Live Courageously: He is Always There!

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid or be dismayed. For the Lord Your God is with you WHEREVER YOU GO! Joshua 1:9

The grand disconnect that we sometimes have in our lives is that we have a God who is ALWAYS there – He is always with us wherever we go!

For a number of years I silently battled panic attacks. I did a fairly good job covering it up, and most people had no clue other than my wife, Jan. I had a very difficult time driving anywhere in the car by myself without having an anxiety attack. Poor Jan had to travel with me everywhere.

A year after coming to America’s Keswick, Jan was recovering from surgery when my Uncle died. I had to attend the funeral in Philly and there was no way she could go with me. It was time to face the music and take a big step of faith.

That morning in my quiet time, the Lord reminded me of His promises to never leave me or forsake me. Deuteronomy 31:8 coupled with Psalm 139 were the anchors I was going to hold onto as I took this bold step of faith.

I took that step and that was the beginning of freedom for me. I am very thankful that I have a God who is always there!

David reminds me that He is so there that He knows EVERYTHING about me – from when I sit up or sit down – my thoughts, my words before they even leave my lips. He is always there!!!

His conclusion was this: “I can never escape for Your Spirit! I can never get away from Your presence.” Psalm 139:7

So that means no matter where I go, no matter where I am, no matter what I watch, no matter what I do, He is always there – and He is aware about EVERTHING. NOTHING escapes His eye.

The big connect is that we have a God who is always there. So that ought to change how we live our lives as men. I am thankful today for this amazing promise/reminder from Joshua 1:9.

What are the areas of your life where you are forgetting that God is always there? – Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Hosea 1-4; Matthew 18:1-20

Think About This: The devil cannot torment us with the fear of dying if we know that death is but a meeting with God and our departure from earth is but an arrival in heaven. Francis Frangipane

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10

Just Show Up

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10 24, 25

A good recipe for defeat is isolation, making the choice to stay away from people especially the ones that care about you. On the other hand a good recipe for victory is staying in fellowship. I’m often asked what the key to staying away from my addiction is, without hesitation it’s always “Just Show Up”. If you’re sitting around with your mind racing and feel out of sorts, go to a Bible study or call a couple friends who share your faith and just be around God’s people.

The other night we had a Choir Concert here at Keswick, as much as I was tempted to sit home and watch TV, I went. It was The HOMELAND Patriotic Choir Concert, we praised God, made tribute to our Country, recognition of the sacrifices made and honoring those who served. The presents of God was radiant among His people, the music was as soothing as could be and the fellowship was sweet. There is nothing on television that can bring that. I left there encouraged and completely satisfied.

This idea of showing up is multi productive, it is used to exhort one another, to know the struggles we each have in order to bear one another’s burdens, to pray with and for each other and to be as an example to a lost generation of the love we have for one another.

Now I realize that it’s not always easy being around “Christians”, but it will always produce in us the character and godly traits that will serve to grow us in the grace that was so freely bestowed upon us. “As iron sharpens iron so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” Proverbs 27:17.

There’s something about showing up and establishing a consistency of being present that begins to create a reputation as a guy who’s always available and dependable. Being ready to give and receive, a vessel that is built up in the faith and love that comes from being in and around the fellowship of believers. Adding the daily reading of God’s word to as the topic of conversation and sharing the way His word is speaking to and thru you.

So the next time you find yourself channel surfing when there’s a fellowship going on, why not “Just Show Up”! 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: 2 Kings 19-21; Matthew 15:21-39

Think About This: God’s program for reviving His people is definite and clear. First Elijah ‘repaired the alter of Jehovah that was thrown down.’ That is the place to begin. All the ruin that sin has wrought must be cleared away by confession. Things must be made right with God; restitution must be made where it is due. Unless this is done definitely and thoroughly, prayer for reviving is vain…. Too many are praying today without repairing the altar by confession of sin, without digging a trench of separation from the world and without a surrender that is even unto death. No wonder such prayer is fruitless.  Andrew Gih

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Paul, a servant^[a] of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, ² in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began^[b] 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; Titus 1:1-2

Trying to Build Your Home on a Lily Pad

“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
~ Jesus, King of The Universe, in The Gospels

Oh beloved, it is true. There yawns before us, a forever so much larger than we can ever begin to comprehend. Yet know it we will. There will be in that place a clarity we do not yet know (but have tasted in Him).

Knowing
Laughing
Dancing
Feasting

True

Real
Whole
Rich beyond measure
Free
Timeless
Strong
Loved
Powerful
Meaningful
Relevant
Creating
and partaking in the very Divinity of our Triune Creator.

Stop for a moment beloved. Stop and breath and contemplate this astounding destiny of the believer. We are to participate in the workings of eternity, in communion with the One who built eternity as His home. We are to party (most joyfully) with the One who is Love Himself.  We are to reign over a new creation that has no end. We are to enjoy this new Life with Jesus, our Brother – Forever.

This is real. And deep eternity will not be long enough for us to fully understand what is before us. But, even now, within us – there grows a strength and Blessed Hope and vision and encouragement that overcomes the dull shadows of the cosmos we currently inhabit.

Even so, we mostly take our eyes off of the prize. And in doing so, we can do some of the silliest things. We trade:

Knowing Him for debates on doctrinal issues.
The belly-laugh of the redeemed for the stupid grins and giggles of the world.
Dancing in His Presence for trudging through this short life.
Feasting on His Word for starving on social media.
Truth for fleeting information.
Reality for individual opinion.
Wholeness for instant gratification.
True riches for trinkets and bricks and straw.
Freedom for rebelliousness.
Living in the present for time management.
Strength for depression and anxiety.
Love for bitter snippets of lust.
Power for division and political wrangling.
Meaning for popularity.
Relevance for fashion.
Creating for recycling.

And in all of this falling for the fallenness of the world we miss who we already are. We are the sons and daughters of G_d. What if we lived like what we already are? What might happen within the sphere of influence He has given us?

So, are you putting a little too much effort into building your life here on this fleeting lily pad of a life? Perhaps it is simply time for you to remember who you are. Eternity will play this truth out, and it is indeed vital that we learn our roles now for the That Day.  Tonight is your night beloved. Time to believe in forever. Makala Doulos graduated from the Colony of Mercy and will be serving in China.

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 17-18; Matthew 15:1-20

Think About This: Love has a clear eye; but it can see only one thing—it is blind to every interest but that of its Lord; it sees things in the light of his glory and weighs actions in the scales of his honor; it counts royalty but drudgery if it cannot reign for Christ, but it delights in servitude as much as in honor, if it can thereby advance the Master’s kingdom; its end sweetens all its means; its object lightens its toil and removes its weariness. ~Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Paul, a servant^[a] of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, ² in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began^[b] 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; Titus 1:1-2

We Can Do/Have/Be…Wha? PART 3

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.  1 John 2:15-16 (NASB)

So today, as I continue with this series on understanding temptation, I have some bad news to share with you all. Are you ready…brace for impact…it’s gonna be a doozy…like a nuclear bomb in the desert…sand going everywhere…FACING TEMPTATION IS A LIFELONG STRUGGLE!! And here is the crux of the biscuit in it all, this will happen in the life of trusting believers in Jesus Christ. It is not a maybe, as a matter of fact, for us folk who understand that Jesus IS Lord and Savior it is a constant, daily struggle. And it all came from that moment in The Garden, AND we can bring it into three categories…a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.

So here is what the physical pleasure part would sound like, in the terms of hunger, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” Now jettison to Matthew 4, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” In both cases there is challenge to partake of food but where Adam and Eve fell for self-gratification, Jesus’ rebuke to the adversary was classic, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” To be honest with you, I don’t think Adam and Eve saw it coming but when given the choice they chose themselves. Jesus understood His enemy and was not overcome by him. In both cases the physical craving of food is real but trusting on the goodness of God prevailed.

Now about the craving for everything we see…”She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious” It’s easy to live by sight, isn’t it? Dare I even say that it easy to worship by sight? (i.e. Golden Calf)  Sometimes I wonder if we covet a god that will serve us (like he is supposed to?) That’s what happens in our hearts when we live by sight. We see something then, if the tree is beautiful and the fruit looks delicious, we want it. We even think we can go to the Throne of Grace and petition for it but the God we petition to is not The Golden Calf is He? In Mark Shaw’s booklet “Understanding Temptation” he put it like this, “In the lust of the eyes temptation, God’s omniscience, or perfect wisdom, is challenged by a desire in the heart to trust in one’s own best thinking and ideas.” Hmmmm….

Now the adversary knew that Jesus would look upon Jerusalem and pray for it so in his own challenge to God’s perfect wisdom why not just give Jerusalem (along with many other kingdoms) to Jesus in exchange for worship of him. Once again, understanding the enemy and not being overcome by him won the day, “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only Him.” Even the serpent has to understand that the LORD is his God and that it is futile to think otherwise. But Satan lives by sight, doesn’t he? (Because he can only see himself as God) Anyway…

The next time I join you we’ll walk into that pride of life stuff. It gets messy in that muck and miry so don’t forget your glosses (you old-timers get that one). Until then think about what you look at and ask yourself if it is really worth it. Proverbs 4:25 say’s, “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.” 2Corinthians 10:7 say’s, “Look at the obvious facts. Those who say they belong to Christ must recognize that we belong to Christ as much as they do.” And there’s this slice of advice from 1Thessalonians 5:22, “Stay away from every kind of evil.” If we desire to possess what God has not yet given to us (or maybe plans on not giving at all) regardless of consequence the only thing that can be gleaned from it is regret. Amen? – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and blogs weekly for Freedom Fighter

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 15-16; Matthew 14:22-36

Think About This: “Observe a solemn principle: There are times when hearts grow so hard and ears so dull that God turns us over to endure the consequences of our choices.”—Max Lucado

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Paul, a servant^[a] of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, ² in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began^[b] 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; Titus 1:1-2

Back of the Use of Your Words!

Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Proverbs 17:27

Use Your Words!

While watching a spin-off from Mr. Roger’s neighborhood, Daniel Tiger, with my daughter, I learn a lesson on communication. The young Daniel tiger was angry about a situation and proceeded to growl and grumble. Immediately, mom tiger comforted him and encouraged him to use his words. She was teaching him to properly address the issue, with clear communication. Interested concept, Use Your Words!

3 ways to use your words:

1. “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.” Proverbs 17:27

The art of refraining or bridling of the tongue is a skillful characteristic of the wise. This person has processed through the importance of using his words wisely, in such calm manner. This individual is practicing humility; understanding his perception, emotions and disposition doesn’t need in to be in the midst of every conversation. The Proverbs deals with compare and contrast, so the if is person is not operating in this manner, are usually angry, easily provoked, does not understand the value of using idol words.

2. “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” James 1:26

James is concerned with a person sanctification process. He doesn’t sugar coat his words, but convicts the heart of man. A man’s religion or what he worships is essential to that an individual. This verse is a challenge to the heart of the person whom presumes to be religion. We can put on the goodness of morality, we can feed the poor, even do mighty things in the name of Jesus, but what comes out of our month spills from the heart. A person can create an allusion that their life is in a much better state than actuality. Your tongue becomes the measuring stick of your religion and heart.

3. “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”  Matthew 5:37

There were times in life when a person’s word was his oath, his covenant, and his   integrity. There was no need for a document or a judge or a court hearing for every matter under the sun. You were known to be either trustworthy or irresponsible by the words form your mouth. Jesus was teaching the value of life, he was training on the sermon of the mount, preaching the Word of the Lord. He wanted people to grasp the importance making agreements, and anything that is other, is evil. We live in era that doesn’t regard this type of communication and most agreements need some type of nonverbal documentation.

Use Your Words! . – Juan Mendez serves full-time at the Colony of Mercy as a Chaplain. You can write to him at jmendez@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 13-14; Matthew 14:1-21

Think About This: It is only when the whole heart is gripped with the passion of prayer that the life giving fire descends, for none but the earnest man gets access to the ear of God. (E. M.) Bounds

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Paul, a servant^[a] of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, ² in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began^[b] 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; Titus 1:1-2

Live Courageously – The Lord is with You!

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

I am very thankful today for the word “is” in the Scriptures. The word “was” reflects back to the past and the words “will be” are a promise for the future.

But I love the fact that God’s Word is filled with verse after verse that have the promise that we have a God who IS.

If you want to do a fun exercise from now to the end of the year, grab your pen or highlighter, and as you read God’s Word, circle, underline, highlight all the times you come across the word IS in reference to the Lord.

When Joshua shared this verse with the children of Israel I am sure that he was remembering all of those memorable moments serving with Moses that he witnessed the God of the impossible doing amazing things. How many times did he see God’s miraculous hand at work on behalf of his people?

This morning you may be facing some challenging moments in your life. It might be with your health, your finances, your kids, your job, your marriage. You may be filled with fear and need a big dose of courage.

Can I remind you of several of those IS promises?

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;  My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

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

The Lord IS my Shepherd, I shall not want. – Psalm 25:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? – Psalm 27:1

God IS my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in time of trouble. Psalm 46:1

 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

I trust this reminder will encourage your heart today. You have a Lord who IS!!! Praise His name! – Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 10-12; Matthew 13:31-58

Think About This: You will never find Jesus so precious as when the world is one vast howling wilderness. Then He is like a rose blooming in the midst of the desolation, a rock rising above the storm. Robert Murray M’Cheyne

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; Titus 1:1-2

Why Hiding in Christ is Not Cowardice

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ Who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. ~ paul, The Least of The Apostles, in Colossians 3

Oh beloved, it is true. We have been told that we should not hide things in our life. And true this is. For, for us to hide something is only to set the timer for it to emerge from us. And once it does emerge, what will erupt from us will be fetid and hot and deadly.

And hiding anything from G_d is impossible anyway. Why do we even try?

There is, however, something we do indeed want to hide. It is the most reasonable thing for us to do. For when we hide this, we will be found good as gold on That Day. What do we hide? Us. Actually, us, in Him.

And as simple as this simple act of faith seems, it is a place that’s completely different than we were used to going. In the past, our lives were all about us. And as we went about doing our thing, we were trying to pick bits of life off the deadness upon which we gorged.

We filled ourselves with things that could not fill us. But, even though we were not satisfied, our stomachs and souls were stuffed with an achy swollen mass. We were ashamed that we had consumed so much of the world, but we felt we needed to hide this from others. But even as we tried to hide, it never worked.

However, thankfully, one day Jesus came and truly killed us before the other death we were consuming could take us out in another direction. And in this moment, His death became ours – and our’s became His. But this exchange did not result in mutual destruction. Rather, it resulted in us being truly alive in Him for the first time ever, and also forever.

But this moment also exchanged something else for us. We were no longer the ones needing to hide something. We ourselves had been hidden away into the very heart and life and Love of the One who had just saved us. So, instead of us doing the impossible (hiding our failures), Christ did the impossible for us (He set us free from them entirely).

Can we see it? There is no way for us to hide our sins. The only way for us to be totally free from them is for Christ to hide us from them, within His very Self. However, once we allow this to happen, the freedom is certain. There is nothing that can get to us when we hide within the inapproachable light of His presence.

So brothers, are you trying to hide away a secret sin; or fight one off? It won’t work. Never has. Never will. Run and hide. But now, run and hide within the place you already are: In Christ. Tonight is your night beloved. Time to believe where you are in Him. – Makala Doulos is a Pastor-Teacher serving in Asia. He is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. You can email him at Makala@ps1611.org

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 1-3; Matthew 12:1-23

Think About This: I sought only for the heart of God, therein to hide myself from the tempestuous storms of the devil. ~Jakob Böhme (1575-1624)

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You. Psalm 33:20-22

We Can Do/Have/Be…Wha?! PART 2

“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”  Ezekiel 36:25-27 (NLT)

Today’s Freedom Fighter will pick up where I left off last with the subject matter of understanding temptation and finding its antidote. I was at a spot where we needed to understand the heart of it all and today we’ll look at something we find in Ezekiel 36. We can call this something “Spiritual Surgery” and it will be The Great Physician with the scalpel. Just like with any surgery there will be a need to cleanse first because, in this sense, we need to see what the real issue is so that it can be accurately removed (the callused heart of stone) and what needs to transplanted (the new heart of flesh).

I think one of the infamous hardened hearts is Pharaoh’s in The Book of Exodus. “But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2) This verse should resonate for those of us who came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior later on in life. Not only do I think this is one of the most disobedient statements we can find in The Bible maybe we can change a few words to make it sound like something like this…“Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let my sins go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let my sins go.” Now please don’t stone me for this but if you really let it soak in…you’ve said it at some time, haven’t you?

And don’t look at this in one dimension either because there are those of us who have obeyed His voice at one time and decided that our voice sounded better and, like the nation of Israel did, found ourselves lead a stray. It’s like this…we are all tempted to live independently from God and it’s been in our hearts for a real long time. Freewill got its introduction in The Garden because God desires worship of Him to be a choice and that got tainted when our adversary instilled into us that there was something that was being withheld from us. To this day we’ve all been trying, in one way or another, to get that which was withheld back and that is our intimate relationship with the One who created us.

When we look at the passage we find in Ezekiel 36:24-29 we can see the remedy in this progression. We need to recognize our hearts arbor wickedness and we need to be gathered by God to cleanse us from our idolatry so that He can provide us with new hearts, renew a right Spirit within us and grant us place to sit with Him at the table. That comes to us from something else that came from The Garden, a promise. And that promise is Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”— (John 3:16) And it will be through Him that we can see the condition of our hearts and not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform us into a new person by changing the way we think. Then we will learn to know God’s will for us, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

When we take a long view at the world around us it doesn’t take much to realize that people need a new heart for things. Some folks already know they need change but there are others whose life-dominating sin has their hearts hardened and speaking with Pharaoh’s tongue. Our job in all of this is to deal with our inward stuff, as Jesus would have us do, so that that the world can see that on our outwardly part we show that we are light on a table or a city on a hill. When that happens a dark world sees only Jesus and nothing else. The next time I am with you I will begin to dive into those three things that come from an untransformed heart until then I pray that you have allowed The Great Physician to begin His work in your heart. Amen? – Chris Hughes blogs weekly for Freedom Fighter and is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. You can email him at cphughes515@verizon.net

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 21-22; Matthew 11

Think About This: “Whenever God in Christ is revealed in the inner man, deception and Satan’s power are destroyed, and the man is set free. Against this in shining, Satan works by every conceivable means, ranging from open assault to destroy the messengers, to beautiful substitutes for the truth.”—T. Austin-Sparks

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You. Psalm 33:20-22

Examination Day!

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. (2 Corinthians 13:5, 6)

Am I the only one who doesn’t enjoy visiting doctors or dentists to get a full examination? My theory; if I don’t know what’s going on, everything will be fine. However, virtually everyone else, but me, has proven this theory to be false. Examinations are informative, they provide options, and it gives us a chance to make the necessary adjustments. Our physical state is important, but more crucial is the examining our spiritual life.

When I first read this scripture, as a new Christian, I examined and challenged my salvation. I ask myself was I truly, saved or was this an illusion? I prayed, but my life was not matching the new life Christians boost upon. I thought intently because this is a serious matter that deserves my undivided attention. After a processing through a self-inventory and after accepting the comfort from the Holy Spirit, I got my confirmation through His Word, the Lord indeed reassured I was His.

But why would Paul challenged the Church of Corinth to examine their faith in Christ.

As scriptures began to enlighten, Paul was prompting them to examine their walk, making sure their life was proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Wow! Paul cares for their souls, moreover the furthering of the Gospel. He care that they didn’t use this newfound freedom for fleshly pursuits, but to engage in a productive live in Christ. But most of all he wanted to remind them who they were in Christ. Understanding that we are in Christ gives us power to live a life that illuminates Christ.

For Christians, we understand that we are accountable to God and His Word. The believer appreciates laying down selfish pursuits, to immolate Christ’s sacrificial heart. The Christian is guided to a course of action. There is a reason why in most action movie there is a villain and super hero, because in realty, there is good and evil amongst us. God has designed a standard in the way humanity should live so we are not walking in darkness. There is no morality if there isn’t anything to compare or no standard of living. And yes being moral is not a bad thing!

Joshua commands: “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:14, 15)

At the end of the day, everyone must examine themselves, not everyone else, according to the will of God. The Lord said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” (John 15:15) Chaplain Juan Mendez serves full-time at the Colony of Mercy and is a graduate of the program. You can email him at jmendez@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 19-20; Matthew 10:21-42

Think About This: “When the prodigal came trembling back from the far-off land to his father’s house, his misery ceased and his joy began so soon as his father had spoken. What bliss must have thrilled him with the word of his gracious parent’s lips! The best robe! The precious ring! The costly shoe! The fatted calf! All for me? Why, it seems too good to be true. But so it is to be; and not only in his case, but with us all. Our cup has joy’s quintessence distilled into it, and it is filled to the brim. ‘That your joy may be full’, said the Mater; and it is full, as full as God’s eternal love, as Christ’s most precious grace, and the Spirit’s wonderful communion can make it.” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You. Psalm 33:20-22

Entropy

“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.” 1^st Corinthians 14:33

In his couples devotional “The Song”, Pastor Kyle Idleman uses a term from physics, Entropy, which he says is a law that proves everything runs down or a state of disorder. Wiki says

“A thermodynamic quantity representing the unavailability of a system’s thermal energy for conversion into mechanical work”.

The point I believe he’s trying to make that if we are not given to recharging our spiritual being or not making enough time to have our lives in order we can end up in a state of “entropy”.

He says that when we lack the new energy that comes from participating and practicing in God’s word. It’s the concept of being connected to the stream of Living Water that Jesus describe to the woman at the well in John chapter 4.

Our daily devotional time can be seen as a time of nourishing our soul and spirit in order to prevent a deterioration that can lead to lives that are in disorder. It’s not just believing in Jesus, but believing in Him as the scriptures say, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” John 7:38. This verse is referring to the life of a believer that has the Holy Spirit active in his life.

I can look at all the battery operated technology for an example of what happens when although a devise has all the information in the world, unless it gets a recharge it becomes useless and profits nothing.

Being sensitive to the Holy Spirit is what makes us useful, give yourself the time to get recharged by the Word of God and receive sight that comes in supernatural ways that will guide and lead us to Victory in Jesus, Amen! – Rob Russomano is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves full-time at America’s Keswick. You can email him at rrussoman@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 16-18; Matthew 10:1-20

Think About This: It is not the doctrine of justification that does my heart good, it is Christ, the justifier. —C.H. Spurgeon

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You. Psalm 33:20-22