Have Not I Sent Thee?

 “And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?  And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.  And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.”-Judges 6:14-16

Two things you need to know “has the Lord sent you?”  Is he with you?”  The rest is just window dressing. 

In business, before you can get a loan the bank wants to see “the plan.”  They want to know the mission statement, operation, financial, market research, etc.  They want to have a detailed plan of action that will assure them that taking you on as a client will bring a return on their investment.  God doesn’t work that way.  When he called Gideon, Gideon had no scheme, no mission, only that he was waging war in the only way he knew how.  When God called him from the threshing floor to change the tide of wickedness in Israel.  Gideon only needed to know two things: “Has he been sent, and is God with him?  The rest comes later.  It is revealed through faith and obedience.  Gideon would seek further confirmation (I for one am glad he did, sure makes me feel better when I do).  Yet through the power of God, he would win the day against overwhelming odds.  God works opposite of man.  We want all the questions answered and the plan in place.  Then, if deemed appropriate we then choose to go.  Once the risk/reward has been adequately weighted.  God says “Go” I am with you.  I believe God Gideons heart knew more than his head.  God can use people whose hearts are willing even if the rest of them is weak.  Those who possess a kernel of faith, and zeal to follow God.  To me Gideon represents a standard of God's grace, which remains proof positive that he can use the least and the least of us, if we are willing.  We only need to know two things: “Have we been sent, and is God with us?”

Many times, in life we come upon occasions of decisions.  Take a new job, move to a new city, advance in a new ministry, continue in a current one, and the list goes on.  Our (or perhaps I should say my) default is to gather the information, weigh the outcomes, and choose the logical path.  However, God is calling us to go in faith.  To wait before him until we have the “orders from headquarters” and then Go.  Go, owning that God will be with us.  IF we are sent and he is with us, what more is there to discuss? 

Thou Hast Done It

“But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.  I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.”-Psalm 52:8-9

 

A.W. Tozer writes: “When I understand that everything happening to me is to make me more Christlike, it resolves a great deal of anxiety.” 

         

The olive tree is prevalent around the Mediterranean and is known for its longevity, abundance, and toughness.  The olives they produce are good and good for you.  The Psalmist David writes “thou hast done it.”  His life was filled with hardship, pain, loss, and anxiety.  At a young age he was taken from his home to serve King Saul.  David’s prolific war campaigns made him a rival to the king, which led to attempts on Davids’s life.  Ultimately, he had to flee and stay on the run.  David narrowly escaped the clutches of King Saul and spent his early years hiding in caves and mountains.  He knew hardship at the hands of wicked men, was betrayed, wrongly accused, rejected, ridiculed, robbed, and threatened.  Yet, he can praise God, and say: “I am like a green olive tree in the house of God:” He can say: “thou hast done it.”  During our life, just like David, we can trust it is ordered by the Lord.  He hath done it.  In his hand is both blessing and cursing.  Right and wrong.  Good and evil.  The prophet Ezekiel said of the nation of Israel that God like a potter would “work a work on the wheel.”  God is the potter and we are the clay.  His providence is the pressure that molds us into the image of Christ.  Especially in the trials and testing times of life.  Our faith and trust in the goodness of the Lord is tested in the times of darkness.  When faced with the trails and uncertainty of this life we can question “why?”  When the wisdom of God’s providence is withheld from us, our task is waiting on the Lord.  Waiting for the fog to lift and the way forward to be made plain.  It is like being dropped into the void.  Yet we lean once more on the promises of God, the confidence that he has done it, and he has done it for a purpose.  When we praise him for this, it moves us closer and closer to acceptance and trust.  You can accept long before you understand.  Here children are our betters.  They readily accept the will of their fathers without even understanding it.  They accept because they trust he is good and right. 

 

David said: “I trust.”  Herein is the secret, when our reasoning, and rationale is bankrupt; we trust.  We trust and wait.  We trust and wait, because we have seen the fruit of the tree that trusts and waits.  The deliverance and quiet assurance that comes from abiding in the vine.  The inward knowing that all these things are making us more like Jesus, and we are in that sacred fellowship of sacrifice and suffering.  Given wholly to the promise: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Appeal To Pray

“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” – 1 Peter 3:12

The holy art of prayer is a foreign concept to the natural man.  Yet, prayer is the divinely appointed vehicle of accomplishment.  Of which the Apostle writes: “in everything by prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  You can find throughout the scripture where much has been accomplished through the sincere prayers of the righteous.  As a faithful preacher in our church (Ed Miller) once said: “prayer is the key to unlock heaven's door.”  Lord, teach me to pray.   

            What is prayer?  What is the act of praying?  The scriptures will bear out that it is an avenue to which one can approach God.  Stop and consider the gravity of this.  We as mortal men can approach the throne of the Almighty with our: requests, problems, petitions, thankfulness, and praise.  We can communicate with God for we have his ear. Prayer can move mountains; prayer can change lives!   Jesus exhorted us that men everywhere ought to pray and not faint.  He left the example of communing with the Father through prayer and pointed to prayer as a weapon of warfare against Satan.  The Apostles set so much store by prayer that they “gave themselves to pray and the ministry of the Word.”  With all this in mind, when is the last time you have engaged in genuine prayer?  Can you recall a recent occasion where you prayed and knew you had an audience with the King of Kings?  It’s easy to view prayer as a life raft; rather than the engine itself.  Yet the text says: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much!”  Prayer works!  It is an effective weapon for this warfare we are engaged in.  We must cast aside the lie Satan is telling us: “you are but one, you can do nothing.”  Not so!  If you can get a prayer through to God; you can do so very much!  Let us take courage “And let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9) Every day, I hear bad news.  I hear about the bad government we have, I hear about the bad school system, the bad economy, the bad church attendance, the bad people, living in this bad world, and every time I hear it, I think the same thing………what can I do?  Pray……” yes Lord I know but what else.”  Pray.  “I am going to do that, but are you sure there is not a……”  Pray.  Really and truly pray; commit your time to it.  Make it our business above all other businesses.  Our occupation, and established trade.  God help us, for the people of God must be a praying people.  How else are we to pull down the strongholds of Satan?  What scheme, strategy, amusement, or sales pitch do you have which will cause a person to be resurrected from the dead works of sin?  Let’s acknowledge our lack and pour our heart out to God.  Allow our souls to be burdened for the lost, for the poor, for the broken.  When did praying and living holy become attenuated?  Why have programs, human ingenuity, form, and flamboyance taken the place of soul burdened and earnest hearted prayer?  Prayer has worked and will continue to work; if we believe in it and practice it. 

Perhaps we readily dismiss it because prayer is not an institution of man, but rather an institution of God.  It requires humility, faith, obedience, and belief; all the things that are “foolishness to the world.”  It’s spiritual work, and as E.M. Bounds once said: “spiritual work is taxing work, and men are loath to do it.”  Yet, we must, because as David said to the Israelites who cowered before Goliath: “is there not a cause?” 

Spring Cleaning

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.  And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them”. – Ezekiel 36: 26 & 27

By changing one thing, the Lord changes everything.  God says: “a new heart I will give you.”  The scripture also says in Proverbs: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”  By changing the heart, he changes the life.

With spring comes spring cleaning.  Taking advantage of the nice weather and longer days to sweep through the house, garage, shed, and purge out the old so that the new can abide.  For many, the standard of “clean” or “organized” simply means that you can find whatever you’re looking for, without tripping over something.  Therefore, when it is time to clean, the task is daunting and overwhelming.  Sin is much the same, and the devil is quick to point out how “messy” our lives are.  Quick to tell us that we have sinned too much, disobeyed too much, and failed God over and over.  That we are unloved and forgotten.  Yet Christ is there, and ready to clean house.  He is powerful enough to purge out every sin and come abide within.  When Jesus moves in, he changes our heart.  We love what He loves and hates what He hates.  We love righteousness and hate evil.  We love holiness and hate sin.  By changing one thing, Christ changes everything.  What you love defines you, drives you.  Where you go, what you want, what you choose; it all springs from love.  When Christ takes the old heart and gives you a new one it is one simple step that alters your whole life.  Your life can be an absolute mess, but Christ can clean it up.  This is not an impossible task, or a long-drawn-out process.  It is an immediate, instantaneous, emancipation.  When you humble and repent of your sins, Christ forgives and cleanses the heart, immediately.  Then you pray to the Father to be filled with the Holy Ghost, and that Holy Ghost is Christ in you the hope of glory. The new heart within because Jesus is within.

God will take away the old stony heart, that old heart that is inclined to sin and “prone to wander.”  Then he will give you a new heart.  He will do it, in a moment, if you let him.  There are some things that may not immediately change.  Your bank account, weight, hairline, but the most important things will change: your perspective, desire, disposition, focus.  Living in sin is a one-way ticket to hell, living with Christ within is the passport to heaven.  Every Christian has a "once a sinner" part in their testimony.  We were all once sinners, then Christ came and cleaned house.  Once a sinner, now a child of the King.  He will change one thing, which will change everything……If you seek, repent, and invite the Holy Ghost into your heart.

My Heart Is Fixed

 “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.” – Psalms 57:7

Human beings were built for a fixed mark, just as a ship was built for a heading.  The heart of a man or woman was not meant to be traded or solicited out to various suitors.  No, it was designed to be focused and set; to love God above all and through Him to live in love.  A heart without a supreme love for God is adrift and vulnerable, but the heart with that love is complete and driven.

When we were created, we were made in the likeness and image of God.  The relationship was established and the purpose of our being fixed.  We were in fellowship with the Father and one another.  Sin broke that fellowship and gave our hearts another goal, another heading; it brought to us the will of Satan disguised as our own will.  We were now creatures of wrath and that was quantified in the law that God set forth years later.  This wrath continues in the human race even until now; it is called carnality.  This carnality is an enemy against God, against us, against our fellowman, spouse, children, etc.  It is selfishness, it is sin.  It lusts, and wants, and looks out for its own.  Driven by lust counterfeited as love, the one with the carnal nature within finds themselves adrift in this life tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine.  This is a life without Jesus, without the Holy Ghost power within, without the experience of sanctification.  I will not say it is your life (though the Spirit may), I can say it once was mine; and no matter who you are or where you come from, it doesn’t have to be this way.  Jesus can give you direction and purpose, he can put power within and drive your boat of life forward.  He can fix your heart.  The fixed heart is a heart renewed to Garden of Eden fellowship.  A heart that is restored to the image of God!  How wonderful it is when the Holy Ghost comes in and creates within you a love for God supreme and a subsequent love for your neighbor.  It is the direction and power that arms you against the storms of life.  It helps you to see and understand that you were built for this, created for this; to glorify God. 

Have you ever wondered how Christians who have no money, comforts, or even personal freedom can be so at peace?  They feel no longing, no striving, but peace?  Because peace cometh not from what is without, but from what is within.  As a vessel is built for a captain, so the heart of man is made for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  The heart is fixed and because it is fixed it is at peace.  It lacks nothing and offers praise for everything.  It is no longer divided, broken, or wandering; it is complete, forever set on Christ.  We have a heading, we have power from God, power to make it through any storm and land us safely on the other shore called Heaven.      

The Watchman

“For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.” – Isaiah 21:6

In Isaiah’s day the watchman would stand atop a castle wall and look out through the night, ever attentive of danger and destruction looming; ready to cry and wake the people should the enemy approach.  The watchman of today’s age is vastly different from the watchman in Isaiah’s time.  These days, what watches over our kingdom is: security systems, artificial intelligence, cameras, lasers, spy planes, satellites, and who knows what else.  The watcher and the wall look very different in the 20th century.  However, the watchman over our soul has remained the same, and will remain throughout the ages.

The value of the watchman is his boldness and attentiveness.  Since no king would want his kingdom to be caught by surprise, they set someone high on the wall to keep watch over the kingdom and the surrounding land.  If any threat drew near, they were to declare it, and by declaring, affirm danger was coming.  In a sense, every man and woman on earth has a “kingdom”.  That is not to say that we are more important than the other, but rather, that God has given us the gift of choice and free will.  We decide what to do with our time here on earth, and in that borrowed time we are vouchsafed a "kingdom" of sorts.  It is as much ours as God grants to us, so perhaps we are more stewards over this kingdom than kings, but nevertheless, God has set a watchman for us.  He has not left our souls in jeopardy, nor did he leave his prized creation to the enemy without abundant protection.  God does all things well, and he has set a watchman.  This came at great cost, for God sent his only Son Jesus Christ to bleed and die on a cross.  Jesus would then rise on the third day, conquering death, hell, and the grave.  Jesus went back to heaven and sent the Holy Ghost to abide with whosoever will repent, and invite the Holy Ghost to come in.  We are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  The Holy Ghost will not only keep you, but it will direct you.  It will help you and warn you of danger.  There are many wonderful attributes to the Holy Ghost and the work he performs within a man or woman's life, and the way he watches over our soul is certainly one of them.  When you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, you have the power of God within to face every wicked thing without.  Do you think the power of God can keep you?  Is it more powerful than the power of the devil?  Certainly!  There is no enemy that is stronger or greater than God.  You do not have to fight alone, there is a power far greater than you or me that can dwell within and keep “the kingdom.”  We must yield to it, listen to it, and leave off anything that hinders our hearing the blessed Holy Ghost’s watchful cry.

God will not only save you from sin, but he will keep you from sin.  He will not only save you from danger, but he will keep you from danger.  He will not only save you from destruction, but he will keep you from destruction.  The Holy Ghost will act as a watchman over your soul, lovingly and firmly leading/warning you of dangers.  Guiding you away from the snare of the enemy and at times, abruptly showing you the way not to go.  If you commit to Him, he will commit to you; and as you look to Jesus, Jesus will look out for you.

Guest Week: Nancy Collier

Do you ever feel (as I sometimes do) that the world is encroaching on the Christian community more than Christians are influencing the world? Do you feel that in this battle to win hearts and souls to our Savior that the forces of Satan are arrayed in battle and are assaulting you on every front? Do you encounter people who are two and three generations away from the teachings of the church and seem totally unconcerned about their souls or those of their families? Do you meet those who profess faith but have not found it necessary to depart from their old sinful ways?

I am reminded of the Samaritans who had become idolaters (though not all) under Jeroboam and had then been conquered by the Assyrians. They were a long way from their Jewish heritage by this time. They were confused and had lost their way, so they decided to combine all the influences in their lives. II KINGS 17:33 is chilling: “They feared the Lord and served their own gods.”

Is it possible to do both? I think not!

BUT “I have good news to bring. . .”

God told Moses as the Egyptians were chasing the Israelites that “The Lord shall fight for you. . .”  Therefore, we must not grow weary or faint. There is no retreat in this fight and regardless of what the world does, we can stand firm on the foundation of our faith and continue to live it and proclaim it.

“It is finished! The battle is over.  And Jesus is Lord!”

Let us not forget those in whose lives the battle is still raging and protect ourselves from the “wiles of the devil” with the reading of God’s Word, praying, witnessing, and enduring until the end.

For She Loved Much

“Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” - Luke 7:47

The age we live in is one of availability of information.  If you want to communicate a message to someone you can text, call, email, Snapchat, Facebook message, What’s App, and even write a letter!  Through Facebook you can show the world what you had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  If you don’t know something: “Just Google it!”.   One would think, with so much information and means of communication, we would be closer than ever as a human race, but oftentimes the opposite is true.  We are just as guarded and segregated as ever.  We seem distanced from the sufferings of our fellow man and numb to the simplicity of Christ.  Perhaps it is not in the channel of communication, but the approach to communication.

            Pharisees were the religious elite during the time of Christ.  They held the high seats, wore the best robes, and only associated with those who were like them (let the church take care not to do the same!).  When Christ came on the scene some of them sought him out, not as though he was the Son of God, but as though he was an equal.  Simon (found in Luke chapter seven) was such a Pharisee.  He went so far as to invite Jesus to his home, but the way he approached Christ is not unlike many today (perhaps even some reading now).  He gave him no kiss (a customary greeting), he gave him no basin to wash his feet (a kind gesture).  He approached Jesus, but he did it in a guarded and careful manner.  Essentially, he said to his peers, himself, and Christ: “Let there be no mistake, I am intrigued by you, but not devoted to you.”  While they spoke, a woman, a sinner, comes up to Jesus and begins to bathe his feet with her tears and dry them with her hair; she then proceeds to anoint his head with oil.  What humility!  What reverence!  How we approach Jesus Christ can determine the destiny of our immortal soul.  How we approach Jesus Christ is a matter of life and death.  Simon the Pharisee saw him as an equal and one that could be accepted or dismissed, he was guarded and full of care towards Jesus.  The woman didn't care what anyone thought about her, she was not worried about what others would say or think; she approached Jesus recklessly, and completely.  She wasn't just intrigued by him, she was invested, abandoned, and totally devoted to Jesus Christ.  He was her salvation and she treated him as such.   

            We cannot approach Christ like a research paper or a Google search.  He cannot be just a “Facebook friend”.  We do not communicate with him as you would a co-worker or casual acquaintance.  The Bible teaches us that for Christ to forgive and save your soul you must come as this woman did.  You must approach Christ wholly, completely, entirely, with no regard for the cost or the shame that it may bring you.  You must, I must, we must, love much.  This is the key to salvation, and the approach that will bring it to pass.  To love him above all else.  For he did the same.  He bled and died for us “while we were yet sinners”.  On the cross, he suffered our punishment that we might be saved, and so, He alone must save us.  When we come to Him, we are coming to our Lord, King, Master, and Savior.  So, we must approach Him as such. 

FOMO

 “Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour.”-Numbers 24:11

FOMO.  Fear of missing out.  Slang term that means having anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on social media (Oxford).  Fear, the motivating factor that drives so much of what we do and how we respond to the culture around us.  

Balaam the prophet was persuaded by the King of Moab (Balak) to curse the people of God (the children of Israel).  King Balak clearly believed that Balaam cursing his enemies would assure him of success.  So much so that he offered honor and riches for Balaam’s services.  Sending his best men to try and persuade Balaam to come and speak a word in Balak’s favor.  However, Balaam was not a prophet for hire, and despite his character flaws he maintains his integrity in this instance.  Balaam would not say any more or less than what God told him to say; and God told him three times to bless the children of Israel.  King Balak promised riches and honor, saying “I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour.” To me, this sounds exactly like the voice of Satan himself.  The devil would gladly try and convince us that serving God keeps us back from so many things.  Honor that we could gain.  The friends that we could acquire.  Fun that we could have.  Pleasure we might enjoy.  He wants us to think of the places we could go, if we would but curse God, and embrace the ways of this world.  His deception knows no bounds.  He wants us to focus on all the “cannot’s.”    Cannot go where you want, do what you want, be who you want, love who you want, and enjoy what you want.  All this bondage, he would say!  It started in the garden of Eden, when God said you cannot eat of the tree lest ye die.  Satan came to Eve and said: “ye shalt not surely die.”  The words of Balak, and the lies of Satan have a kernel of truth in them (as every convincing lie does).  God certainly keeps us back from things, but for our good and His glory.  Kept back from honor?  What honor?  How fleeting the praise of men.  From pleasure?  The pleasure of the world is laced with corruption and destruction.  Can gold and silver endure beyond the grave?  God keeps us from being beholden to and beholden by the things that have little profit, and God leads us to that which endures forever.  As the hymn writer once said: “I am drinking at the fountain, Where I ever would abide; For I've tasted life's pure river, And my soul is satisfied; There's no thirsting for life's pleasures, Nor adorning, rich and gay, For I've found a richer treasure, One that fadeth not away.” 

When we fear God and keep his commandments it brings us into fellowship with God Almighty, and whatever we sacrifice here is nothing compared to the reward that awaits in Heaven.  In addition to that, we have the privilege and pleasure of knowing the voice of the Lord and being His child. 

Service & Warfare

”From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.”-Numbers 4:23

“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”  This is the exhortation Paul gives to the young minister Timothy.  Timothy was not a man trained for physical combat.  Yet his mission was a calling of warfare all the same.  The service and work of his ministry interconnected to fighting, and battle.  Today, we who hold dear the name of Jesus Christ, are called into the same service.

Even today, we have this same connection between service and war.  When a young man enlists, it’s said that they “joined the service.”  Warfare is service, and service is warfare.  The word service used above in Numbers four and twenty-three is from the Hebrew word saba’.  This same word is used throughout the book of Numbers in connection with the Levites.  The Levites were a chosen tribe of Israel called by God to serve in the tabernacle of God.  From thirty years old and upward until fifty years they were called to serve.  There were other tribes of Israel, and other sons called to serve, but their service was a call to physical warfare.  The same word saba’ is used for the ones called to serve in physical warfare, as for the Levites serving in the tabernacle.  The Levites were engaged in service, and they were engaged in warfare.  They didn’t go to war in the sense of fighting with sword and shield.  Yet they engaged in warfare all the same. Their battle ground was sanctity, and their weapon obedience.  The mission was to wage war against sin, and they were fighting for the good of the people.  In Numbers chapter one it says that “the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony.”  Why must they do this?  “That there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel.”  The Levites were charged with keeping and administering the commandments of God which were written in the law of God.  In so doing they must raise the tabernacle of testimony, arrange, and purify all that is therein, and minister to themselves and the people so that they might remain sanctified and holy (as was available at this time).  They were fighting for righteousness, and they were fighting against sin.  Sin that would tarnish the holiness of God, and His people.  Sins of idolatry, covetousness, murder, adultery, and much the same.  They were fighting against the allure of compromise and the influence of the unrighteous nations around them.  Fighting against the desire to return to the familiarity of Egypt, with its affluence and comforts (forgetting of course the bondage and hardships that came with it).  The same laws of God that separated the people from all others, also preserved the people.  It says in Leviticus that if they keep the commandments, God will be among them (“And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.”)  The commandments kept them close to God and in the center of His favor. 

Our warfare is not with each other.  It is not over land, territory, or political ideology.  The battleground today is the same as it was then, it hasn’t changed.  We are fighting for God, and against sin.  We are not just fighting for God, in the sense that we carry his banner and raise His flag; but we are fighting, for God.  We are fighting to keep Him at the center of our hearts, and our lives.  To keep the integrity of the scriptures alive within, and evident without.  That all who see us might know the true expression of Christ.  Might see a servant of the Lord God, and Christ.  Herein we strive, lawfully, under the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Unconcerned with the wind and weather of this changing world, but with fixed hearts, focused minds, extreme obedience, and power of the Holy Ghost; we soldier on.  On, and on until the end of our service here.   

The Bones Of Jospeh

“Make us glad according to the days wherein thou has afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.  Let thy work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children.”-Psalm 90:15-16

The life and death of Joseph is a fantastic representation of this scripture.  Joseph was a man called by God to be afflicted, abased, and promoted.  All for the glory of God.  God’s call on Joseph’s life marks the beginning of his sorrow and God’s providence on him. 

Joseph was shown the will of God in a vision.  He was shown that he, the youngest, would have all his family bow to him.  This is the most unusual thing considering the profound influence of patriarchy in his culture.  Ultimately his brother’s jealousy would overcome them, and they would seek to slay Joseph, but settle for selling him into slavery.  As a slave in Egypt, he would rise to be chief steward over the house of a wealthy Egyptian.  Only to be falsely accused of trying to seduce his wife and thrown in prison.  There Joseph would stay until God’s timing was such that Joseph would interpret a dream for the butler and baker of Pharaoh.  Joseph's interpretation would be true, but it wouldn’t serve him until years later.  One day, Pharaoh needed a man to interpret dreams, and there was none, save Joseph. Whom Pharaoh called out of prison on the recommendation of that same butler whose dream he interpreted years before.  Pharaoh’s dream was the will of God, seven years of famine and seven years of plenty.  The interpretation and wisdom of Joseph so impacted Pharaoh that he set him second in command over all Egypt.  Joseph was in command until the famine came and people needed food.  Among those in need was Joseph's family.  They came and bowed before him as God foretold and in time it was the hand of Joseph that gave the grain to the hungry, treacherous brothers.  Joseph's understanding of God’s providence on his life was summed up with him testifying that “God did send me before you to preserve life.”  God does not cause us to walk through trials and tribulations for nothing.  There is more to come, and the providence by which we are led is the same providence in which we trust.  That is, the will of God.  The glory of the Lord was the chief aim of Joseph's life.  He clung to God amidst all else, even in the darkest and most uncertain times.  There must have been days as a slave when he cursed his brothers, and the vision he saw.  Surely, there were nights in prison when he wondered: “Why Lord?  Why?”  Yet faith triumphed over doubt, and it was by faith that he pleased God.  Joseph didn’t quit, so the work of the Lord in his life was made manifest.  Not to Joseph only, but his children’s children.  How much more the generations of people who read and take instruction from the Holy Word of God!  Many narratives about Joseph stop at his testimony of preserving life, but his faith and understanding of God’s providence extends far beyond that.  Before he died, Joseph covenanted with his brethren saying: “God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.  And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.”   By the oath that he swore we see that the faith of Joseph and his trust in God’s providence extends beyond even this natural life.  Let us take instruction from this hero of faith and ask that God “makes us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us and the years wherein we have seen evil.” 

It would be hundreds of years before God’s people were delivered from Egypt.  I like to imagine the descendants of Joseph gathering up their belongings in preparation for leaving, and as they gathered up everything the elders said: “remember our oath, remember Joseph.”  As they departed that day, they carried out of Egypt a man that knew God always keeps His promises.  A man that knew the affliction of the former days would pale in comparison to the deliverance of the latter.  

Abiding and Asking

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.  Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”-John 15:7-8

Abide in Me.  Jesus commands all who follow him that they abide in the Lord.  Then he implores us to “ask what ye will.”  Christ likens this relationship (in John chapter fifteen) to a branch and vine.  In this he illustrates the relationship between the disciple and Jesus Christ, and the tremendous blessing that comes from asking. 

In the book of Exodus, the man Moses was tending sheep on a mountainside when God called to him out of a burning bush.  His task was to go down to Egypt and cry against Pharaoh (king of Egypt) to let God’s people go.  To cry against the bondage that held God’s people.  Moses’s obedience and his willingness to abide in the power of God is what gave him the ability to accomplish such a monumental task. A task which he could not perform on his own.  Moses didn’t have an army, money, military strategy, or plan of action.  Yet one man (with the power of Almighty God), walked into the throne room of the world’s most powerful man, and said “let my people go.”  He told Pharaoh that the Lord God of the Hebrews said: “let my people go that they may serve me.”  Moses was asking Pharaoh to release his substantial slave labor.  Labor that Pharaoh was using to build his cities, monuments, and economy.  Why would Pharaoh do this?  He wouldn’t, but God was with Moses and when Moses cried out to God, God answered, until the plagues destroyed Egypt, and the people were delivered.  Moses was seeing things through God's eyes and not his own.  He wasn’t focused on the resources that he lacked, but on the God who supplies all our need according to His riches in glory.  He was abiding with God the Father and because of that he had access to all the resources of the Almighty God.  Christ left to us the same example by praying, fasting, and abiding with the Father.  When the disciples lacked, Jesus would exhort them to pray.  Abiding and asking allows us to access all the resources of God.  Resources that we desperately need.  How could we ever hope to deliver anyone out of the bondage of sin?  We can’t do it.  Can you change hearts?  Can you impart righteousness?  Only through God and Christ can this be done, and much more.  Therefore, Jesus said: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”   

Herein is the instruction to those who are sanctified and abiding in the Lord.  Who are abstaining from the world and sin.  Who find their delight in reading God’s Word and spending copious amounts of time in prayer.  The branch cannot bear fruit of itself; it looks to the vine to supply the nutrients and resources needed to bear it.  Such fruit will glorify the vine, so when the branch requires anything, it needs only ask, and the vine will send it.  Therefore, let us trust his promise and believe his Word.  Abide and ask.  For Christ also said:  Ask and ye shall receive.

Trust And The Titanic

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” –Psalm 20:7

April the 10^th, 1912 the Titanic set out from Southampton on its maiden voyage bound for New York City.  It was to be the fastest crossing to date on the greatest ship ever built.  While crossing the frigid Atlantic waters the Titanic top out at suicidal speeds.  It was thought to be unsinkable.  The design was thought to be flawless, and no one ever thought that such technology could fail.  It did fail.  It did sink.  “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”     

The Psalmist David, king of Israel, a man after God’s own heart, understood as well as any what trusting in God over trusting in man (even yourself) can do for you.  As a young man, David boldly stood against Goliath of Gath.  David was just a youth and Goliath, a “warrior from his youth” did battle to decide the fate of the nation.  Goliath was cloaked with armor and with him his sword and spear.  David, a picture of humility, in his shepherd’s robes and armed with a sling and stone.  What no one realized however (save David), was that David was on God’s side.  He slung the rock, struck the giant, and the victory was to God and to the Israelites.  He trusted in God, while all others feared Goliath.  In our lives, we are constantly faced with giants.  They come in many different forms and take many different shapes.  The giants in our lives engender heartache and fear.  Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, weakness, neglect, and bondage.  They bring us to worry and cause us pain and sorrow; all the while seeking to rob us of joy and peace.  Ultimately, striving to steal our salvation.  Giants can be money problems, health issues, loved ones passing, work issues, the list goes on.  Whatever the giant, named or unnamed (for some exist only in our mind and are known only to us and God), it’s up to us to choose when and where to put our trust.  In times of war where do we look to for strength?  What do we trust in to take us through and win the battle?  In David’s day, the king with the most horses and chariots (i.e. the biggest army) was the one who was the most secure.  They trusted in those things, just as the captain of the Titanic trusted in his technology.  In our day, horses and chariots could be described as our bank accounts, intelligence, or strength.  Our Titanic could be respectability and personal merit.  The giants in our lives force us to trust, and when that time comes, we must remember the Lord our God.

The natural inclination is to trust in the physical things of this life.  To steam across the ocean of life; hoping that our “technology” and “innovation” will keep us safe.  This theology so permeates our society and psyche that to think otherwise is considered foolish by many; when we are fools to trust in anything but God.  For anything but God will fail us.  The remembrance of the Lord and the earnest desire to have Him first in your life will save your soul.  It will take you through whatever trial or tribulation you are in; it will give you victory over any giant, with the ultimate reward of heaven.  When times of trouble or distress come (for they will); do not trust in chariots or horses but look to God for he can save and he can bless.

Take No Thought

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” -Matthew 6:34

Uncertainty is apart of our everyday life.  What is before us can carry with it an abundance of care which can then lead to worry, doubt, and fear.  We can become so full of care, there is hardly room for anything else.  It is important for the us to guard against care and Jesus has left us the perfect example as well as instruction. 

The Bible tells us that the sower went forth to sow, and some fell by the wayside, some on stony places, some among the thorns, and some in good ground.  In the past I have taken this scripture in the context of a sermon preached to a waiting congregation.  The seed was sown, some accepted and some rejected.  No doubt this applies.  However, this can certainly apply to your daily life.  For many of us, the Word of God is being sown to us every day.  We read the Bible, attend church, go to bible studies, and hear through radio or multimedia.  The Word has been and is being sown in your life.  The first two hindrances prevent the Word from finding roots, however the last is the only hindrance that has an effect after the Word has taken root.  This hindrance comes to the one who has received and heard.  Jesus said the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things; choke the Word and it becometh unfruitful.  There is a progression (not to imply that these cannot happen autonomously as well).  The cares of this world.  Simply by living in this world we are subject to the cares of this world.  The scope of which is innumerable, but wholly affects us as people.  What we are full of care about is directly related to our ability to provide for that care.  If you cannot provide for it then that care will likely manifest fear, stress, anxiety, and dread.  For example, your car may blow a transmission on the way to work tomorrow.  If, however, you have money in savings to fix it, that care is not going to produce a high level of stress.  For this reason, many people advance to the deceitfulness of riches.  Riches often make up the difference between the care and the provision for it.  In fact, according to lotteryuniverse.com the number one reason people play the lottery is because it is a “rescue fantasy.”  They believe this money will “rescue” them from all their cares.  Riches are deceitful, and they cannot save and for those that strike it rich or are driven by fear to riches; they have a greater capacity to fulfill their lust for other things.  Which then produces more things (i.e. boats, cars, etc.) and a greater need to care for them.  Now, lust is not exclusive to the rich, only the capacity to fulfill it.  Furthermore, the lust for other things can morph into an “escape” from the cares of life.  Which again leads us back to the necessity to guard against care.  The more we take thought and rely on ourselves the less effect we will have for the gospel.  When Jesus says: “Take no thought for the morrow” it’s more than just a recommendation.  It’s a commandment.  A commandment, that if followed, will guard against cares, and help us to trust in God.  When we do, our faith will be lost in sight as the Lord provides for us.  This will strengthen our faith in His Word, as we grow stronger in Him, the roots run deeper uninhibited by cares, deceitful riches, and lust.

Jesus said "I do always the will of my Father."  What liberty!  What trust! What faith!  Fear and care come to everyone, the devil wants us to believe that we must face it alone, or at least through our own resourcefulness.  Christ is telling us to “take no thought for the morrow.”  Give it God, and in giving, He will glorify Himself in your life and you will be “careful for nothing.”

On Justification

“How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?”-Job 25:4

This is the great question facing mankind.  When we consider that man is sinful and God is just, how can we be justified?  How can we be clean?  What sacrifices can be made?  What labors performed?  How could we ever close the widening gap between God’s holiness and our depravity?  How can we be pardoned when we should be punished?

The principal problem that faces all mankind is that sin is unjust, God is just, and we are sinful.  If the justice of God was visited on man, we would all be doomed to a hell eternal, because the penalty of sin is death.  The sin issue brings with it an innate or carnal enmity between God and man.  A clear opposition between the two.  Please understand that without Christ you are standing before a just judge, having committed heinous crimes worthy of death.  You stand before him guilty, and you know it.  Now, does the plea of “not guilty” remove the enmity?  No, a “not guilty” plea only confesses to God what he already knows.  Furthermore, the sentence is yet to be carried out, and therefore the enmity remains.  You could hardly have peace between you and God while the penalty of death hangs over your head.  It is only when the pardon comes, and the judge grants you absolution for your crime that you lose the enmity and so make peace.  However, if he freely pardons the guilty, can it be said that he is just?  You could say he is merciful, gracious, kind, but not just.  This is because you are guilty.  So, what can be done?  How can God pardon us?  Only because of Jesus Christ.  The scripture says Jesus Christ “reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:” it says that Chris is our peace.  That he abolished in his flesh the enmity.  Jesus is the answer to this question: how shall a man be justified with God?  The wrath that you and I deserved was poured out on Christ, he took our place, and purchased our pardon.  Therefore, justice can be served, and pardon granted.  One might say, “well and good then; if Jesus died then I can go on living as I see fit.”  Not so, because the scripture says: “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  God forbid.”  Again, it says: “if we sin willfully after received the knowledge of the truth, their remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.”  Moreover, the only path to justification comes through repentance and conversion, and the converted man must first be a believing man.  You cannot believe in Christ and be a sinner.  Faith in Jesus, belief in Jesus, will produce fruit from the believer.  A man who believes in living a healthy lifestyle will put aside sugar and saturated fats.  You won’t find him indulging in chocolate cake, and soda.  When a person genuinely repents believing in Christ, he will leave this sinful world behind.  Repentance is the action accompanying believing, conversion is the product of repentance, and justification is the consequence of sound faith in Christ.  The plea is more than “I’m guilty.”  It is: “I am guilty, I’m sorry, and I want to change and be free.”  The design is freedom.  Not just freedom from the consequence of sin, but freedom from the control it has over mankind.  This freedom only comes through justification and sanctification (more on this next week).   

A man is justified because Christ sanctified himself.  It is the only way a man or woman can be just before God.  We don’t stand before God and say: “I gave such and such money to the church.”  Or “I preach so many sermons.”  “I fed thousands, and clothed millions.”  “I am a better person than many of whom I associate with.”  We are justified because we humble ourselves before God saying: “I believe that Jesus was the Son of God.  I believe His Words are true.  I believe he lived, suffered, died, rose, ascended, and sent the Holy Ghost.  He did all this and more, and he did it for me.”  “I believe, and because I believe I surrender my life to Him.”  How can a man be justified?  Through faith in Christ. 

Antidote To Spiritual Doldrums

“Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.  Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.  Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.  Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.  Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;”-1 Chronicles 16:8-12

A doldrum is defined as a period of inactivity, stagnation, or depression.  The waters surrounding the equator are commonly referred to by sailors as the doldrums.  With little to no wind, sailors can often be trapped for weeks adrift on the stagnant water.  Onboard a sailing vessel, without wind to carry you, the open water can feel much like the Sahara Desert.  With the added agony of being surrounded by water that can provide little relief.  Every day you wake to be reminded that you are going nowhere in a vessel that is to take you somewhere. 

While it’s not something that we often sing or preach about, I believe that many Christians would testify that at some point in their walk with the Lord they have been in a spiritual doldrum.  A measure of time in which they feel inactive, stagnate, or depressed.  Not sinning, not tempted, not lost, just stale.  A waiting period that affords no relief, no comfort, and no clear direction.  No wind.  Nothing to influence you to go one way or the other, merely adrift.  To me, this scripture in First Chronicles (and again in Psalms 105) is the chart to get out of the spiritual doldrums.  It instructs us to do five things.  The first is give.  Give what?  Thanks, praise, and publication.  Thank the Lord.  Thank him for who he is, what he has done, and where he has brought you from, and where he is bringing you too.  Praise the Lord, for he is worthy, and make his deeds known among the people.  Let those around you know (as well as the devil) that you mean to serve Him no matter what.  The second is Sing.  Sing unto Him and talk of His wondrous works.  Singing is a terrific medium of praise.  Singing echoes, the innermost devotions.  Melody being a distant second to sincerity.  The third thing is Glory.  Glory ye in His holy name!  What a name to glorify!  A name that made you, died for you, redeemed you, and keeps you.  A name that is everlasting, and eternal.  A name that is wonderful, powerful, and full of counsel.  Honor, magnify, and rejoice in His holy name.  Fourth, Seek.  Seek the Lord and His strength continually.  Never. Give. Up.  Each day, every day, set aside time to seek the Lord.  Pray, always pray.  Even if you feel like your prayers are falling like dry leaves, pray and pray on.  Lay aside anything that might be hindering your prayers and give copious amounts of time to prayer.  Seek the Lord and His strength, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.  Finally, remember.  Remember his marvelous works, wonders, and judgments.  Elijah took Elisha down memory lane, before he went up in a whirlwind.  He went through Bethel, Jericho, and finally arrived at the Jordan waters.  Bethel, the place where the Lord visited Abraham with the blessing and showed Jacob a wonderful vision.  Jericho, the place where the Lord caused the mighty walls to fall flat, delivering Joshua the city.  Jordan, the place where the waters walled up and the children of Israel crossed and claimed the Promise Land.  God said: Remember.  Remember his marvelous works, wonders, and judgments.  God has done marvelous things for you.  Remember them.  God has done amazing, astounding, splendid and wonderful things for his people; remember them. Read about them, let them sink deep into your heart and soul.  Then stop and say to yourself: “if he did it for them, he can do it for me!”   

Give, Sing, Glory, Seek, and Remember.  These are the antidotes to the spiritual doldrums.  If we do these each day with a true heart a fresh wind from the Lord will rush over our vessel once more.  God will provide answers, direction, encouragement; whatever you need!  

Why Does God Allow Bad Things To Happen?

“And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.  So, Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.”  -Job 1:12

You don’t need to look far to realize that this world is imperfect, unjust, and abounding in wickedness.  It is full of suffering and sin.  So, if a good God is in charge, then why does God allow bad things to happen? 

The book of Job is a prime example of God not only allowing bad things to happen but recommending it.  Volunteering Job as a target of Satan’s devices, saying: “hast thou considered my servant Job.”  The first chapter of Job catalogs Satan’s destruction on Job’s life once God gave him leave.  In seven verses Job’s oxen are slain, his sheep are burned, and a house falls on all his children, killing them.  Dreadful, awful, and terrible things befall perfect and upright Job.  Bad things happen, they happen because we live in an imperfect world, full of sin and ruled (in a certain capacity) by Satan.  If God were to totally lift His grace and favor from this earth and leave it to Satan, we would all be destroyed.  If everyone were to repent and receive the Holy Spirit, the evil of the world would be destroyed.  The inward evil would be eradicated from the human heart, and therefore from the world itself.  Man sins against God, but he also sins against man.  If everyone was sanctified a great many lawyers, policemen, and prison guards would be laid off.  The world’s military would be drastically reduced.  Security companies would go out of business, along with the drug dealers, prostitutes, gambling houses, liquor stores, and multitudes of sinful industries propped up by sinful desires.  Bad things happen, because Satan is evil, man is unredeemed, and God lovingly gives us free will.  However, some things are bad, but not sinful.  Hurricanes level houses, children still-born, diseases that plague millions, etc.  These bad things happen, and God allows it.  Why?  First and foremost, he is God (“For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.”-Job 9:32).  Providence and judgment rest with Him and Him alone.  The scripture says his judgments are unsearchable and His ways past finding out (Romans 11:33).  When we measure him on the scales of our human understanding and seek to reason with Him as though He is our equal, we commit a terrible error.  God is not our equal but our Creator.  Furthermore, it’s not just a matter of “we don’t have enough information, so we have faith.”  But rather, “we don’t have enough capacity to comprehend, there is only faith.”  The judgments of God are waters too wide and too deep for any of us to swim in.  Furthermore, the book of Job shows us that bad things do happen, and God allows it, because suffering teaches obedience, and obedience brings growth.  We see the evidence all around us.  The muscle strengthens through use, the plant grows through pruning, children learn through failure.  Suffering is a far better teacher than surfeiting.  In our pleasure mad world these words are like nails on a chalkboard.  Yet the scripture proves that God’s people will be a people who suffer (1 Peter 2:21).   Jesus left us an example of yielding to the Father, even when it meant a path of suffering.  He did this, so that God would be glorified.  We follow Christ’s example.  Job sat on an ash heap and scratched while contending with the foolishness of his “friends”.  Only to hear a word from the Lord and learn that God is in control, and through Him and Him alone is wisdom and redemption.   This message he brought to his “friends.”  Herein, we find another reason why God allows bad things to happen, because there is no ministry quite like the ministry of suffering.  Suffering brings us closer to God, and it magnifies God in a way little else can.  It’s easy to bless the Lord when your barns and bellies are full; but when your life's on the line, or in duress. When serving the Lord is costing you dearly; what is your testimony then?  Every testimony has a testing time.  Anyone can look like a sailor when the boat is tied to the dock, but when you’re out on the open seas, with wind and waves crashing all around; that is the test of seamanship.  God will prove his people, for our benefit, and His glory.  I have often thought when Job said: “Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!” (Job 19:23) Little did he know they would be!  Little did he know that generations would read of his struggle and find strength, instructions, and fear of the Lord!  His ministry of suffering would call out to others to keep the faith and join in the cause.  The same cause our Savior took up, to bring glory to God, and a testimony of victory!  A testimony that regardless of circumstances we can keep true and bless the God who knows it all!  This is the faith of men and women that shook the world for Christ, and it still stands today as a beacon of hope to those who are looking for hope and redemption in this world.  

My prayer today is Lord, may you help us to desire God in His entirety.  Accepting His providence, no matter what.  That our speech may turn from “Why” to “When”.  When bad things happen, when God allows them to happen, when we suffer.  When that happens, we will meet it with a heart of faith and sing out of the darkness: “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him.  How I proved him o’er and o’er.  Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus. Oh, for Grace to trust him more.” 

Plan or Pray?

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”-Proverbs 29:18

While meditating on this scripture the question came to me: What is the vision that saves the people?  In first Samuel chapter three, the scripture talks about the Word of the Lord being precious and they have “no open vision.”  The prophet Amos speaks of famine, and thirst, but not of bread or water but of the Word of God.  The Proverb says: “he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”

Here we are at the start of another new year.   A convenient time to craft our strategies, plan, and vision casting for 2024.  Oftentimes this text “where there is no vision” is used to justify these efforts.  The Proverb says, “where there is no vision the people perish”, but it also says: “he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”  The vision that we need is the Word of God.  It is not my vision, or plan of action that the people need.  It is not another strategy or planning session.  It is the Word of God, and that which is born from the Word through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.  Herein is the great need of this year, to capture a vision from the Word.  For His Word is His will.  The Word of God will help me see into God’s will for my life and those with whom I can have influence for His glory.  In second Samuel fifteen, Absalom (the son of king David), proves to have ambition and influence.  He wanted to be king, but how to accomplish it?  His strategy was to steal the hearts of the men of Israel, and quietly subvert the king.  Absalom campaigned in this way until he had enough men at his side to overthrow the king.  He had a plan, ambition, and means to accomplish it.  One would say he had vision, not so.  There was no vision because he lacked wisdom when he moved against the will of God by moving against the anointed king David.  It is easy to look at things like ministries, businesses, and churches and see only external production.  See that they have grand growth plans and impressive achievements; then deduce that they must have vision.  Likewise, to look at those who are quietly engaged in prayer and waiting before God and wonder: “when are they going to do something?”.  To scoff and rail against them.  Claiming that they “have no vision.”  Let us take care how we judge one another, for Jesus said: “wisdom is justified of all her children.”  Let the anointing of God come on those who wait before Him, and the vision of the Lord be established in patience and righteousness.  The gospel is not something that can be promoted through policy, because it is wholly dependent on the person of the Holy Spirit.  A vision that will breathe life into the people is not born in a conference room, but an upper room.  The Word of the Lord comes to those who wait before Him and are obedient to His call.  God help us to unlearn much of what this world has taught us.  When the proactive pundits call for action, intentionality, and motion; may we answer with patiently seeking God with all our heart. 

Do you want to plan or pray?  It is easier to draft a “how to” plan, then to wait before God for months, for a word from God.  It is easier because every strategy we come up with will be born from a place of understanding, but a vision from God will be born from His understanding. This will take us deep into the unknown and force us to walk the walk of faith.  Requiring that we die to ourselves and be happy in his holy commandments.  However, we must pay this price and gain God’s vision at any cost, because without it the people perish; and there is no amount of policy, planning, or strategy that can save them.