The Over Generosity of God

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. ~ paul, The Least of The Apostles, in Titus 3

Oh beloved, it is true. There grows within us an understanding that The Father is a very good father indeed. However, there is a dynamic that both brings us great comfort, and threatens to tear us apart all at once. We say that G_d is good, and this He is.

But… We really have no idea, just how good He is.

We fail and He forgives.
We doubt and He overwhelms our fears.
We begin to believe and He tests us.
We cry and it is His tears that sooth our soul.
We learn and He shows us more.
We laugh and He shares His smile.
We start to love and He lavishes us with the same.
We open our tiny little, balled-up fists – and He pours oceans of goodness into our palms.

We. Have. No. Idea.

It really is something within us. Some sort of tenacious hubris that will not give in to the idea that we are (are you ready for this?) – not just Loved with an everlasting Love. We are liked by G_d. He is particularly fond of us. Each of us. And He does not give that we might like Him back. No, He simply gives from a needlessness of which we have no comprehension.

And then it gets better.

Everything about G_d is not a thing at all. Every attribute and activity and emotion of His is completely whole and simple in its infinite pervasiveness. Said more simply, He is not generous or good to us on occasion. No, He is Who He is, and this does not change.

So, when the wonderful things that He does for us in our asking (and even without our asking) happen, they are not events. Rather, they are simply eternal actions which flow from the state of being of a Being unbounded even by infinity and eternity. So, any measure we could try to put up against His goodness would have to fall pitifully short of the reality of Who He Is.

Can we see it? What does this mean? It means exactly what His Word says: We ask too little, and we simply won’t believe that His goodness and generosity is exceedingly and abundantly beyond our wildest imagination.

So, what if we asked Him for something He has always wanted to give us? What if we have been holding back, thinking the time was not right? Could we just stop? Just ask beloved. Fear not as the tests come and the waiting begins. Just keep asking and know that what He already has in store for you (and me) will make our requests seem a bit silly in their smallness.

Tonight is your night. Time to let G_d be the infinitely gracious G_d He is. Makala Doulos is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is not teaching in China.

Daily Bible Reading: Amos 4-6; John 7:28-53

Think About This: The grace of God is infinite and eternal. As it had no beginning, so it can have no end, and being an attribute of God, it is as boundless as infinitude. ~A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Psalm 32:10

A Contradicted Man, Samson I Am. Part 5

“Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained. Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other.” Judges 16:27-29 (ESV)

The first recorded words of Samson are, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now go get her for me as my wife.” I don’t know old he was when he made this demand of his parents but in this day and age if my son, who is zoning in on 16, came up to my wife and I and made that demand…I would have to pick him up off the floor after his mother let him have it. You see my wife, Kathy, and I made a promise to God that we would break the chains that held us so that our children would come to know Christ. Now we may not have had the visit by an Angel of the Lord, like Manoah and his wife did, but we both were done with Gaza/Egypt.

Samson makes this journey to see this Philistine beauty that is “right in his eyes” and kills a lion. After a few days Samson and his parents make a return trip to visit this beauty when Samson catches a glimpse of the carcass of the lion he killed. He sees honeycombs and then scraps out the honey from the dead lion. So far up to this point, Samson has skimmed violating the Nazirite Vow that he had bestowed upon him from conception. He touches the dead and is not keeping himself separated, but the funny thing here is that God allows these things to occur so that He could seek an opportunity against the Philistines and their fish god, Dagon. Interesting!! I wonder if Samson understood his purpose.

Things kinda settle down after Samson sees a jawbone, kills a whole bunch of Philistines and realizes that his thirst can only be quenched by God who, by the way, opens up a hollow place for him to drink the water that renews his spirit. But then we turn the page to read, “Samson went to Gaza, and there saw a prostitute, and he went in to her.” And now an ambush is in place to capture him because it has been decided by the Philistines that Samson needs to be killed. But it doesn’t happen that way does it? Instead Samson lies in wait, pulls the city gates and their posts from the ground, drags them up a hill in front of Hebron…and then comes Delilah.

I believe that the Delilah we face in our lives can be renamed SIN. It looks like a lot of fun until it takes us farther than we want to go, keeps us longer than we want to stay and ultimately costs more than we can afford to pay. In Samson’s case it cost him his eyesight. In the light he saw things as a Nazirite but in the dark he saw things as Samson. I suspect that at the end of Samson’s life the grapes of the field clouded his thinking and that allowed his spiritual enemies to seize the moment. But to the credit of his story, God intervenes and Samson’s hair grows back and that God uses him one last time against the Philistines.

Samson had one moment of deep repentance and reflective spiritual understanding and God renewed him. I believe that the Lord allows us to wander to bring us to the same moment or moments in our lives even though we may have to bear the scar of His displeasure with our sin. I know I may have my scars that were done by my own disobedience, but praise be to Jesus Christ for winning a victory that cost Him more than we can afford. It is my prayer this morning that we all can be disciplined enough to keep that covenant with our eyes beyond what Job did concerning other women. I pray that he try our eyes away from the Gaza/Egypt in our lives and look upon the work of the Cross. And then may we see truth!!! Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and blogs weekly for Freedom Fighter. You can email him at cphuges515@verizon.net

Daily Bible Reading: Amos 1-3; John 7:1-27

Think About This: “See the fatal effects of false security. Satan ruins men by flattering them into a good opinion of their own safety, and so bringing them to mind nothing, and fear nothing; and then he robs them of their strength and honour, and leads them captive at his will. When we sleep our spiritual enemies do not. Samson’s eyes were the inlets of his sin, (Jgd 1:1) and now his punishment began there. Now the Philistines blinded him, he had time to remember how his own lust had before blinded him. The best way to preserve the eyes is, to turn them away from beholding vanity. Take warning by his fall, carefully to watch against all fleshly lusts; for all our glory is gone, and our defense departed from us, when our separation to God, as spiritual Nazarites, is profaned.”  Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Psalm 32:10

I Am Alive, Now What?

John 11:21-26; 1 Corinthians 15:12-58

I have a summer virus. I know whose fault it is: Adam! If he had only obeyed God I wouldn’t be in this mess. But no, he disobeyed. Sin entered mankind through him along with disease, disability and death, because of the one act of disobedience. But Jesus changed the possibilities by providing eternal life and one day, I will have a body possessing all the life-giving power of the Spirit of God. Victory! Death defeated!

My three-year-old sister died when I was 12. My parent’s faces showed the crushing agony of grief. My father cried as he told my brother and I our sister was dead. I watched, thru time, how the living Lord Jesus Christ rescued my parents and our family from the whirlpool of grief. I watched my mother use her sorrow, focused on the hope of the resurrection, to minister to other women who lost little babies and children. I would observe my mother in the kitchen, Bible open on the table. She was reading, crying, praying, and holding broken-hearted mothers sharing the comfort she found guaranteed by the hope of the resurrection. Brothers don’t waste your sorrows, instead harness them to the hope of the resurrection, you’ll be a more effective men of God.

Before I knew Jesus I was unable to obey the requirements of the law. Why? Because the power of sin is the law (1 Corinthians 15:56). The law is good but only tells me what not how. This leads to the unspoken attitude, in many churches and individuals, of “Thank you, Jesus for my salvation. I’ll take it from here”. This attitude leads to all kinds of interpersonal chaos. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead and I along with Him (Romans 6:4,5; Romans 5:10b) I can only walk in newness of life as I yield to the Holy Spirit as he focuses me on the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:1-4 ). God’s purpose for me is only fulfilled in the living Lord Jesus Christ. Are you aligned with God’s view of you (Ephesians 2:4-10)?

Will you join me as I keep my focus on the resurrected Christ today?

Today’s Affirmation:

I will live the resurrected life in hope guaranteed by God Himself. Pastor Bob Wood is a disciple maker and attend Davisville Church in Southampton, PA. You can email him at Dgtbob@aol.com

Daily Bible Reading: Lamentations 3-5; John 6:45-71

Think About This: You will have no test of faith that will not fit you to be a blessing if you are obedient to the Lord. I never had a trial but when I got out of the deep river I found some poor pilgrim on the bank that I was able to help by that very experience. A.B. Simpson

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Psalm 32:10

The Best is Yet to Come… (for some)

“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap.” Malachi 3:2

Maybe this is just my own conviction and it may not hit home with you but bear with me as I share my heart.

The days of a child’s Sunday School Jesus are over for me, when I read about the afflictions and persecutions that are now in our own back yard I think God’s got my attention. This verse taken from Malachi 3 is prophesy that I believe is only partially fulfilled. We have heard about God’s servant, “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me” 3:1 but as far as the day of “His coming” I’m not sure we have seen… yet.

The first coming of Jesus was of a suffering servant, One who came to make a way for salvation (Sunday School Jesus). His next coming or appearance will be much different and the way we demonstrate our faith will be brought to judgement and tried by fire. That is our works, not our eternity because our salvation is secure.

I think the picture here is of our works unto salvation that we will be responsible for what we did with our salvation. John the Baptist tells us in John chapter 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire”. So, maybe we are living in the day of the Holy Spirit and fire is yet to come. If so then I need to wake up and examine myself to see if what Peter says in 1^st Peter 1:7 “that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ”, that is my motivation of my actions will survive the test of fire. Maybe that’s what John the Baptist was referring to when he said “And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire”, if the root of my works is not pure then the fruit of the tree from that root will be rotten and burned up.

Ok, rant over, the bottom line is this, if we are going to be put in a position of standing up for what we believe than we better make sure we are grounded in our faith. As I am writing this a believer is sitting in jail in our own country, without bail until she denounces what she believes to be true by her convictions as a Christian. Paul puts it this way in Colossians 2:6-7, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving”. The best part is we don’t have to do it in our own strength, remember what Paul told the Philippian church, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (2:12,13). Rob Russomano is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves full-time at America’s Keswick. You can email him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: Lamentations 1-2; John 6:22-44

Think About This: Compassion without conviction is capitulation and compromise. —Stephen Nichols

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Psalm 32:10

Ten Stress Busters for Your Soul

What I am trying to do here is get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way He works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how He works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. – Matthew 6:31-33 (The Message)

Stress. Stress. Stress. We all have it. We all face it daily. And it is eating us alive and for some, it’s actually killing us.

One doctor wrote: “ … on-going stress leads to linger effects on our souls. Physical exhaustion, inability to sleep, nightmares, depression, change in eating habits, irritability, anger explosions, withdrawing from meaningful conversation, a feeling of emptiness, sexual dysfunction, and escapist thinking all manifest in the soul!”

Stephen W. Smith say that “when stress is not dealt with properly, we can do bizarre, crazy, and never-before-considered things to relieve the pressures we feel. When the dam of unresolved stress bursts, we tend to act out, sometimes doing the unimaginable.”

In his book, Soul Custody: Choosing the Care for the One and Only You (David C. Cook), Smith gives 10 practical stress busters for our souls:

1. Practice the spiritual discipline of SLOWING DOWN.
2. Seek to explore WHAT is contributing to your stress.
3. Park in the parking place that is FURTHEST from your destination, not closest. PRAY as you walk. TALK IT OUT with the Lord.
4. How can you incorporate HUMOR into your life?
5. Decide to join what is called the SLOW FOOD movement.
6. Go to bed 30 MINUTES EARLIER every night for a month and evaluate how you feel.
7. Do something that gives you LIFE every day.
8. Choose ONE DAY A WEEK, perhaps your Sabbath, not to check voice-mail, e-mail, our use any form of technology. Give ALL ELECTRONICS a rest.
9. Become LESS AVAILABLE to people’s demands and more available to choices that lead to caring fror your soul.
10. WALK thirty minutes FIVE days a week at a steady pace and monitor how you feel after thirty days of practicing this.

Now go back and read Matthew 6:31-33 at the top of the page. How are you doing with the stress in your life. I confess, I struggle with stress. And you know what? Stress can be very addictive!!! Will you join me in working on at least three of the ten this week? I dare you – I double dog dare you!!!

How does stress affect you? How do you deal with the stress in your life? – Dr. Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick.

Daily Bible Reading: Judges 19-21; John 6:1-21

Think About This: Unresolved stress gets deposited right into our souls – the deepest part of ourselves. Stephen W. Smith

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Psalm 32:10

A Contradicted Man, Samson I Am. Part 4

“After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.” Judges 16:4-6 (ESV)

“Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.” Can I ask you brothers this question this morning…would you have given Delilah an answer? Better yet, how many you already have at one time in your life or another? I did but her name isn’t Delilah, her name is SIN and the Samson that I believe lies in all of us caved in after being pressed hard and I found myself grinding out an existence at the millstone of punishment. Just going around and around, being mocked and feeling useless. A prisoner to sin because like Samson I allowed myself to get too close and thought I was getting away with it or better yet could just live with it.

In the Book of Judges, we read in the chapters before 16 that Samson has flirted with disaster. He has played with sin like a toy that cannot hurt him and it is in those playtimes that he must have gotten arrogant with his God-given ability. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson and it was that Spirit that should have been given the glory. But after the “Jawbone Incident” Samson must have started to believe his own hype and off to Gaza he went. And I am going to say that now Samson wants to go full blown with his playtime without once counting the consequence. Flavius Josephus put it this way, “However, he at length transgressed the laws of his country, and altered his own way of living, and imitated the strange customs of foreigners, which thing was the beginning of his miseries;”…interesting. Matthew Henry says, “In this chapter we find him behaving in so wicked a manner, that many questions whether or not he were a godly man.” (He is exonerated in Hebrews 11:32)

Three times Delilah has been mocked by Samson in her attempts to reveal his “secret” weakness and she more than likely gently nagged him into exposing where his true strength lie…no brothers not the hair but in the Nazirite Vow, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.” He allows Delilah’s greed for money and the Philistines desire to conquer him to ruin his testimony to God and “The Spirit of the Lord left him”. The Philistines find Samson sleeping (more likely passed out from drinking wine) on the knees of Delilah, bind him with bronze shackles, drag him deeper into Gaza and attach him to a millstone in their prison. Oh and they gouged out his eyes.

I want to hold off right there this morning there is more to say about the irony of Samson’s eyes but can you get a sense of the Samson that may live in you. We call him the “old man” don’t we? And as I have read about this Judge of Israel I have found some of myself in him. I may have not had the extreme outward devotion for God from birth like Samson but my mother wanted me to be part of a church. I went to Gaza instead and years later realized my need for salvation. “Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

How about you this morning? Have you had your trip to Gaza and found the same things with the same results? Or are you in Gaza right now? Don’t allow your Delilah to lull you into a false sense of security and have the lords of the Philistines tie you to a millstone of existence. Seek Him and all His riches and live in the victory that has been won for you by what Christ did for you on a cross of wood. Don’t be a slave to the grind! – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. He is a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger.

Daily Bible Reading: Judges 11-12; John 4:31-54

Think About This: Whatever task God is calling us to, if it is yours, it is mine, and if it is mine, it is yours. We must do it together – or be cast aside together, and God in his absolute freedom goes on by other means to use His Church in hastening His Kingdom. Howard Hewlett Clark

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:  Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:17-18

Who Is The Meaning? 

John 1:1-3;14,18; John 5:19,30; John 17:17-19; 1 John 3:3

I am a dusty man, flesh; I am becoming a heavenly Man; I bear the image of both (1 Corinthians  15:49). One day, the two images will be completely and perfectly unified (1John 3:1-3). Meanwhile, God’s purpose for me rests in his purpose for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Word, the Logos, The Meaning of God existed with God and is God before all creation. Without Him nothing material or spiritual exists, because He created everything (Colossians 1:16,17). God loves His creation but His creation has alienated itself from Him and needs forgiveness but, there is no forgiveness without a blood sacrifice, perfect in all ways.

The trouble is God is Spirit (John 4:23,24) and He cannot die. So God provided his own solution. The Word, The Meaning of God became a human being in the perfection it was originally meant to be. In His body He lived among us revealing and explaining the meaning of God. He lived in perfect obedience to God, The Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 5:19,30) and then shed His perfect blood on the cross, once for all, for me (Hebrews 9:14). Oh thank You LORD GOD I praise Your Holy Name!

Is that all there is? No! At the moment I received the gift of eternal life through trust in Jesus’ holy sacrifice for the forgiveness of my sins I became a gift, and you did too (John 17:24)! Not only that, but the eternal life began in the here and now and will continue through eternity! It is the ability to know the only true God and Jesus Christ (John 17:3).

Wait, there is more! In the same way God, The Father, sent Jesus into the world; Jesus is sending you and me. Wow! He is sending us as human beings with the meaning of God in us to reveal and explain what God is like by our words and actions (John 13:34,35; 1 John 3:3,16-18; 23,24). Will you reveal the life of Christ with me today?

Today’s affirmation:

I will live holy, with The Holy Spirit’s help, to reveal the meaning of Jesus in my flesh. – Pastor Bob Wood is a seasonal camper at America’s Keswick and is a disciple-maker and prayer warrior.

Daily Bible Reading: Judges 9-10; John 4:1-30

Think About This: A minister may fill his pews, his communion roll, the mouths of the public, but what that minister is on his knees in secret before God Almighty, that he is and no more. John Owen

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:  Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:17-18

God’s Will Is Better than Our Wants

“And in their heart they put God to the test By asking food according to their desire.” – Psalm 78:17-39

My 6-year-old son makes some bold requests. He asks for meals consisting solely of candy, for thousands of dollars worth of Lego sets, and to stay home to play rather than go to school.

The worst part of telling him, “No,” is that he thinks I’m holding out on him. His understanding is limited so he doesn’t know what he needs, only what he wants. He doesn’t understand the adverse health effects of candy, the importance of education, or that food and rent are more important than Legos. He just thinks Daddy isn’t giving him what he wants.

That’s where all of us are really just overgrown 6-year-olds. We know only what we want, not what we need.

When the Israelites were in the wilderness, God provided abundantly for their needs, sending manna six days a week—enough so that no one ever went hungry—but instead of being grateful for that which God had provided, the people asked for “food according to their desire” or cravings. They thought God must have been holding out on them. When they finally got what they wanted, however, it led not to happiness, but to death, with their desire still unsatisfied (Ps. 78:30-31).

Similarly, we pray for God to give us our daily bread, and when he does, we complain that we’d rather have meat. God provides us with blessings to meet our every need, but we fail to recognize them and instead seek that which conforms to our own desires. Because we are greedy rather than grateful, we reject God’s will in favor of our wants.

In The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis wrote that “whether we like it or not, God intends to give us what we need, not what we now think we want.” That’s what good fathers do. Psalm 78 speaks of God’s compassion and faithfulness even in the face of Israel’s doubt and disobedience. My conversations with my son at these moments often end with a reminder of our relationship and my character:

“Does Daddy love you?”

“Yes.”

“Does Daddy want what’s best for you?”

“Yes.”

“Can you trust Daddy to give you everything you need?”

“Yes, but…”

Our challenge is to nip that ‘but’ in the bud. Our Father loves us. He wants what’s best for us. We can trust Him to give us everything we need. Let us not ask for food according to our own desires, but for our daily bread, knowing that His will is better than our wants. – Noah Lang is the Pastor of Community Bible Church in Dunellen, NJ. Noah’s brother Jim is our Director of Guest Services

Daily Bible Reading: Judges 7-8; John 3:19-36

Think About This: A wise person truly said, “It ought to be as impossible to forget that there is a Christian in the house as it is to forget that there is a ten-year-old boy in it.”  Roger J Squire

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:  Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:17-18

None of These Shall Move Me!

“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24KJV)

The more I process this verse the more God implicates the practical importance. When work is crazy; none of these things shall move me. When the family is out order; none of these things shall move me. When the church folks are acting up; none of these things shall move me. Sidebar: A lot the translations leave out “None these shall move me.” King James is faithful in communicated this standard.

Paul’s journey revealed the important principle that he was not only in the business of establishing the church; he cared for the people. And to Paul, ministering to people in their personal sanctification is as important as the functions of the church. A common misnomer is that we focus on getting the lost converted, and typically disregard the discipleship process and care for people.

For me, as I drove my family on a 12hr road trip drown out road trip, my ministry at that point was to protect and to drive safely on the road. And none of these things shall move me. Ministry means more than winning some souls, more than preaching to the saints, ministry is complete when Christ is woven in every part of our fiber; not being moved by any circumstances.

Paul purposely went back through the certain cities to observe the growth and state of the church. He also took time to write letters, providing clarification on doctrine and practical ways believers should conduct themselves.

If we want be an example of men sold-out for ministry, we need show what a well-rounded life looks like in Christ. People need to see change, not another church building, but the change that derives from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And none of these things shall move me. Juan Mendez graduated from the Colony of Mercy and now serves there full-time as a Chaplain. You can email him at jmendez@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: Judges 4-6; John 3:1-18

Think About This: Holiness is not an option. We are called to live holy lives, and that means it is a divine requirement. Anything else is disobedience. That is why the Word is so strong on this subject: “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”  Michael L. Brown

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:  Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:17-18

SOUL CARE – Disconnect!!!

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

On Saturday morning in my quiet time I read these two verses and then I read these words: “Break free from information overload by refocusing your thoughts on Me. As you rest in My peaceful Presence, true hope grows within you.”

I don’t know what you do for your career, or in your ministry – but my heart resonated with these words because I have so coming across my desk. Emails! Faxes! Blogs! Articles that people send me! Books I want to read! Letters! Tweets! Facebook posts!

I am amazed that you are even opening up our Freedom Fighter posts with all that comes your way. I am addicted to books. My closet is filled with books I want and need to read. My Ipad is burning with books I want to read. Last time I checked, I have 549 books in my Kindle library.

And think of all we have now – many of you have an Ipad, a smart phone, a tablet shoving data at us. Some of you are connected to the internet through your phone an even your Roku!!!

I am finding at 61 it has become harder to focus with so much information coming at me. My brain is on overload, and I find it hard to get to sleep or stay asleep because I feel like I can’t turn my brain off.

Stephen Smith in is book, Soul Custody: Choosing to Care for the One and Only You, says “a life of prolonged busyness, engaging with people, performing tasks, and expanding your knowledge about God does not help your experience God. More information, no matter how good it is, does not yield to a transformed life. Transformation and deep changes are ushered in by experiencing God, not just knowing God. And stillness is required.”

If you are a couch potato, and I don’t mean that demean anyone, you won’t get this. But if you are a typical Type A, high-energy kind of guy, you know what I am talking about. Many of us are on overload and rest is something we hope to do someday.

Smith gives this equation: stillness + quiet + rest + solitude = experiencing God.

How do we make this happen? It requires several key steps:

1. We have to make deliberate and intentional decisions to bring life into rhythm. Rhythm for you will be different for you than it is for me. We’ll talk about this in the weeks to come.
2. We need to learn to disconnect. Ok, I will be the first to admit it – I have become addicted to technology. Yep. I realized that I have allowed technology and the need to be connected to control me.

I am working through my life plan on this. I need to decide in advance at what time I will stop checking my emails, tweets, Facebook posts, etc. by 9:00 PM. Studies show that using electronic devices after 9:00 PM greatly impacts our sleep patterns.

It is easy for us to believe the lie of the enemy of our souls that we are so important that we must remain connected 24/7. I am being vulnerable and transparent here: I actually have believed that lie.

We will never be able to fully experience God unless we intentionally plan for stillness + quiet + rest + solitude.

What are the steps you need to take disconnect?

What are the steps you can take to bring rhythm into your life?

With all you have coming at you these days, I am thankful you have chosen to read Freedom Fighters. – Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick.

Daily Bible Reading: Judges 1-3; John 2

Think About This: We fear the quiet because it is too scary. Stephen Smith

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:  Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:17-18