BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD (Part II)

BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD (Part II)

It is mission critical that we believers stretch toward a fuller comprehension and appreciation of THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST.  During this Holy Week (Passion Week) we will prayerfully commemorate the vicarious suffering and death of Jesus Christ as we prepare ourselves to celebrate His victorious resurrection.

TJESUS CHRIST is THE INCARNATION OF GOD, THE FATHER.  That is, He is THE ETERNAL AND LIVING WORD “made flesh,” who sojourned approximately 33½ years on this mortal plain so that men might physically and spiritually behold “his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

JESUS CHRIST is THE SUFFERING SERVANT who vicariously took upon Himself the pain and penalty of sin. (Isaiah 53) In other words, He is “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29)

This raises an important theological question: “WHEN does the LAMB OF GOD take away our sin?”  The scriptures reveal ten specific instances in which Jesus Christ performs this sacrificial act of salvation, i.e. the resolution and removal of our sins.

1)   Before the foundation of the world. (Hebrews 4:3)
2)   At the fall of man. (Genesis 3:15;21)
3)   At the offering of a sacrifice. (Genesis 4:7)
4)   On the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur. (Leviticus 16:34)
5)   At a time of national repentance. (II Chronicles 7:14)
6)   During His public ministry. (John 8:11)
7)   On the cross. (Luke 23:42-44 – I Peter 2:24)
8)   At our conversion. (Romans 6:6)
9)   At His second coming. (Romans 8:18-23)
10) After His millennial reign. (Revelation 20:15 – Revelation 21:8)

As the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ became “the propitiation for our sins.” (I John 4:10 – I John 2:2 – Romans 3:25) As such, He satisfied the righteous demands of God and fully covered us with grace (unmerited favor), redeeming us forever from sin’s power, practice and penalty via His blood atonement. (Matthew 26:28 – Hebrews 9:22) Jesus Christ is “THE LAST ADAM” who overcame the sin of “THE FIRST ADAM.” (I Corinthians 15:45) The FIRST Adam’s struggle with sin ends with abject failure in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:1-8) The LAST Adam’s struggle with sin ends with absolute victory in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Matthew 26:36-39)

Christ’s victory was sustained during His harsh judgment, His brutal torture and His agonizing crucifixion. Thereafter, this salvation accomplishment was ratified (and we were justified) by His glorious resurrection. We are profoundly grateful for this magnanimous and magnificent act of redemption by the “only begotten Son” of God! (John 3:16) We love the scripture which boldly declares that Christ “spoiled principalities and powers” and “made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:15) The indisputable fact that Christ conquered sin and death “causes us to triumph” because we winner-believers are enabled to become “more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” (II Corinthians 2:14 – Romans 8:37)

CeCe Winans simplified this phenomenal gospel message by way of her song, “O Lamb of God.”  The lyrics are reprinted below for your edification and worship:

Your only Son, no sin to hide,
But You have sent Him from Your side,
To walk upon this guilty sod
And to become the Lamb of God.

Your gift of love they crucified,
They laughed and scorned Him as he died;
The humble King they named a fraud,
And sacrificed the Lamb of God.

I was so lost, I should have died,
But You have brought me to Your side,
To be led by Your staff and rod,
And to be called a lamb of God

Oh Lamb of God…Sweet Lamb of God…
I love the holy Lamb of God…
Oh wash me in Your precious blood…
‘Til I become a lamb of God.

Stay tuned…more to come tomorrow!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD (Part I)

BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD (Part I)

It is mission critical that we believers stretch toward a fuller comprehension and appreciation of THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST.  During this Holy Week (Passion Week) we will prayerfully commemorate the vicarious suffering and death of Jesus Christ as we prepare ourselves to celebrate His victorious resurrection.

Exactly who is this man called JESUS CHRIST?

The Apostle John portrays Him as The Pre-Existent Christ.  In other words, Jesus Christ predates all of creation and all of human history.  He is The Logos, The Living Word of God, who always was and forever shall be.  (Hebrews 13:8 – Luke 1:33) The Apostle John expresses this fact with great clarity:

John 1:1-3 (NKJV)

¹  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

² He was in the beginning with God.

³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Additionally, the book of Hebrews confirms to us that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the express image of God and the chief architect of creation:

Hebrews 1:1-5 (NKJV)

¹ God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³ who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You?”  And again: “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son?”

As the Son of God, Jesus Christ is manifested as “the propitiation for our sins” and for the sins of “the whole world.” (I John 4:10 – I John 2:2 – Romans 3:25 – Hebrews 2:17) Dictionary.com defines “propitiation” as “conciliation.”  As such, it is synonymous with atonement, reconciliation, restoration and an efficacious peace offering.  In other words, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.” (II Corinthians 5:19)

Of necessity, this was designed to be a vicarious or substitutionary act of atonement because, according to the Word, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) However, fallen humanity had no effective means of redemption for our corporate rejection of God.  Thus, Jesus Christ entered the scene as the perfect solution to the dilemma between the justice of God, which requires punishment for sin, and the mercy of God, which mediates our grace and forgiveness. (Romans 6:23) Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, thus He is a just representative of humanity and a merciful representative of God.

John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus and his forerunner.  That is, he prepared the way for Christ’s coming by preaching the gospel of repentance in the Jordanian wilderness.  His task was to turn the hearts of the people toward God and to publicly identify the Savior. 

John 1:29;36 (NKJV)

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 

³⁶ And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD!”

As believers, our mandate is to behold Him, to honor Him, to love Him and to obey Him.  Let us remain prayerful and open to a fuller and deeper revelation of The Christ.  Stay tuned…more to come tomorrow!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

ASSIGNED TO PRAISE

ASSIGNED TO PRAISE

King Saul was in hot pursuit of David.  While David had been slaying Saul’s enemies and soothing Saul’s emotional anguish via his anointed musical gift, Saul had been ‘down’ with David’s personality and program.  This feels so typical to us.  For while we perform according to the expectations of others, we always retain ‘hero’ status.  However, when we diverge from their prescribed course-of-control, we may be deemed to be rebels or undesirables. 

In that connection, some years ago, the Holy Spirit seemed to whisper in my spirit: ‘I saved you from SIN – now it’s time to get deliverance from PEOPLE.’  What a powerful personal revelation!  Instead of allowing CHRIST to be the Author and Finisher of our faith, far too many of us become IDOL WORSHIPERS via a curious co-dependency that requires the mutual acceptance and affirmation of others.

How I love David’s attitude!  As you know, ATTITUDE IS A RELIABLE PREDICTOR OF ALTITUDE.  Just as much as Saul was predisposed to panic, David seemed to be wired for worship.  I am impressed by David’s faith and inspired by his tenacity.  Even though he was surrounded by destruction and death, David would sing “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1) This determination to practice the presence of the Lord through praise and worship motivated and mobilized David in critical and challenging days.

I can almost envision David’s brain buzzing and his stomach churning when the women started offering him greater post-combat accolades than those afforded to King Saul.  They sang “Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands.” (I Samuel 18:7) David knew intuitively that those troublesome lyrics could precipitate a crisis.  I can imagine David’s hands waving frantically back-and-forth to cancel that dangerous tune, as his lips mimed in desperation, ‘NO…NO…NO…DANGEROUS LYRICS!’

Eventually Saul became David’s archenemy and he was compelled to take refuge with the Philistines, the chief political rival of Israel.  Isn’t it ironic that he was treated with more acceptance and care by King Achish, than by his own homeland monarch?  David ended up in a cave in a remote area called Adullam.  I am fascinated by the kind of people that were drawn to him.  The scriptures state, that in addition to David’s family, “every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them.” (I Samuel 22:2)  It’s simply uncanny WHO God will use to bless you!  So stop focusing on your external environment.  Neither your surroundings nor your situation ultimately matters – because ALMIGHTY GOD HAS GOT YOUR BACK!

David’s dark cave was loaded with never-do-wells, but it was indeed a DIVINE APPOINTMENT because everyone in that dismal cave was directly exposed to his POWERFUL PRAISE!  I read an intriguing passage of scripture that clarifies the reason why David was sovereignly positioned in the Cave of Adullam.  Remember: OUR GOD is always up to something behind the scenes!

Joshua 15:20,35

20 This is the INHERITANCE of the tribe of the children of JUDAH according to their families.

35 Jarmuth, and ADULLAM, Socoh, and Azekah,

This scripture passage seems rather random and irrelevant at first glance; it merely cites specific cities in Canaan that were assigned to the tribe of Judah.  That is, the city of Adullam is clearly designated as the proprietary heritage of the Tribe of Judah.  Since JUDAH MEANS PRAISE, the two-line biblical deed (above) signifies that ADULLAM WAS ASSIGNED TO PRAISE!  No wonder David was STILL PRAISING GOD in that distant, damp, dank and dark cave!  Why was David so committed to sustaining praise in a situation that was replete with reversals?  First, because GOD INHABITS PRAISE, whenever we PRAISE HIM (amid trouble), we bring Almighty God smack-dab-in-the-middle of our problems, pressures and pains!  Secondly, because PRAISE IS COMELY FOR THE UPRIGHT, we ‘look’ and ‘feel’ so much better (and our environment is positively transformed) WHENEVER WE ARE FOUND PRAISING HIM! (Psalm 33:1)

The name “ADULLAM” is fascinating because it means “REFUGE.”  Often, the place where God has assigned us LOOKS LIKE a test, a trial, a temptation, or a terrible time of trouble…but IF GOD HAS PLACED US THERE (even in that troublesome and light-challenged cave), OUR DISMAL CAVE OF ADULLAM BECOMES A BRILLIANT AND APPOINTED PLACE OF DIVINE REFUGE.  Why?  Because Adullam is where God has us FOR A SEASON, until He publicly brings us out into our appointed moment and place of divine destiny.  Be assured, HE will not leave us there!  ADULLAM is our PRESENT REFUGE – because in the darkness of Adullam, WE WILL SEE AND PRAISE THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD!

In closing, read the following scripture passage and be mindful that no matter where you and I are…GOD IS!

Psalm 46 (New King James Version)

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has made desolations in the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

11 The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

BELIEVER, YOU HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO PRAISE…so right here, right now, PRAISE THE LORD!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

MOMENTUM - Part II

MOMENTUM - Part II

Let’s recap yesterday’s devotional.  Your opportunity-of-a-lifetime only takes place during the lifetime-of-the-opportunity.  Your God given assignment has a definite shelf life.  Therefore, as Kingdom Kids, our mandate is to seize those GOD-GIVEN MOMENTS (vision, assignment, anointing) in OUR SEASONS. TIMING IS KEY!  Occasionally, God moves us out of comfort zones and changes our seasons.  Albeit, a blessed man inevitably “brings forth fruit IN HIS SEASON.” (Psalm 1:3) Historically, God chooses human agents to give voice to revelation and redirection, so (whenever we hear His voice) we must resist the tendency to become stuck in either our failures or our successes.  As the main character in “Field of Dreams” eventually discovered, if one is sufficiently courageous to step out (even alone) and heed God’s call for direction and destiny, it can and will happen for YOU.  In other words, “IF YOU BUILD IT…THEY WILL COME.”

You will never align with God’s great expectations if you are passively rest on your ‘brains,’ i.e. your rational mind and sensory perceptions. (Jeremiah 29:11) Forget what you now see or feel; embrace whatever God declares.  “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” (I John 5:4) And this victory is coming to and through you at the speed of “light” via “an open door” that “no man can shut.” (John 8:12 and Revelation 3:8) 

Let’s briefly consider another Newtonian law of motion: “For every action, there is a reaction, equal and opposite in direction.”  Although God has set before you an open door, His Word informs us that every open door brings immediate and forceful opposition.  Your enemy can ‘show-up’ all he wants to, but s/he can never ‘shut-up’ what God has decided to ‘open-up!’  The enemy of your soul (and his human agents) appear as blessings-blockers, with the intent of moving you away from faith and toward fear.  Nevertheless, on such occasions, THE WORD ‘shows-up’ to ‘bust-up’ every blessing-blocker as The Lord of Hosts declares with power: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against thee in judgment, thou shalt condemn.” (Isaiah 54:17) His Word declares that this audacious brand of victory is the absolute heritage of the servants of the Lord!

Who are you?  You are a WINNER-BELIEVER who consistently prevails in the face of insurmountable and overwhelming opposition. (I John 4:4) You are ‘the anointed one’ of THE ANOINTED ONE – and there is absolutely no failure in HIM. (I John 4:17 – Matthew 16:16-19 – Philippians 4:13) So, believer, here is what you must do: 1) Stop doubting God; 2) Stop minimizing His power; and, 3) Stop reading ‘The Majority Report’ about your past, present, or future.  For if you keep seeing yourself through the eyes of enemies, you will become a victim of THE GRASSHOPPER COMPLEX and never dare to take those bold steps that GOD has conceived and breathed into your spirit. (Numbers 13:33)

TAKE GOD OUT OF THE BOX!  He is far greater than any situation or satanic force you will ever encounter! (Exodus 1:7 – Ephesians 3:20) I love what Daniel and Paul declare about the resident power and authority that resides in simply KNOWING HIM! (Daniel 11:32 – Philippians 3:10) Believe HIS WORD!  Meditate on it!  Stand upon it!  Declare it!  ‘I WILL DO GREATER AND GREATER EXPLOITS…BECAUSE I KNOW HIM…AND I AM KNOWN BY HIM!’

Whenever we take God out of that powerless box of ‘limiting traditionalism’ and ‘carnal imagination’ (a.k.a. stinkin’-thinkin’), we achieve OUR MAXIMUM MOMENTUM!  According to the science of physics, MOMENTUM is a property of a MOVING BODY.  In the natural realm, MOMENTUM is measured by the length of time required to STOP a moving body once it is under the active influence of a constant force.  In the spiritual realm, once we come under THE FORCE, i.e. CHRIST’S WORD-OF-FAITH-IN-ACTION, there is virtually nothing that can stop or reverse what our GOD has spoken and mobilized in our lives!

How so?  Because at the end of the day, our hopes, our families, our ministries and our futures are not predicated upon any external circumstance.  For it is “IN HIM…WE LIVE! IN HIM…WE MOVE!  IN HIM…WE HAVE OUR BEING! (Acts 17:28) Nothing can stop us now – because the GOD who inhabits eternity and executes opportunities in time has established THIS MOMENT.  And HE has pre-ordained OUR MOMENTUM…before the foundation of the world.  So, we must (and we shall) immediately stop magnifying our issues and challenges with our mouths.  We will faithfully speak DIVINE MOMENTUM in, around and over our lives.  This truth is recorded in Job 22:28, “Thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light (THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD) shall shine upon all thy ways.”  HALLELUJAH…WE (ON EARTH) HAVE HEAVENLY MOMENTUM!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

MOMENTUM - Part I

MOMENTUM - Part I

Now hear this: Your opportunity-of-a-lifetime only takes place during the lifetime-of-the-opportunity.  In other words, your God given assignment has a very definite shelf life.  In light of this, David prayed fervently, “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) “Carpe diem” is a Latin phrase coined by the poet Horace, which literally means “seize the day.”  This classic truth says as much about our FOCUS, as it does about our TIMING. 

As Kingdom Kids, it is an indispensable mandate to seize our GOD-GIVEN MOMENT (our vision, our assignment, our anointing) while it is still OUR SEASON.  The Word declares that a blessed man “shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth fruit IN HIS SEASON.” (Psalm 1:3) In all matters of life, TIMING IS KEY!  Even though GOD IS ETERNAL, i.e. from “everlasting to everlasting,” He works out His perfect will for us within the context and framework of TIME. (Psalm 90:2) So I repeat, TIMING IS KEY!

What are the practical applications here?  We should avoid becoming stagnant and stuck in any negative situation, or even in any level of success.  Obviously, we do not want to get mired in our failures, endlessly reliving them and continually constrained by ‘the paralysis of analysis.’  But neither should we become stuck on (or in) our successes.  It is possible to complete a specific Kingdom assignment and then fail to move forward to the next – all due to our natural sense of comfort in the things that seem easy and familiar.

To wit, GOD OFTEN CONSTANTLY CALLS US OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONES.  God never changes; however, His appointed seasons for us do change.  Whenever God’s clarion call is trumpeted and a clear command ensues to ‘move the camp,’ those who are trapped by ‘failures’ or ‘familiars’ just might be left behind.  That is, the human resistance to CHANGE results in a spiritual resistance to RHEMA (a fresh ‘NOW WORD’ from God), and causes one to miss out on the present day move of God and the unveiling of His future plan. (Jeremiah 29:11) Let s/he that hath ears, hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. (Revelation 2:7)

During the years of my personal walk with God, I have observed that The Creator has ingenuously imbedded spiritual truth within nature, itself.  Allow me to offer one example.  Sir Isaac Newton’s FIRST LAW OF MOTION informs us that an object at rest tends to stay at rest, while an object in motion tends to stay in motion.  [Gee, and I thought I would never use those physics classes in real life]!  This law is often referred to as the LAW OF INERTIA or the LAW OF MOMENTUM.  It explains why it might be more difficult to ‘start something’ and why it seems relatively easier to ‘keep it going’ once it has begun.  Think carefully about that.

As a student of church history, it is clear to me that it is challenging for us to ‘START’ moving in the direction of God’s perfect will when we become acclimated to the status quo, and then (once moving) it is just as difficult to change our course whenever The Divine Navigator decrees new compass settings.  For example, every major denomination in the history of the Christian Church seemed to start off on ‘the good foot.’  Typically, crystal-clear vision was present early on.  Which means there was a initially sharp discernment of God’s will and way, along with profound dedication to living under the sovereignty of God’s Word.  But typically, by the third or fourth generation of adherents, there is the customary pattern of shifting and a drifting away from the plan and purpose of God.  This is not due to God’s silence.  God always speaks to us, whether we are listening or not.  But all too often, we turn deaf ears to His voice (His Word), becoming acclimated and comfortable with our own word, will and way.

Historically, God chooses human agents to give voice to revelation and redirection in crisis moments such as these.  It reminds me of an old movie entitled “Field of Dreams.”  It’s not a perfect parallel since I am not an avid proponent of ghosts-and-such, as portrayed in the screenplay.  Albeit, Kevin Costner plays the main character who loves baseball with all his heart and desperately wants to experience in rural America what was mainly accessible to urban areas: to watch live professional baseball games.  But there is no baseball diamond, i.e. no FIELD OF DREAMS, on which any baseball game could ever be played.  While contemplating the unlikely possibility for changing this unhappy rural circumstance, an otherworldly voice whispers challengingly to him: “If you build it…they will come.”

And now I find myself wondering if someone reading this devotional is hearing the inner voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to you in similar fashion: “IF YOU BUILD IT…THEY WILL COME.”  How is He speaking (uniquely and clearly) in your situation, causing you to hear Him beyond all doubt?  And how are you responding?   Is it a response that is calibrated by fear or characterized by faith?  Stay tuned…more to come tomorrow.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

WHEN TEMPTED TO QUIT...DON'T!

WHEN TEMPTED TO QUIT…DON’T!

Rafael Solano was discouraged and physically exhausted.  He sat on a boulder in a dry river bed and announced to his prospecting companions, “I’m through!  There’s absolutely no use going on with this nonsense any longer.  You see this pebble?  I guess this makes about 999,000 rocks I’ve picked up so far – and no diamond yet.  If I pick up another it will be one million, but what’s the use?  I quit!”

This occurred in 1942 after those three men had spent months searching for diamonds in South America.  They worked untiringly – bending, stooping, gathering endless pebbles – never finding even a trace of diamonds.  But they never considered quitting until Solano became discouraged.  “Well, I guess we might as well stop,” one of his men agreed, “but just pick up one more rock and make it an even million.”  “All right,” Solano said reluctantly as he kneeled down to retrieve one more.  It was almost the size of a hen’s egg.  “Here it is,” he declared with a flourish, “my very last rock!”  Weeks later, a famous New York jeweler named Harry Winston paid Rafael Solano the sum of $200,000 for that one-millionth-rock, which turned out to be the largest diamond ever discovered to that date!

Whenever you are tempted to quit, don’t!  It’s too soon to quit…so go back, my friend, and pick up one more rock.

I Corinthians 15:58 confirms this:
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Joe Gladys, our high school football coach, repeatedly counseled us players: “Winners never quit; and quitters never win!”  American football is played in four quarters.  By the fourth quarter on the gridiron, everyone is extremely sweaty, emotionally drained and physically exhausted.  Mr. Gladys insisted that the perseverance displayed in the fourth quarter would usually determine the outcome of the game.  Tiredness was no excuse.  Pain was no excuse.  “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” he shouted.

My friend, do YOU have ‘fourth quarter tenacity’…or are you prone to just quit and walk away because life brings on an occasional ‘sweat’ or because circumstances leave you feeling drained and depleted?

I have observed that satanic attacks are escalated just prior to the revelation of divine blessing.  It is almost as if Satan ‘knows’ when we are in close proximity to our destiny, so he intensifies the battle to distress and discourage us.  But we are not ignorant of his devices, so we will not allow him to gain such a carnal or sensory advantage over us.  We will always triumph as we walk by faith, not by sight. (II Corinthians 2:11 and 5:7)

There are at least five reasons why YOU MUST CONTINUE:

First of all, no prize is awarded for partial completion of the race.  You must run ALL THE WAY to the finish line. (II Timothy 4:7-8)

Secondly, others (who may be struggling) are closely observing your “fight of faith.” (I Timothy 6:12) Their ability to win may be directly tied to the victory that YOU demonstrate and model before them.

Thirdly, there are UNIMAGINABLE REWARDS awaiting believers who endure to the end. (I Corinthians 2:9)

Fourthly, your PERSEVERANCE in the face of Satan’s full frontal attack IS AN ACT OF WORSHIP.  Your victory brings ultimate praise and glory to God. (I Corinthians 6:19-20)

Finally, all of the creation is groaning and waiting for the “MANIFESTATION OF THE SONS OF GOD.”  Your ‘son-ship’ is clearly revealed as you WIN out over the set-backs and temptations of this fallen and corrupt world system. (Romans 8:19-22)

My sisters and brothers, be encouraged to continue.  “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning!” (Psalm 30:5b) Please do not allow any individual or circumstance to rob you of your CROWN OF LIFE, which the Lord promised to give you on that final Day of Judgment. (James 1:12)

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

WE'RE BETTER TOGETHER

WE’RE BETTER TOGETHER

Before deciding you don’t need to live in harmony with others, carefully consider this.  A cord of rope has significantly greater aggregate strength than the individual strength of each single strand of which it is composed.  How could this possibly be?  The answer is quite simple.  In nearly every case, the individual strands have weak spots – points at which they might easily bend and break.  But within a rope, those weak spots are randomly distributed along its length and its twists, allowing the adjacent strands to cancel out any weak spots that lie within the individual fibers.

First natural, then spiritual… 

GOD has designed us to exist and operate much like a cord of rope.  That is, all of us have particular strengths and even points of human weakness.  However, when we remain united together, our weaknesses are diminished, rendered inconsequential and even cancelled out by the presence of others – and ultimately through our intimate connection with the awesome power of God. 

It’s a synergy thing.  In the spirit realm, 1 + 1 really does equal 3!  So, stay connected.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!