Paul states, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weaknesses and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and, of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” ~1 Corinthians 1: 2-5

The interesting part of Paul’s testimony is that he was a well versed and learned in the scriptures. As a Pharisee, he was called to live and process through God’s law with a deep regard. They were trained to follow and uphold righteousness, or their version of righteousness. He was trained under the teachings of Gamaliel, an elder of the Jewish community who had a reputation and wisdom. Paul was zealous in what he believed and what we call “good stock.” However, he considered that nothing compared to his personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

He was persuaded fully in the saving grace, through faith in Christ. That reality became evident in his life, his ministry. In his letters, and the message he preached. He was not trying to move people with creativity or in his words, but with his passion, his persuasions came from his complete yielding to the things of God. His faith was grounded in his personal belief in his Lord and Savior.

For instance, I went to the Colony of Mercy and I was introduced to Jesus Christ. Keswick aided me in the exchanged life; from my life of addiction into the man God created me to be. I have a place in my heart that will defend and support Keswick for the presence it had in my life, as well as the integrity of the work that is being done. I believe in what they do! But moreover, I am persuaded that Jesus Christ has the redemptive power for freedom from the bondage of addictions.

Like Paul, our testimony of God’s amazing grace, through His Holy Spirit, can empower us to be a living epistle. Our life is the example of death, burial, resurrection and the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. And our love, our service, our kindness, gentleness, etc…to each and with the world will persuade, those who are called to be regenerated to their creator.

Written by Juan Mendez. Juan is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and full-time staff member at America’s Keswick.

The Daily Bible Reading: Micah 1-3, Luke 21:20-38

Think About This: “What you are is God’s gift to you, what you become is your gift to God.” ~Hans Urs von Balthasar

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted. ~Psalm 89:15-16 (NKJV)

The Gift to the world who was born in a manger.

A great Light pierced the dark, in a world full of danger,

He was brought forth in a stable with no room at the Inn,

But how can this Baby save a world full of sin?

Celestial hosts announced this great thing,

Good tidings and great joy is the message they bring.

They proclaimed “Glory to God” as Light overcame dark,

A goodwill declaration that Angels did hark.

To Nobles and Kings it was kept from their sight,

But to Shepherds in fields watching their flocks at night.

It’s all about Jesus and God’s plan to impart,

He’s the true Lamb of God and death did depart.

With all the distractions this season does bring,

Remember that Christ is still the main thing.

Let’s share this good news, for all people to hear,

Times running out but salvation is near.

Let’s all be like the shepherds and make widely known,

The Joy of the season, God’s Love has been shown.

It’s not about gifts, so much money is spent,

All just a ploy for the true meaning to prevent.

A Beacon of Light, a Hope to impart,

His plan is to penetrate the hardest of heart.

So come to the Babe the best Gift of all,

He’ll dwell in your heart, not bought at the mall.

Merry Christmas

Written by Rob Russomano. Rob is a Colony of Mercy Graduate and Full-time staff member at America’s Keswick.

The Daily Bible Reading: Neh. 12-13, Luke 21:1-19

Think About This: “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” ~John Wesley

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted. ~Psalm 89:15-16 (NKJV)

“God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” ~John 3:17 (NLT)

Who remembers the movie “Ernest Saves Christmas”? I’m sure it’ll be on the menu selection somewhere, out there in Videoland with just a click of a button. There’s a scene in the movie where the beloved Ernest is driving a cab, in it is a man who is supposable Santa Claus and as a truckload of Christmas trees passes the cab our dear Ernest says, “Ahh, smell those Christmas trees. You can keep your “Channel” Number 5, just give me a whiff of the old lonesome pine. That symbol of brotherly love, that centerpiece that all mankind gathers around to share the cranberry sauce shaped like a can.” Then a tree falls off the truck and at the end of this scene Santa has that symbol of brotherly love in his lap in the back of the cab. Well gee Vern, guess that’s as Yuletide as it gets…

The conversation that Nicodemus and Jesus are having, in John’s Gospel, doesn’t seem to have this kinda comical irony to it, there’s an irony but it’s one that makes Nicodemus scratch his head It starts like this “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with them.” Then Jesus throws a curveball, “Truly, truly, I say to you unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” HUH? “I am a grown man. How can someone be born again when he is old like me? Am I to crawl back into my mother’s womb for a second birth? That’s impossible!” (Nicodemus in “The Voice”) And thus begins the dialogue on the purpose for the arrival of The Messiah.

In A. W. Tozer’s book, “The Radical Cross” there is a statement Tozer makes that makes sense to me. “Men and women are condemned in their own hearts because they know that if the Righteous One is coming, then we ought to be sentenced. But God had a greater and far more gracious purpose—He came that sinful men might be saved. The loving mission of our Lord Jesus Christ was not to condemn but to forgive and reclaim.” And I think that the whole dialogue with Nicodemus gives credence to that statement. To think that YHVH, El Elyon Elohim, would go through such trouble to reclaim us and not destroy us should bring us to give praise to His glory and His good purpose.

To even think through the idea of reclaiming something means that there is a treasure that is being seen by the eye of the beholder, even if that beholder cannot be seen in the physical sense, it will be by faith that we know who that Beholder is. This is why Jesus

would need to teach us through what the Word of The Father should do to our hearts. “Those who abandon deceit and embrace what is true, they will enter into the light where it will be clear that all their deeds come from God.” (John 3:21 in “The Voice”) This would mean that in order to be reclaimed by Christ you will need to surrender what has become a lust of your eye, a lust of your flesh and the pride in your life. Americans Pickers rely on a seller to surrender in order to gain, in this sense we have a Heavenly Picker relying on our surrender to gain and reclaim a Divine order that was set forth from when in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

So how does John 3:17 save Christmas? The bigger question is…How doesn’t it? Well, all you have to do in that case is not receive what Jesus is offering but for those of us who will wake up on Christmas morning knowing what we’ve been saved from the lights on the Christmas tree will twinkle that much brighter. Under that tree we may find that brown box I talked about in last week’s Freedom Fighter, and what’s in that box will radically change everything that goes on until the appointed time. Until then ponder this…Why did God chose to reclaim man? Because we were made in His image. In that is your Christmas, saved. Amen?

Written by Chris Hughes: Colony of Mercy Graduate of 11-2003 and serves on the Deacon Board of Trinity Alliance Church in Cologne, NJ

The Daily Bible Reading: Neh. 10-11, Luke 20:27-47

Think About This: “I believe that although man was fallen and lost and on his way to hell, he still had a capacity and potential that made Incarnation possible, so That God Almighty could pull up the blankets of human flesh around His ears and become a Man to walk among men.” ~A.W. Tozer

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted. ~Psalm 89:15-16 (NKJV)

“But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that we might have the full rights as sons. God sent the Spirit of His Son into hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also and heir.” ~Galatians 4:4-7

Good morning, brothers. We are on the count- down to Christmas and I wanted to thank you for joining this year on our journey as together we have been Living Courageously. We appreciate you checking in either via email or on the on-line blog version of Freedom Fighter.

I want to especially thank Chris Hughes, Juan Mendez, Pastor Bob Wood, Makala Doulos, Rob Russomano, and Graeme Wilson for their weekly blogs. They are a great blessing to many and I love these guys.

You might be looking for some last minute Christmas gifts, so I thought I would give you a few suggestions for this Christmas:

New Morning Mercies is a powerful devotional written by Dr. Paul David Tripp (Crossway). His writings will convict you, challenge you, cause you to run to the cross, and give you a greater understanding of God’s mercies and grace. This devotional is not for the faint of heart.

The Songs of Jesus is a brand new devotional by Pastor Tim Keller. It is a 365-daily devotional in the Psalms with a verses to read, a short devotional and a prayer. If you are a Tim Keller fan, this will bless your hearts. (Viking Press) Available on Kindle.

Daily Wisdom for Men –2016 Devotional Collection is a powerful new daily devotional that addresses issues that men face in their daily walk. It is leather-bound and very practical. (Barbour)

ESV Daily Reading Bible is a great tool for reading through the entire Bible based on the plan prepared by Robert Murray M’Cheyne. Text for each day are organized in sequence, ready for reflection and meditation. (Crossway)

Daily Light on the Daily Path is a morning and evening devotional of just Scriptures. I have been using this for over 25 years and I love it. This is a tool to use if you want to journal what God is teaching you through His word. It comes in KJV, NKJV and ESV. I like the leather bound version. It is also available on Kindle.

The Leadership Excellence Devotional was put together by Pat Williams, one of my favorite authors. Pat will walk you through biblical leadership principles that will encourage you in your ministry or professional life. It is leather-bound too. (Barbour) It is also available on Kindle.

Real Victory for Real Life (Volume 1 & 2) are two must have’s in your devotional library. They are compiled by some of the greatest preachers in America who have been speakers at America’s Keswick. Each day will also give you Scripture to read, so if you read them, you will read through the Bible in a year. You can order these from America’s Keswick for a special price of $10 each. Call 800-453-7942. Will even ship them for free.

2016 America’s Keswick Bible Reading Plan is now available online, or you can call us and we will mail it to you (and even for your church family). This year’s plan is based on our theme: Tommorrowland: Facing the Future with Confidence. You will read through Psalms 2.5 times and through the entire book of Proverbs 12 times.

A Quiet Place & Another Quiet Place – Artist-in-residence and Director of Program Ministries, Robert Hayes, has two amazing piano CD’s that will help start your day, or be a great way to just sit still before the Lord. Numerous medleys are woven together featuring praise and worship songs plus classic hymns. The cost is $15 each and you can order them by emailing Robert rhayes@americaskeswick.org.

Jesus Led Me All the Way – is a piano project that I recorded in memory of our granddaughter, Lindsay Bear Groen. This CD features hymns that designed to encourage your heart in God’s greatness and goodness. A great tool to use during your quiet time. $15 and you can order by emailing me @ bwelte@americaskeswick.org

In Times Like These is a CD collection of great hymns and praise songs recorded by a number of my friend: Neil Fichthorn, Dick Goodrich, Mark Goodrich, Kevin Botbyl, Candy Davison, and Robert & Joyce Hayes. These songs couldn’t be more timely in light of all that is going on in the world. $15 and you can order by emailing me @ bwelte@americaskeswick.org

(Please note that titles in blue are links to smile.amazon.com. You can help America’s Keswick by making us your charity of choice on Amazon. A percentage of your purchases will now help America’s Keswick.)

I trust that these resources will help you in your walk with the Lord. On behalf of the Freedom Fighter blog team, and America’s Keswick, Merry Christmas!

Written by Dr. Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick. He has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 10 amazing grandkids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Neh. 7-9, Luke 20:1-26

Think About This: “Jesus willingly entered the darkness so that we could live in the light of His presence forever.”  ~Paul David Tripp

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted. ~Psalm 89:15-16 (NKJV)

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. ~Aiden Wilson Tozer

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory. ~Paul, The Least of The Apostles, in Ephesians 1

Oh beloved, it is true. We are more than willing to see what the Bible would have us to do. We know that we should act in Love towards each other. We know we should not lie. We know all of the things to be done.

And then, though, we add on a pitiful tagline: “Oh, by the way. This is impossible to do without G_d’s help!”

It is as though we try to frontload the Gospel with its outworkings. We look at the doing, as though it were the being of our Christianity. But in even thinking this way, we miss the point of the Gospel.

The good news is different.

The good news is that the Good News is not about us. And so, when we read it properly, we read it the way it was written to be read.

Can we see it? Look at the passage. It is all about Him.

His Blessing

His Choosing

Him making us holy and blameless

His predestining us for adoption

His will

His redeeming us

His blood

His grace

His lavish giving of all of this

His unifying us to Himself

His inheritance given to us

His purpose

His glory

His Spirit in whom we are sealed

His praise

So, are you feeling like you cannot “do” your Christian walk right? Perhaps it is because you are missing what it is to be a follower of Christ altogether. There is nothing we need to “do” to be a Christian. There is, however, a big OBTW to remember: It is not about you. It is all about Him.

However, once we do see this, everything changes, and the actions we begin to take do begin to line up with what Scripture would have our lives look like. But this is now possible because doing impossible is not about getting a little help from “The Man upstairs.”

No, now our life is lived out in real love and right action because there is no “me” alone any more. I am in Him. And that makes all the difference. Tonight is your night beloved. Time to remember who the Gospel is about.

Written by Makala Doulos, Colony of Mercy Graduate and teacher at Tianjin International School

The Daily Bible Reading: Josh. 22-24, Luke 18:24-43

Think About This: “The Christ within who is our hope of glory is not a matter of theological debate or philosophical speculation. He is not a hobby, a part-time project, a good theme for a book, or a last resort when all human effort fails. He is our life, the most real fact about us. He is the power and wisdom of God dwelling within us.” ~Brennan Manning

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him ~Psalm 18:30

“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” ~Esther 4:14

Mordecai was encouraging Esther to take advantage of this opportunity to be used by God for the deliverance of His people. They were facing a trying time, and the Jews were on the verge of annihilation. This was her destiny; a privilege to help the Israelites at such a time as this!

However, he reminded her that God’s plan would go forth with or without her.

When we are confronted with the ungodly encounters, issues, the enemy; we have to remember that this is not our fight; the battle is the Lord! Life is no accident, we are a provoked with many trials, and like Esther; taking a stand might mean death. Death to our sin, death to our opinions, death to worldly lust or possessions, the list goes on.

When we are seeking God’s call or God’s direction in our life; seize the opportunity as Esther’s example. In that, she understood that the battle was bigger than she was and reached out to her people

“Go, gather together all the Jews … and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days … I and my maids will fast as you do.”(Esther 4:16)

With that, we are faced with various political, religious, terroristic, dark principalities concerns. And we can experience victory as we take advantage, at such a time as this, to come together united and individually for the Christ.

Written by Juan Mendez, Full-time staff member and Colony of Mercy graduate.

The Daily Bible Reading: Josh. 16-18, Luke 17:20-37

Think About This: “My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.”
~Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him ~Psalm 18:30

“And that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” ~1 Chronicles 4:10b

How many times have I heard someone say “But I never meant to hurt anyone”. I guess it echoes in my mind because of the times I’ve said it myself. Too often we set out meaning well only to look back and see a road of destruction.

This time of year is a very difficult time for a lot of people because of damaged relationships, thinking back on those we were once so close to but now have been estranged from because of a bad series of circumstances.

In this short but powerful prayer of Jabez we see an earnest desire to move forward with the blessing of God for the remainder of his life to be used for good. His story is a mystery but it should provide hope for all that read it. I like that all the details of his previous life are left out, it’s as if we could attach our own story to this realization that from here on in we want God to direct our path. Able to set aside our own understanding that Proverbs 3 tells us not to lean on and acknowledge Him.

I think for me the key to being fruitful and using the gifts God has given me is to filter my intentions thru love. In Ephesians 5 we read “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma”. That is to bring the message of Christ with a life giving meaning instead of a life threatening attack.

At this time of year we should ponder the Gift given by God for our hope and salvation, let’s get a fresh perspective on the rest of our lives and maybe refocus and live with purpose, directed by God, blessed by Him, giving us opportunity to serve with His hand upon us, keeping a godly perspective and being sensitive to the leading of His Spirit, that we would do good and not evil trusting that when our desires are aligned with God’s He will grant our request.

Written by Rob Russomano. Rob is full-time staff member and will be celebrating 16 years of walking in Victory because of what God did while at the Colony of Mercy.

The Daily Bible Reading: Josh. 16-18, Luke 17:20-37

Think About This: “God’s Word transforms you into someone who reflects His glory.” ~Elizabeth George

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him ~Psalm 18:30

If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” ~Joshua 24:15

Welcome to a new week of Freedom Fighter blog posts. We thank you for taking the time to join us as we together choose to walk in victory in our lives as brothers in Christ.

Last week I shared with you that you and I are very active in the process of making choices in our lives. At the end of Joshua’s life, he, like his predecessor, Moses, challenges the children of Israel to decide who they will serve. Will they choose to follow after the foreign gods like their ancestors did, or will they choose to follow Yahweh? Joshua draws the line in the sand to declare – “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

As men living in 2015, we need to recognize that if we are going to be the men God wants us to be, we need to make that same decision. We will either choose to serve (walk in) the flesh or we will choose to walk in the Spirit.

We are very active in our growth by making right choices. God never forces Himself on us. The Holy Spirit never forces Himself on us.

Here is a fun exercise. Grab your Bible, a notepad and pen and think through Romans 12 with me. Here are some of the choices for you and me to make:

1. Let your love be genuine. (12:9)

2. Hate what is evil. (12:9)

3. Outdo one another in showing honor. (12:10)

4. Rejoice in hope. (12:12)

5. Be patient in tribulation. (12:12)

6. Be constant in prayer. (12:12)

7. Contribute to the needs of the saints. (12:13)

8. Show hospitality. (12:13)

9. Bless those who persecute you. (12:14)

10. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. (12:15)

11. Live in harmony with one another. (12:16)

12. Don’t be proud. (12:16)

13. Associate with the lowly. (12:16)

That’s quite the list. Now please hear me – some of the things on that list are impossible to do without Christ doing in through me (Galatians 2:20). But you and I have an active role in doing these things.

I can choose to live in harmony with my brothers and sisters (life) or I can choose to cause strife and sow discord (death). You’ve seen that played out in the church for sure. I know I have. You’ve seen it in the workplace.

As you read the word this week, do so through the lens of what choices will I make that will be for life or death?

I want to follow the example of Joshua – as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I’d love to hear from you, so email me at bwelte@americaskeswick.org

Written by Dr. Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick. He has been married to his child sweet heart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 10 amazing grandkids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Josh. 10-12, Luke 16

Think About This: It is dangerous to live without your heart being captured by awe of God, because awe of God is quickly replaced by awe of you. ~Paul David Tripp

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him ~Psalm 18:30

Some years ago I started a journey, this journey was not going to an earthly geological place but instead to a place of peace and joy within. The reason this journey began was to improve all the relationships in my life, which were of true value to me. Most of these were family but it did included close friends and co-workers as well. See because of a self-centered attitude, and not understanding how to deal with my emotions and feelings, I not only self-destructed but ruin most relationships I ever had. This journey helped me fix that attitude and face these feelings and emotion by creating a new relationship with Jesus, which help me see many things. One of these things was that I’m not alone in how I felt, people everywhere struggle as I did.

In 1 Peter 5:8-9 not only is this confirmed, but why this is as well and guidance on resisting such things. A change took place, when this relationship began my new identity which helped me to not allow the feelings and emotion to control my actions, which is also revealed in God’s Word in 1 Peter 1:13-16. In this relationship I’m speaking of with Jesus and through the Word of God, prayer, fellowship with the church, and worship, I see that I’m loved and I matter.

Now I was very blessed and always knew my family loved me, but life threw many obstacles that provoked a feeling in me with a sense of need to prove myself all the time. On my own I couldn’t measure up to my own standard. This new found relationship not only let me see I’m not alone in this mindset but also strengthen me to do better, like myself, love others, find peace, guide me and carry me through this life. When I no-longer had a desire to exist or be a part of this life Jesus restored me. I have now come to grow in understanding that when Jesus said in John 10:10 “I came that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.” He meant many things through this one little part of this verse.

As I read His word I began to notice statements like this are backed up throughout the Bible by many authors found in God’s Word which also helped with my belief. Hebrews 12:1-2 refers to some of the people of faith in the Bible that are not perfect, like me, but are able to live a life pleasing and acceptable to God, which gave them peace and joy, which I desired and you probably do to. When I began to notice so many people sharing this wonderful experience from an understanding and along with reading how others just ignored instructions and lived like I was living told me I might want to try this.

After all like I said everything I tried failed and left me empty, broke, and with no strength to go on. Now, He is my strength, protection, my rock, and provider, who gives me not just life but life more abundantly. He will do this for you also, if you let Him.

Written by Brian Ferguson, Colony of Mercy Graduate and Full-time staff member at America’s Keswick

The Daily Bible Reading: Josh. 1-3, Luke 14:24-35

Think About This: The more you pray, the more you are stating your desire to live your life by God’s standards. ~Jim George

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. ~Proverbs 29:25