Having Been Warned in a Dream…

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.   (Isaiah 59: 1 NIV)

There’s a guy in our church named Andy who was greatly abused by a foster father when he was a little boy.   He used to run away often.   He’d live in people’s sheds until caught.   He was often in trouble with the police for fighting, or stealing, or drugs.   His whole life has been sort of a train wreck.   Three marriages, three divorces.   Five children, but none of them in relationship with him.   Then his health declined.   He’s diabetic, narcoleptic, and has a tumor on his pituitary gland that has further ruined his life.   Ten years ago he was about to become homeless and was in great despair when he said toward heaven, “Somebody, help me please.”

God accepted that as a prayer because that night Andy had a dream.   An old man with white hair and a white beard approached him outside a hardware store and said, “Seek the Lord, young man, before it’s too late.”   So the following Sunday Andy came to our church.   There are four churches in our town but on this winter night, ours was the only one open.   Andy sat down in the back by himself.   Then Ted came in and sat next to him.   Ted’s in glory now but at the time was in his mid-nineties.   This godly man had eleven children.   All of them are walking with God.   He was a walking Bible.   And he had a full head of pure white hair with a large white beard to match.   He was the man in the dream, and the first words he spoke to Andy were, “Do you know the Lord, young man?”   Andy knew instantly that God was real, and that God was reaching into his own broken life.   He very quickly became a Christian and ten years later is still a treasured part of our church.

As the body of Christ on earth, we minister to people.   We love people.   We help people.   We meet their needs.   We share with people in various ways how they can know Jesus and be assured of a place in heaven.   Lots of us were involved in Andy’s salvation, and lots of us are still involved with helping him in life.   We know that God uses us, but thinking back on how Andy actually came to know God, it’s very clear that God Himself responded to the prayer of the destitute, as He says in His Word that He will, and that God Himself spoke to him through the dream that opened the door of his heart.   God made this whole thing happen.   I think that we should take great comfort in this.

We need to share the gospel with as many as we can, but can we really reach everybody?   Our arms are just too short.   And our ears are just too dull, even to hear their cries.   But God’s aren’t.   Let’s rejoice in the greatness of our God.   His love endures forever.   He responds to the prayer of the destitute.   Always has and always will.   His keen ears hear their cry, and His strong arms reach down to save.   He’s a great God and He will find some way to bring all of His children home. ~ Rev. Chris Thompson
Keswick is a graduate of America’s Keswick and serves with his family in England

America’s Keswick (2012-12-13). Real Victory for Real Life Volume 2 (Kindle Locations 9752-9777).  . Kindle Edition.

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 13-14; Ephesians 6

Quote of the day: Our little things are all big to God’s love; our big things are all small to His power. Billy Graham

Verse to Memorize:  He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:3-4

I’ll have The Moody with a Side of Grace, Please.

“For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:19-21 (ESV)

I recently discovered this 90-page nugget amongst my Bible software. I started browsing through the downloaded books that I have accumulated through this software because quite frankly they were free with the purchase of this particular Bible software. It isn’t the first time I have come across something in this software that had proven itself valuable. I only paid twenty dollars for it because it really was just a starter program. You do have to pay for upgrades and I’ve done that but let’s get back to what I found…

I have been blessed with the privilege of having the pulpit on an upcoming Sunday morning and I prayerful thought through what my message would be. I said, the need for salvation, and God said grace. Grace? Not too argue with The Almighty but…grace? Not exactly pulpit thumping stuff but grace it is. So I begin with Romans 5 and go looking through the software for something by way of commentary. That’s when I came across something written by D.L. Moody titled, “Sovereign Grace: Its Source, Its Nature and Its Effects.” I was struck by what I read and then Googled him and found this out about him.

When he turned 17 he found work in his uncle’s shoe store. One of his uncle’s requirements for employment was that Moody attend church. Moody accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior in his uncle’s shoe store. A Sunday school teacher would say this of him, “I can truly say, and in saying it I magnify the infinite grace of God as bestowed upon him, that I have seen few persons whose minds were spiritually darker than was his when he came into my Sunday School class; and I think that the committee of the Mount Vernon Church seldom met an applicant for membership more unlikely ever to become a Christian of clear and decided views of Gospel truth, still less to fill any extended sphere of public usefulness.”

The statement that hit home for me is found in chapter 5 of Moody’s book, “Life never came through the law, as someone has observed. When the law was given, three thousand men lost life; but when grace and truth came at Pentecost, three thousand obtained life. Under the law, if a man became a drunkard the magistrates would take him out and stone him to death. When the prodigal came home, grace met him and embraced him. Law says, Stone him! – Grace says, Embrace him! Law says, Smite him! – Grace says, Kiss him! Law went after him, and bound him; grace said, loose him and let him go! Law tells me how crooked I am; grace comes and makes me straight.”

What’s funny is that chapter is titled “Law and Grace”.  It’s that Law stuff that made preachers pound a pulpit at one time isn’t it? It’s those “Thou shalt not’s” that really season’s the message with pepper and not salt. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t pepper it up either but I am finding out that this grace stuff comes with salt shaker. We can say what we shouldn’t be doing as Kingdom citizens by showing what we need to do as Kingdom citizens instead. While the world may scream for vengeance, we need to show the grace and mercy bestowed upon us by showing it to others. Amen? – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and blogs weekly on Freedom Fighter

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 10-12; Ephesians 5:17-33

Quote of the day: “There are many Christians who practically limit the grace of God. It is like a river flowing by; and we can have all we need: but if we do not come and get a continual supply, we cannot give it out to others.”— Dwight Lyman Moody

Verse to Memorize:  He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:3-4

Four Traits of Those Who Impact Our Lives

We give thanks to God always for all of you. Constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

Continuing on with the theme of Pastor Appreciation, I came across this list of traits of the Pastor’s that impact our lives:

1. Consistency. Those who impact our lives stay at the tasks with reliable regularity. They seem unaffected by the fickle winds of change

2.Authenticity. People who impact others are real to the core; no alloy covered over with a brittle layer of chrome, but solid, genuine stuff right down to the nubbies.

3. Unselfishness. Those who impact us the most watch out for themselves the least. They notice our needs and reach out to help, honestly concerned about our welfare. Their least-used words are, “I,” “me,” “my,” and “mine.”

4. Tirelessness. With relentless determination they spend themselves. They refuse to quit. Possessing an enormous amount of enthusiasm for their labor, they press on regardless of the odds. (Adapted from Lists to Live By – The Second Collection – Multnomah)

For three years I served as the Worship Director of Independent Bible Church of Willow Grove. I started in August and the Senior Pastor started in June after serving as the full-time youth pastor.

Shortly after becoming Senior Pastor, his wife made the decision to leave him and the ministry. For three years I observed a man of God who deeply loved his wife, but most of all, his Savior serve his flock with the above four characteristics.

When he could have been focused on his own problems and feeling sorry for himself, he was consistent in preaching the Word week after week with an amazing intensity.

He was preaching through the life of Joseph and the story came alive for us because he was not only preaching through the story – he was LIVING the story. His life authenticated the messages he was preaching.

Despite his situation, he served unselfishly. I remember that during my time there my Dad had major heart attack and stroke. The Lord called my Dad home and my Pastor and friend stood with me at the memorial service and funeral.

And while I am sure there were times he wanted to throw in the towel – he was steadfast and unmovable and demonstrated the trait of tirelessness.

Pastor Matt Reed now serves on the full-time staff of Calvary Church in Souderton, PA. I thank the Lord for his life and testimony and love him. Thanks, Pastor Matt, for your shepherd’s heart.

It’s mutual.

Running the race with joy,

Bill Welte
President/CEO America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 7-9; Ephesians 5:1-16

Quote of the day: The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. Helen Keller

Verse to Memorize:  He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:3-4

October Pastor Appreciation Month

This month is Pastor Appreciation Month. I shared this Freedom Fighter back in 2009 but I believe it bears repeating.

Praying for Your Pastor

” … and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

I am really ticked off! I am really ticked off at how I hear people talking about their pastors and complaining about their ministries. What really ticks me off is that I now know of at least a dozen pastors who would shed their blood for their people, but have been put through the mill in recent days. One pastor was told that he spends too much time studying the Word for his Sunday morning message. I can tell you this … if I had even suggested that about my pastor growing up, my Dad would have taken me to the wood shed (and we didn’t even have a wood shed).

When was the last time you prayed for your pastor? When I came to America’s KESWICK 12 years ago, we were a very fragmented staff. We start praying together each morning, corporately, and many of our department heads pray with their teams. It has really changed the dynamic of our unity. Do we have issues … we sure do! But it is hard to get ticked at someone you are praying with and for on a daily basis.

I want to ask you — when was the last time you prayed for your pastor? If you are not happy with him — can I boldly suggest you pray for him? Pastor Ligon Duncan shared this list of how to pray for your pastor on his recent blog. Try it and then be prepared to see God at work in his heart. WARNING!!! — Most likely he will work in YOUR heart as well! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

Pray -1. That [your pastor] would know and love the living God, would have a saving interest in Christ, being purchased by His blood, and thus would be bound to the Lord by the indissoluble bond of the Holy Spirit.

2. That [your pastor] would know, embrace and ever more deeply understand the Gospel and be shaped by it in life and ministry.

3. That [your pastor] would be a useful servant of the Lord, that he would know and love God’s Word, God’s people, and God’s kingdom; that he would be used to build it up and so that it prevails even against Hell’s gates.

4. That [your pastor] would study, practice and teach the Word of the Lord, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

5. That [your pastor] would love to pray, because he loves to commune with his God, and that he would be a man of prayer, characteristically.

6. That [your pastor] would be ever dependent upon and filled with the Spirit; and that he would possess true Spiritual wisdom.

7. That [your pastor] would be holy unto the Lord. That his tongue and heart would be wholly God’s.

8. That [your pastor] would be kept from pride, and especially spiritual pride. That the Lord himself would be gracious to slay pride in him, and that your pastor would endeavor to always be putting pride to death, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

9. That God would give [your pastor] guidance as to where to focus his efforts in ministry.

10. That He would protect [your pastor] from himself, from the enemy of his soul, and from all earthly enemies.

11. That no decision which [your pastor] ever makes or desire that [your pastor] ever pursues would restrict his ability to pour his whole soul into the Gospel ministry.

12.That many would be converted and many built up under [your pastor]’s ministry, to God’s glory alone.

13. That the Lord would bless [your pastor]’s wife, [. . . ], with holiness and happiness, Gospel assurance and Gospel rest.

14. That God would make [your pastor] a decent husband and father.

15. That [your pastor] would be a good friend to his wife, and love her self-sacrificially,

16. That [your pastor] would be a good daddy to his children. That they would love God, their parents and the church.

17. That [your pastor] would be a testimony in the home so that his wife might be able to respect him when he is in the pulpit, and so that [your pastor] will be able to feed her soul, along with the rest of the congregation.

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 4-6; Ephesians 4

Quote of the day: Thank God for sleep! And when you cannot sleep, still thank Him that you live to lie awake. John Oxenham

Verse to Memorize:  He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:3-4

As Wide as the Cross — By Way of Conclusion

 “Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (AMP)

Today I will finally wrap up some thoughts I had concerning something my Thunder twin, Brother Jak Werz, had said one Sunday morning after experiencing a walk through The Tabernacle (replicated). He read some key verses from The Sermon on the Mount as we would find in Matthew seven and then said, “The road to the narrow gate is as wide as the Cross.” Later on he would share with me that Jesus wouldn’t like hitchhikers and I would agree. The walk down the road is totally based on your individual relationship with Jesus; after all, only one person hangs on a cross. Hmmm…anyway.

So I think about the word gate, then think “gate=door” and wonder to myself about “Ego Eimi”(I AM).  In the Gospel of John Jesus says, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9) A lot of people will hear the words of Christ but do not understand them, simply because they will not. For those with ears that hear they will understand that Jesus Christ is the Door (or gate). By faith in Him as the great Mediator between God and man, He is an open door for passage and communication. The directions on how to come into the fold are plain and clear; we must come in by Jesus Christ as the Door.

It is at this point during His Sermon on the Mount Jesus will present two choices, just like Moses did centuries before (Deut 30:19-20). Once again the children of Israel (as are we) are being given the option to choose between life and death…blessing and curse. But where Moses could only pinpoint the matter to nothing else but to love God with all their heart, with all their soul and with all their strength Jesus tightens the relationship by adding love your neighbor as yourself. Those on the wide road heading towards the wide gate can only follow the passions of their heart in its fallen state. Death to self is impossible to fathom for them.

The absolute nature of the choice before us cuts across any easy-going way of just combining a little bit of this and a little bit of that and calling it a belief system. That kinda broad road turns into a suicide drive no matter how good a driver you think you are. You’ll choose between broad or narrow, true or false, words or deeds, rock or sand. None the matter you will make a choice whether you choose to believe this or not. Keep this in mind…fence riding is not an option you’ll get spat out, believe that!!

To finish this up, as I walked through the East Gate of the Tabernacle Experience my own sense of awe and reverence took over. It was important to stop at each station and go through what was done as it was done in the days of Moses (minus the animal sacrifice). It was going through the narrow opening and being in the Holy of Holies that made it come together. Taking the narrow road means to have a sense of the boundaries of obedience or being in front of the Ark of Covenant would have meant being struck down by His Shekinah Glory. That’s why the Only Begotten Son was sent, to take on what we can’t so we can have the love we don’t deserve. Amen?  Chris Hughes graduated from the Colony of Mercy and is a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Song of Solomon 6-8; Ephesians 1

Quote of the day: “So near is He that not even our nearest friends can come so close! So simple is He that His messages come as the intuition of our own hearts; and yet He is the wonderful Counselor and the mighty God for all our perplexities and all our hard places.”—A.B. Simpson

Verse to Memorize:  I will lift my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

As Wide as the Cross — By Way of Approach

 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)

Today I would like to continue with a phrase that really has taken root with me. This phrase, “The road to the narrow gate is as wide as the Cross” has taken me through some of theological nuts and bolts that hold the framework of salvation together but now it’s time to take it on the road…The Romans Road! I use to think that it was limited to the sixth, seventh and eighth chapters of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. I thought from “should we keep sinning so grace can abound” to “nothing can separate us from the love of God” was enough explanation for the need of salvation…not entirely so!

Without getting too crazy with verses from Romans we can get a simple and systematic way of explaining the message of salvation. And for roads that were made to be a cut-n-dry eight foot wide with easy drainage, the Romans road doesn’t need to be rocket science (although there was some decent mathematics involved…just saying) it only needs to as wide as the Cross. So let’s take an easy view on the building materials that make up the Romans Road.

First is what the road defines and that would be, who needs salvation, why we need salvation, how YHVH provides salvation, how we receive salvation and the results of salvation. And to break down what the road is defining goes like this…

Who? Everyone needs salvation because we have all sinned. (Romans 3:10-12, 23)

Why? The price (or consequence) of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

How? Jesus Christ died for our sins. He paid the price for our death. (Romans 5:8)

How’s that? We receive salvation and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 10:9-10, and 13)

What’s the results? Salvation through Jesus Christ brings us into a relationship of peace with God. (Romans 5:1, 8:1, 8:38-39 )

So how does responding to the Romans Road go? Well it goes by receiving that it leads to “truth”. And, by example,  I mean what we see in John 18:37b-38a, “Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And folks I dare to say that you are Pilate in this. Right or wrong, Pilate didn’t want anything to do with Jesus, so he did what he didn’t want to do but by reflex he was able to do, (see Romans 7:14-25) a struggle that I wish on no man (or woman).

To close for today can we take a few simple beginning steps on the road to the narrow gate? Can you say you are a sinner? And if you understand that as a sinner, you deserve death. You need to believe Jesus Christ died on the cross to save you from sin and death. Your only immediate action is to repent by turning from your old life of sin to a new life in Christ. Then you are to receive, through faith in Jesus Christ, his free gift of salvation. It ain’t rocket science like I said…but the path to the narrow gate is difficult and few find it. Hmm…guess there more to examine. Until next time then. – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Song of Solomon 1-3; John 21

Quote of the day: “Dear friend, are you living in this new world and for this coming age? There are two races crossing the narrow path of time. One is the Adam race, the other is the Christ race; one is the earthly race, the other is the heavenly race; one is doomed to remain among the dead, the other is pressing on to immortality and glory.”—A.B. Simpson

Verse to Memorize:  I will lift my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

As Wide as the Cross

By Way of Continuation

 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (KJV)

Today I would like to continue with you in the examination of seeing the road to the narrow gate as being as wide as the Cross. In my last Freedom Fighter I left off with Moses lifting the bronze serpent head in the desert and how those malcontents (known as the children of Israel) would look up to it to be healed of the snake bites they were receiving. They complained about their situation and YHVH gave them a little paddling for doing it. If we were to unpack this moment of wilderness wandering we would find The Gospel. And how is that you may be asking? Well let’s see…

In John’s Gospel (3:14-15) Jesus declares that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of man must be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him, may have eternal life. If we compare their sin and ours, there is no difference. Sin bites like a serpent and can sting like all get out. If we compare the application of their remedy and ours it becomes the same. They looked up and lived because they believed enough in YHVH to save them from the stinging bite of the serpents. So, likewise, if we believe enough in the Son, then we, likewise, will overcome the sting of this life and shall not perish. And what’s enough look like, is 100% enough?

It took faith back then and it takes faith now. It is by faith that we look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2) In the same way those snake bites caused the Israelites pain and made them fear death, so should a healthy fear of separation from Him and His ability to provide eternal life with Him keep us from disobedience to His will in our lives. Without YHVH’s provision of salvation neither we nor the Israelites experience freedom from the grips of death. So there was much gospel in this…interesting.

Now, getting back to the nuts and bolts of the Cross. If we look at the way the Cross worked during the times of Jesus, we then could see why He would say, “…so the Son of man must be lifted up”.  Traditional speaking after someone was nailed to the vertical beam of the Cross (patibulum) it was lifted up and placed on the horizontal beam (stipe) through a notched hole. The feet were slightly lifted by a foot rest (suppedaneum) and then nailed through. Not only in a theological sense is Jesus to be lifted up but in a very prophetical sense He was physically lifted up as well.

So as this concept of the road to the narrow gate being as wide as the Cross of Christ comes together I prayerfully hope we all can see both the Old and New Testament parallel’s in our need for salvation. As everything comes together through the Law and the Prophets as well as the grace and the mercy of YHVH, His Son and the Holy Spirit the perfect plan of our redemption can only be done by a divine architect…and that ain’t any of us. Deal with it. We have to walk the road, dying daily. Amen? More to come… Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 47-49; John 20

Quote of the day: “It (The Cross) lifts us from sin to righteousness, from the degradation and defilement of our natural condition to the image of Christ and the righteousness of God. “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood” (Revelation 1:5) is the tribute which every saint has brought to the Cross of Jesus Christ.”—A.B. Simpson

Verse to Memorize:  I will lift my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

As Wide as the Cross — By Way of Introduction

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV)

It was a cool afternoon when my family and I went to The Tabernacle Experience at Camp Halawasa. There was a lot of hype leading up to it and I was left really humbled by it. To be in The Holy of Holies (replicated), being able to have a moment of prayer and not to be struck down dead really touched my heart. So much so that I shared with my thunder twin, Jak Werz, the need to go and walk through this as well. Which he did with his family and he shared his experience about being in The Holy of Holies with our congregation.

Jak pretty much had the same experience as I did. To be in the presence of the Ark of Covenant, being able to have that moment of reflective prayer and not to be struck down dead impressed on his heart the narrow gate. Jak read the passage of Scripture I am using today and then shared with us how we need to understand that the road to the narrow gate is as wide as the Cross. Hmmm…now the mechanical/theological understanding part of my mind kick’s on. “I wonder if Roman roads are mathematically as wide as the patibulum of the Cross of Christ and that is why the salvation call of Romans is dubbed as “taking the Roman Road”.

Without getting too technical the traditional measurement for a common Roman road was eight foot in width. So what does that make the “patibulum’s” (the horizontal beam of the Cross) measurement? Well from what I understand, the patibulum was about the lightest part of a cross weighing about 100 lbs and would have adequately handled a man’s wing span with room to lift him up onto the vertical beam or what was called the “stipe”.  Hmmm…”And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”— John 3:14-15 (ESV)

So what does Moses lifting up the serpent have to do with all of this? Well it’s off to Numbers 21:4-9 for this one. Between the murmurings going on amongst the children of Israel against YHVH’s servant Moses, the weariness of wilderness wandering, the limited amount of recipes for preparing manna and speaking discontentedly of what YHVH had brought them through the children of Israel got fiery serpents to bite and sting them to death for their troubles. YHVH instructed Moses to construct a bronze serpent and set it on a pole so that when the children of Israel felt the sting of death, all they had to do was look up, as to look up to YHVH, and they were healed.

I am going to stop right there and ask your to consider what you are looking up to. Some of us have spent our life looking up to people and there may have been failure on their part. Some of us have spent our life looking to situations that seemed ideal but those situations came to an end. Some of us have looked up to relationships and now those relationships are severed. The sting of all that can be healed simply by looking up to Him who provides grace and mercy enough for you to continue walking to the narrow gate. Amen? – Chris Hughes blogs weekly for Freedom Fighter and graduated from the Colony of Mercy

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 45-46; John 19:23-24

Quote of the day: “Much of our life contains sufferings and trial, and the shadow of the Cross is also here. Looking upon our trials as unmeaning accidents, the blow of fate, the luck of evil fortune or the cruel wrongs of men or women is so different from taking them from our Father’s hand as the cup of His loving discipline and as fellowship of our Saviors Cross!”—A.B.Simpson

Verse to Memorize:  I will lift my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

 

Goals for Authentic Growth

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11

I love reading the closing words of Paul’s letters. He gives charges and goals that cut right to the  chase. There is no beating around the bush.

Goal setting is a great exercise that too many of us shy away from. As we begin this new week together, here is a list of goals that were put together by Joe. D. Batten ion the “New Man” magazine:

I WILL            have a passion for excellence,

I WILL            ask, listen, and hear – to determine the wants, needs and possibilities of all with
                        with whom I come in contact.

I WILL              provide an example of commitment and integrity.

I WILL              constantly focus on the strengths of all with whom I come in contact.

 I WILL            cultivate optimum physical, mental, and physical fitness.

 I WILL            lead as I would like to be led,

I WILL            savor the favor of each passing moment.

I WILL            infuse every thought and relationship with faith, hope, love, and gratitude.

(Adapted from Lists to Live By – The Second Edition – Multnomah Press)

Not a bad list of goals. Now here is the challenge. Will one of you put Scripture to the list? I think you will be amazed with the principles you will uncover from God’s Word. I have a prize for each person that gives me a list! J Let me hear from you.

Running the race with joy,

Bill Welte

President/CEO America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 42-44; John 19:1-22

Quote of the day: Though justification costs us nothing but the sacrifice of our pride, it has cost Christ His blood. F.B. Meyer

Verse to Memorize:  I will lift my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

The Ministry of Prayer

 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning’s too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27 (ESV)

Your Pastor could spend his Sunday morning preaching by constantly pounding his fist on the pulpit and loudly proclaim the importance of a prayer life. It would be my guess that most people would be offended by the fist pounding rather than being humbled by a conviction that their prayer life needs improvement. But nevertheless Christians needs to be reminded of those things that pertain to the pursuit of holiness.  And while I privileged to give the message at our recent Men’s Breakfast, I was still impressed to remind my brothers that we need to pursue God-ordained moments with a heart like Benaiah (one of King David’s Mighty Men) pursuing a lion on a snowy day.

Perhaps, by way of reminder, we could put a Mezuzah (Mĕ zū’ zăh) on our doorposts. The Mezuzah is this small case that contains the prayer from Deut. 6:4-9 and then continues with Deut. 11:13-21. For the Jewish family it is a daily reminder of their responsibility to YHVH. And as an earthly king would provide guards at the castle gate to give him the assurance of security, the Mezuzah assures the people of Israel that they are safe within their homes because they are being guarded by the very Word of God. Another cool thing about the Mezuzah is that it serves as a reminder of Passover (Exodus 12:23) and redemption from Egypt.

In any case, we are seemingly in need of constant reminders to pray. In my case it was by way of cruising through my bookshelves. I don’t know how it got there but a book by E.M. Bounds (Possibilities In Prayer) was just…there. I picked it up and started to read the first chapter and by the fifth sentence I realized that I have stumbled on to something. “By prayer, the ability is secured to feel the law of love, to speak according to the law of love, and to do everything in harmony with the law of love.” Hmm…not sure about where you are but I gotta confess, I don’t think I am at this point in my walk.

E.M. Bounds ends chapter one by citing Romans 8:27. But if we look at this passage from verse 26 into 27 maybe we can see that the infirmities of us Christians are many and that we would be overpowered if all of this was left to us to figure out. We need to understand that it’s the Holy Spirit who supports us. “As an enlightening Spirit, teaches us what to pray for; as a sanctifying Spirit, works and stirs up praying graces; as a comforting Spirit, silences our fears, and helps us over all discouragements.” (My buddy Matt Henry said that!) We need the Holy Spirit to search our hearts, perceive our mind’s, and know the will of our spirit so He can advocate our cause. We need the Holy Spirit to make intercession to God so that the enemy does not prevail.

So who was this E.M. Bounds that he could understand the law of love through prayer? Well he starts out as a lawyer, serves as a chaplain to Confederate troops during the Civil War and finishes as a renowned Pastor and prayer warrior, an American Apostle Paul if you will. And what of the ministry of prayer given unto us? Guess we better get to it, as well as the writer of this Freedom Fighter. No matter what physical position we take to pray, we ought to position ourselves to pray. Amen? – Chris Hughes is a Freedom Fighter regular blogger and a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 33-34; John 16

Quote of the day: “Faith, and hope, and patience and all the strong, beautiful, vital forces of piety are withered and dead in a prayer-less life. The life of the individual believer, his personal salvation, and personal Christian graces have their being, bloom, and fruitage in prayer.”—E.M. Bounds

Verse to Memorize:  Let my soul love and praise you, and let your rules help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments. Psalm 119:175-176