In Good Times and Bad

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?”
Psalm 139:7

One of the truest statements ever made is that a person can be in a crowd of people and feel alone. The pain of loneliness is an avenue to dark places. I can retreat to the 139^th Psalm for a reminder of the intimacy I can have with God when I feel alone. When I find myself leaning on being so doctrinally sound, with all my facts on the table and neglecting the fellowship that comes with my relationship with God is the same thing as surrounding myself with people but never sharing in healthy fellowship. Expecting my needs to be met by just changing my surroundings is an external fix that ignores an internal need.

David comes upon the realization that no matter where he goes, God is there. I can relate to this picture of God wanting to comfort us in our time of need and also celebrate with us when we are soaring. Whether we’re ascending or descending, supplying the wind under our wings or finding us at our loneliest times at the outer ends of the sea.

There are times in my life I’ll never forget as a child, times when I would be having a great time and looking over at my Mom or Dad and knowing that they supplied this happy moment. Then there are the times waking up from a horrible nightmare and having my Mom comfort and hold me till I was fast asleep (even if it was in her bed). Having them cheer me on as I would celebrate a milestone or special event or have them reassure me of their love when I was feeling left out. Looking back at those times makes it easier to realize that we have a God who wants to fill those needs and desires in our life. Even if you’ve never had that as a child but as a grown man feel a need to be comforted, the scriptures are able to connect us to the Comforter as we trust in His word. I’m able to read the testimonies of men like King David who found his satisfaction in his relationship with his Maker as a means of acceptance and identity.

In a day and age where we can get caught up defending our faith with the doctrine found in scripture let’s not lose sight of the solace that comes from the Savior of our souls, the One who is able to bless us and keep us, the One who will never leave us or forsake us.

Who else would you want?

To quote the great song by Fernando Ortega

“In the morning, when I rise
Give me Jesus,

Give me Jesus, give me Jesus
You can have all this world
But give me Jesus”

So as you go about your day, remember no matter where you go, He is already there. Rob Russomano serves full-time at America’s Keswick. You can write to him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: Joel 1-3; Philippians 4

Think About This: Plans – When ours are interrupted, His are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable) “toward the goal of true maturity” (Rom 12:2 JBP). Elisabeth Elliot

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

Longing for a Certain Death

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin… There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ~ paul, The Least of The Apostles, from Romans 7 & 8

Oh beloved, it is true. The war is on, even though it is over. It is just that the defeated enemies of sin and death and flesh and cosmos and spirit refuse to call it quits. It is the astounding central “I” of all of these things that keeps them wagging their tongues at the Victor.

This fool of a writer has been in the midst of the battle with all of this in the past many weeks. All of this started with an injured nerve between the C6/C7 vertebrae, and the need to take some medications that i really did not want to take.

Years of substance abuse have already proven their toll on my existence. And i seriously did not want to go off into some chemical jungle while living in the 3rd world. But the pain of the injury was so intense that the medical approach became necessary. And so, drugs it was for a former drug addict.

And while – thankfully – the effect of the painkillers was not too euphoric, the main issue for someone who has learned to walk in the Spirit is something other. Paul tells Timothy about this in one of his letters: “Do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Somehow, way before the medical journals showed the issue, Paul understood that taking certain chemicals into the system acts to block the sense of the flow of the Holy Spirit’s work in one’s life.

So, as this fool of a writer went off on this foolish venture, i could hear the Voice that was and is and will be my very Life growing fainter within my inner man. A resulting dull flatness emerged – reminding me of the bitter edge upon which my life rested in the past. And as the flatness emerged, the flesh of the old man in me erupted!

The battle was on. My eyes and thoughts and dreams and feelings were back to where they were many years ago. Only calculated time in His Word, and on my knees and with accountability partners kept me from falling back into the chaos of my former existence. It was horrible.

And even as the drugs have now cleared my system, the flesh of the old man still is strutting his stuff after having a brief run inside my head. He never got back onto the seat of authority of my heart, but he is taunting and screaming like he has made some headway.

Can we see it though? There is a beautiful answer to all dilemmas such as these. And it is simply remembering that the dilemma does not have to exist. And so, as the chemical blocks clear, and His Voice becomes clearer again (a mystic does live to hear Him), He begins to prompt us in our prayers.

Then, the prayers follow the Scriptures within which He marinates us. The prayers are then cyclically and firmly tested in the physical and circumstantial realm. And thus begins the rehabilitation of a true believer. We are disciplined and beaten firm (notice Who does the conditioning) back into the godliness He has already wrought. For it is not that the blade He has built is bad – it is just being drawn out sharp again.

I want none of this again. It seems a better path to simply die of pain, than to miss hearing His Voice again. Perhaps this is foolishness. But most of the life of a bondservant doesn’t make any sense to the world anyway.  And so tonight, where He has led me to pray is down at the root of where the bitterness grows.

L_RD slay me.
Make me not just like You in this life.
Make me one with You.
Make me You to others.

So, are you struggling with something causing your flesh to erupt? We all will from time to time. There is no sin in noticing that part of us which cannot be redeemed. The question is: who are we going to listen to? Who are we going to follow? His Voice, or the voice that led us to bitterness and failure?  Tonight is your night beloved. Time to learn the path to walking in His strength. He will give you everything you need. Makala Doulos and his family are now serving in China. Keep him in your prayers. You can email him at Makala@ps1611.org

Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 51-52; Philippians 3

Think About This: Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your journey, but the Kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever. If you reject the ragamuffin gospel and turn your back on Christianity, do so because you find the answers of Jesus incredible, blasphemous, or hopelessly hopeful. ~ Brennan Manning

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

At The Heart of Rebuke

“Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to Me.” Job 38:1-3 (ESV)

So…I recently had an incident with a co-worker over the height of the lunch table we use. Basically it isn’t level and it slopes towards me at a slight pitch. Never really noticed it or even cared about until he decide to change it. After he was done it now sloped the other way and at a greater pitch. When I stated that he made it worse his reply to me was, “But it slopes the other way and I can’t get my legs under it”. So after the lunches were made his seat was “AH-Perfect” and my lunch was right under my chin (well I’m exaggerating a little but you get my illustration). When I revisited the height issue later in the day I returned with a level and told him what the height really should be…I was not received well at all.

So what was at the heart of my rebuke?

So…I have those times when my wife and I will ask each other about our day’s activities. I get her take on the day and then I’ll go into mine. After a while my take on the day will accelerate to a tirade of “filth dar flarn dar filth” which will make my wife break into “you think that’s bad…filth dar flarn dar filth…so stop your complaining” and the next thing I feel is “SO WHAT!!  NO WAY THAT APPLIES TO ME”!!

So what was at the heart of that rebuke?

There can be an ongoing list of things that can be rebuked in a day. Even in Secularland rebukes don’t fly very well with people. They have this “Leave me be so I can be me” mentality that seems to allow them to intrude on another’s “Leave me be so I can be me” mentality which then leads to a plethora of rebukes from all parties who agree with the “Leave me be so I can be me” attitudes. Now at the heart of those rebukes we can clearly see that being offended is at the root on why secular rebukes aren’t received well in Secularland but amongst us Bible believing Christians we’re told something different.

“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses.” (Matthew 18:15-16) Now this is instruction straight from Jesus and I can pretty much settle on the notion that rebuke is needed when sin has reared its ugly head but that other word, “offense” seems to change the dynamics of rebuke. Now what do I mean by that? Very simple, I believe that there are Christian people who spend too much time in Rebukeland simply because they are offended at heart. Instead of using the art of rebuking to esteem someone to live holier we use this art to, well, esteem ourselves…because we have a clearer picture of God’s will and are holier than thou. HA HA!!

In the Book of Job we can go through many chapters on where the art of rebuking has really exposed a heart of offense (i.e. Job 22:6-9) in each of the players in the text. When it gets down to Elihu we get some sense of reasoning but when we get to the “Enough is enough and I can’t stands no more” part of text YHVH comes in whirlwind and asks “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?”, pretty much concluding that absolutely no one knows what they are talking about. Well this morning I petition you to think this one through.

When we go on to rebuke we need to keep in mind this formula… “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:3) and then this passage, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:4-7)

Whether you are rebuking or being rebuked it is an imperative to keep the mind of Jesus Christ in the forefront. If a mighty Triune God was okay with parting with The Son to atone for your transgressions then it should be okay to take a correction now and again. After all, it ain’t about being happy…it’s about being holy. Amen?

Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 50; Philippians 2

Think About This: “You need to be more tender-hearted and compassionate towards the faults of others. Let everything that bothers you flow like water under a bridge. Live in the presence of God”—Fenelon

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

A Husband/Father’s Chronicles

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” (Psalms 32:8)

There is level of confidence that comes from knowing my heavenly father’s directions for me are upright. As God instructs me, and counsels me, it empowers me to communicate the heart of God. And to take a stand, as well as inform people in the way we should go. As a father and husband, I’m called to inspire my family in the journey, and sometimes it takes being objective.

First I must learn myself. I didn’t know it at the time, but I learn some valuable lessons from working in Raw’s Kitchen that would be applicable in my family’s life. Because the operation depends upon people in recovery, it wasn’t a day that went by that a person would need special care or time. I realized that I wasn’t patient as I thought, and that I really didn’t enjoy confrontation. My leadership was more passive, but relational, than authoritarian. I did understand that God had to be in full control of my decisions and the way I treated others. I had a lot to learn!

Second, whether I like it or not, I’m called to be the leader in my home. This position is a little different from any other my leadership roles, besides it’s the most important. God calls me to love and protect my family, unto Him. Therefore, I’m learning and (un)learning many perception. As a result of my dysfunctional upbringing, it drives me to become different and to manage my family differently.

The nature of husband/father is to be a servant; one who looks not on his own interest, but is mindful of his family’s concerns. It’s being sacrificial, and it comes with a price. David said, “I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.”

Men, we ought to seize the opportunities to assist the people in our lives to become all that God has plan for them. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25) The way we lead has to be in-line with God’s will and God’s goals. We are accountable to God and His Word in how I treat and manage all our relationships, especially in our households. God Bless. – You can email Chaplain Juan Mendez at jmendez@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 48-49; Philippians 1

Think About This: Fellowship is a place of grace, where mistakes aren’t rubbed in but rubbed out. Fellowship happens when mercy wins over justice. Rick Warren

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

ALL

Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:11

A small three little word – but in Scripture it packs a HUGE punch. I am going to take the next year and every time I come across this word in the Bible, underline it.

I was reminded of this little word while reading my daily devotional, MEET ME IN THE MEADOW by Roy Lessin.

The little word ALL becomes even more significant when we see how GOD uses this word to describe who He is and what He does. Here are some examples:

All things were created by Jesus: All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. John 1:3

All things were created FOR Jesus: All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16

All things hold together in Jesus: All He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Colossians 1:17

All things are subservient to Jesus: And He is the head of the body, the church, that in all things He may have the preeminence. Colossians 1:18

All things are reconciled by Jesus: By Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. Colossians 1:20

All things are through Jesus: Yet there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things, and through whom we live. 1 Corinthians 8:6

All things belong to Jesus: All things that the Father has are Mine. John 16:15

All things are under the authority of Jesus: Of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Romans 9:5

All things will be gathered together in Jesus: That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth – in Him. Ephesians 1:10

All things are provided in Jesus: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

A little word – but it packs a big punch when connected with Jesus. I will share some more next week. Live courageously. – Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 46-47; Matthew 28

Think About This: You need to stop talking to yourself in categories of condemnation and begin talking to God in categories of confession. —Heath Lambert

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

Happy Father’s Day

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.  Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3

I was very blessed to have an amazing father who went to heaven in 1986. I sure do miss him. God blessed me with three adopted Dads: Pastor Bill Raws, Pastor Van and Neil Fichthorn. All four men have helped to shape my life. Pastor Bill and Pastor Van are in heaven, but Neil continues to impact my life.

There is something special about the love of a father — especially the love of our HEAVENLY FATHER.  It is a love that goes deeper, higher, wider, than any love we can imagine.

On this Father’s Day, I trust if your earthly Dad is alive, that you will take the time to call him or better yet, visit him. Thank him for his love and for being your Dad.

For all of us — today is a good day whether we had a great Dad or one who has failed us — to thank our HEAVENLY Father who loves us unconditionally and with a perfect love. Thank Him for being your Dad and let Him know you love Him.

I am thankful today for my sons: Josh, Garrett, Jon and Zach. Josh, Garrett and Jon are amazing Dads and I am so proud of them. They have also become great role models for Zach, who I know will one day be a great Dad too. Love you guys!!!

Have a great Father’s Day. — Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick

I Am Not Al Bundy!

(Today I am sharing something from my archives of Freedom Fighters. This was written back 6-2010. It is a privilege to share my journey in front of all of you)

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  Genesis 1:26 (ESV)

There was a television show that would come on Sunday night’s back when I was waist high in the muck and mire of my sinful self. The show was called “Married…With Children”. The main character of the show was Al Bundy. He was a shoe salesman who once had football glory while he was in high school but then he got married and turned into this buffoon of a man. His wife wouldn’t work at anything and his children seemed to follow that same pattern. Al would have his moments of manly victory but in the long run he was a frustrated loser of a man who everyone laughed at either on screen or in the living room. And I was one of them, until my life also became a joke for people to laugh at.

I was in agreement with a message that Pastor Garth Hanselman of the Spirit and Truth Worship Center in Egg Harbor City gave one time. It was a very simple battle cry. After we come to The Cross all that Disney nonsense that the world would have us believe about fathers and husbands should get wiped out. The Christian man is not the weak willed goof that Robin Williams might portray in a Disney movie. And yes I am referring to the Disney movie “RV”. I don’t know about you guy’s but I for one no longer have the desire to watch any movie that makes any man look like he has no clue how to be the spiritual head of his house. And to those ladies who have chosen to read my Freedom Fighters, I am not Al Bundy so hear me roar. With that outta the way here’s where I am going with this….

Man was given dominion. God had already given us this responsibility. Adam may have surrendered it and television may want to keep it that way but that was not God’s original plan for man. We are to reign in boldness like a king and worship boldly like a priest. That means we should use the rod with all the authority of a scepter but with the love of The Cross. Christian men need to rise up and begin to take their place in who we are. We have had the world walk up to us and poke in the chest and say, “so what are you going to do about that?” I believe that it is time that we poke back and say “The Lord rebukes you!!”

We need to show the world we can maintain our integrity and our fortitude. That we can walk what we say and say what we walk. The Christian man needs to remember that the very first thing that God said over us was, “And let them have dominion”. We need to take back the original charge that God put over us. We should not sit idly by and complain how bad it is out there when we were given the responsibility not to let it get this way in the first place.

This is what was running through my head this past Father’s Day. I looked back at what I remembered about my father while he was alive and then looked at myself as a father now. I believe that God has used me to make it better for my family…my children in particular. They are a constant reminder to me that in those times where I need to step up and be that king or be that priest that I can do it with Godly boldness and not with the boldness of Al Bundy. So I’ll say it again, I’m Not Al Bundy!! And I hope you’re not him either. This morning take time and ask Him to restore your boldness. Make it part of your rising up and your setting down. – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 37-39; Matthew 27:1-26

Think About This: “True greatness is not recognition or popularity. Greatness is godliness. Greatness is obedience. Greatness is faithfulness. I am willing to go anywhere, to do anything, to be anything that God wants me to do or to be. I take my hands off my life, and say to Him, “No more telling You how to use me.” I want to lay it on the line. I want to make a difference. I’ll pay the price. Life is too short, and, at any moment, God may say, “Give Me back My breath.”—Crawford Loritts

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

Take a Walk

One of the things I remember as a kid was being with my Dad. I spent a lot of time with him and have great memories just hanging around him and being in the car with him. I miss him very much and have had him on my mind as we approach Father’s Day.

I also can remember getting on his last nerve and hearing him tell me “Take a Walk”. That was his way of saying he’d had enough of me and maybe it would be best to leave for a while.

This idea of taking a walk is key in the Christian life, an avenue that depending on our path can determine our destination.

I think for me sometimes if the direction I’m going is not where I should be I sense a resistance from the Holy Spirit telling me to change my course, to maybe reevaluate the way I’m walking and focus on the path I should be on. Like the great Hymn tells us “Prone to wander Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love”. I can sometimes find myself headed in the wrong direction.

Thank God for the roadmap to Him, I simply have to refocus my thoughts towards Him. Paul alludes to this Idea in the 3^rd chapter of Colossians when he tells us to “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth”. It’s the idea of stopping, refocus and then walk.

There are many things in life that weary us and may cause our direction that we originally started out to change. That’s when we should hear the Holy Spirit tell us to “Take a Different Walk”, and with that, unlike my Dad’s advice He gives us a path and empowers us to take it.

So when life is piling up on you remember the story of the donkey that fell in a ditch, after many efforts to lift him out the owner decided to just bury him and put him out of his misery of being stuck in a ditch. But with every shovel of dirt the donkey simply shook it off and elevated himself out of his ditch. So the next time life throws dirt on your back, shake it off and Walk with the King.  Amen! – 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: Jeremiah 34-36; Matthew 26:51-75

Think About This: There can be no revival when Mr. Amen and Mr. Wet-Eyes are not found in the audience. Charles G. Finney

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

Iron Sharpens

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”(Proverbs 27:17)

Early in my marriage, I could not understand why my wife and I would have these mini skirmishes that would cause problems in our relationship. I was a good Christian, I built great relationships, and I was doing all kinds of ministry, so I would have thought that a great marriage should have come naturally, so I thought. However after what I would call, “Our Great Debate”, or just another bad argument. I began to feel conviction and brokenness about the way I would speak to my wife, I learned that I was rejecting the very tool God had given me to become more like Christ.

Iron pressing against Iron is a rough is a concept that produces great swords and blades. These apparatus are useful for many things. Clearly, issues in our own spirit will be manifested through the eyes of other. If I want to eat food from a deeper Divine truth, I had to embrace extra accountability that naturally comes from my closest relationship.

The truth is that we bring most of our problems into our relationships. As Christians, it’s healthy for us to to accept responsibility and quit blaming others. Every time you place blame on somebody else, you are not admitting the source of the real problem. Whether we like it or not God is using these relationships to stir up the inner truth from within. Iron Sharpens!

I agree that interpersonal relationships are an essential part of our everyday life, and they are good way to learn lessons that could not be learned otherwise. C. S Lewis mentions,  “Nothing will shake a man-or at any rate a man like me-out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs. He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only under torture does he discover it himself.” God is working out our character flaws through the unconformable rubs in our closet relationships so that we become a productive vessel in the kingdom. Juan Mendez is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves full-time as a Chaplain. You can email him at jmendez@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 32-33; Matthew 26:26-50

Think About This: Sickness has frequently been of more use to the saints of God than health has. —C.H. Spurgeon

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

Light Vs. Darkness

John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, & the darkness has not overcome it.

Thanks be to God that we may always hold fast to this great exhortation, remembering that for all of eternity past until His kingdom comes, the forces of darkness will never be able to overcome the light.

While serving at Calvary Chapel Kensington’s Rock Ministries, I was privileged to minister at many community outreaches where the Gospel went forth. Sinners became saints and dead men passed forth unto life; it was truly an amazing experience. On one day in particular, I witnessed something extraordinary. An event was held where athletes came from far and wide to compete in various combat sports (boxing and jiu-jitsu). Onlookers watched both skilled veterans and first time fighters test their heart and technique in the ring or on the mats.

At one point a talented boxer from our gym (known for his sweet and gentle spirit) walked to the ring in preparation for the next bout. I looked across for his competition and saw a large muscular man jumping up and down breathing curses, he was filled with rage. Immediately I feared for my friend, I doubted he could win and was intimidated by the darkness found in his opponent.

This is what the Holy Spirit had brought to my remembrance, “the darkness cannot overtake the light.” It is true that the darkness is formidable; its tendency is to invoke fear in the hearts of men and has a knack to blind even the mightiest men of valor. More importantly what is true of darkness is its inability to exist while in the presence of even the faintest of light.

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle” –Francis of Assisi

My friend fought valiantly and lost in a close decision.  He conducted himself with sportsmanship and tact. He was a godly example of a Christian Athlete and certainly was a winner in the eyes of his God. He went to his opponent’s corner and loved on them, encouraged them, and thanked them for the opportunity. Though he was reviled he did not revile back.

I think of Stephen the faiths first martyr (after Christ), how he saw the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. Though being slandered and stoned Stephen knew the victory had already won, he was defeated in the eyes of them who are of this world, but before his gaze was the Prince of Peace standing to receive him.

As we live out our time doing the work of the Master, I encourage you to invest in eternal triumphs. Remember that victory in the Kingdom of God and victory in this world are in dramatic opposition. Though it may appear you are being defeated look unto heaven remembering that the darkness did not overcome the light. Blessings. Troy Fink is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is serving with Chaplain Bill Pruitt at New Hope Philly. This is his first Freedom Fighter blog.

Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 30-31; Matthew 26:1-25

Think About This: The great preacher Marshall Keeble used to say, “If God tells me to jump through a brick wall, it’s up to me to jump, and it’s up to God to make the hole.”

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11