Author: America's Keswick

The purpose of America's Keswick is to model and teach Biblical victorious living in Christ Jesus, to provide an environment in which Biblical life transformation takes place and to foster active personal involvement in the local church.

Victorious Christian Weaponry Part 2

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VICTORIOUS CHRISTAIN WEAPONRY 2

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:16-17)

After taking up the whole armor, Paul adds three other weapons.

1. The Shield of Faith. This is the ancient Roman shield that protects the whole body. It has several qualities.

a. It has an unobstructed view of the enemy. It sees clearly the problem. It has no place for denial as to the enemy’s power.

b. It extinguishes the poison in the darts of the enemy.

c. It does not stop the darts from striking us:

i. We can be hurt by what people say and do to us.

ii. We can use the pain to teach and to strengthen.

iii. The poison is when we keep the pain and refuse to forgive.

2. The Helmet of Salvation is worn on the head of God’s Champions

a. It protects the part of the body that controls the body.

i. It is the center of all actions. The helmet controls what we do.

ii. It is the center of all thoughts. We need to “think on these things.”

iii. It is the reservoir of collected thoughts – memory. Memorize Scripture.

3. The Sword of the Spirit is to the only part of the armor for offence.

a. Some use a sword for decoration, they carry a Bible.

b. Some use a sword for identification (rank), they use only one version.

c. Some use a sword only to hurt people, quoting scripture to inflict pain.

d. We should not so use the word of God

i. Swords hack the way through the jungle of ideas.

ii. Swords drive away the enemy.

iii. Swords give comfort to the user and those defended by it.

We need the WHOLE armor of God and we need to use it wisely – for our good and God’s glory.

Here are three weapons we need to use.
May we practice them and not abuse.
To protect us from attack and harm,
Give us Faith to fight fear’s alarm.

The Helmet we need for the unexpected blows,
Not just for attention but so that everyone knows
How safe we are in God’s salvation,
Feeding on God’s daily ration.

The Sword of the Spirit is given for us to use
To help us when our way we loose.
To bring us through each treacherous way,
To keep us safe until life’s final day.

Rev. George Van Sandt is a friend of the ministry.

God’s Word for You and Me: Proverbs 19; Ezekiel 11-13; James 1

Great Quote: It is startling to discover how many people there are who heartily dislike and despise Christianity without having the faintest notion what it is. If you tell them, they cannot believe…that anything so interesting, so exciting and so dramatic can be the orthodox creed of the Church. Dorothy Sayer

Victorious Christian Weaponry Part 1

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VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN WEAPONRY Part 1

Today starts a three four part series from REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE, our daily devotional. It is written by Pastor George Van Sandt, who was my pastor growing up, and remains a dear friend and adopted Dad.

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13)

Paul’s admonition for the warfare is “Put on the whole armor of God.” Here is what we can learn:

1. If we are to put it on then we must, at least from time to time, have taken it off. One need not wear the armor day and night but we must wear it when the enemy is engaged.

2. The first item he mentions is the belt of truth. The flowing garments need to be tucked in so that the legs are free to move.

a. Notice we are to tighten it. Truth should always be a part of our lives.

b. It will enable us to feel secure if our words are always true.

c. Without this belt of truth, the “breastplate of righteousness” will be inadequate.

3. The next item is the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate covers all of the vulnerable parts of our body: the lungs, intestines and heart.

a. Every breath we breathe should be filled with the right.

b. All that we take into our bodies should be right.

c. And above all our hearts need to be centered in righteousness.

4. The third item is our feet. He does not mention where we walk but what we wear—shod with peace. To seek as much as possible to live in peace (not stir up trouble). To have peace protecting us enabling us to walk unharmed. To leave our footprints of peace in the lives of others.

This is the beginning of victory. It comes from being prepared!

God, give to us the wisdom and power
To live each day, moment and hour
With truth surrounding all we do.
May our words be always true.

Let not the enemy find some spot
In our live where truth is not,
And may our armor be complete
With shoes of peace upon our feet.

And protect our hearts from sin’s seduction,
Our Breastplate keep us from earth’s reduction.
May we ingest that which will build us up
Until the war we win and the Victor’s Cup.

Rev. George Van Sandt

God’s WORD for YOU and ME: Proverbs 18; Ezekiel 8-10; Hebrews 13

Great Quote: “Luther was right: the root behind all other manifestations of sin is compulsive unbelief—our voluntary darkness concerning God, ourselves, his relationship to the fallen world and his redemption purpose… If the fall occurred through embracing lies, the recovery process of salvation must center on faith in truth, reversing this condition.” Richard Lovelace, Renewal as a Way of Life

Still Human

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Still Human!

” … whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

Oswald Chambers so often whacks me on the side of the head. Today not only did Oswald do it, but everything I read during my devotional time ganged up on me (through the Holy Spirit!). Allow these words to feed your soul today:

In the Scriptures, the great miracle of the incarnation slips into the ordinary life of a child; the great miracle of the transfiguration fades into the demon-possessed valley below; the glory of the resurrection descends into a breakfast on the seashore. This is not an anticlimax, but a great revelation of God.

We have a tendency to look for wonder in our experience, and we mistake heroic actions for real heroes. It’s one thing to go through a crisis grandly, yet quite another to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us.



If we are not looking for halos, we at least want something that will make people say, “What a wonderful man of prayer he is!” or, “What a great woman of devotion she is!” If you are properly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the lofty height where no one would ever notice you personally. All that is noticed is the power of God coming through you all the time.



We want to be able to say, “Oh, I have had a wonderful call from God!” But to do even the most humbling tasks to the glory of God takes the Almighty God Incarnate working in us. To be utterly unnoticeable requires God’s Spirit in us making us absolutely humanly His.

The true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life. We tend to set up success in Christian work as our purpose, but our purpose should be to display the glory of God in human life, to live a life “hidden with Christ in God” in our everyday human conditions ( Colossians 3:3 ). Our human relationships are the very conditions in which the ideal life of God should be exhibited.



Lord, thanks for sharing this truth with me today. I needed to hear this. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

Join me the next few days as Pastor George Van Sandt shares teaching on VICTORY!

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 17; Ezekiel 5-7; Hebrews 12

Great Quote: A saint is never consciously a saint — a saint is consciously dependent on God. — Oswald Chambers

Sacrifices

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Sacrifices

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:17

This is a powerful reading from Dr. Paul David Tripp in his book WHITER THAN SNOW –Meditations on Sin and Mercy (Crossway). I have used so much of this in recent days for my daily Freedom Fighters. I commend, urge, and recommend you purchase this book. It is available from the Keswick On-Line Bookstore: www.amerciaskeswick.org.

Perhaps if I give You some of my time.
Perhaps if I give You some of my strength.
Perhaps if I give You some of my thoughts.
Perhaps if I give you some of my success.
Perhaps if I give you some of my relationships.
Surely THOSE sacrifices will bring You delight.
Surely THESE offerings will bring You joy.

I’m quite willing to give a tithe.
I’m quite willing to interrupt my schedule.
I’m quite willing to volunteer to serve.
I’m quite willing to do my part.

But I get a sense that You’re not satisfied with a PIECE of me.
I get the sense that
momentary giving
momentary service
momentary sacrifice
momentary turning
of my heart to You will not satisfy You.

But I must admit — admit that I am afraid of what YOU require.
I’m afraid of a broken spirit.
I’m afraid of a contrite heart.
I’m afraid to be crushed by YOUR grace.

So I try to distract You with MY service
distract You with MY time
distract You with MY money.

Deep inside I KNOW what YOU want.
Deep inside I’m sure of what YOU require.
I’m afraid because I want to hold onto MY heart.
I want to give it to Other things.
I want to pursue OTHER pleasures outside of You.
I’m afraid to give You what would satisfy YOU.
I’m afraid of a broken heart.

So I regularly offend YOU with empty offerings
and vacuous praise,
Hoping to my own destruction that you’ll be satisfied.

Wow! If we are REALLY honest with ourselves, isn’t that where we are MOST days, my brothers. Allow the message of this reading to penetrate deep into our souls today. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for US: Proverbs 16; Ezekiel 3-4; Hebrews 11:20-40

Great Quote: In the Church of God two opposite dangers are to be recognized and avoided; they are a cold heart and a hot head. A. W. Tozer

O Worship the King

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O Worship the King!

“I will sing praise to my God!” Psalm 104:33

Last Sunday we had the privilege of seeing our dear friend, Sue Thomas. Sue has been profoundly deaf since she was 18 months of age and has had an incredible journey in her world of silence.

Some of you may recognize the name because the PAX channel did a TV series based on her life, Sue Thomas FBEye. She is a dear friend and sister in the Lord.

She spoke at Lakes Community Chapel last Sunday morning, and unbeknown to what I wrote in my Freedom Fighter last Sunday, she addressed the topic of who we worship on Sunday. She had a very interesting comment …

She has been the speaker at hundreds of churches, and she said that she is really tired of the “worship team” being the center of attention. Her observation is that many times the women are improperly dressed, and the attention is drawn to the team vs. being drawn to the audience of One. She suggested that maybe the worship team should lead from the balcony and not be seen and just have the praise music on the screen so the focus could be on the Lord.

Now if you are a part of a worship team — don’t send me comments. There are many outstanding worship teams serving the Lord today. But in my 30+ years of being involved in church music, I have to agree, that sometimes in our preparation for worship, the praise team gets to worship and the rest of the people end up being spectators. Sometimes its because we attempt to teach too many “new” or unfamiliar songs during worship.

We once had an awesome praise band come to lead worship for a men’s activity. The team was a group of very gifted musicians. The music was very well rehearsed and prepared. They invited the men to stand to sing with them and for 25 minutes I stood and watched 95% of the men stand there without ever singing a note. Why? No one but the praise team knew the music.

Worship is not about us being spectators. We are participators as we worship HIM and HIM alone. Maybe from time to time we need to remind ourselves that worship is all about Him!

O worship the King, all glorious above;
And gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

O, tell of HIS might, O, sing of HIS grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space;
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is HIS path on the wings of the storm.

Your bountiful care, what tongue can recite,
It breathes in the air; it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills; it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In YOU do I trust, nor find YOU to fail;
YOUR mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend.

Remember today — HE IS OUR AUDIENCE of ONE. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 15; Ezekiel 1-2; Hebrews 11:1-19

Great Quote: It costs God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things; but to convert rebellious wills cost Him crucifixion.(Clive Staples) C. S. Lewis

The Exchanged Life

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The Exchanged Life

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

The heart beat of the Keswick message is illustrated today from the writing of Oswald Chambers in MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST:

What understanding do you have of the salvation of your soul? The work of salvation means that in your real life things are dramatically changed. You no longer look at things in the same way. Your desires are new and the old things have lost their power to attract you.

One of the tests for determining if the work of salvation in your life is genuine is— has God changed the things that really matter to you? If you still yearn for the old things, it is absurd to talk about being born from above— you are deceiving yourself.

If you are born again, the Spirit of God makes the change very evident in your real life and thought. And when a crisis comes, you are the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference there is in you. There is no possibility of imagining that you did it. It is this complete and amazing change that is the very evidence that you are saved.

What difference has my salvation and sanctification made? For instance, can I stand in the light of 1 Corinthians 13 , or do I squirm and evade the issue? True salvation, worked out in me by the Holy Spirit, frees me completely. And as long as I “walk in the light as He is in the light” ( 1 John 1:7 ), God sees nothing to rebuke because His life is working itself into every detailed part of my being, not on the conscious level, but even deeper than my consciousness.

Brothers, Christ wants to live HIS life THROUGH you. Apart from that, you will fail miserably in living the Christian life. Allow HIM today to live HIS life through you. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 14; Lamentations 3-5; Hebrews 10:19-39

Great Quote: I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath – these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely – these are my native air. A John Hopkins University doctor says, “We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non-worriers, but that is a fact.” But I, who am simple of mind, think I know; We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality. E. Stanley Jones

A Human Paradox

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A Human Paradox

“But the tongue no man can contain; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8).

The apostle James shares with us a human paradox: “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be” (James 3:10). What we say and what we refrain from saying are very important to both the one speaking and the one listening. Proper speech is not only saying the correct words at the correct time, but is also controlling our desire not to say things that we shouldn’t. How does this killer function in our lives, and how can we use the tongue to bless rather than curse?

According to one researcher, people tell an average of fifty lies each day. Perhaps this is not accurate, but that is no reason for us to give up the battle against stretching the truth.

Did you ever notice people hurl insults and put-downs at the expense (all in fun, of course) of others without considering the painful results? Or parents who spend Sunday dinner roasting the pastor or others who dare to participate in the worship service? Or someone who shades the truth to protect their own image? Or spouses who, with heartless, cold generalizations, chip away at their relationship? Or well-meaning prayer warriors who broadcast other folks’ battle secrets to others? All which dishonors God!

I’m sure you get the picture. But if you don’t, we Christians, including this writer, often stumble into gifts of communication in the wrong way. By so doing, we either lead unbelievers away from our Lord or we cause fellow believers to become discouraged in the faith.

The tongue is you in a unique way. It is a tattletale that tells on the heart and discloses the real person. Every careless word that people will speak shall give an account in the Day of Judgment. “… by thy words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

If no human being can control the tongue, why bother trying? It is true that a transformed nature will produce transformed behavior. James’ point in verses 3:7-8 is simply that the human tongue is innately uncontrollable and untameable. The paradox can be resolved by learning about damage control. It is better to control a fire rather than going around and setting new ones!

Do you want to help resolve a “Human Paradox”? Let’s join together and “speak evil of no man.” There is almost a constant tension between what is and what ought to be. The Holy Spirit will give us increasing power to monitor and control what we say. We ought to live righteously and grow in grace and knowledge and, oh, yes, control the tongue.

QUOTE: “I have never been cursed by the things I left unsaid.” — Calvin Coolidge — Dr. Henry Lutz is a retired pastor and a dear friend of the ministry of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 13; Lamentations 1-2; Hebrews 10:1-18

Great Quote: It is not a true Gospel that gives us the impression that the Christian life is easy, and that there are no problems to be faced. That is not the New Testament teaching. The New Testament is most alarming at first, indeed terrifying, as it shows us the problems by which we are confronted. But follow it-go on! It does not stop halfway, it goes on to this addition, this second half; and here it shows us the way in which, though that is the truth concerning the battle, we can be enabled to wage it, and not only to wage it, but to triumph in it. It shows us that we are meant to be “more than conquerors.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Check out this weeks Stewardship Insight from George: http://keswickgeorge.blogspot.com/

Press On

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Press On

‘Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Philippians 3:13

For so many of us, we cannot move forward in the present because we have planted or feet in the past. We are stuck in our Christian walk because we keep looking back to our past, and our past can keep us in bondage.

Today’s devotional is one that I shared with my Freedom Fighter brothers in 2006! It is from the pen of devotional author, Dr. Henry Blackaby (Experiencing God — The Devotional/Broadman and Holman):

The world will tell you that the dominating influence in your life is your past. If you came from a difficult home life, that will determine the direction of your life. If your culture was treated unfairly, that will dictate the condition of your life today. If you were hurt or abused or if your youth was spent in rebellion, the remainder of your life will be spent struggling with your past. The world is preoccupied with the past because it faces an uncertain future.

Christians on the other hand, live in freedom because Christ has overcome the past. The “old things” have been done away with and “new things” have come (2 Corinthians 5:17). God has so totally forgiven the Christian’s sin that He chooses not to remember it (Isaiah 43:25). Christians do not forget the past, but we are not controlled or motivated by it. The Christian looks to the future with hope.

The people of the world focus on what they are overcoming. Christians focus on what they are BECOMING. Christians know that the Holy Spirit is conforming them into the image of Christ. Christians know that ultimately they will stand before Christ to give an account of their actions and will spend eternity in the presence of God.

Christians know that eventually every injustice will be addressed and every hurt comforted. They know Satan, and death itself, will finally be brought to an end. The Christian’s future is so full and rich and exciting that it supersedes whatever happened in the past.

If you are preoccupied with your past, ask God to open your eyes to the incredible future that awaits you and begin, like Paul, to press on to what is ahead.

I pray today that if you are caught up in the past, and if your past is holding you in bondage, that you will do what Scripture and Dr. Blackaby tell us: PRESS ON, BROTHER! PRESS ON! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 12; Jeremiah 51-52; Hebrews 9

Great Quote: In the name of Jesus Christ, who was never in a hurry, we pray, O God, that You will slow us down, for we know that we live too fast. With all of eternity before us, make us take time to live – time to get acquainted with You, time to enjoy Your blessings, and time for each other. Peter Marshall

Onward Christian Soldiers — Veteran’s Day

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Onward Christian Soldiers — Veteran’s Day

ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS Although many of the contemporary Christian songs motivate and encourage me to love God more, I also need the traditional songs that remind me there is a spiritual battle going on and that, as a Christian, I have a responsibility to fight for whom and what I believe.

A great example of such a song is “Onward Christian Soldiers” and the first few lines making three important points summarizing the victorious Christian life. The song starts out with the words “Onward Christian Soldiers: This reminds us that we are not just individuals but part of a team, the Army of the Lord. The Christian life was never intended to be lived alone but for each soldier to function within the body with other believers. And just as a military soldier has certain responsibilities and expectations set on him by his commanding officer, so does a Christian soldier.

One of the most important responsibilities is to make a total commitment to the Lord. In Romans 12:1 Paul specifically urges us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to the Lord, wholly and pleasing to him. This reminds me of the military oath of enlistment I took when I pledged to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same.” Just like a gung- ho Marine who is totally committed to his Corps and his country, even to the point of being willing to die (“Death before Dishonor”), we are expected to replace our worldly idols and addictions with habits and disciplines that will please our commander, Jesus Christ. We are to be wholly committed to Him; this is our spiritual act of service.

The next words are “Marching as to War”: If there is a need for God’s army, and we are Christian soldiers, then these lines indicate that there is a war to fight. We know from Scripture (1Pet2:11) and certainly from our daily experience that this is true. Scripture further tells us that Satan and his underlings are continually seeking ways to destroy us personally ( 1 Peter 5:8). But as “Soldiers of the Cross”we have been given our marching orders to be men of courage (1Cor 16:13), to fight the good fight of faith (1Tim 6:12) and even be ready to shed blood and die for the cause of Christ (Luke14:27). To do this we always need to be in battle uniform (Eph 6:10-18) and constantly training.(1Tim 4:7) in order to be ready to engage the enemy.

Finally, ”With the Cross of Jesus Going on Before”, reminds us that Jesus Christ is our Commanding Officer and He will never leave us or forsake us (Deut 31:6). Our role is simply to obey, to take up the cross daily, to follow Him (Matt 10:38) and to keep the faith. Jesus is our role model and we need to be continually living life His way, even though His way is often not our way!! Although the leader (Satan) of the enemy forces is powerful, smart and a world traveler, he is no match for our leader who is Omnipotent (all-powerful), Omniscient (all knowing) the world at the same time!!) Onward Christian Soldiers and keep your eyes right on Jesus! — Tom Day served in both the Marine Corps and Navy, ministers in Memphis, Tn. and is a friend and supporter of Keswick.

God bless our veterans. And God bless America!

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 11; Jeremiah 50; Hebrews 8

Great Quote: Right now counts forever.R. C. Sproul

God’s Tender Care for Us

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God’s Tender Care for Us

“So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, ‘I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” Genesis 32:30

I needed this devotional thought this morning, and my guess is you might too. In fact, you may know someone else who needs this too. This would be a great way to introduce them to the ministry of Freedom Fighter.

I am impressed, Lord, by the tenderness of Your care for Your overworked servants. How sharply You know the difference between laziness and fatigue! Your treatment of Your servant Elijah is a revelation and comfort to me.

After His tense confrontation with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel, Elijah fled for his life, with the threats of Jezebel still ringing in his ears. “He was afraid” (1 Kings 19:3). His weariness and fatigue had invaded his spirit, and his faith fled. That led to depression: “Lord, take away my life” (vs.4). The intense, highly strung prophet was in the midst of an emotional collapse. He had overextended himself in God’s work.

How did God respond to his broken faith, his anxiety, his depression? “Arise and eat” (vs.5). Twice the Lord told him to partake of food, “or the journey will be too much for you” (vs. 7). God began His ministry to Elijah by ministering to his body.

How often it is my body, instead of my spirit, that needs help. I must look upon both — body and spirit — as an integral, closely knit team. When one of them suffers, so does the other; and when breakdown occurs, I must ask, Where did it begin? I must not, of course, let my body become my all-demanding king before which everything must bow. On the other hand, I must not neglect my body as if it were an inconsequential bundle of rags.

God began with Elijah’s body — with his spent energy, his strained nerves, and his weary muscles. Once the cup of physical strength began to fill, God could go on to minister to Elijah’s other needs.

God the nursemaid! And why not? Is He not called El Shaddai, the “God with breasts” (Genesis 17:1 ASV margin)? How often I need the nursing ministry of God when body or spirit become tired in His service! — from Daily with the King by Glyn Evans (Moody Press)

Brothers — did you need that word from the Lord today? I trust it will encourage your heart as it has mine today. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 10; Jeremiah 48-49; Hebrews 7

Great Quote: If we, as a church, do not get back to spiritual visions, glimpses of heaven, and an awareness of a greater glory of life, we will lose our faith. Our altar will become nothing but cold, empty stone, never blessed with a visit from heaven. — Joseph Parker — 19th century English Congregationalist preacher