dead, that he was waiting for us and having a great time while waiting.  Had it not been for that truth, I’m not sure how I would have dealt with the guilt.

As I matured I excelled in school, won many awards for scholastic achievements, even became Student Body President of my High School.  I was voted Teachers Choice three out of four years and for four years, most likely to succeed.  Yet with all this, the guilt that I lived with made the joy short lived.  The guilt was like a cancer that ate away at all my achievements and the good things that came my way because of them.  Much of my early adult life was like this, and becoming a dad of two girls was happy sad.

The thought of something similar happening to them made me hyper vigilant, always looking for the “camouflaged wells” that they could fall into.

I came to Christ as a teenager, so by the time we had the girls I had some knowledge of the scriptures.  I heard the teaching of forgiveness many times but could never get free of guilt.  I knew I was born again, that God had forgiven me for all my sins, but I could not forgive myself.  I didn’t know how. I sensed His presence, which was a huge comfort, but this incident was so deep inside of me I wasn’t sure if even God could reach it.

More Problems

As a young husband (23 yrs. old) with multiple fronts to deal with this issue got buried but would resurface.  It was something that I had no control over.  Work was tough, and marriage was tough. We argued a lot; our insecurities got the better of us.  In the back of my mind I questioned whether I could do this; raise these girls, be a husband, work my way up the ladder while dealing with bosses that reminded me of drill sergeants.  At times it felt as though the guilt became heavier, especially after our arguments. There was no rest, no escape, everywhere I turned there was tension, temptation, stress, or problems demanding solutions. The promise of God’s peace alluded me.  This went on for several years.

As a teenager I recalled going off into the woods at church camp, just me and my Bible and finding God’s peace.  I often returned to that and He met me.  My time with Him became my only retreat were I found peace, strength, encouragement and the hope of a better future.  I stayed steadfast to this time with Him, even reading in freezing temperatures as I ate my lunch outside.  It became my mini vacation, that half hour with my Bible, my blanket and His presence.  It was liked He stopped His day just to be with me.  Weekends I spent an hour, getting up before the family.  It was the one joy that I could count on.

I began to change.  With God in my court the burdens of life, though tough, were becoming doable.  I began to excel again, yet there were a few times the girls had near death experiences that set me back.  Jessica almost drowned and I lost it, scolding Amber for not watching her better.  Amber was 8.  Lisa had to come and settle me down and later I had to ask Amber for forgiveness.  As I continued in His Word I continued to get stronger and could deal better with my drill sergeant bosses and the with temptations.

From secretaries to apartment managers I seemed to be every woman’s target.  In starting my own landscape maintenance company I called on apartment complexes.  It didn’t matter what size, it seemed that everyone of them had a female manager and they were who I needed to see to give a bid, and who I reported to once we got the contract.  Flirtation was expected but I learned how to navigate without being insulting.  I was friendly but kept the conversation professional.  I felt like Joseph and these women were like Potipher’s wife.

Aside from that the overall work stress that was eating alive but I was slowly being conquered by God’s Word.

Some History

Prior to starting my own business I had three bosses in the course of 14 years.  Eventually my last boss fired me, which I had seen coming.  His concept of growing plants was completely different than mine.  I believed in pruning the plants to shape them, he believed in letting nature shape the plants which was something I could not do.  I had developed a reputation as a quality oriented grower and I was not going to let my boss change that even if it meant losing the job.  With a good reputation I could always get another one.  It never occurred to me that I would end up starting my own business.  I may have thought twice about my reputation.

New World

Starting a business from nothing was a whole new world that I knew nothing about.  I had to learn quick, our house payment was coming due and the girls were growing so our grocery bills were increasing.  My guilt once again became buried, which in a sense was good.  I knocked on doors, homes, and businesses with poor landscapes, sending out a professional looking letter introducing myself to property managers, following up with phone calls etc.. Hustling jobs, getting known and billing were things I had never done before and they became the new challenges I faced daily.

My lunch time was when I got recharged and took a break from the daily fight.  Our marriage got a little better as Lisa realized this was a team effort, and I needed her help.

Finally, as I got closer to 40, I became strong enough to face the two biggest monsters in my life; fear of not getting jobs and the inability to forgive myself.  I told the Lord (as mentioned in the last Vida) that I was going to trust Him and to bring me work and stop allowing fear to control me.  Proverbs 3:4-5 became my stake in the ground, and the armor I wore when fear came calling.  I went back and remembered that confused fear filled little boy and I forgave him.  He did nothing wrong!  He was just being an adventuresome little boy with no concept of danger or death.

I’m Forgiven ( Ephesians 2:4&5)

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

For the first time I felt whole.  The heavy burden that I had carried for so many years was gone.  I could breath.  It was an incredible feeling!  God finally went deep enough inside me that His Grace reached the hidden fears of insecurity and unforgiveness.  I came home that day feeling like Superman.  I was bullet proof.  The internal battles were now finally conquered, from now on the battles were going to be coming from the outside, and I was ready for them….

The Lesson

People will say “Oh I know that God loves me,” but their life does not show His love.  They are easily offended, lack grace and kindness, especially in the rough spots of life.  Anybody can be nice when life is going their way.  However in the hard times, how are we?  Are we hard to get along with, do we blame others for our problems, do we have a temper or do we demonstrate joy, peace, and a sense of calmness overall?

His love and knowing Him doesn’t prevent hard times from coming.  His love gives us the confidence we need to go through the hard times.  Stress or pain, or heartache is sure to come.  He is there.  Much like crutches help us when we break a leg.  A broken heart still hurts, but because of His love there is healing on its way.  How would we ever know the love of God if our struggles didn’t force us to Him?

Left to ourselves we would indulge ourselves.  That is just the reality of our flesh.  Struggles prove that indulgences are not the answer.  Indulgence does not prevent hardship, and at times they may even cause them.  We need a God that can forgive, heal, grant wisdom, and give comfort in those difficult times.  His presence (The Holy Spirit) is the best hug you will ever feel.

Hardships that cause us to discover Him.  They are absolutely necessary to tear our hearts away from this world and discover His.

If we truly are in relationship with God and experiencing His Love, then it is absolutely impossible to remain the same.  We will be changing, for God’s Love is a positive forward moving force that changes us.

Also we do not “know” God’s love until we experience it for ourselves.  People can tell you their story, as I told you mine, or the pastor can teach on it, but until it’s your story it’s impossible to really know.  People will say that I am such a nice guy and they think that is my personality.  That is so far from the truth.  I am this way because His Love was shed abroad in my heart (Romans 5:5) and it changed me and it continues to change me.

His love gives us a second, third, fourth chance on life.  His love puts kindness and concern in my heart towards others.  To live as such is how it must have been before sin entered.  The separation that sin has caused has been the single greatest cancer on man.  But it has been conquered via the Cross and we have been reunited to our Father, Amen!

There’s a great saving that says, “ a great relationship is made up of two great forgivers.”  That is true on a human level, but it is absolutely true on a heavenly level.  I can forgive because I have been forgiven.  Because of the clean slate that has been offered to me, by the only One that had an absolute right to condemn me, who I’m I to not forgive my fellow man?

Father,

Thank you for this study.  I pray that by sharing our struggles that others who are struggling can see Your faithfulness to me.  For without Your Holy Spirit guiding and helping me I surely would have stumbled.  So thank you for your ever present help in time of need. As your Word says, “ Resist the Devil and He will flee.”  And we resist by quoting the Word to His lies, as you did in your wilderness temptations.  Thank you for this example that we too can follow. In Jesus name Amen.

Move Forward In His Grace – Arthur