Listen Up

10/20/201710/18/2017Leave a comment

“For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them.” — 2^nd Samuel 7:21

It never ceases to amaze me when something happens and God’s fingerprints are all over it. He steps in and does an amazing thing like causing a loved one to come to Christ or dissolving a crisis, and there’s no doubt that God stepped in. Then, I’m amazed that I’m amazed. Why shouldn’t I expect to be seeing God at work, especially when He promises to be with us?

This past summer I was sharing a devotion with our guest on our theme verse 1^st Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” The focus was on Rejoicing, Praying and giving Thanks, when it came to giving thanks I talked about being able to be thankful for what God is going to do as opposed to what God has already done, because they’re the same. In 2nd Samuel David is told through Nathan the Prophet all that God will do concerning David, even after he is gone.

The chapter starts off with a time of peace and David thinks, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.” David plans to build God a house, but instead God reveals to David His plans.

But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in?'” God goes on to tell David all He has done for him and all He will “continue” to do, “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.” This is not only a promise to David, but for us also. The fulfillment of this great prophesy is in the Person of Jesus the Christ.

David finishes the chapter with a prayer of praise that I believe would solidify David’s faith for the rest of his life, Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?”

It’s when we are convinced that God is who He says He is and all that He promises is true that we can respond to the challenges of life and all of our mistakes by falling on the grace and mercy of God. I believe that David was able to pen the 51^st Psalm after being confronted by the same Prophet about his sin with Bathsheba because of his identity in God.

Maybe today life has gotten the best of you, maybe it’s time to “Listen up” to what God is saying about your future. Like,

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Written by Rob Russomano: Rob Russomano is married to Terri, he is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a full time staff member. He is also available as a speaker of the grace of God with a message of Hope for church events. You can contact him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org.

The Daily Bible Reading: Micah| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the psalms, and that the habit of celebrating the greatness and graciousness of God yields an endless flow of thankfulness, joy, and zeal.” – J.I. Packer

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence. Psalm 140:13

I’m Going Fishing

10/19/201710/18/2017Leave a comment

“Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ ‘We’ll come, too’ they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.” John 21:3 (NLT)

I’m a guy that has to wear glasses so I can see with clarity. I do pretty good with things that are far away, but that stuff that is right under my nose? Well let’s just say it’s a blur to me. Like when I put my foot in my mouth. If I only could see that coming, I’d shut up a lot more frequently. I think that may have been Simon Peter’s problem as well. When things were or seemed to be in a far-off-in-the-distance situation to deal with, Peter was right on board with it. During the Last Supper, Jesus would tell Peter that Satan wanted to sift him like wheat and his response was “Lord, with you I am ready to go to both to prison and to death”, then he should have said, “Just not right away Jesus.”

We’ve been going through Pastor Tony Evans’ Bible study titled “It’s Not Too Late” at church. It’s been pretty slam dunk thus far. The last part we got into dealt with “Peter-The Apostate Who God Used.” We were taken back to a scene that is all too familiar, Peter’s denial of Jesus. “You are one of this man’s disciples, aren’t you?” Answering the question Peter say’s “I am not”, then he found a place among the circle of people that had gathered around a charcoal fire to keep himself warm. “You, too, are one of His disciples, aren’t you?” “NO!! I am not.” “Dude, who you foolin’? Your Galilean accent gives you away, you have to be one of His followers.” “I told you #@% #@ % #@%#%@# I DON’T KNOW THE MAN!!!” Alrighty Then…

Another scene we visited has one of Peter’s infamous sayings happening when all the may-lay has past. Three plus years of ministry seem to have come to an end and a good portion of the disciples find themselves along the shore of the Sea of Tiberias. “I’m going fishing”, says Peter and the others follow straight away. After a night of catching NUTTIN’, Jesus is on the shore encouraging them to cast that net one more time. “It’s the Lord” and Peter dives into the water to find himself arriving to a fish breakfast cooking on a charcoal fire. “Uh-oh” thinks Peter, “I’ve been around this fire before.” Jesus asks Peter two times “Do you love me unconditionally?” and all the response Peter can muster up is, “Yeah, like a brother.”

It’s that third time where Jesus asks, “Do you love me like a brother?” and Peter replies, “Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You.” Now in each of those three questions asked of Peter, Jesus would give Peter a hint that he needed to go back to ministry, lead and nurture those people who would come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Fishing might have been a good way for Peter to go to after what he thought was a failure, or as Pastor Evans put it, “an implosion” that Peter had went through, but God had other plans for Peter and Jesus was gonna set him back on the path. Jesus met Peter at both his moment of implosion and level of understanding and give him one simple instruction, “Follow Me” and if you know your Bible, Peter does get to the next level.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who can say “I blew it” when it comes to ministry opportunities and thought there was no way to start over. I recently had an “implosion” and the mess left behind made me feel there was no way things could ever get cleaned up enough for me to be able to carry on. I might as well just be a Colony grad and that’s all. I also could hear the accusation, “See. You were never good enough to be used by Him.” I almost let that lie sink in as I spent Sunday mornings on my boat…fishing.

But God showed me He wasn’t done with me. A few “tent meetings” deep inland with my in-laws were enough to encourage me that He wanted me back and He began to show me where it was that I tripped up. Guess I’ll be seeing what He has in store for me now that my “fishin’ season” is over. How about you? Do you think it’s so bad that all you’ll ever be ruined? Friend, don’t fall for that nonsense. God uses messed up, jacked up people to get His work done. The Bible is full of our kind. The best thing you can do is to look for Jesus in it all and if ya gotta use glasses to see out then put them. Peter got out of the boat twice. The first time he didn’t fare too well, Jesus had to save him but that second time, Jesus restored him. If it can happen to Peter, it can happen to you. Amen?

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) is married (Kathy) with two adult children (Kevin and Karen) and has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008.

The Daily Bible Reading: Proverbs 29-30| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “When you have been taken through the accusations of Satan and beaten down, God has a way of resurrecting you and using you for His glory” — Tony Evans

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence. Psalm 140:13

The Violent Obedience of Freedom

10/18/201708/14/2017Leave a comment

The purpose of the cross is to completely decimate your loyalty to the most seductive/powerful of all idols—the idol of self. ~David Tripp

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a Man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under His feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that He is excepted who put all things in subjection under Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him, that God may be all in all.
~ Paul, The Least of The Apostles, Describing the game plan, in 1 Corinthians 15

Oh beloved, it is true.

When He saved us, He set us free. And, if we don’t get this early on, we can miss years of the joy of being a friend of G_d. We became a new creation in Him. This changed everything.

However, while the position of being free is real, the experience of it can be another thing altogether. There is, clinging to our spiritual frame, still a part of us that will never be redeemed. Mostly, it is because it is not nearly real enough to survive the cleansing fire of His Presence. It is, like anything fallen, a downgrade from what was meant to be.

The flesh.

And the worst thing about things that are incomplete, is that they beg to be validated and made more than they really are. So, the flesh will scream that it is still in control. And, since it is so close to the control centers of our body, it often can get its way.

However, the problem is that the promised pleasure and release of the flesh is a lie. So, with every allowance, we find ourselves more bound to a system that is broken and inhibiting, rather than freeing. Said more simply: Our rebellion does not set us free, it brings us into bondage.

Can we see it?

Jesus is the model for our true freedom. Jesus lived in such a way as to absolutely negate that aspect of His humanity that would disqualify Him from His mission to save us all. He lived a life of intentional, and even violent obedience to His Father. He followed through with a plan They had made before the foundations of the earth. He was obedient to the point of a torrentially difficult death on the Cross.

However, in submitting to what was right and true and noble and just and pure and lovely, This same Jesus attained a freedom and power over even death itself. He took the very keys to death and hell, and holds them now in His forever-living hands.

We are the fruit the follows the FirstFruit. He is The Way. And so, our obedience in our free surrender to Him needs to have the same vigorous intentionality. There needs to be an understanding with us that we too need to die, to gain the freedom He has for us. And without this ongoing surrender, there will not be freedom, there will only come the bondage of the flesh.

So, do you feel like you are struggling to be free? Perhaps the struggle is simpler than you think. Maybe it is simply time to – again – surrender to the One who models the path you require. This fool of a writer continues to learn this lesson, and maybe tonight is your night to learn it too.

Written by Makala Doulos: Makala Doulos is a child of G_d, a husband to his wife, a father to his children, and a teacher to his students. But mostly, he is a prisoner set free by Jesus. Love has invaded his life, crushed it, and made it new. Now, G_d’s Love is what constrains him to live in full surrender to the freedom The Father and Son and Holy Spirit have bought for us all. Grace and Peace to you all.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 119| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: You see, then, that the grace in the gospel is not mere persuasion and entreaty, but a powerful work of the Spirit entering into the soul and changing it, and altering the inclination of the will heavenward. We must have great notions of the work of grace. The Scripture has great words of it. It is an alternation, a change, a new man, a new creation, a new birth. ~Richard Sibbes, from Glorious Freedom

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence. Psalm 140:13

Finding Victory

10/17/201708/02/2017Leave a comment

Two key components of a maturing faith in Christ are ‘keeping’ the high standard of God’s Word and ‘Guarding’ it against any manipulation.

Paul writes to his young disciple, “Keep and follow the pattern of sound teaching (doctrine) which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim 1:13) His warning is to not water down the Gospel truths so as to make it easier or more like mans desires. The Gospel is designed to enable you to have a personal relationship with God through Christ. The requirement for this relationship is ‘to be holy as He is holy’ (Lev 11:44-45; 1Peter 1:16) If you do not retain the high standards of the Gospel, placing your faith in the completed work of Salvation thru faith in Jesus Christ… you may get along better with the world and have a large group of associates, BUT you will not enter into Gods rest or Heaven.

Paul goes on to tell young Timothy how to be victorious in retaining Gods high standard, he writes, “Guard [with greatest care] and keep unchanged, the treasure [that precious truth] which has been entrusted to you [that is, the good news about salvation through personal faith in Christ Jesus], through [the help of] the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” (2 Timothy 1:14) Your greatest enemy is within! Your willful self loves ‘sin’ and desires autonomy, wanting to operate by its own standards and willfully rejecting God. I watched a friend do this just a few weeks ago… rationalized their actions and walked away from Gods hand that was stretched out to them… it breaks my heart. Especially knowing we are all one choice away from doing the same thing. That is why Paul tells young Timothy that we need to yield our will to The Holy Spirit, relying on Him to ‘keep’ and to ‘guard’ these truths that anchor our salvation. We cannot defeat the willful self and its love of sin on our own. Paul tells us we must crucify it with Christ daily and humbly submit our hearts, our minds, and our spirits to the leading and strength provided through His Spirit.

Do you want live a victorious life by operating within the design of God’s will, knowing peace, joy, and contentment? Then water down your willful self, drowning it into submission; and guard your heart that bears His truths, doing this by relying on the leading and strength of The Holy Spirit.

You can do this if you want to, so why not choose Christ today…

Choose wisely…

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

(Galatians 2:20)

Praying U choose Christ today

Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, and grandfather with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is a member of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church.

The Daily Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 21-24| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “I’d rather die in the will of God than to live outside of it.” – Jack Hyles

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence. Psalm 140:13

Psalm 111 – A ‘We Get To’ Psalm

10/16/201710/13/2017Leave a comment

In preparation for my message at the Colony of Mercy, I was camping out in Psalm 111. It was one of those mornings where I felt compelled to stay put in one Psalm rather than read the four Psalms for the day.

It was one of those WOW moments that happens when the Spirit of God causes a passage to come alive, and the words seem to leap off the page of the sacred text.

Psalm 111 is one of five “Hallelujah” Psalms. These five Psalms either begin or end with the words, “Praise the Lord.” The Psalm is also an acrostic in that each line begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In addition to Psalm 111 and 112 being acrostic Psalms, 9, 10, 24, 34, 37, 119 and 145 are as well. Scholars believed that this aided in the memorizing of the Scriptures.

Many of us, particularly American Christians, live a shallow, empty, selfish, defeated version of the Christian life. We tend to look at our faith walk the same way we look at life – through the glass-half-empty syndrome, rather than looking at life like a glass filled and overflowing.

In this Psalm I have observed five “I get to’s” vs. “I have to’s. Our Pastor recently did a study on the Sabbath and made the point that we don’t have to do Sabbath, we get to!!! That right thinking changes our entire perspective.

Here’s the Psalm from the New Living Translation:

Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
²Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.
³Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.
⁴He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
⁵He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
⁶He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
⁷The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy;
⁸they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
⁹He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

We will unpack them for the next couple of weeks.

We get to meet with God’s people (vs.1) What would the Lord’s day look like if I went to church with a thankful heart and an “I get to go meet with the people of God,” vs. “I have to go to church today?”

Most of the worlds Christians on the Lord’s day go to church with the very fear that if caught, they could literally lose their lives. They will go to worship not for just one hour, but in many places outside of America, they will meet for most of the day. Some will meet for hours and will do so with people of all ages, standing for the entire service packed in like sardines and with no modern conveniences.

We American Christians view our worship through the lens of “it-will-be-a-good-Sunday” if:

I like the music
The temperature is just right
No one takes my seat
The sermon isn’t too long or too short
Someone speaks to me
Everyone agrees with my point of view

If you didn’t get the memo – Worship isn’t all about you! Worship is all about Him!

And I just ran over my words for this blog. So stay tuned for next week. Can I ask you to do me a favor? Read through Psalm 111 and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you too.

Rejoice! Pray! Give thanks!

Bill Welte
President/CEO America’s Keswick

Written by Bill Welte, President/CEO of America’s Keswick: Bill has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has four married kids and 11 amazing grand kids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 1-3| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Think About This: Worship is never about being a spectator. Worship is designed for you and me to be a participator.

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence. Psalm 140:13

The Remez That Healed

10/13/201710/09/2017Leave a comment

“But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.”

— Malachi 4:2 (NLT)

“Even if all I touch are His clothes, I know I will be healed.” She had been an outcast for 12 years, all her money had been spent on doctors, she wasn’t supposed to be intermingling with the crowd… but there was this “Miracle-Man” she had heard about and she desperately wanted to be made pure enough to rejoin the community. All of a sudden Jesus stopped and asked, “Who just touched my robe?” Then, He waited for a reply. The disciples were like, “Rabbi, there’s a crowd. Who isn’t touching you?” He gazed out across the crowd and then, shaking with fear and amazement, she stepped forward and said, “I touched you.” She began to tell Jesus her story.

I’m gonna put on my Hebrews glasses for this Freedom Fighter and take a look at Scripture through Jewish eyes. The first thing I need to get into is something Jesus would have been wearing, and that is a tallit. “What is a tallit?” Well, I’m glad you asked. To be very basic about it, the tallit was what we refer to as a prayer shawl. It could be adorned with fringes, but for the Hebrew, the corners needed to have a tzitzit. ‘What are those?” Well I’m glad you asked. A Tzitzit was what we can refer to as tassels, and these were to be placed at the four corners of the tallit to remind YHVH’s children of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah. Each tzitzit had 613 threads…you can research any other questions you have.

Next thing, a word that I used in today’s title and that word is remez. Jesus used a method of teaching that gave a remez or a “hint” back to the Old Testament. Other rabbis were using it as well, but we’re talking Jesus Christ here, the One who has been since the foundation of the earth, so He’s the expert. He wasn’t going to teach the accepted interpretations of the Torah because He had “s’mikhah”, the authority to teach new interpretations, which ticked off those wacky Pharisees. To be honest, I think Jesus taught the proper interpretations. That’s my opinion, feel free to disagree.

Now an example of a remez can be found in Matthew 21:15-16 when the Pharisees became indigent as the people were shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David” and in response to their question, “Do you hear what their saying?”, Jesus quoted from Psalm 8:2, “You have taught children and infants to give you praise.” Now those wacky Pharisees would’ve known the rest of that verse, “silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.” Implying that they were Jesus’ enemies…then the next morning Jesus would curse a fig tree. Anyway, how do these things tie together? I’m glad you asked…

The woman in my opening paragraph would have been in synagogue hearing readings from the scrolls on the assigned days before her infirmary. When the teaching would have ended the rabbi, wearing his tallit, would raise his arms and the tzitzit would be draped over them, like wings, and the rabbi would bless the crowd. She would have heard the verse from Malachi that I have used in my opening today. She would have put her faith into Jesus being that “Son of Righteousness” since stories of His healings would have begun to circulate around Galilee. But she was not allowed to be in the crowd when Jesus would raise His “wings” to bless the crowd, so what’s a girl to do? She goes on a hunch because she was given a remez… “Daughter, you are well because you dared to believe. Go in peace, and stay well.” said Jesus.

A lot of us have used the term, “That guy just can’t take a hint” and I’m gonna be bold enough to say neither can we. Oh, sure it is fun to connect the dots in Scripture because it does give them life, but if we aren’t gleaning the remez that Jesus has given us in His teaching we’ll miss the meaning. And that is that the Gospel message is all over the Old Testament and Jesus points it out in all of His teaching. I suspect that the apostle Paul, being a Pharisees’ Pharisees, would have picked up on all the remez he was given as well.

So, what about us? Are we looking for those hints when we read the words of Jesus or are we just content with them just being righteous words? May that not be! The Bereans didn’t have a “New” testament to go on and they found out God’s word was far beyond righteous…they found God’s Word was prophetic and TRUTH. May we see it as they did. Amen?

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) is married (Kathy) with two adult children (Kevin and Karen) and has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008.

The Daily Bible Reading: Jonah| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “Begin to rejoice in the Lord, and your bones will flourish like an herb, and your cheeks will glow with the bloom of health and freshness. Worry, fear, distrust, care-all are poisonous! Joy is balm and healing, and if you will but rejoice, God will give power.”— A.B. Simpson

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 106:1

Who Before What

10/12/201710/09/20172 Comments

“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” — John 10:14

I wonder how far you would get if you tried to board a plane but instead of showing your identification, you give them your resume? How long will it take to convince the gate keeper that you are qualified to enter the plane?

There can be much confusion when our walk with the Lord becomes based on our works instead of our identity, who we are in Christ. I can sometimes get distracted and find myself doing something that is uncharacteristic based on who I am in the Lord. I think it’s so important to remember that who I am is more important than what I do. “Who before What” is a process that helps me conduct myself and fulfill the call on my life. I’m not saying that every step I take is ordained by God, but the purpose of my life and the conduct of my character need to be under the power of the Holy Spirit.

I often marvel at when Jesus spoke openly to the Jews in John 10 that they didn’t immediately make the connection to the 23rd Psalm. Even if they we sheep gone astray, why didn’t they recognize His voice?

To know who I am in Christ gives me a security to act out in the confidence that as long as I’m doing the will of God, I’m safe. Safe doesn’t always look safe, but when I hear the call of the Master, He will lead me beside still waters even if I must go through the shadow of death first.

We as believers are certainly called to do good works, but if we don’t keep the order of ‘who we are’ before ‘what we do,’ we can sometimes find ourselves wandering too far from the Shepard’s voice. This is where the institution of repentance is useful, we always have the ability to turn around. When my conduct reflects the old nature, then I must be willing to humble myself, turn around, and recognize who I am. It’s not until my identity is clear that my actions line up.

I remember as a young boy, my Dad always reminded me not to do anything so bad that my name would be in the newspaper. To my Dad, that would bring a disgrace to the family name. There were times I would do something foolish and hear the question, “whose kid is that?” I think the same is true for our walk with the Lord. Our conduct should resemble our Shepard’s by lining up our actions according to our identity.

So, who are you and to whom do you belong? If someone inquired “Whose kid is that” are we known by our works? Let’s hope it’s because we’re putting the “Who” before the “What.” Amen

The Daily Bible Reading: Proverbs 28 | You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Think About This: “If our identity is in our work, rather than Christ, success will go to our heads, and failure will go to our hearts.” – Tim Keller

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 106:1

Idol Worshipers?

10/11/201708/06/20171 Comment

Exodus 20:3 – You shall have no other gods before me.

How is it not possible to love a God who loves us no matter what we have done? Easy, just ask anyone who walks the face of our planet to give up one of their beloved earthly possessions and see what the response is. Too many times we look at “STUFF” more than to God for our pleasure. And those of us that have been through any kind of addiction really put those things first – drugs, money, alcohol, pornography, and the list goes on.

The Bible may have spoken of the gods that Egypt worshiped in the days of Moses, but it is no different than the things we put before God in this day and age. Anything that we put before the almighty God is not worth having at all. He knew you before you were born and He knows everything in your heart and what your our entire lives will be like.

Giving all of yourself should not feel like a sacrifice, it should feel like a truly pleasurable experience. Matthew 4:10 – “For it is written; worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.” Let’s praise the one true king!!

Written by Robert Breault. Robert is a full time staff member in our Food Service department.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 117-118| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “If we exalt money, status, or sex above the Word of God, we are living in idolatry. Every time we inwardly submit to the strongholds of fear, bitterness, and pride, we are bowing to the rulers of darkness. Each of these idols must be smashed, splintered, and obliterated from the landscape of our hearts.” – Francis Frangipane

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 106:1

Amazing Grace

10/10/201708/02/20171 Comment

“The law works fear and wrath; grace works hope and mercy.” ~ Luther

No one likes to suffer or be persecuted in any way, let alone for their beliefs. But it is a fact that if you choose to put your faith in Jesus Christ, you will align yourself against this world and the way it thinks. And, if you choose to be like Christ and proclaim the Gospel truth, this world will come against you with all its force. But… you are not alone. This was the promise that Paul wanted Timothy to grasp as a young man who desired to reach others with the truth of God. Paul writes, “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord or about me His prisoner, but with me take your share of suffering for the gospel [continue to preach regardless of the circumstances], in accordance with the power of God [for His power is invincible]… (2 Tim 1:8) Do you see the promise that enables us to press on? God is the One who is sovereign over all things and we can operate, by faith, in accordance with His invincible power. Does that straighten your backbone some, causing you to stand a little taller for the truth?

But that’s not all! Paul goes on to describe this promise in greater detail, “for He delivered us and saved us and called us with a holy calling [a calling that leads to a consecrated life–a life set apart–a life of purpose], not because of our works [or because of any personal merit–we could do nothing to earn this], but because of His own purpose and grace [His amazing, undeserved favor] which was granted to us in Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago],” (2 Tim 1:9). Do you see that God is not relying on our works or reason? He is bringing a new purpose to your life and infusing us with the purpose, works, and power that we see played out in His unique Son, Jesus Christ. And all of this is driven by His grace… that undeserved kindness of God that is His gift to man the moment he understands he is unworthy of God’s favor (moody). “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard (of Holiness). Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” (Rom 3:23-24) His amazing grace floods our lives the moment we first believe. It sets about transforming our sinfulness into righteousness through the cauldron of suffering because that’s what it takes to refine character to the level of ‘God’s glorious standard of Holiness.’ Regardless of its pain, and because we have come to understand The Truth of God’s Word, we… like Paul and Timothy, willingly ‘join in the suffering for the Gospel according to the God’s invincible power!’ We do this because now, instead of seeing the suffering, our eyes are fixed on the Hope of Heaven and an eternity with the One who dearly loves us with all His Heart.

Choose wisely….

Praying you choose Jesus today

The Daily Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 16-20| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “The apostles went away rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ, that they were graced so far as to be disgraced for the name of Christ!” – Thomas Watson

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 106:1

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I have addressed this particular issue many times in my entries for Freedom Fighter, but I want to share some additional thoughts with you this morning.

I thank you for joining us on this daily journey as together we desire to walk in victory. Our writing team appreciates your willingness to read our blog and especially appreciate it when you share it with others.

Social Media is a driving force in our world. In fact, what is scary is that Facebook has been even called a “country.” Several years ago, it was referred to as the second largest country in the world.

Many have expressed concern about all the bad things that take place on social media. Some people will spend their whole day on social media simply because they are lonely and bored. Some people couldn’t survive an hour without checking on their posts to see how many “likes” and “shares” they have.

I am concerned about a far greater issue, and that is the way we use our words when it comes to social media.

Lately, I have been embarrassed as I have read posts from well-meaning Christians. I have started to UNFOLLOW friends because it grieves me to see what they put in print.

Our words can be weapons of mass destruction. At 63 years of age, I still do battle with my tongue. Words leave my lips all too quickly, and I find myself hurting my wife, my kids, my co-workers and friends.

Yes, we are all entitled to speak our minds as American citizens under the provision of “free speech.” But we answer to a greater authority – God and His Word and the hundreds of Scripture references that talk to us about how and when we should use our words.

There are times to speak when there are issues that violate the clear principles in Scripture. Taking a stand is important and the right thing to do. But there is a right way to do it, and that is where many lack discernment.

Before you hit SHARE, I would like to suggest that you think about several of these verses:

“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” 1 Peter 2:1

See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. James 3:67-12

The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness. Proverbs 15:2

Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. Proverbs 17:28

Wise words are like deep waters; wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook. Proverbs 18:4

Please hear me. I am not saying there is never a time to not speak up. But what I am saying, there is a godly and right way to use our words. What we post reflects first of all on the Lord, it reflects on you and your family, and in some cases, the ministries and organizations you represent.

You don’t have to like or agree with my thoughts. That is your right and privilege. But my prayer is that you will search and examine the Word of God, which is and should be the final authority on the use of our words.

The writer of the book of James wrote: “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19).

If he were alive, I wonder if he would have penned: “slow to tweet, slow post, slow to share?” I want my words to reflect His image. How about you?

Rejoice! Pray! Give thanks!

Bill Welte
President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Written by Bill Welte, President/CEO of America’s Keswick: Bill has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 11 amazing grand kids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Numbers 33-36| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Think About This: Whatever you verbalize, you give power to. When you voice negative thoughts, you’re reinforcing what’s wrong. Over time, it often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Whatever important thing rules your heart also shapes your words and behavior. — Paul David Tripp

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 106:1

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