“For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles. But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.” – Acts 4:36-5:2 (NLT)

I don’t mean to start this off by sounding too critical of the movie industry, but it may end up going that way. At the time of this writing, the “Oscars” have been given out to those who allegedly deserve them, and I still can’t help wonder why that statuette resembles the golden idol that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had people bow down to. And the funnier thing is with our current political unrest, some of those folks who received what I will now call their “Nebbie” took to podium and gave those with ears that wanna hear their slant on how we need to run our current president out of office on a rail.

So, I guess the Bible is true when we read… “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” (2 Tim 4:3). C’est la guerre. But all this award giving out to people who now believe themselves conveyers of a New Age Truth has got me thinking of a time period when a good case of bad recognition had a high cost to it. Maybe you know their story as well. You’ll find it in The Book of Acts…the tale of Ananias and Sapphira.

Two words come to mind when I look at this tragic story, ambition and adulation.  I don’t think being ambitious is a bad thing, on the contrary, without a healthy ambition one may decide that it is just easier if someone else pave the way to a better da,y but that second word, adulation, that word can get us into all kinds of trouble and carries with it a deceiving hook.

Now, to have received the kind of praise that Barnabas may have received may have been flattering, but Barnabas was different as we will find out in the rest of the reading of The Book of Acts. He allowed himself to be filled with The Holy Spirit and the rest is history. I would say that his ambition to please Jesus Christ paid off in the good recognition he receives for the missionary work he does with Paul, but Ananias and Sapphira…that doesn’t go so well.

And why was that? Bet you’re saying because they were lying to the Holy Spirit, aren’t you? Well, you would be right, but we should go a little deeper than that. Ananias and Sapphira had an ambition, but it was to be somebody in the church. They had an ambition to have rank, position, and a name. And even though they were both saved, once their ambition bubbled up, Satan came along and deceived them and that deception brought them to physical death. It allowed the easement of dishonesty to slide past their lips and brought them to a quick death. Now let us not be deceived either, just because God isn’t doing the physical deaths that parallel with the kind of ambition that this husband and wife had, doesn’t mean we escape it. On the contrary, if our only ambition in serving the Lord is to gain a rank, position, or name for ourselves, we will suffer a spiritual death that we won’t see coming.

However, “If you see a Christian brother or sister sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it.” (1 John 5:16)

Secularland loves to pass out the adulation to each other for stuff their ambition drives them to be…in front of each other. In their deception, they think themselves more highly than they should and it leads them to say some things that aren’t in their wheelhouse of expertise. For us who walk in the light, we need to be reminded almost daily that apart from Him you can do no good thing and hopefully it will keep us from getting on podium and saying things that aren’t in our wheelhouse of expertise. Go back and read the story of Ananias and Sapphira then realize that the only motivating force that should drive our ambition should be Jesus Christ and that the only thing you get for your effort in doing so is to be recognized as a child of God. 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: Ruth | You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “The Holy Spirit used Luke to record the case of Ananias and Sapphira to point out to us that although the church life may be wonderful, we still need to be careful concerning ambition.” — Witness Lee

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.” – Proverbs 13:9

Unlovely, nay frightful, is the solitude of the soul which is without God in the world—this chill, houseless, fatherless, aimless Cain, the man who hears only the sound of his own footsteps in God’s resplendent creation.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
~ Peter, in 2 Peter 1

Oh beloved, it is true.

We, those of us who have been through the Colony, and any of you all who are reading this little blog, can probably attest to the following. Those of you who cannot agree, have probably not thought down through this enough. Forgive this fool of writer, but this one is going to be real. So, if it causes you to feel the fear, then maybe it has communicated properly.

We are in a terrible battle to understand who we really are. The forces arrayed against us are mighty indeed. Any of you brothers who have had the iron grip of addiction grabbing your souls know exactly what I mean. The battle is only partially about the chemicals or whatever was (or still is) our thing.

The bigger part of the battle was that we were alone. We were travelling this globe, and we had no idea how to connect with people. And any of the connections we made with others were more like collisions. So, any time we tried to get close to anyone, we basically ended up getting hurt, or hurting others – or both – most of the time.

This is where the lies come in like a flood…

You are alone… You will always be rejected.
You will never get better… Might as well keep going.
You are a loser… Even in heaven people won’t be your friend.
Your pain is not even worth fixing… Just smother it with (insert whatever here).
Your salvation won’t even save you… Eternity will just be a long, waking nightmare of walking along a tunnel of time. Even god will run out of things to do.

And on they go.

As we listen to the lies; the lies that we are separated, unlovable, unfixable, and that even the seeming solution of heaven will end up being a hell worse than we can imagine, in comes this creeping panic. We look around with wild eyes and reach for the only thing that brings us a fleeting moment of comfort. But, as we all know, this doesn’t even work – but we stay in this ever-spinning process of using and losing and hurting and disconnecting even further.

Can you feel it?

Do you remember the panic? Maybe it was just me, but I doubt it. Years of working with hurting and addicted people have helped me see that this was one of the main tools the liar used to bring brothers like you and me to ruin.

But G_d!

Read the passage again. Note the wording. This is not some finely parsed classical Greek, written by a scholar. No, this was written by Peter, a fisherman, and somewhat blunt kind of guy. Now, surely by the time he wrote 2 Peter, the Holy Spirit had smoothed out quite a few rough edges in this apostle. But, what we find in every person who grows in the Spirit, their personalities do not disappear. They grow strong, and wax wise. So, said more simply, note that what Peter is saying is being said by a guy who pretty much just says things like they are.

All of the passage above, is pretty much the exact opposite of the lies we have been listening to. All of this passage pretty much speaks to exactly who we are, now, in Christ. And, understanding exactly who we are, is the perfect antidote to fear.

You are not alone. You are in equally included in a faith bought and made real by a G_d who does not change, and cannot lie.

Things are already better. His Grace has saved you. You are already at peace with G_d. And, this will only be multiplied as you walk with Him and experience ever-greater portions of His infinite favor and power.

You are not a loser.  You cannot lose. You have already won. His divine power has already given us all of everything. We own the very keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, in Him.

Your pain has already been healed. You are known, personally, and intimately. You are precious to the very King of The Universe. You will never be alone again.

Your salvation is already bigger than you yet know. You are free from time, and the world, and corruption, and failure. None of this will follow you into forever.

And then… comes the part that blows the doors off of our tiny little concept of what is going on. Remember, Peter is a straight-talker. He is not given to fluffy words and stuffing in his syntax. Read it, and let the isolation and panic and lies flee away: “so that through them, you might become partakers of the divine nature.”  This word, ‘partakers,’ in the original language properly means a mutual belonging, or a joint-participant.

Can we see it? What?… Yeah. You’re in.

Not only are we not alone, we are on the team – on the first string. We are G_d’s posse. We are, if you will have the humility to accept it, included within His very inner circle. We are beyond fear. We are eternal. We are Home. And we are whole.

Beloved, are you feeling alone this holiday season? It is a lie. Jesus did not just die and go down through the grave to resurrection to give us a little comfort in our loneliness. He did all of this to completely pull us out of the whole mess, and into the very Presence of G_d, forever.

Tonight is your night. Time to abandon fear, and panic. Time to begin your participation in who you already are, in Him.

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.

Daily Quote: Relationship is the final stuff of reality.
~ Dr. Larry Crabb

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalms 1-2 | You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, “The LORD be magnified!” Psalm 40:16

 

“Then I replied to them, ‘The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.’” (Nehemiah 2:20)

After Nehemiah prayed and assessed the damage to the wall which protected Jerusalem, he began to process a strategy. Before he started, though, he faced the opposition from various heathen nations. “But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, “What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” (Nehemiah 2:19)

I heard it summed up best, “We are either are in a trial, fresh out of one, or about to face it.” Nonbelievers and believers alike have this one thing in common: struggles. This is a part of the life and the quicker we understand this reality, the quicker we can process the true essence of our hurdles. In this case, the opposition is operating through people, and personally speaking, relationships have proven to be one of my biggest learning devices.

The question: are you allowing the relationships around you, whether good or bad, to strengthen your walk? Have you complained against God’s tools of training? Nehemiah took the challenge head on and pushed to the goal that God had marked out for him.

Sidebar: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Written by Juan Mendez: Juan is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and full-time staff member at America’s Keswick.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 60; Proverbs 30

Daily Quote: “Faith endures as seeing Him who is invisible; endures the disappointments, the hardships, and the heart-aches of life, by recognizing that all comes from the hand of Him who is too wise to err and too loving to be unkind.”  – A. W. Pink

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities. Psalm 31:7

 

“Our enemy is more aware than we are of the spiritual possibilities that depend upon obedience. We should never be surprised that he seeks by assault and, if that fails, by undermining our defenses, to compel us to give way.” ~Amy Carmichael
I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
~ Paul, The Least of The Apostles, in 1 Corinthians 15
Oh beloved, it is true.
We are pushed from all sides. So many things vie for our attention. And nearly everything that can catch and hold our glance, really can take us out. We are in a terrible battle for the very survival of our souls.
Lust
Doubt
Fear
Anger
Death
Sickness
Bitterness
And so much more…
We are hurting. We feel the falling dark of the world around us, and we hope that things are going to get better. But really, we know that they are are not – absent some sort of powerful change.
Politics fail
People fail
Religion fails
Diets fail
Recoveries fail
Businesses fail
Programs fail
Countries fail
Everything fails
And this may be some of the clearest and best news that we have every received.
There is much call to ‘authenticity’ lately. And this can be good. … But, to simply be authentic to our flesh is merely rebellion. Only in being authentic to our new-creation spirit man, do we truly find freedom. And for us to being trying to fight this horrendous battle by ourselves – using the very part of us that got us into trouble in the first place – is just not going to work.
Can we see it?
There is no way to win this war. There is no place to go. We are already defeated. And to keep fighting our flesh, with the flesh, is not going to work. It will, in fact, kill us even more.
And so, the only way for us to really make a difference, is for us to hold on to a very important truth regarding our faith: We are dead to sin (self), and alive to G_d, in Christ Jesus.
So, are you struggling with the fall of the world around you? Are you struggling against the failures in your own life? It is time for you (and this fool of a writer) to hold on to a vital reality. We are only going to have success when we come to realize that flesh always loses, and spirit always wins.
Tonight is your night beloved. Time to walk in the Spirit. There is no need to let go of His hand. Just hold on, as you walk through the dark. The Dawn is coming.

 

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 32;  Proverbs 2

Daily Quote: A certain monk had a struggle against defiled lusts. He got up and night and went to the elder and confessed to him the thoughts that were drawing him to defilement. The elder calmed him and the brother, have benefited, returned to his cell. But the struggle rose up against him again, and again he went to the elder. He did this a few times. The elder did not grieve him, but said, “Don’t give up, but it is better that you come to me whenever the demon disturbs you, and repel him by exposing your thoughts. By such a repulsion he will pass you by. For nothing so burns the demon of defilement as the revelation of his deeds [in confession before a spiritual father]. And nothing makes him so happy as the hiding of thoughts.” Thus the brother came to the elder eleven times, repelling his thoughts, and the brother’s temptation ceased.
~Ancient Patericon, 5.16

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:6-7