I was hoping to sleep in this morning, but it wasn’t meant to be. At 5:00 AM our “outside” puppy started to whimper and bark and wouldn’t settle down. At first we thought it might be an owl or maybe the deer trying to get into my vegetable garden. Jan got up to check it out, and
after she was gone for almost 30 minutes, I decided to go out and see what was up.

In addition to our chickens, Zach has been raising rabbits. Cobweb (Dad) and Elizabeth (Mom) have had two litters of babies, and most of them have not survived, especially in the heat. Mom and Dad were living in a hutch in the caged in area of our little farm, but two weeks ago they
escaped and have been running free. Yesterday the puppy was chasing Elizabeth and almost caught her. While running from the puppy she must have injured her back leg.

The commotion this morning was because Cobweb was wanting Elizabeth to get back to the hutch because of her injured leg. He was like a mother hen with his bride, encouraging her to move to safety as quickly as possible. Jan was able to assist in getting her back in the hutch. We
watched in the distance as Cobweb came inside the yard and made his way to the hutch to check to see that all was well. It became quite apparent that he wanted a better look, so he maneuvered around so that he could get back inside as well. We have watched him for the last hour as he has tenderly and lovingly moved around the hutch, kissing and licking his
mate and making sure she is ok.

As I watched these two in action, isn’t it sad that sometimes the animals do a better job of caring for their family better than us? We get so wrapped up in our agenda’s and schedules that we miss out on the times that our loved ones need us the most. Weekends are a good time for
most of us to reconnect with our loved ones after a long week. Don’t miss these golden opportunities this weekend to connect with your family. Once the moment is gone, you can never go back.
Good words to ponder on this Saturday, July 23, 2005.

“If your godliness has freed you from the desire to be rich and has helped you be content with what you have, then your godliness is tremendously profitable.” — John Piper

“Contentment is not only a good idea; it is our duty. If God recommends something, we ought to do it. As J. I. Packer has emphasized, contentment is both commended (‘Godliness with contentment is great gain . . .’) and commanded (‘Be content with what you have . . .’).

Such a forceful endorsement by the Almighty should make contentment a prominent concern for each of us. Instead we make it a secret concealed by our indifference to it. When the Apostle Paul wrote, ‘I have learned the secret of being content,’ his use of the word SECRET was intentional. Those things we expect to bring contentment surprisingly do not. We cannot depend on it to fall into place through the progressive evolving of civilization, for contentment arises from a different source.

Most of us do not know how to uncover this secret and, to be honest, have never seriously tried. Our quest is not for contentment but for MORE. This quest brings us into an immense maze, where before us lie dozens of avenues. Some are wide, luxurious, downhill, and tempting, and
we see a rush of our friends entering them. They lead to beautiful houses, comfortable cars, exotic vacations, and affluence. Other avenues, equally popular, lead to prestigious colleges, distinguished jobs, important friends, and power. Still others direct us to beautiful
spouses, beautiful children, deep tans, and popularity.

All the while, off to one side, courses a narrow uphill road, unadorned and unpopular. It is dusty from its sparse use and lonely from lack of travelers. The sole treasure at its end is an elusive commodity called ‘godliness with contentment.’

Godliness is an attitude whereby what we want is to please God. Contentment, explains J. I. Packer, ‘is essentially a matter of accepting from God’s hand what He sends because we know that HE is good and therefore it is good.’

Contentment is the freedom that comes when prosperity or poverty do not matter. To accept what we have and “to want but little,” as Thoreau advised. The more we choose contentment, the more God sets us free. The more He sets us free, the more we choose contentment.”

from A MINUTE OF MARGIN by Dr. Richard Swenson . . . good words for this Friday, July 22, 2005. God bless you.

“God’s power is undeniable; His precision is impressive; His sovereignty is on display. How can such power fail to dominate every thought and action? Why do we trust Him more? Is it not that God has failed to clearly demonstrate His nature or that He has been lax in instructing us? It is just that we are slow to understand. This world is too much with us.

What we need is a new vision of God. The real God. Not some vague image we fold up and stuff in the back drawer of life, but the kind of God who parts the Red Sea and shakes Mount Sinai. The kind of God who stuns physicists with symmetry, the mathematicians with precision, the
engineers with design, the politicians with power, and the poets with beauty.

The Scriptures build our understanding of God’s sovereignty on a practical level — by that I mean the kind of knowledge that affects our everyday behavior. But science is also a fascinating source of revelation, and increasingly so.

The spiritual implications of modern science are impossible to dismiss. They are a stick of dynamite under the front porch of our spiritual complacency. When we lift any stone of the universe, God’s fingerprints stare back at us. Everything is there, waiting to be discovered. All the evidence we need, and more.

When we understand the sovereignty, power, design, majesty, precision, genius, intimacy, and caring of an almighty God, it takes away our fear. It removes our frustrations. It allows us to sleep at night and trust Him with the running of our own universe. It allows us to have margin.
It allows us to resume our proper role in the order of things rather than taking over His role. It allows us to seek His will rather than following our own mind.

The more we understand about God’s power, the less we worry about our weakness. The more we trust in God’s sovereignty, the less we fret about the future.

from A MINUTE OF MARGIN — RESTORING THE BALANCE TO BUSY LIVES by Dr.
Richard Swenson, published by NavPress.

Good words for us to ponder today. Has Freedom Fighter encouraged you? Then there are two ways to help: 1. Share it with a friend, and 2. Let us hear from you with your comments. Have a great day.

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40)

“Bible study will not give you eternal life. You could memorize the entire Bible and be able to discuss minute issues of biblical scholarship and yet fail to experience the truths found in its pages. It is a subtle temptation to prefer the book to the Author. A book will not confront you about sin; the Author will. Books can be ignored; it is much harder to avoid the Author when He is seeking a relationship with you.

The Pharisees in Jesus’ day thought God would pleased with their knowledge of His Word. They could quote long, complicated passages of Scripture. They loved to recite and study God’s Law for ours on end. Yet Jesus condemned them because although they knew the Scriptures, they did not know God. They were proud of their Bible knowledge, but they rejected the invitation to know God’s Son.

Can you imagine yourself knowing all that God has promised to do in your life but then turning to something else instead? You may be tempted to turn to substitutes. These substitutes aren’t necessarily bad things. They might include serving in the church, doing good deeds, or reading
Christian books. No amount of Christian activity will ever replace your relationship with Jesus. The Apostle Paul considered every ‘good’ thing he had done to be ‘rubbish’ when compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8). Never become satisfied with religious
activity rather than a personal, vibrant, and growing relationship with Jesus Christ.”

from Henry Blackaby EXPERIENCING GOD DAY BY DAY published by Broadman Holman

“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:11-12)

Chuck Swindol reminds us that earth is the battleground where we as believers combat lusts that wage war against our souls. He reminds us that “for our brief tour of duty we Christians have on this earth, we cannot get stalled in sin or, for that matter, incapacitated by guilt. To live the kind of live that God requires, Peter offers four suggestions:

1. Live a clean life. Don’t think for a moment that it makes no difference to unbelievers how Christians live. We live out our faith before a watching world. That’s why Peter urges is to abstain from fleshly lusts, ‘in order to get their attention’ and to prove that what we believe really works. We don’t have a clue how man non-Christians are watching us on this very day, determining the truth of the message of Christianity strictly on the basis of how we live, how we work, how we respond to life’s tests, or how we conduct ourselves with our families.

2. Leave no room for slander. When the ancient Greek philosopher Plato was told that a certain man had begun making slanderous charges against him, Plato’s response was, ‘I will live in such a way that no one will believe what he says.’ The most convincing defense is a silent integrity
of our character, not how vociferously we deny the charges.

3. Do good deeds among unbelievers. It’s easy for Christians to have such tunnel vision that we limit all our good deed to the family of God. Do you drive down the street, see someone with a flat tire, roll down you’re window and yell, ‘Hey are you a Christian?’ then if they say, “NO,” pull away and refuse to help them? We win the right to be heard — not by a slick mass-advertising campaign but by our compassionate and unselfish actions. Peter says, ‘on account of your good deeds,’ nor your good words. The unsaved are watching our lives. When our good deeds are
indisputable the unbeliever says, ‘There must be something to it.’ Chances are good that at that point the person will hear what we have to say.

4. Never forget — we are being watched. The world is watching us to see if what we say we believe is true in our lives.

Good words to ponder from HOPE AGAIN . . . WHEN LIFE HURTS AND DREAMS
FADE by Charles R. Swindoll, published by WORD.

One of the great prayer warriors of all times was George Mueller who founded one of the greatest orphanages in England. Here is what he wrote about how one can ascertain the will of God:

1. I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a stare that is as no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.

2. Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. Is so, I make myself liable to great delusions.

3. I seek the will of the Spirit of God through or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Spirit guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.

4. Next I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s will in connection with His Word and Spirit.

5. I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.

6. Thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters, and in
transactions involving the most important issues, I have found this method always effective.

from MAGNIFICENT PRAYER 365 Devotions to Deepen Your Prayer Experience by Nick Harrison, published by Zondervan.

In preparation for a series I am preaching this week, I came across this new hymn written by the composer of MAJESTY, Dr. Jack Hayford. Great words as you prepare to worship on this Lord’s Day.

WORSHIP CHRIST THE RISEN KING

Tune: Angels From the Realms of Glory

Rise, O Church, and lift your voices,
Christ has conquered death and hell.
Sing as all the earth rejoices;
Resurrection anthems swell.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the Risen King.

See the tomb where death had laid Him,
Empty now, its mouth declares:
“Death and I could not contain Him,
For the Throne of Life He shares.”
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the Risen King.

Hear the earth protest and tremble,
See the stone removed with pow’r;
All hell’s minions may assemble
But cannot withstand is hour.
He has conquered, He has conquered,
Christ the Lord, the Risen King.

Doubt may lift its head to murmur,
Scoffers mock and sinners jeer;
But the truth proclaims a wonder
Thoughtful hearts receive with cheer.
He is risen, He is risen,
Now receive the Risen King!

We acclaim your life, O Jesus,
Now we sing your victory;
Sin or hell may seek to seize us
But your conquest keeps us free.
Stand in triumph, stand in triumph,
Worship Christ, the Risen King!

Have a great day in worship!

One of our faithful friends and fellow Freedom Fighter members just completed the race and crossed the finish line at 1:30 AM. I met Butch Geiser, our Camp Ground Host, nine summers ago. He and his dear wife, Faye, have been an example to all of us of how to suffer with grace and confidence in the Lord. Butch has faced numerous physical challenges including heart issues, diabetes, vision problems, and must recently, leukemia.

Butch has been a faithful witness, loving people and sharing Christ with those he meets. He had an amazing love and burden for the men of the Colony of Mercy. To many of the men, Butch and Faye were “Mom and Dad.”

These past several months, the suffering has been intense with many days spent in the hospital questioning his quality of life. Several days ago he told Faye that he had enough and that this wasn’t life. He was ready to go home to be with Jesus. This morning around 1:30 AM, Butch entered into the arms of Jesus. I could not help but think of Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:6-8: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day, and not only to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Thanks, Butch, for running the race with excellence. You are finally home!

I prayed for help, I prayed for strength,
I prayed for victory;
I prayed for patience and love,
For true humility
But as I prayed, my dying Christ
By faith I seemed to see,
And as I gazed my glad heart cried,
“All things are mine, thro’ Thee!”

If He doth dwell within my heart,
Why need I strength to implore?
The Giver of all grace is mine,
And shall I ask for more?
And need I pray for victory,
When He who conquered death
Dwells in my very inmost soul.
Nearer indeed than breath?

Oh help me, Lord, realize
That Thou are all in all;
That I am more than conqueror
In great things and in small
No need have I but Thou hast met
Upon the cruel tree.
Oh precious, dying risen Lord,
Thou art my victory.

Avis B. Christiansen, as quoted in Charles R. Swindoll, Victory

Good words for you and me today!

Prayer does change things! Growing up I was surrounded with people who were “prayer warriors.” They literally prayed about EVERYTHING. They believed that God answered prayer and that He listened to the prayers of His kids. Jan’s Mom, and mine, both taught us from early on that we could talk to the Lord about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. Some of the things we prayed about were BIG things — some were LITTLE things — kid things. Back then it didn’t make sense, but it has shaped the way we pray today.

With our kids, we have tried to do the same thing. We have prayed for lost hamsters, keys for the car that we couldn’t find, sick pets, sick friends. And our kids will often talk about ways they saw God answer their prayers. And I love to hear children pray because they don’t get wrapped up with all the jargon and flowery phrases — they come to the Lord with the heart of a child.

One of my dearest mentors and friends, Pastor Newton Conant, now with the Lord, was a man who prayed with the heart of a child, yet was not afraid to take ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING to God in prayer. I remember one day calling him for counsel on a particular issue and asking him to pray that God would reveal His will. His response? He put the phone down and was gone for 10 minutes. I couldn’t figure out what he was doing — he was praying! After he was done, he picked up the receiver and shared what I needed to do. It was truly amazing.

Yesterday one of our staff men came into my office distraught because he lost his car keys. He wanted to know if he could borrow a car if he couldn’t find his keys. I suggested to him that we stop and ask the Lord to direct him to his keys, and thanked the Lord for answering our prayer. I told him that I would rejoice with him with the answer when it came. I am not sure if he thought I was crazy, but he said, “OK — when I find them, I will come and share it with you.” Five minutes later he came back to tell me that he found his keys! Praise the Lord.

God is interested in EVERY detail of your life, my friend. He is into BIG things — like running the universe. But He’s also into minutia — He knows the stars by name. He knows when each sparrow falls. He knows YOUR name. He cares for YOU and delights in YOUR childlike faith.

“Call to ME and I will answer YOU. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own!” (Jeremiah 33:3 — from THE MESSAGE)

So what’s on your heart today? Concerns? Problems? Take it to HIM in prayer.