WHAT’S THAT SMELL?

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

One of the shows my grandson Tanner used to like was “Bear and the Big Blue House.” In the opening scene, Bear comes out of his house and all of a sudden in the middle of his conversation, starts to sniff. He says, “What’s that I smell? Hmmm … it’s you!”

How do you smell? Now I am not talking about body odor. But according to today’s verse, we as men who love Christ should have the aroma of Him oozing from our lives. Dr. Kenny Luck in his book, DREAM, suggests that we smell in the following areas:

Acceptance — What’s happening in us emotionally, relationally, morally and spiritually will come out and influence the lives of others.

Proximity – Physical proximity determines the blast of your zone of influence. Spouses, kids, friends, and co-workers are in your hot zone of character and conduct.

Activation – When you connect with people, your character can’t not give away to conduct. Your character is expressed in behavior that has an on-going influence.

Sensation – Over time, the people connected to you sense and feel the REAL you. Our dignity gets pulled away, and they get a whiff of what’s inside.

Saturation – Leaking substances land somewhere; they seep into things and change their makeup. Clean becomes dirty. Similarly, any fears, pride, insecurities, brokenness, attachments, or wounds can seep into our relationships and change them for better or for worse.

Recognition and reaction – My sin and character flaws leak more aggressively than the healthier parts of me.

I will share more about this tomorrow … but guys – when people are around you – what do they smell? Do they smell the fragrance of Christ?
Think about it! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: 2 Chronicles 32-33; John 18:19:40

Think about this: Satan is ever seeking to inject that poison into our hearts to distrust God’s goodness – especially in connection with his commandments. That is what really lies behind all evil, lusting and disobedience. A discontent with our position and portion, a craving from something which God has wisely held from us. Reject any suggestion that God is unduly severe with you. Resist with the utmost abhorrence anything that causes you to doubt God’s love and his lovingkindness toward you. Allow nothing to make you question the Father’s love for his child. — Arthur W. Pink

The Consequence of Choice

Many of you who read Freedom Fighters know that I’m a Proverbs junkie.
I need a daily “fix” of Proverbs. God’s wisdom in Proverbs is a daily reminder that I’m not smart enough to live life on my own.

Yesterday was June 7, so I read Proverbs 7. The instruction I read offered me the information I needed for today’s edition of FF. It’s the last piece I’m going to do on avoiding evil and pursuing the safety of biblical obedience.

The chapter begins with Solomon writing to his son. He first offer a series of instructions about obedience, commitment to God’s Word and wisdom. The end result of that obedience and commitment is powerful: “they [will] keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words.”

While the obvious interpretation of the “immoral woman” is the harlot who seduces foolish men, many who write on this chapter believe that Solomon may have used the “immoral woman” as a metaphor for anything Satan uses to seduce us and lure us into sin. Regardless of the interpretation, the issue is about choices.

Notice vss. 6-8. The writer sees a young man through his window. The young man chose foolishness over wisdom. He takes the path to the harlot’s house. In the margin of my Bible I wrote this question next to vs. 8, “Did he have to do this?” Had he chosen wisdom and understanding and instruction, the answer is “no.” Because he rejected those qualities and lived foolishly, he made the only choice he could. He had no internal compass to help him know the difference between right and wrong.

Please understand the consequences of choices. We become “wise in what
is good, and simple concerning evil” (Romans 16:19) by the choices we make one day at a time. Each choice we make that flows from God’s wisdom and instruction strengthens us and prepares us for the next choice. Every time we make foolish choices, we make the next foolish choice easier to make. Every choice, no matter how benign, strengthens us or diminishes us.

Ask one simple question the next time you’re faced with one of those defining choices in life. “Do I have to do this?” If you walk with Jesus, His Spirit lives within you. He’ll help us discern the right answer to the question. God’s Word and wisdom provides the necessary protection from every seduction. It’s our choice to receive that protection or ignore it. Just don’t forget. Every choice has consequences. Read vs. 27: the path to the harlot’s house (literally and metaphorically) is the way to hell. . . .” Every choice has consequences. – John Strain is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Toms River

God’s WORD for YOU: 2 Chronicles 30-31; John 18:1-18

Think about this: [God desires] not that He may say to them, “Look how mighty I am, and go down upon your knees and worship”, for power alone was never yet worthy of prayer; but that He may say thus: “Look, my children, you will never be strong but with my strength. I have no other to give you. And that you can get only by trusting in me. I cannot give it you any other way. There is no other way. — George Macdonald

Commitment to Right Living (Psalm 101)

I was sitting in the car waiting for my wife yesterday afternoon. Buying flowers isn’t one of my favorite activities. While waiting, I decided to read some Scripture from the New Testament with the Psalms that I keep in the car for hospital calls. Without any particular destination in the Psalms, I landed at Psalm 101.

After reading it, I knew I’d found my thoughts for this weekend’s Freedom Fighters. They follow on the thoughts I shared last weekend. The psalmist reminds us that we make choices that either keep us in tune with God’s plan or lead us into danger. It strikes me that the Lord is really pushing us to think about how we commit ourselves to right living-safe living.

The psalmist says in vs. 2, “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect (blameless) way . . . . I will walk within my house with a perfect (blameless) heart.” He chooses to live in a way that honors the Lord he loves. As I read it, I admired the David’s intentionality. He was proactive in pursuing life as God designed it. Instead of going with the flow, he made the decision to live with integrity before his God.

Continue with the psalm, and you’ll discover more about his resolve and the steps he took to keep his commitment to right living. In vs. 3 he says “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.” David, the psalmist, tells the Lord that he will intentionally pay attention to what enters his vision. He understood that the eyes are the gateway to the soul. He knew he couldn’t be too careful. Life hasn’t changed in all these hundreds of years since David. How careful are we to “set nothing wicked before [our] eyes?

Notice one more commitment David made to God. “I will not know wickedness.” (vs. 4) I wonder if the Apostle Paul might have had this statement in mind when he wrote Romans 16:19. Do you remember it from last week? Paul told the Roman Christians that he wanted them to be “simple concerning evil.” David committed himself to the absence of wickedness; he decided that wickedness wouldn’t destroy his life.

It seems to me that David made some key decisions about righteousness and wickedness that you and I can make. Don’t worry about what is past.
Just know that from today forward you can intentionally choose blamelessness. You and I can choose to refuse wickedness an entry into our lives. It’s our choice. May God help us to make the right choice!
– Pastor John Strain is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Toms River

God’s WORD for YOU: 2 Chronicles 28-29; John 17

Think about this: Do you have a hunger for God? If we don’t feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because we have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because we have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Our soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great. If we are full of what the world offers, then perhaps a fast might express, or even increase, our soul’s appetite for God. Between the dangers of self-denial and self-indulgence is the path of pleasant pain called fasting. — John Piper

IS JESUS LORD OF ALL?

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1,2)

Submitting to Jesus Christ as your personal Savior opens your heart to Him, allows Him to fellowship and reside with you. However, committing to Him means you transfer the title of your life to Him. He comes not only to fellowship but also to re-design; not just to reside but to renovate your life.

The Lord goes through every room and does a remodeling job, top to bottom. He takes out a door here, but puts in a window there, erects a wall where there is permissiveness and takes out a dark closet where pet sins were once fed and nurtured. He wires your thinking and expands the square footage of your heart to dimensions you never thought possible!

So, the question is – are you willing to have the Lord be in control of your relationships, your work, your circumstances, your body?

This would be making Him not just present in your life, but president – over all – the Lord of your externals. But perhaps more important is that the Lord be supreme and over all your internals; that is, your mind, your emotions, your will. The lordship issue boils down to a decision of the will. Robert Munger, in his excellent booklet, “My Heart – Christ’s Home” says, “Give the King a castle that is worthy of His presence.” Let’s make that a goal.

Make Him Lord of your externals and internals, and He will have His rightful place in your life. — Rev. John Hibbard is a member of the Board of Trustees of America’s KESWICK and my dear friend.

GOD’S WORD FOR YOU: 2 Chronicles 25-27; John 16

Think about it: Lord grant that the fire of my heart may melt the lead in my feet.-Anonymous

THE NEVER-FORSAKING GOD

“He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you'” Hebrews 13:5

For those of you who have been a part of the Freedom Fighter family for some time, you have heard me say often that I am amazed at how many times God meets me at my point of need when I take the time to spend time alone with Him each morning.

Yesterday was one of those rough days for my kids and my family as we are walking through the grieving process. While we are confident and comforted that Lindsay is in heaven, it stinks for us. We miss her so much. As we are learning, grieve comes in waves, but oh how thankful we are that His comfort rolls in with even bigger waves!

Yesterday’s reading from Oswald Chambers was so timely for me. Chew on this one and let it speak to your soul today:

“What line of thinking do my thoughts take? Do I turn to what God says or to my own fears? Am I simply repeating what God says or am I learning to truly hear from Him and then to respond after I have heard what He says? “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

“I will never leave you …” – no, not for ANY reason; not my sin, selfishness, stubbornness, nor waywardness. Have I really let God say to me that He will never leave me? If I have not truly heard this assurance of God, then let me listen again.

“I will never … forsake you …” Sometimes it is not the difficulty of life but the drudgery of it that makes me think God will forsake me. When there is no major difficulty to overcome no vision from God, nothing wonderful or beautiful – just everyday activities of life – do I hear God’s assurance even in these?

We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing – that He is preparing and equipping us for some extraordinary work in the future. But as we grow in His grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment. If we have God’s assurance behind us, the most amazing strength becomes ours, and we learn to sing, glorifying Him even in the ordinary days and ways of life.” — My Utmost for His Highest

Well, my friend, I needed that reminder. I hope that it will encourage your heart today as well. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: 2 Chronicles 23-24; John 15

THINK ABOUT THIS: Emotional healing is almost always a process. It takes time. There is a very important reason for this. Our heavenly Father is not only wanting to free us from the pain of past wounds, he is also desirous of bringing us into maturity, both spiritually and emotionally. That takes time, because we need time to learn to make the right choices. He loves us enough to take the months and years necessary to not only heal our wounds, but also build our character. Without growth of character we will get wounded again.– Floyd McClung

SATAN’S PLAN OF SALVATION

“What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2:10-11

One of my favorite Bible College professors was the late Dr. John Cawood. He used to make this statement: “When Satan fell, he landed in the church sound room, rolled into the choir loft and then into the nursery.” While I know he was joking, it is good reminder that the enemy of our souls is alive and well. He is very active “seeking those he may devour.”

Many of us have been familiar with Dr. Bill Bright’s gospel tract, THE FOUR SPIRITUAL LAWS which begins with the statement, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!” Well my friend, guess what – Satan has a plan for your life too! Listen to the words of devotional writer, Glynn Evans in today’s reading from DAILY WITH THE KING:

“Lord, I must ever be aware of the wiles of Satan. I sometimes forget that he has a “plan of salvation” also. He is great at promising “deliverance” (Hebrews 11:35). In fact, his deliverance mimics the great deliverance that YOU promise Your children. In being tempted by Satan, Jesus was promised deliverance from the cross (Matthew 4:9). Many martyrs were promised deliverance from their pains by a simple recantation. All Satan requires for his deliverances is exactly that which God requires: commitment to him.

I must always remember that Satan wants be alive and well on planet earth. What despot, however evil, wants his subjects distressed and unhappy? The usual caricature – that Stan was us destroyed, mutilated, or distorted – is not true. He wants us to fulfill ourselves and to be the happy subjects he wants us to be – but in his way. That is why it is very difficult to convince unsaved worldlings that they are NOT having a good time. The fact is, they are! Further, it is difficult to get worldlings to exchange their IMMEDIATE happiness, which Satan gives, for an eventual happiness which God promises.

The difference between God’s deliverance and Satan’s hinges on a crucial
point: Do I live for myself, or for others? Satan says, “Serve me, and I will give you everything you want.” God says, “Serve Me, and I will give you only what is good.” Satan’s philosophy will eventually kill me, for the end of a self-serving soul is death. God’s philosophy will make me eternally alive, for the person who gives his life for others will live forever. Never will God leave me naked before my enemy as long as my face is turned toward Him, and never will He recant His oath that no power of any kind will ever be able to pry me away from Him. (Romans 8:35-39)”

Good reminder, guys! Be aware! Don’t be ignorant! But remember this: The enemy is a defeated foe – defeated at the Cross. Live today knowing that he is defeated. Greater is HE that is in you than he that is in the world. Don’t be ignorant of the enemy’s plan for your life. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s Word for YOU: 2 Corinthians 21-22; John 14

Think about this: Abide in Me: These words are the command of love, which is ever only a promise in a different shape. Think of this until all feeling of burden and fear and despair pass away, and the first thought that comes as you hear of abiding in Jesus be one of bright and joyous hope. — Andrew Murray

Be Careful What You Pray For

“Wilt Thou not Thyself revive us again, that Thy people may rejoice in You? Show us Your lovingkindness, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation!”
Psalm 85:6-7)

One of the comments that I have made to congregations when I lead worship is to think about how often we SING lies! Did I grab your attention? Do you really mean what you sing? Think about it the next time you are singing. Do I really believe what I am singing when I worship the Lord? If our worship is all about HIM and He is our audience of ONE – wow … think about that.

There is a powerful hymn that is often sung as an invitation hymn. The hymn is CLEANSE ME (Search Me, O God), a prayer written by James Edwin Orr. The last verse of the hymn reads: “O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee; Send a revival, start the work in ME …” Just as in singing, we need to be careful HOW we pray. Do I really want God to bring revival to my church? My city? My country?

Think about this: “Lord, teach me to understand the meaning of revival.
I have often prayed for revival, hoping to be the revivalist and therefore the center. At other times we have longed for revival because it meant crowds, interest, and excitement. How wrong those ideas! Revival is anything but pleasant; it is a searching, searing time when God’s holiness burns hotly against our sins. It is knowing that God is a ‘consuming fire’ (Hebrews 12:29); knowing God’s ‘terror’ (2 Corinthians 5:11), and crying out, ‘Woe is me’ (Isaiah 6:5).

Revival has one chief aim – the removal of sin and the purifying of the believer. We read of revivals and wholesale conversions, but these are the RESULTS of revival. Revival itself concerns two parties: God and His people. The message of revival is: What are you doing about your piled-up sins? Revival is a sign that, because of His thinning patience, God has moved His people to confession. But it also means something else: God loves us so much that He is anxious to put us back into a right relationship with Himself.

In revival, God says, ‘I love you, so get rid of your sins.’ The seed of revival is the grief of the Holy Spirit; the confession of the people is the Spirit’s grief vented. Only when the Spirit is ‘ungrieved’ can blessing come. It is at that point that God’s people can take a mighty leap forward. Unless I have a contented Holy Spirit within me, I need revival. Revival is God’s mighty surgery for people who have grown dull of hearing.

The Psalmist’s deep cry encourages us, ‘Will you not revive us again, that YOUR people may rejoice in YOU (Psalm 85:6). It is a welcome day when revival comes, for then we are restored and delivered! (from DAILY WITH THE KING by Glynn Evans/Moody Press)

So do you want God to begin a revival in your church? In your ministry?
In your family? Then be careful what You pray for – He most likely start that revival in YOU! But guess what – it will be worth it! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK.

God’s WORD for YOU: 2 Chronicles 19-20; John 13:21-38

Think about this: Jeremy Taylor gives us some fundamental rules for prayer. And the chief of them is this: “Do not lie to God.” And that curt piece of advice, so bluntly thrown down for us, is indeed all-important. Do not burn false fire upon God’s altar; do not pose and pretend, either to Him or to yourself, in your religious exercises; do not say more than you mean, or use exaggerated language that goes beyond the facts, when speaking to Him whose word is truth. — Arthur John (A. J.) Gossip

Keeping focused

Often friends tell me they see me driving down the road and they either wave or honk and I just ignore them! Well…I’m one of those people who pays very little attention to who’s in another car.

I keep my eyes on the road and what other cars are doing, not particularly at who is in the car! I’m sure most of you have driven with someone who is always taking in the scenery or looking at you when they’re driving or they seem to know everyone in each car that goes by. That is so scary! In the seconds it takes you to take your eyes off the road you can have an accident.

I may be hyper-sensitive because there have been many accidents in my family…some just fender benders – some fatal. Perhaps that has made me more aware of how important it is to keep your eyes on the road.

The same goes for our spiritual life. It is so important to keep our eyes focused on Jesus ALL the time. Satan just looks for the opportunity when we take our eyes off Jesus, to lead us down a path of destruction. And it all starts with just a glance. There are so many things that can distract us from our Lord. There are so many interruptions and distractions that can entice us to take our eyes off of Him. Satan is sneaky and he knows how to disguise a distraction so that at first it seems harmless enough.

Perhaps you worked extra hard in the yard and you’re so tired. It couldn’t hurt to sleep “in” in the morning and miss your devotions this one time? It’s so easy to fall into this trap or any other one just like it.Psalm 141:8, But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge-do not give me over to death. Psalm 25:15, My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.Deuteronomy 5:32-33, So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. It just seems to me…it is near to impossible to sin if I keep my eyes on Jesus…just keep my eyes focused on Him and stay in the Word. Be diligent and watchful and don’t fall for those seemingly “harmless” distractions. If only I were as diligent with keeping my eyes on Jesus as I am with keeping my eyes on the road when I’m driving. Oh that my family and friends would say about my life “She never takes her eyes off Jesus!”

Mary Ann Kiernan and John have been married for 35 years, have 2 grown/married sons and are the proud grandparents of two grandsons. She serves at America’s Keswick as a Biblical Counselor and also as Intake Coordinator for the Colony of Mercy. Her life verse is Romans 8:28.

LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – THE GREAT DANGER

Many of you have been blessed by the weekend writings of Pastor John Strain. He is our Pastor and we are blessed by his friendship and ministry. Yesterday’s message was powerful and the outline below is one that I want to encourage you to use to dig deeper in your walk with the Lord:

“God designed each of us to know Him, love Him and serve Him. We do that effectively when we experience “Life in the Spirit.” To live any other way is to live a sub-normal Christian life. That’s why we need to understand “THE GREAT DANGER” that attacks those who want “LIFE IN THE SPIRIT.”

1. Danger lurks at the door when we GRIEVE the Holy Spirit. To
grieve is to make sorry.

2. Danger lurks at the door when we QUENCH the Holy Spirit. To
quench is to extinguish.

3. Danger lurks at the door when we TEST the Holy Spirit. To test is
to deliberately disobey.

4. Danger arrives at the door when we exhaust God’s patience.

So here are four keys to avoiding THE GREAT DANGER:

1. Pursue godliness and resist the enemy.

2. Walk humbly.

3. Live obediently.

4. Choose surrender over independence.

I trust that this simple outline will cause you to think and dig a little deeper. It was what I needed to hear yesterday. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK.

God’s WORD for YOU: 2 Chronicles 17-18; John 13:1-20

Think about this: Most Christians are like a man who was toiling along the road, bending under a heavy burden, when a wagon overtook him, and the driver kindly offered to help him on his journey. He joyfully accepted the offer, but when seated, continued to bend beneath his burden, which he still kept on his shoulders. “Why do you not lay down your burden?” asked the kind-hearted driver. “Oh!” replied the man, “I feel that it is almost too much to ask you to carry me, and I could not think of letting you carry my burden too.” And so Christians, who have given themselves into the care and keeping of the Lord Jesus, still continue to bend beneath the weight of their burden, and often go weary and heavy-laden throughout the whole length of their journey. – Hannah Whitall Smith

Wise and Simple-the Path to Secure Living

If you’re a regular reader of Freedom Fighters, you’ve read a lot on the same general theme this week. Bill Welte challenged you earlier in the week to BEWARE the tricks of the enemy with whom we are at war. Chris Hughes wrote Thursday and quoted Dallas Willard as he told us to get off the treadmill and avoid temptation. Yesterday, I wrote about the prudent man who sees evil approaching and runs from it.

I want to continue the theme of careful living today. The Apostle Paul writes wisdom for us in Romans 16:19: “For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be WISE in what is good, and SIMPLE concerning evil.”

The issue, again, is personal responsibility. We live in the power of the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit empowers us to live responsibly. He helps us make wise choices and decisions. All of us know the stories of those who make bad choices and have to live with the consequences. Here is truth we must accept-we don’t have to make those bad choices.

I’d like us to consider two questions this morning. 1) How wise are you and I in what is good? Do we pursue good? Do we work at learning what is good and then choosing it? The Apostle wanted the Romans, and us, to live for that which is good. He knew that choosing good protects us and empowers our witness in the world.

Here’s the second question: How simple are we concerning evil? Most of us live too comfortably with evil. We let it live to close to us and lose the simplicity toward evil that Paul desired for us. Many of us are too confident in ourselves and think we can handle evil. The Apostle urged us to live so far from evil that we’re “simple” or “innocent” toward it. He’s telling us we should be as unacquainted with evil as possible.

So, you and I have make choices. We can listen to the Spirit and become wise in what is good. Or, we can listen to our enemy and flirt with evil. We’ll lose our simple innocence and live in danger rather than security. The choices are ours. May God help choose what is good and be ignorant of what is evil! – Pastor Strain is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Toms River http://www.fbctomsriver.com/

God’s Word for YOU: 2 Chronicles 15-16; John 12:27-50

Think about this: Duties are ours, events are God’s; When our faith goes to meddle with events, and to hold account upon God’s Providence, and beginneth to say, ‘How wilt Thou do this or that?’ we lose ground; we have nothing to do there; it is our part to let the Almighty exercise His own office, and steer His own helm; there is nothing left for us, but to see how we may be approved of Him, and how we roll the weight of our weak souls upon Him who is God omnipotent, and when we thus essay miscarrieth, it shall be neither our sin nor our cross. — Samuel Rutherford