Today’s Freedom Fighter is from REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE — 365 –
Daily Devotions. It is available from the Keswick Bookstore.

ANTHEM OF ANGELS

CAUSE FOR PRAISE

“The LORD is exalted above all the nations, His glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God – the One enthroned on high, who stoops
down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the
dust and lifts the needy from the garbage heap in order to seat them
with nobles – with the nobles of His people. He gives the childless
woman a household, [making her] the joyful mother of children.
Hallelujah! (Psalm 113:4-9)

In this descriptive praise psalm, two great themes will echo
for eternity through the halls of heaven: God’s greatness (vv. 4-5) and
His grace (vv. 6-9).

God is great. There is no lord like our Lord. He is
unique, over all, above all. He sits enthroned on high (literally: “who
makes high with respect to sitting”). In this context, study the
magnificent lyric poetry of Isaiah 40:12-41:4. Our view of man tends to
be overblown and our view of God to be disproportionately small. When
our vision of God enlarges, our problems will shrink to size.

God is grace (unmerited favor). He manifests grace to us in
three ways:

First, from His exalted position in the heavens, He stoops
to survey all of creation. The greatest act of divine stooping would
come when God the Father emptied Himself by assuming the form of a
slave, taking on the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7).

Second, God honors the poor and seats them with the
nobility. Our position in the heavenly community will not depend on
earthly status or recognition by our peers but on His grace.

Third, God settles the barren woman in her home “as a happy
mother of children.” Sarah’s miraculous pregnancy was the joy of the
ancient world (Genesis 18, 21). Hannah’s humiliation was transformed
into jubilation (1 Samuel 2). These great ladies were the motifs
preparing for the grand theme of Mary, the Jewish peasant girl, who bore
the Messiah. This psalm links the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10) with
the Magnificat of Mary (Luke 1:46-55).

The psalm concludes with a final hallelujah – praise the
Lord! God’s glory differs sharply from man’s glory. Who is like the
Lord, our God? He is unique – equally at home above the heavens or at
the side of the lowliest and loneliest creature.

Personal Prayer

I praise you, Lord, for stooping to lift me up, for seating me at your
banquet table, and for settling me forever in your home in glory.

Dr. Don Wyrtzen

Scripture Reading: Habakkuk; Revelation 15

Have a great day IN CHRIST.

GETTING YOUR FEET WET!

“And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord- the Lord of all the earth- set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

(Joshua 3:13)

A few years ago I spent about five weeks carrying Bibles into China from a base in Hong Kong. OK, smuggling Bibles. The communist government was controlling the “registered churches,” and so most of the Christians in China were functioning “underground.” In spite of, (maybe because of), decades of intense persecution, the Gospel, and the church, was spreading like wildfire. It still is. There is a real lack of Bibles though, and so people like me were bringing them in. Twelve times I crossed a border, travelled inland, made the drop, and returned to base. In the providence of God, I was never caught.

Not only did I feel like I was doing my part, but I can also say that I have never felt closer to God, or more alive. One day though, at the border, I felt a surge of worry. As I waited to have my passport examined, I could see a dozen customs officers hard at work. Loads of travellers were having their bags searched. That’s when I remembered the priests and the Jordan. That’s when the peace came. “I am a priest of the Lord of all the earth. I carry the ark of the covenant in my heart, and his holy word with my hands.” As I stepped into the customs area, every officer disappeared. Every one was busy searching someone else. I couldn’t even see one. The river parted, and I walked through on dry ground.

So, what is it that God has laid on your heart? I’m not saying that everyone should smuggle Bibles, or that we always see success. But I know that as His child, you are also His priest. In prayer, you stand in the presence of the One who is life and represent a dying world. And in that dying world, you stand before its people and represent the One who is Life. Surely God has something for you to do. How many times does He have to ask? Wouldn’t it be awful to find out later that you had missed out on the very thing that would have really made a difference? Remember, He is the Lord of all the earth. Go on, get your feet wet!

Chris Thompson

Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 6-7; Luke 20:27-47

Chris Thompson is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. His devotionals are featured in our 365-daily devotional, REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE — Finding God Faithful and True. To order a copy, call Jef at the KESWICK Bookstore — 732-350-1187 ext. 31

GET READY FOR AN AWESOME RIDE!

“‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

The plans God has for you are plans to give you hope and a future. He has things in store for you that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1Cor. 2:9b) When you receive Jesus as your personal savior, His plans are going to be brought forth. They will come to pass in order for you to be conformed to the image of Christ. The Context for the verse in Jeremiah 29 was God’s chastening of His people by sending them into captivity for Seventy years in Babylon. It was just prior to this captivity that God reassured them that He knew what he was doing – and that He was working out His plan for their good and His glory. The experiences that the Israelites went through during these years were that of dealing with the consequences of their sin. They disobeyed the Lord and were now being held responsible for it. And so it is with us. When sin is present in as person’s life, God will do one of two things with it – forgive it, or judge it. In order for anyone to enter into a personal relationship with God through Christ, sin must be dealt with. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.” (1Jn. 1:8-10)

I remember as a kid going on the rides on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, NJ. My favorite ride was the Jet-Star. This bobsled type rollercoaster reached speeds close to, if not over 100 miles per hour. Now, Great Adventure boasts of its “Nitro” rollercoaster or the “Great American Scream Machine” or, if you like a more traditional roller coaster there is “Rolling Thunder.” Usually before each of these rides start, you hear a final statement from the operator that sounds something like, “Please Hold On To The Bar!” It was the indicator that you were in for an awesome ride. The operator of the ride knew what you were in for. If it was your first time on the ride, you may not have known what to expect. The ride may seem dangerous. When the shoulder harness clicks and the bar comes down over your lap, you’re locked in for the ride of your life. You have to trust that the operator knows what he’s doing to have an awesome ride. In your walk with Christ, it may seem like a roller coaster of a ride; but take heart, God knows what his plans are for you. He’s the one you must hold on to. He is the one that who keeps you securely in his grip. It’s like the first time you ride a road you haven’t been down before. The twists and turns along the road have to be met with caution and skill but keep holding on to the handle bars, lean into your turns and accelerate through them and you will have an awesome ride.

Lord, sometimes this ride seems too much for me to handle, please help me to hold on to your promises to steer me through the twists and turns of life so I may enjoy the ride before me. In Jesus’ Name — Amen

Rev. Michael P. Woods

Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 1-2; Luke 19-28-48

Pastor Mike Woods is the Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries and is the Administrator of the Colony of Mercy, America’s KESWICK’S 108 year old residential program for men in addiction. For information about the Colony of Mercy, visit our website — http://www.americaskeswick.org

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FROM “WITHOUT HOPE” TO “A LIVING HOPE”

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy as begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

Almost all of the New Testament was written to people who were in trouble in one way or another, who were unhappy for various reasons, who were tempted to look back to the live out of which they had been saved. They were unhappy and troubled even though they were Christians. They didn’t know what to do or believe, and they needed help. In other words, the apostles were writing to real people just like us and giving them God’s answers to the same kinds of problems we face.

What did they tell them? One of the primary questions they answered over and over had to do with God’s forgiveness. Apparently, these people had committed so much sin so many different times, they were worried and wondered if God would still love them, forgive them, and let them into heaven.

Like these people, maybe there is some sin in your life that makes you think God couldn’t love you and He just wouldn’t forgive you: “God couldn’t love me. After all, I stole something. I had an abortion. I’ve told a lot of lies. I’ve had premarital sex. I’ve committed adultery or been involved in homosexuality.”

Well, the Bible says you are wrong about God! He knows all about your sins and still loves you. He wants you to come to Him for complete forgiveness and for His help and guidance.

In Ephesians 2:11-12 we read that we were sinners “without hope and without God in the world,” totally undeserving and unworthy of God’s favor and forgiveness. But He extended His kindness to us and instructed us to gladly and humbly accept it and believe that He loves us.

The Apostle Peter writes, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

Dr. John Ankerberg

Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 21-22; Luke 18:24-43

Our good friend, Dr. John Ankerberg will be speaking at America’s KESWICK Labor Day Weekend 2006. To order a copy of our daily devotional, REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE, please call Jef at the Keswick Bookstore — 800-453-7942.

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GIVE GOD TIME

“You say, ‘I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge uprightly.’” (Psalm 75:2)

In his delightful compendium of wisdom we call Ecclesiastes, Solomon astounds us with his “practical” wisdom. He notes, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). The word “season” implies duration, a period of time with set boundaries at the beginning and end. The word “time” implies a point in time, like right now.

God has a special kind of calendar. He keeps time in ways that no other timepiece can. God doesn’t run on Greenwich Mean Time. He clocks at His own speed; He does things in His own time.

For God, there is a time for everything, even difficult things like death, and war and grieving. God doesn’t exclude negative things from our lives; in fact, He seems to make time for them. But God promises that there is a “season” for everything, a set time, with a well defined beginning and ending. Even the bad times come to an end, when their season is up. God will see to it.

That’s why we need to constantly live by God’s timetable. Then we’ll be reminded that we need to give God time—to make the world right, to correct all the physical and verbal abuse we have taken, to take away sickness and death, to make of us what He wants us to be. God has placed “eternity in our hearts” to remind us that almost everything under heaven is temporary. The older we get and the more struggles we face, the more comforting it is to remember that God makes all things beautiful in His time, not ours.

If you feel a little overwhelmed by challenges and changes in your life, remember you always can always find strength in God, the One who will never change. When things seem to be out of control in your life, remember the Great Timekeeper, the One who is ultimately in control and will not allow your challenges to continue one moment longer than their appointed time.

God is available to comfort you through all the seasons of your life. So don’t rush things. God can make even the most difficult trial a beautiful opportunity in your life if you’ll only give Him time.

Dr. Woodrow Kroll

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 12-13; Luke 22:1-30

from the Keswick daily devotional — REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE. Order your copy today. Call Jef at the KESWICK BOOKSTORE — 732-350-1187 ext. 31

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WHAT GOD CANNOT DO

“Behold I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).

Does this mean that God will do anything you ask? Probably not.

God’s omnipotence is His ability to do all His character will permit Him to do. You can be thankful there are some things God just won’t do because they are out of harmony with His moral nature.

God will not look on your sin with approval. Habakkuk 1:12-13 says, “Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? … You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness.” God’s power won’t approve of your sin because His character won’t permit Him to do so.

Also, God will not be tempted to do evil Himself. James 1:13, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” God doesn’t have the power to be tempted to do evil. That’s why you can trust His character. When you want God to do something that is out of character for Him, He won’t do it, and that should encourage you.

Besides this, God cannot lie. To Titus the apostle Paul wrote that he was an apostle “according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgement of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:1-2). That means you can trust God and His Word to always tell you the truth. You may not like what He tells you, but you can be certain it will always be true.

God is not hampered by inability but sometimes He is deterred by His character. If He delays in solving your problems, it’s not because He lacks the power to do something about them. Rather, it’s because He possesses the wisdom to care for them in the right time and in the right way, neither of which may be evident yet.

Rejoice that God is omnipotent, but be equally glad that He is omniscient, all-knowing. Without the combination of the two, you would have a God with strength but no character, power with no convictions. Fortunately, our God has both. Thank Him for who He is today.

Dr. Woodrow Kroll

Scripture Reading: Daniel 3-4; 1 John 5

TO ORDER A COPY OF THE 365- Daily Devotional, REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE, please call Jef at the KESWICK BOOKSTORE — 800-453-7942 ext. 31

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HE NEVER CHANGES

“It seems to be very hard for us to comprehend the importance of the
fact that Christ does not change and that there is no fluctuation in His
character, in His nature, in His resources, in His love and mercy.

Because change is everywhere around us at all times on this earth and
among human beings, it is difficult for us to grasp the eternal and
unchanging nature and person of Jesus Christ .
But nothing about our Lord Jesus Christ has changed down to this very
hour. His love has not changed. It hasn’t cooled off, and it needs no
increase because He has already loved us with infinite love and there is
no way that infinitude can be increased. His compassionate understanding
of us has not changed. His interest in us and His purposes for us have
not changed.

He is Jesus Christ, our Lord. He is the very same Jesus. Even though He
has been raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the
Majesty in the heavens, and made Head over all things to the Church, His
love for us remains unchanged. Even though He has been given all
authority and power in heaven and in earth, He is the very same Jesus in
every detail. He is the same YESTERDAY, TODAY and FOREVER!

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:4

from TOZER ON THE ALMIGHTY GOD compiled by Ron Eggert published by
Christian Publications. Good words for today.

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The Devil’s Beatitudes

Blessed are they who are too tired and too busy to go to church on
Sunday, for they are my best workers.
Blessed are they who are bored with the minister’s mannerisms and
mistakes, for they get nothing out of the sermon.
Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church
for he is part of the problem instead of the solution.
Blessed are they who gossip, for they cause strife and divisions that
please me.
Blessed are they who are easily offended, for they soon get angry and
quit.
Blessed are they who do not give their offerings to carry of God’s work
for they are my best helpers.
Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother and
sister, for he shall be with me forever.
Blessed are the trouble makers, for they shall be called the children of
the devil.
Blessed is he who has no time to pray, for he will be easy prey.

from PULPIT HELPS

Your Pastor needs your encouragement and support. Why not drop him a
note today. Let him know you are praying for him. Have a good day in
Christ.

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HAPPY CHRISTIANS . . .

We live in the 5th largest senior citizen’s population of the country
and rub shoulders with thousands of seniors. In my eight years in this
community I have met some of the grumpiest people. Unfortunately some of
them have been Christians.

God has wired all of us differently and I realize that part of my
“wiring” is that I tend to be optimistic and positive in my outlook. I
tend to look at the glass as “half full” while others tend to look at
the glass as “half empty.” I have a wonderful group of men and women
that meet with me in the mornings to pray and for several months I would
walk away from the prayer time frustrated and depressed. Then I realized
that most of my key leaders are wired the opposite of how I am wired.
Two or three of us are excited for the brand new day and all the
challenges before us. We are happy and excited about to see what God is
going to do next. The rest of the team are just happy that they are
awake. Just their demeanor sends a signal that they wished they were
still in bed. The glass is definitely “half-empty.”

Over the years I have been involved in leading worship and one of the
things that has made me chuckle is watching people sing. We can be
singing songs about joy and all that God has done for us, but someone
how the joy and happiness hasn’t made it from the heart to the face.

Now I am not suggesting to you this morning that we need to put on a
false face and be fake with people we rub shoulders with. But I do
believe that we could impact the kingdom by allowing the joy that is in
our hearts to bubble up from within and show itself on our faces. There
are so many unhappy, miserable people, that your countenance alone could
give you a reason to share the hope that is within you.

In reading through some of the Psalms this morning, I read these words
from Psalm 16 from THE MESSAGE: “I’m happy from the inside out, and
from the outside in, I’m firmly formed. You canceled my ticket to hell
— that’s not my destination.”

This morning I am happy that because of JESUS — my ticket destination
has been changed from hell to heaven! That in itself ought to make me
happy today. I deserve hell — but instead, because of His grace (God
giving me what I don’t deserve) and mercy (God NOT giving me what I do
deserve) — heaven is my destiny. Wow!

I learned a little chorus in Sunday School many years ago: “I’m
in-right, out-right, up-right, down -right happy all the time, I’m
in-right, out-right, up-right, down-right happy all the time. Since
Jesus Christ came in — and cleansed my heart from sin — I’m in-right,
out-right, up-right, down-right happy all the time.”

Lord, may my life today bubble over with the joy and happiness that is
in my heart because of what YOU have done in my life.
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GOD IS . . .

Yesterday I shared with you from Scripture who are great God is . . .
Someone shared this with me many years ago . . .

God is like —

God is like Ford — He has a better idea!
God is like Coke — He is the real thing!
God is like Pan Am — He makes the going great!
God is like Pepsi — He’s got lots to give!
God is like Standard Oil — You expect more from Him and you get it!
God is like Dial soap — Aren’t you glad you know Him?
God is like Alka Seltzer — Try Him, You’ll like Him!
God is like Bayer asprin — He takes the pain away!
God is like Hallmark cards — He cared enough to send the very best!
God is like Tide — He gets out the stains that others leave behind!
God is like VO5 hair spray — He holds through all kinds of weather!
God is like Mattell toys — You can tell He’s swell!

Maybe you are too old to remember some of those … so how about these?

God is like Dominoe’s Pizza — He delivers!
God is like Westinghouse — You can be sure if it’s God!
God is like Visine — He gets the sin out!
God is like Vitalis Hair Creme — Who says God doesn’t care about hair?
God is like AllState — You’re in good hands with God.
God is like Gaterade — He quenches your thirst!
God is like Ban Roll-On — He won’t wear off as the day wears on!
God is like Bounty Towels — He’s the quicker, picker-upper!
God is like Campbell’s Soup — M’m good! M’m good!
God is like Citiband — The God who never sleeps!
God is like the Energizer Bunny — He keeps going and going and going!
God is like McDonald’s — He did it all for you!
God is like Mr. Clean — He cleans your whole life and everything in it!

“No one is like the Lord. For there is none besides You nor is there any
Rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2) Good reminder on this 18th day of
October.

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