Join is this Thursday night for our monthly Men’s Fellowship Night at America’s Keswick. Pastor Bryan Murawski will be our speaker. Dinner is at 6:15 PM followed by a great evening or praise, testimony, teaching from the Word and great fellowship in the Activity Center. Please call for information — 732-350-1187.

Be Careful With Your Words

Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. Psalm 10:19 – New Living Translation

The older I am getting the more I am trying to learn the lesson of speaking less and listening more.

I have addressed this issue before, and I am trying to learn the balance of when to speak up and when to be quiet.

There are a lot of crazy things going on in our Christian world. We need to be willing to speak up and address the issues confronting our world today. For too long as Christians we have assumed a posture of not speaking up and we have been losing our freedoms and rights because of our unwillingness to take a stand.

Recently World Vision made a policy decision that was clearly a violation of Christian principles. The good news is that Christians from all over the globe spoke up and the end result is that World Vision reversed their decision. It clearly was a great example that our voice needs to be heard. We need to get out of the stands and get in the game.

There is a flip side to all of this though. I get very concerned when I hear Christians, and especially Christian leaders who begin to make judgmental statements that I believe cross the line from exposing sin and false teaching to attacking character.

I believe we are mandated to exposed error and warn the weak when it comes to false teaching. But in my life I have heard Christian leaders mock and criticize other people in ministry almost with a self-righteousness that this kind of thing could not happen to them.

If we are not careful, our pridefulness in always being right could easily be our very downfall. In my short lifetime I have heard too many Christian leaders tearing other apart for this and that, only to find out years later that they themselves have fallen into the same sin.

If we are going to take stands on issues, we better make sure that our own house is in order. Too many times we have spouted off, only to find that we have egg on our face because there are things in our lives, when exposed, have made us the laughing stock of the world around us.

There is indeed a time to speak. But there is a time to be silent. Solomon words in Proverbs are very valuable. And if he had listened to his own words at the end of his life, maybe the outcome would have been different. “Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. Psalm 10:19 – New Living Translation

Lord give us boldness to speak, but also give us the grace to be silent.

Going the distance with Jesus,

Bill Welte
President/CEO America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 11-13

Think About This: Take steps each day to be sure your life expresses commitment to Jesus.Charles Stanley

Verses to Memorize: I waited and waited and waited for God.   At last he looked; finally he listened. He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud. He stood me up on a solid rock  to make sure I wouldn’t slip. He taught me how to sing the latest God-son,  a praise-song to our God. More and more people are seeing this: they enter the mystery, abandoning themselves to God. Psalm 40:1-3 The Message

Unexpected Kingdom Moments

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. ~ from 2 Corinthians 2

Oh beloved, it is true. There are days; days when we can actually see what we believe, through what others see in us. They are a rare gift, for even in the work of the Kingdom it is normal (and even blessed) to be reviled for being the salt and light we are.

Last weekend, this fool of a writer was given the opportunity to be with some of the poorest of the poor (read most precious in His sight) friends in a medical outreach and game day to the “illegal” trash mountain community at Nagrak-Cilincing in North Jakarta. Everything from toxic chemicals, to medical waste and McDonalds Styrofoam end up here. The foul waste has fouled the earth – and the water beneath it – while foul smoke rises from fires on the mountain of refuse where people work to make money recycling.

We were visiting folks at the base of the mountain. Among the little village of shanty houses, with a very dirty well, a tiny kindergarten, and some goats, is a river so black and slimy that it exudes evil. Yet, even in horrendously broken places like this, there are those who will work to assert control, and perhaps gain influence.

The man in the picture above is a representative from the “Badan Pembinaan Potensi Keluarga Besar” (roughly: Body for the Development of the Potential of the Larger Family). This group is highly political and radically Muslim. They assert control over this area and assure that Islam is the only religion being preached on this mountain. His presence felt a tiny bit menacing at first. And while he was not brandishing a weapon, the bag at his side was probably carrying more than pamphlets.

(All that follows happened in the local language)… Towards the end of our visit, this neighbor (the BPPKB guy) and I walked by each other. The fear began to edge up in my flesh, and then suddenly dropped away as His Spirit took hold of my hand and reached it out to shake the man’s hand. I already Loved him, so why not? Our eyes met and I smiled, shook his hand and gently put my left hand over the embrace of our right hands. He smiled at me and said to me, “Terima kasih pak.” (Thank you mister). Something welled up in me, and I said back to him in my broken Indonesian, “No, sir, thank you for allowing us to visit.”

And then it happened. He looked at me and said, “You follow Lord Jesus.”

Get this: He had no clue other than the fact that he sensed the Presence and fragrance of the One at work within me. I answered, “Yes indeed.” And he simply nodded his head respectfully and walked away. And later, as we were leaving the site, I said a blessing on this man, and he said, “amen” and blessed me back in the name of Allah.

It was an amazing. One could actually feel the eternal shift in the moment. This man had had his world rocked. Decades of indoctrination and disdain towards “christians” were destroyed by moment of Loving contact with a follower of Jesus.  Something changed in him, and might I ask you to pray for him?

How did I do it?  How did I make such an instant impact on a guy like that? I didn’t. And that is the coolest part. It is G_d’s Kingdom, and He is building it through fools like us who will simply have the audacity to believe that Love works and wins.

Do you believe? – Makla Doulous is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is a regular Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 1-3 

Think About This: Wherever God rules over the human heart as King, there is the kingdom of God established. ~Paul W. Harrison

Verses to Memorize: Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

Your Marriage=His Church II

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” Ephesians 5:31-32 (NKJV)

I hope you were able to read my last Freedom Fighter because today I am jumping right into where I left off the last time. It seems that Paul knew what the great mystery of marriage was, as it concerns Christ and His church. The verse I am using today is the Apostle reminding his reader of the divine ordinance of marriage and settling the law of it, just like with Adam and Eve, there was no ceremony, there was no contract, and there was no preacher there to marry them. But as for today we are living in a world that needs “the contract” and that “contract” is the marriage license.

Without a marriage license the government does not recognize a couple as married and the couple can then not get government benefits for being married such as tax breaks. Often times without a marriage license a couple cannot even get insurance together with “married” benefits. The government contract has become such an important part of marriage today, that even most regular US citizens do not consider you and your spouse married if you do not have a marriage license. But even this ordinance is under siege by a world that can’t make up its mind on how to re-write this very ordinance.

For us, people who claim to be part of the body of Christ, this is a divine ordinance (found in Genesis 2:24) and can be doctrinally explained by navigating “the 5 heavy “C’s” of Matthew Henry (paraphrased of course)…

1. See that the bonds of this ordinance are stronger even than those of nature. To whom can we be more firmly bound than the fathers that begat us and the mothers that bore us? And yet a son must quit them both, to be joined to his wife, just like the daughter has to forget her father and mother, to cleave to her husband. It may sound like this, “Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father’s house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him.”( Psalm 45:10-11)

2. See how necessary it is that children should take their parents’ consent along with them in their marriage. How unjust those are to their parents who would marry without it; for they rob them of their right to them, their interest in them. They alienate their parents both fraudulently and unnaturally.

3. See the need of both prudence and prayer in the choice of this relationship.

4. See how firm the bond of marriage is, not to be divided and weakened by having many wives, in Malachi 2:15 we read, “Did He not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.” nor is this bond to be broken or cut off by divorce, for any cause but fornication, or voluntary desertion.

5. See how dear the affection ought to be between husband and wife, such as there is to our own bodies. We read in Ephesians 5:28 “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” So since these two are one flesh; let them then be one soul.

Adam and Eve, the first man and woman were married, and there was no other human there to marry them. Instead God brought them together as husband and wife and that union was a perfect reflection of God…until the lust of the eyes, flesh, and pride of life stepped in. And hopefully the next time we get together I will be able to pick up right at this moment. A time where a two-fold cord was needed, perhaps a three strand cord, a place where man, woman and YHVH intertwine to stand against the wiles of the adversary. I pray that’s where you are today…Amen? – Chris Hughes blogs weekly and is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 28-31

Think About This:“Now when the husband is called “the head of the wife,” and it goes on to say “as Christ is the head of the church” (Eph 5:23), something of the divine splendor is reflected in our earthly relationships, and this reflection we should recognize and honor.”—Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Verses to Memorize: Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

Stop the word games!

I’ve been around the church, ministry and Christians long enough to see a very disturbing pattern that some people have. It’s word games. And its used to deflect accountability.

One of the toughest parts of our life is holding others accountable when we see something that concerns us. More than once I have gone to someone with a loving concern and been confronted with, “Your judging me! That’s not Biblical! You can’t judge me! Who do you think you are?”

Woooo! Right in my face and down my throat! I can handle that but what threw me for a loop was this, “was I wrong”? Was I “judging” them? That question put a real road block up for me in holding guys accountable. I was, as I have seen many other brothers and sisters, “scared” into inaction rather than taking the chance that I had crossed some line and was sinning myself.

I am going to be judgmental. Jesus told us to know them by their fruit, There are two types of judging–judging to identify the nature and identity of someone or something (which Jesus told us to do). And judging to punish or condemn to hell (which we are to leave to God).

Enter Webster’s!

1. noun: discernment: the ability to judge well.
2. verb: judge:form an opinion or conclusion about.

1. accountable: (of a person, organization, or institution) required or expected to justify actions or decisions; responsible.

1. justify: show or prove to be right or reasonable.

Let’s cut to the chase.

In order to hold people accountable they need to be willing to justify themselves biblically based on my concern & love through my discernment/judging of their actions.

Let’s keep this real—the people that will argue this the most are most likely the ones with something to hide so don’t feel bad when you hit up against a wall. Pray that God would do the real work of conviction and not let a brother rest in his sin.

Last point—if you’re going to hold others accountable, you better be open to it as well.

Father give us wisdom and courage when it comes to holding each other accountable. Let us do so with grace and peace and love.  In Jesus name.

Steve Schmidt is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves full-time at America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 25-27

Think About This: Imagine thyself always to be the servant of all, and look upon all as if they were Christ our Lord in person; and so shalt thou do Him honour and reverence.Teresa of Avila

Verses to Memorize: Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

Don’t Leave Home Without It

And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the Crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Matthew 15:27

There’s a saying that some people eat to live, and others live to eat. I would definitely fall under the later. There is a real sense of joy that I feel when I’m about to partake of a good meal.

When I was in the Colony I had a friend of mine who would express his excitement at times because he would say “the Lord gave me another crumb today”. He would usually hold up his right hand with all five fingers showing and say “now I have five”. Each day when I would ask how he was doing he’d say “still living off the crumbs”.

Now, I’m a person who loves getting into the “deep” meaning of scripture and believe it’s important to feed of the meat of the Word of God. However, I must admit it has been more times than not that I’ve survived a day with a “crumb” from the Lord. Last week it was a word, Hallelujah. It was everywhere, in song, in word and echoing from the church pews with such an unmistakable emphasis that it could not be ignored. At first I didn’t get it, why this word?

Then my week went on, I was faced with an emotional battle which at times past has caused unrest and fatigue. It was spiritual warfare and as I was caught in the moment, the music in the background was echoing a chorus of Hallelujah, over and over this word was repeated. Then I got it. The stress was melted away and I was captivated by the presence of God and all I could do was worship and weep.

You see, when I received this “crumb” I did a word study on it and found out it means “Praise the LORD”. I also read commentary that the phrase “Praise the LORD” is not just a good idea but a command. Verses like “Cast your cares on Me”, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower”, “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy leaden”, etc. where echoing in my heart and I was delivered yet again.

The woman in this verse of scripture (Matt 15:27) was begging the Lord to heal her daughter and was determined and unwilling to leave until she received something from the Lord. I have since been determined to not leave my house without at least a “crumb from the Lord”. Do you have a “crumb” today? Don’t leave home without it!

Rob Russomano serves full-time at America’s Keswick on our maintenance team and graduated from the Colony of Mercy

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 21-24

Think About This: The first step on the way to victory is to recognize the enemy. Corrie Ten Boom

Verses to Memorize: Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

No Is a Complete Sentence

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-23  The Message

I am one of those classic driven Type A personalities. I love my “work” and love to work. Maybe I am even addicted to work.

I grew up in a home were resting = weakness. You always had to be doing something. There was always something to do and constant service = I really the Lord and He really loves me.

Add to the mix that I have been a “people-pleaser” most of my life and now you really have a mixed-up-crazy-prideful-type a personality.”

The older I am getting I am finally beginning to learn some pretty valuable lessons.

Dr. Lynne Jahns, who directs our counseling center at America’s Keswick recently shared a staff enrichment chapel that “No” is a complete sentence. It does not require justification or explanation.

That was so freeing for me, brothers. I never thought I could give that as an answer. After all, what will people think of me? I don’t want to let people down. And yet, I can resonate with how Eugene Peterson paraphrased Matthew 11:28-30 – I am tired. I am worn out and that isn’t life as God has intended it to be.

The root of it all? PRIDE! And God hates pride. So I have confessed the sin of pride and I want to learn to walk with Him and work with Him, learning how to live “freely and lightly.”

My Pastor from Davisville Baptist, Ron Schmidt, used to ask me the question: “What did you say no to today?” I’m asking myself that question and trying to learn that “No” is a complete sentence. It doesn’t require justification or explanation.

How about you? What have you said “no” to today?

Going the distance with Jesus,

Bill Welte
President/CEO America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 18-20

Think About This: Bad deeds are no hindrance, and good deeds no help, when you come to God for salvation. David Pawson

Verses to Memorize: Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

Resisting Spiritual Corrosion

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. ~ from John 7

Oh beloved, it is true.  Every religious bone in our body tries to keep ourselves clean.  We listen to the messages in our head and soul.  And we let the bogus voices of the world influence our thinking as well.

Be strong!
Lean into life!
Just say no!
Be good!
Look inside yourself!
You can do it!
Believe in yourself!
Have faith in your abilities!
Be all you can be!
Self-confidence is everything!

Yet the wretched man we know we are, knows – simply and profoundly knows – that all of these messages are both powerless and meaningless.  They are attractive to the flesh and soulish mind of a man. However, just as many poisons are sweet, the “positive” messages the world deals out only bring corruption and corrosion to our spirit.

And yet again, we know something is true.  The beauty within us wants to fade.  We can go stale so very quickly, as roots of bitterness and shades of dullness manifest in our lives.  We know we need strength from somewhere.  We know we are always on the edge of falling apart. However, this knowledge is the best news we know about ourselves.  For, in knowing that we cannot keep ourselves from being corrupted by the world, we can then look for the Answer.

In making us new, Jesus creates a new center within us.  This new inner man (potentially) grows and matures all the way out from the inside.  But, it is no longer me trying to improve myself, it is actually and really and truly the very Person of G_d living and working within me to make me like Himself.  And being G_d, there is no end to His strength at work.

Can we see it?  Instead of me trying to build some thin shell of protection against the corrosive effects of the world, He places an inexhaustible headwaters within us.  And these Living Waters flush the junk out and away from us – from the inside.  This effect goes even further, in that we no longer have to “protect” our own selves from the world.  We can live in it, but not be of it, or live off its bitter dregs.  Our lives can even have a healing effect on the world around us!

So.  How about you beloved?  Tired of trying to keep yourself free from the corrosion of the world?  How about trying it the way that works?  Let those rivers flow.  They are real, and they are free! – Makala Doulos is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is a regular Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 9-12

Think About This: When in his mercy God leads a soul in the higher path of sanctification, he begins by stripping it of all self-confidence, and to this end he allows our own schemes to fail, our judgment to mislead us. We grope and totter and make countless mistakes until we learn wholly to mistrust ourselves and to put all our confidence in him. ~Jean Nicolas Grou (1731-1803)

Verses to Memorize: Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3 (New Living Translation)

Winner or Whiner?

I get tired of all the whining I hear going on around me weather at work, home or the church. So many of us, myself included at times, have a terrible habit of complaining about our past and why we can’t do things because of it today.  Making excuses why we’re “not qualified” to do things we are being called to.   KNOCK IT OFF!!

Check this out. Our good friend Peter (Petra-Rock!) is a great study. Here is a guy who just couldn’t shut up and get it right. Jesus tells him, “they are going to come for me and kill me—it has to happen to fulfill the scriptures”.  Peter, “No Way! We won’t let it happen!”   “Get away from me Satan!” says Jesus right to Peters face! Are you kidding me!?!? I would have fallen to pieces my heart broken and been trying to hide if Jesus in the flesh got in my face like that.

Jesus reminds the 12 at the Passover that He would be handed over to death that night. Peter says he would never deny Jesus, never! But Jesus looks at him and says “you will, and you will do it 3 times before the rooster crows. Peter says he would die before he did such a thing and yet, in just a few hours, Jesus would look straight into Peters eyes as he says for the third time, “I don’t know who he is.”  Again, the eyes of God looking literally into your soul. The weight of that pain had to be unbearable.

But there’s more. Peter also goes through a terrible betrayal when Judas hands over Christ. One of his 12 closest friends sends the Messiah to the cross. How deep would that betrayal hit us?

And again, when the mob comes to take Jesus, Peter forgets the previous rebukes and warnings and takes a sword to a man’s ear. Jesus again has to stop Pete and tell him he’s wrong and that He must go.

Now I’ve had a lot of bad days in my past, but NEVER has Jesus stood in my face and rebuked me and never in His physical presence have I denied Him. If anyone had good reasons to feel like a failure it was Peter. If anyone had a reason to give up, it was Peter. If anyone had a right to want to run and hide from Jesus, it was Peter. But he didn’t!

At the end of the last chapter in John, the minute Peter recognizes Christ, he jumps out of the boat and runs TO Him! We know the rest of Peters story—he is the Rock, the cornerstone Jesus used in building the church. Peter had a great ministry and did tremendous things in advancing the Gospel.

So here it is—STOP looking at past sins—STOP whining—STOP making excuses and get on with the life Christ died for us to have! Accept Christ’s forgiveness for whatever you have done and quit the garbage of, “but I don’t feel forgiven.”  Christ’s forgiveness is a fact to those who repent and call on His name.

So where are we at men? Wallowing in the past or moving forward seeking Gods call in every day of our lives?

Father, help us to be men like Peter who accepted that he was a screw-up at times but never forgot that Jesus love was far greater than any sins he—or we—could ever commit. Amen. – Steve Schmidt serves at America’s Keswick and is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. He is a regular Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 4-8

Think About This: Where one thousand are destroyed by the world’s frowns, ten thousand are destroyed by the world’s smiles. —Thomas Brooks

Verses to Memorize: Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3 (New Living Translation)

Your Marriage = His Church I

“Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.”                                                                                                     Ephesians 5:21 (The Message)

Things didn’t go the way they were planned when America’s Keswick hosted their Couples Conference during the Valentines weekend. First of all there were the effects of winter weather all over the grounds in the form of snow and ice. That’s not unusual but it was enough to keep the speakers from making the trip from North Carolina which also had been under the same effect. Then Saturday morning’s prayer time with the men grew to a point that we had to borrow chairs from the Raws Auditorium to seat everyone. But the thing that stuck out was that no one really did the standard “Wives respect your Husbands, Husbands love your Wives” kinda message.

I was blessed to share devotions with everyone on Sunday morning, that’s when it was time to go into the wives/husband message. But I had a twist and it involves Christ and His church. So guy’s (and gals, and yes, we know who you are) I would like to share with you what I shared with those couples that weekend. So if you have your Bibles open it to Ephesians 5:21-32, read it and lets dive into it shall we…When we look at this passage of Scripture we can see 4 things that the Apostle Paul makes known that husbands and wives are to understand…

1. Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.

2. The duty of wives are submission to their husbands in the Lord, which includes honoring and obeying them, from a principle of love to them.

3. The duty of husbands is to love their wives. And the example of how that love is to be is as how Christ loves the church, because Christ gave Himself for the church, so that He might sanctify it in this world and glorify it in the next.

4. Jesus Christ wants to bestow on all members of His church body a principle of holiness, deliver them from the guilt, the pollution, and the dominion of sin, by the influence of the Holy Spirit, of which baptismal water being the outward sign.

And then we see that the apostle Paul reminds us of the divine ordinance of marriage and settling the law of it, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. [Gen.2:24] This mystery is very great, but I speak concerning [the relation of] Christ and the church.” (Eph 5:32 AMP) In the KJV the key words are “cleave” and “one flesh”. First a man leaves his father and mother. Next he cleaves to his wife and they become one flesh. When the KJV was translated “cleave” meant: “To unite or be united closely in interest or affection; to adhere with strong attachment,” and “One flesh” is defined at the time as “intimate relations,” (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)

So we see the Biblical version of marriage is composed of three parts:

1) Leaving the father and mother.

2) Man and woman “cleaving” together, otherwise committing to stick together.

3) Man and woman becoming “one flesh” (or having intimate relations, aka sex.).

There was no ceremony, there was no contract, and there was no preacher there to marry Adam and Eve. Today people get confused about what marriage really is, and don’t even know it. Today marriage is an agreement between a man and a woman (and I’m not going into the other issue that The LORD considers an abomination) along with a contract between the man, woman, and government, finalized in a ceremony performed by a preacher or justice of the peace.

So the three parts of the new world order version of marriage today also consists of three parts…

1) A contract between the couple and the government.

2) An agreed upon union.

3) A ceremony performed by a pastor or justice of the peace.

There is more to follow but as for today I hope we laid a good foundation. I pray that this will begin to get our mind set on how our marriages are a reflection of His church, Amen? – Chris Hughes is a weekly Freedom Fighter Blogger and a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 1-3

Think About This: “The chasm between the Biblical vision of marriage and the common human conception is, and always has been, enormous. Some cultures in history respect the importance and the permanence of marriage more than others. Some, like the 21^st century Western world, have such a low, casual, take-it-or-leave-it attitudes towards marriage as to make the Biblical vision seem ludicrous to most people.”—John Piper

Verses to Memorize: Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3 (New Living Translation)

Purpose

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem… (Luke 9: 51)

Long ago, William Law had this to say about purpose and the child of God, “I am a being that has no other business in this universe God created, than to be that which God requires me to be; to have no desires, to seek no self-ends, but to fill that place and act that part which the Divine pleasure has ordained. To think that you are your own, or at your own disposal, is as absurd as to think that you created yourself.”

The only example we have in Scripture of someone who perfectly walked in God’s purpose for His life was the Son of God. He once said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work…” (John 4: 34).

My friend, when we became children of God we lost all of our rights. We must remember we have been bought with a price. Our purpose should be to walk in God’s pure intention for us. We see in Scripture how completely Jesus submitted to the Father’s will, “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered , He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously… (1 Peter 2: 22-23).

To think this way is so foreign to us in these days in which we are living. “Lovers of selves” characterizes us completely. With our own selfishness we dismantle the character of others through subtle and inciting words, we are argumentative, and we jealously covet the success of others. We need to take an assessment of our lives and ask ourselves these questions, “Am I living as if there were no tomorrow?” “Am I living as though I am God?” “What are the guiding factors of my life, the world’s philosophy or God’s Holy Word?”

My friend, I encourage you from this day onward to make God’s purpose for your life primary, and everything else secondary. Maybe you need to get alone somewhere to be quiet for a season and have a time of real heart-to-heart with your Creator. You may be surprised at what God is just about to reveal to you. Choose to begin living life on the highest plane! Rev. Chris S. Hodges is President of Abiding in Christ Ministries and speaks regularly at America’s Keswick

Keswick, America’s  (2012-12-13). Real Victory for Real Life Volume 2 (Kindle Locations 3373-3394).  . Kindle Edition.

Daily Bible Reading: Judges 6-7 

Think About This: Every trial that we pass through is capable of being the seed of a noble character. Every temptation that we meet in the path of duty is another chance of filling our souls with the power of Heaven. Frederick Temple

Verses to Memorize: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7