The Path of Most Resistance

The Path of Most Resistance

“I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16 (NLT)

Walking down an unfamiliar path can be exiting, as well as uncomfortable and scary. At the age of 37, God called me to go back to college. This was an incredibly unpleasant concept for me, as I had failed at school several times in my twenties.

When God calls us to a new path, especially a path that will lead us to sharing His word and His gospel, it is normal to feel uncomfortable because we may fear rejection, humiliation, and failure. God knows that some of these things may indeed happen to us; that’s one reason He allowed His own son to experience rejection on the cross. Jesus is our forerunner down this uncomfortable path: “I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead.”

God wants us to step onto these new and challenging paths, for on them we take part in fulfilling His Great Commission to share His gospel of grace and mercy with others. I followed His leading back to school where I did experience some failure and humiliation; however, I have also experienced the joy of successfully sharing the gospel with many I would not have encountered had I chosen a different path. To reach others, we must let God lead. He will show us the paths to walk, even the uncomfortable ones, All He asks is that we step out in humble faith and follow Him.

Father, forgive us for when we doubt, fear or hesitate to walk down the paths You set before us. Let us find Peace in You and walk by faith. Lead us to share and speak boldly to others about You for Your glory, in Jesus mighty name, Amen.

Thought: Do feel like God is calling you to take a new risk or path in life? Take a minute right now to carefully consider this prayer. If you’re ready to get a little uncomfortable and say “yes” to the new adventure God has for you, pray this audacious prayer.

“Dear Jesus, I want you at this center of my life, and commit through your power, to serve and obey you, anytime, anywhere, at any cost, to do anything. Amen”

By Rev. Daniel Forster

SOWING DISSENT

SOWING DISSENT

 

Matthew 13:24-26  Jesus told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed ears, then the weeds also appeared. (NIVUK)
  

The parable of the sower showed that the seed of God's Word is to be sown by people who tell others what God has said. This parable teaches about how God's enemy works. Instead of sowing truth, the devil carefully inserts lies into the vulnerable places of people's minds. The two opposing kinds of seed are often sown over the same time period. However the bad seed, which will stir up wicked desires, is sown when nobody is aware.

Jesus was preparing His trainee apostles to understand the dynamics of the spiritual battle which surrounds gospel proclamation. They were inexperienced but were not to be naïve. The work of the truth-sower will always be countered by the lies-sower. Satan is most active when we do not think he is there, or when we have assumed that only truth is being sown, or when we are so preoccupied by what we are doing that we have not noticed the gaps in our spiritual defenses.

There will be little immediate evidence of evil activity. The seeds of error are so small as to be unnoticed. Satan does not make much fuss or create too much disturbance, and yet the seeds of rebellion are ready to spring into life later, attempting to choke the truth of God's Word. The apostles would need to be on their guard so that the early growth of the church would not be followed by disintegration as evil took hold within groups of believers (Acts 20:29-31); effectively making them incapable of growing as distinctive Christ-like communities, and stopping them from encouraging others to receive Christ too.

Alas, many believing parents are naïve. They assume that because they are sowing God's Word into their children's hearts, the Evil One will not sow rebellion as well. He will do whatever he can to prevent the truth taking root and love to encourage 'spiritual competition'. The effect of evil activity may not be seen until much later; so be on your guard and help your family to recognize the signs of untrue thoughts and the power they promise. It is time to do some serious weeding. As signs of rebellion arise in our hearts, identify them for what they are and root them out (Romans 6:13; 7:13). New believers will have much joy, but will also need to review what they previously thought to be a 'normal' lifestyle, to make it conform with what pleases the Lord (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Prayer:  Dear God. Thank You for the seed of Your Word which has grown up in my heart. I am sorry when I have failed to notice the way in which Satan is also sowing lies which will grow up to divert me and my family away from Jesus. Please help me to see the little seedlings of error in my life and help me to dispose of them; and to recognize what is happening in my family and friendship groups. Please help me to be more discerning so that I will not welcome what is evil, even unwittingly. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Compelled

Compelled

“The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit“. – John 20:20-22

It is the great commission. Picture a general briefing his troops as he sends soldiers into battle.
Reading the above scripture, first note that the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. It gave more than a sense of joy. It gave a sense of power and security. They would not go alone.

Jesus reminds the disciples, who had seen his power and authority that He sends them out with the same power and from the same source from wince He came. He then gave them that same power. What a great send-off.

As Christians, we must always remember that through Christ, we have received that same power and are dispatched on that same mission. “As the Father sent Me, so I send you.” And, all of this from a person who has just walked through a locked door. Wow!

The Great Commission of Christianity is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples that they spread his teachings to all the nations of the world.

It is a tenet in Christian theology emphasizing ministry, missionary work, evangelism, and baptism. The Apostles dispersed from Jerusalem and founded the worldwide church.

It was the first missionary outreach and it gives us a model to follow today. We are compelled to go, to witness, to plant churches and to make disciples.

With Jesus beside you and the Holy Spirit within you and guided by the God above you, go and make disciples to the ends of the earth, but one the way remember to stop in your neighborhood, your town and share with those who come your way the Good News and the saving Word of the Risen Lord.

By John Grant

A God Sized Dreamer’s Prayer

A God Sized Dreamer’s Prayer

God, your thoughts are not my thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8)
What you have planned for me is beyond all I can ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:19-20)
Yet you have also promised to reveal it to me through your Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:8-10)
So I open my heart, mind, and life to more of you-
to whatever you have for me.

Where there is ongoing fear in my life,
please replace it with faith.
Where there is a desire to hold back,
give me the strength to move forward.
Where there is a desert,
lead me into the Promised Land you have prepared for me.

I embrace that my part is to pray, plan, and most of all seek you.
And yours is to get me where you want me to go. (Proverbs 16:9 and 19:21)
Wherever that is, that’s where I want to be too. Because there’s no better place in this world or the next than with you. (Psalm 84:10)
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth (especially my little corner of it) as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
In Your name, amen.

By Holley Gerth

GOOD AND BAD TOGETHER

GOOD AND BAD TOGETHER

 

Matthew 13:27-30  'The owner's servants came to him and said, "Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?" '"An enemy did this," he replied. 'The servants asked him, "Do you want us to go and pull them up?" '"No," he answered, "because while you are pulling up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: first collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."' (NIVUK)
  

 Jesus told a parable about an evil person who had sown seeds of weeds in a wheat field, while the farmer slept. The estate owner was told of the problem when servants found weeds shooting up among the corn: they wondered if the wheat seed had been contaminated. However the owner knew that he had authorized the very best seed to be sown, and therefore the weeds had been deliberately sown by an enemy.

What should they do? Should they go through the field and pull up all the weeds? If they did, they would trample the developing corn; and as the roots were intertwined, the wheat would be removed with the weeds. The owner was not willing to risk losing even one shoot of corn. He was so confident that the good crop was strong enough to survive the competition from the weeds that he ordered the servants to leave the field alone until harvest time.

And so, good and bad plants grew together. The sorting was done once both had reached their full potential (Genesis 15:16). The weeds could no longer be tolerated, their crop had no value. It would be destroyed. However the good corn would be carefully collected and stored in the owner's barn. The meaning is clear. The field represents the people of the world. Those who receive the good seed of the gospel are the children of God's kingdom, but the weeds are the children of the Evil One. Every person is either one or the other.

God allows both good and evil people to coexist in His world. Some say that a balance of good and bad is healthy - it is not. But the apparent vigor of evil will not last for ever. It has no value to God and will be destroyed, so that His eternal home will be completely free from all corruption. That will happen when Jesus Christ returns. Meanwhile, it is important to understand that the evil in the world is not from God, but from His enemy the devil. But Satan does not have the last word - God is the owner of the world and has the right to determine the destiny of every person. Only those who receive the good seed of the gospel and welcome Jesus will be welcomed by Him.

Prayer:  Father God. Thank You for giving me new life in Christ. However, I am often troubled by the evil around me. Please forgive me for doubting Your goodness when I see the wicked prosper. Help me to know that You will deal with everybody according to how they have responded to Your gospel. Let that truth sink deeply into my heart, so that I will want to sow the seed of the truth about Jesus, praying that it will take root in the hearts of my friends and family; so that they may be saved when they face Jesus on Judgement Day. In His Name. Amen.

Choosing Your Direction Today

Choosing Your Direction Today

Every day we choose our direction. Even when there are tasks that don’t particularly fulfill us or agenda items we might not have put on our top ten list … still, we choose our direction. Remember that where we focus we follow. What we fill up with will determine the direction we head.

Where are you filling up your mind these days? It’s good to take note of what has been spilling over in you lately. Are you going the direction you want to be heading … or do you need to pay attention to your feeding ground and where your focus has been?
Every day we choose what we fill ourselves with. Every day we have opportunity to decide our direction by being mindful of what we are filling our minds with. Thoughts lead to actions and actions lead to habits. Habits will greatly determine your direction in life.
God knows you better than you know yourself. His ways and His word give great guidance as you daily choose your focus. Don’t be tossed about by the events of your day today. Listen to the wisdom God gives to help you focus and choose your direction. He tells you what to do and then how to do it.

Colossians 3:16
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

Let God’s word fill your thoughts today. It will be rich in bringing wisdom. Let His teaching fill you and put a song in your heart to share with others.

He tells us exactly where to start by letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly. Listen to the profound simplicity of it:

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17)

Do what is right in front of you today as if you were doing it just for the Lord. Invite Him into it to walk with you through it and give you wisdom as you go. (If you can’t invite God into the activity you are doing then that’s a good caution to re-think going in that direction.)

Then thank God for the opportunity to do it. Thank Him for the people around you. Thank Him for His wisdom as you interact in your day. Ask Him to help His song of thanksgiving rise up within you.

Your focus and the direction of your day will change as you do this. Write out verse 17 and memorize it. As you think on doing your tasks for the Lord today and as you practice gratitude in your heart you will be filled with new peace.

Heavenly Father, Thank you that You give me the wisdom on how to go about my day. Thank you that I do not need to be tossed about by the things going on around me.
Today please help me to act and speak as one representing You and Your love and care. Teach me gratitude and remind me to be thankful. Change my focus and my direction today as I fill my mind with the riches of Your wisdom. Encase me in Your presence today. Spill over through me with peace and joy as I go. I thank you and I ask this in the name of Jesus, amen.

By Gail Rodgers

For Happiness, Give Your Life Away

For Happiness, Give Your Life Away

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21 (NIV)

Happiness comes from service and giving your life away. Until you understand this, you’re not going to be happy for much of your life. Happiness does not come from self-gratification. It comes from self-sacrifice.

Paul knew that to be happy, he had to stay focused on his purpose and not his problems. He summed up his purpose in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (NIV).

If you were asked to fill in the blank, what word would you use? “For me to live is ______.” Would it be entertainment?  Sports? Clothes?  Family?  Friends?  A career? There could be a lot of good things you could answer, but nothing deserves the place of the One who created you and gave you your life: Jesus Christ.

How you fill in that blank will determine how happy you are in life. Because if you answer “money” or “success” or “pleasure” or “power,” you are going to be unhappy for most of your life. There’s nothing wrong with those things; they just don’t deserve first place. You weren’t created to make a bunch of money, then die, and give it away. God has a far greater purpose for your life. There is only one answer that leads to happiness: to live is Christ. Give your life away. It is your purpose!

Pray this prayer today: “Dear Jesus, you know that I often let circumstances determine my happiness. You know that I often allow the killjoys of pain and problems and pressures and picky people to rob my happiness. Help me to look at every problem in my life from your viewpoint. I want to handle problems in a way that is a witness to nonbelievers and an encouragement to believers. Help me to remember that what others say and do does not control my happiness unless I allow it. And as for the things that happen that I don’t understand or can’t figure out, I want to trust you to work it all out for good. Help me to stay focused on your purpose for my life and not my problems. I want to use the rest of my life to serve you by serving others. Use me, Lord, so I have a purpose for living and for dying. From this day on, for me to live is Christ. In your name I pray. Amen.”

By Rick Warren

A LARGE AND SAFE PLACE

A LARGE AND SAFE PLACE

 

Matthew 13:31-32  He told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.'(NIVUK)
  

Jesus was much misunderstood in His day, and still is now. He was not a rabbi wanting to extend Jewishness to the world, nor was He a military revolutionary, nor was He simply a wise teacher and kind miracle-worker. He had come to announce that He is the King, and to explain what His kingdom is like. In this parable He reveals the scale of that kingdom.

It starts by the planting of a seed; not many seed, just one. The seed is both the good news about the kingdom, and also the King Himself (John 12:23-24), and those who believe in Him. Like a seed apparently disintegrating in the ground, Jesus would physically die and be buried, but His resurrection would bring new life to many. The incarnation of Jesus, His ministry and atoning sacrifice was not a random scattering of seed but a deliberate planned action by the Godhead.

The death of Christ and the enthusiastic propagation of the gospel were considered small matters for both the religious leaders and the military occupying forces. However it was the biggest incursion of God's loving grace, ever. What might have seemed as small as a mustard seed would become so large that it would be a safe place for everybody who trusts in Jesus. His Kingdom is huge in scale and intimate in security.

Although many dismiss Jesus or downgrade Him in their minds, the truth is that His kingdom now extends to every recognised nation on earth. This is room for everybody who desires to be at home and at peace with God through Jesus Christ. The trainee apostles needed to understand that their mission was not to reproduce their old religious activities in ever widening circles: they were to announce a new kingdom which was big enough for all ... Jew and Gentile, male and female, young and old ... all ethnic groups from a multitude of religious philosophies. Nobody who wants to be in Jesus' kingdom is excluded. Therefore be confident to announce the gospel today to anybody the Lord brings across your path.

Prayer:  Almighty God. Thank You for including me in Your Kingdom. Forgive me for those times when I have not considered that other people might also be welcome, or that You want to use me to tell them that Your love embraces all, Your death pays for all and Your life is free to all who come in faith. Please help me to grasp something of the scale of Your kingdom so that I may pray for mission and the suffering church, as well as invest in my local church to Your praise and glory. In Jesus' Name. Amen

The Command to Do Nothing

The Command to Do Nothing When I was ten, my mother enrolled me in piano lessons. Spending thirty minutes every afternoon tethered to a piano bench was a torture just one level away from swallowing broken glass. I hammered the staccatos. I belabored the crescendos. But there was one instruction in the music I could never obey to my teacher’s satisfaction.  The rest.  The zigzagged command to do nothing.  Nothing!  What sense does that make? “Because,” my teacher patiently explained, “music is always sweeter after a rest.” “Be still,” the scripture says, “and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).  Perhaps it is time for you to let the music slow to a stop…and be still and rest. By Max Lucado From: The Applause of Heaven

Dully Funks

Dully Funks

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:2-3

Author Debora Coty calls them “dully-funks.”

They’re those joyless moments. Like when you’re knee-deep in laundry do-overs.
Or the baby’s screaming while your other child makes nail polish pictures on the bedspread.
Or when the phone rings, dinner is boiling over, and the dog needs to go outside NOW.

Well Debora felt like she was living in a black hole that consumed her Jesus-joy.

It was an overwhelming funk of spiritual dullness.

Then she finally turned to God in prayer.

Debora says,
“Through diaper-by-diaper communication with my living Creator As He breathed His spirit and joy into me, I rediscovered my Papa God’s divinely-orchestrated levity of love all around me.”

Friend, don’t be overwhelmed by circumstances.

Talk to God and let Him fill your life with HIS joy.

By Vonette Bright

THE GOSPEL IS POWERFUL BUT SHARING IT IS HARD WORK

THE GOSPEL IS POWERFUL BUT SHARING IT IS HARD WORK

 

Matthew 13:33-35  He told them still another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about thirty kilograms of flour until it worked all through the dough.' Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: 'I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.' (NIVUK)
  
Yeast is often used in the Bible as a picture of sin, because it so easily contaminates everything. But here, Jesus uses the little mould to represent the gospel. In the same way that yeast is ineffective if it stays away from the dough, so the gospel has no power unless it is mixed into the world. 30kg for flour is a large batch and Jesus wanted His hearers to imagine the energy expended in kneading the yeast into it. The woman would have worked very hard as she stretched and pounded the moist dough. Inadequate effort at that stage would result in an inconsistent texture to the bread.

However the rising of the dough was not due to the strength or skill of the woman but the inherent power of the yeast to expand the whole batch of dough. The biochemistry of fermentation is not under the control of the baker, but comes from how God has designed yeast to function as a living organism.

In the same way, the gospel's power is in the Word of God which has intrinsic power to change people's lives by its self-replicating truth. Yet the baker (first the apostles and now us in the 21st Century church) has to work very hard to get the yeast to the right place. When it is there, the yeast takes over: it multiplies and ferments until the loaf is well risen and ready for the oven. The gospel is like that. It is our job to get it to the right people, and God's job to awaken their hearts to its truth.

But it is not easy. Kneading the seeds of gospel truth into a society is hard work. But do not abandon the task because of that. Once the gospel is placed into people, it becomes known and understood, because it is also hard at work. We cannot see that, any more than we can see with the naked eye how the bread rises; but we see its effects in changed lived and families and communities. So do not be afraid or ashamed to work hard in gospel ministry because the power that God releases is far greater than anything we can put in.

Prayer:  God of power. Thank You for those who laboured to enable me to hear and understand the gospel. Thank You more than that for the power by which You have liberated my heart to love and serve You. I am sorry for my reluctance to place the gospel in the right places. Please give me a fresh desire to do that work for Your sake, knowing that Your power to change lives is infinitely greater. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

In the Midst

In the Midst

In the midst of my pain
Do not allow my living be in vain.
For I must not kick and shove
I must be harmless as a dove.
Yet I need Your wisdom from above
For the storms are raging and the waters
Threaten to overtake me…the dark
Clouds are gathering…but in the midst
Of it all I see a glimmer of light .. yes!

In the midst of the angry billows, the light
Is getting even brighter.
In the midst.. I see you Oh Lord the Lover
Of my soul, who in the midst brings peace
To my soul. Calming all my fears in the midst!
You bring me joy in the midst of my pain.
For in the midst of my sorrow You have made
Me to dance before You .. and Oh the joy
That overflows my soul in the midst of this
Wealthy place you have brought me into!

by Margaret C Mullings

The Kingdom of God is Like…

The Kingdom of God is Like…

I spoke at a conference a while ago.  Two events had a deep impact on me, both on a single night.  The first was the baptism of three Iranian women,  “Persian“, as they prefer to be called.  The second was video footage of the Karen people in Burma (or Myanmar), Christians brutally persecuted for their faith.

The three Persian women all gave testimonies, in halting English, with heartfelt emotion.  All are recent converts from Islam – a religion they described as “rule-bound and joyless“.  Their decision to follow Christ will cost them their families: their fathers and brothers will disown them, their mothers will be forbidden ever again to speak with them.  Yet what stood out in these women was their joy and thankfulness.  They reminded me of the Apostle Paul – “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.” (Philippians 3:8). They drenched in the waters of baptism, and the rest of us drenched in the tears of astonishment.  I spent some time with the Persian pastor and his wife, and told them that next time I’m in Toronto I’d come and visit their church.  He was overjoyed: “You will bring us such encouragement,” he said.  I don’t think he has any idea how much it’s the other way around.

The pastor from Burma, who brought the video footage, spoke of the stubborn faith of the Karen people – though displaced, tortured, imprisoned, killed for what they believe, they cling to Christ.  He showed gruesome footage – a young boy whose leg was sheered off after stepping on a mine, men and women gashed from machete attacks, parents whose 9-year old daughter was abducted by the Burmese army.  It reached the point that many people could hardly watch. Ten minutes into it, the pastor stopped it. “Let’s end it there,” he said, “before we get to the violent parts.” Before? You mean this gets worse? Yet, again, what stood out was this pastor’s unbridled joy.  He exuded confidence in Christ and in his victory.

It brought me to my senses. It returned me to my first love. It restored the joy of my salvation.
And it made me feel like a wimp.

My conversion to Christ and my commitment to him have cost me almost nothing: Not relationships, not possessions, not limbs. Yet I find things to whine about anyhow.  I can, with minimal provocation, feel hard done-by, “persecuted,” under-appreciated.  To refer to my sermon last week, it takes me very little time – sometimes no more than 12 hours work in the vineyard – for my thankfulness to turn to bitterness, my joy to entitlement.

Lord, have mercy.

Did you practice losing this week?  I did, with varied results.  A few times I forgot myself  – once, a driver raced in to beat me on the merge in a roundabout, and feelings not exactly akin to praise rose in me.  Then I remembered, and thanked God.

A small step. Hardly heroic. Cost me nothing.

I have much to learn about the Kingdom of God from Persian women and Karen villagers.

By Mark Buchanan

No More Fears

No More Fears

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” 1 John 4:18 ( KJV).

“If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room,” declared Robert Murray McCheyne, “I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me: ‘He ever liveth to make intercession.’”
Is there some fear in your life over which you do not have victory? Whether it is great or small, you can gain victory over that fear through claiming, by faith, God’s supernatural love for yourself and for others, for “perfect love casts out fear.”
That promise makes it imperative that you and I claim God’s agape, the supernatural love described in 1 Corinthians 13, love for God, for our neighbors, for ourselves and for our enemies – for all men. As we do this, we can begin to practice that perfect love, showing it to our families and to friends and neighbors.

No fear is too small for Christ to handle, and certainly none is too large. Remember, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” 2 Timothy 1:7, (KJV). If fear does not come from God, then we must reject that spirit of fear as coming from the enemy of men’s souls.

Fear of the future is a large fear for many people, but sometimes the seemingly small fears – of crowds, of heights, whatever – can cause more distress than greater fears. It is in these instances that God demonstrates His faithfulness to fill our hearts with His love and to cast out fear.

Faith is the most effective foe of fear, and “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6-12

ACTION POINT: Today I will recognize any kind of fear in my life for what it is: an attempt of the enemy to sabotage my effectiveness as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. By faith I will claim God’s supernatural love for myself and others, and thereby gain victory over fear. As I pray for myself, I shall pray for others also who experience the same devastating results of fear.

By Dr. Bill Bright

Take the Leap

Take the Leap

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

My son posted a video of his two buddies and him bungee jumping. The song ‘Let it Go‘ played as I watched the first young man being harnessed in and clasped to the long, elastic rope. The employee carefully checked the straps and guided the friend through the gate to the launch pad. The jumper shifted his weight and swallowed hard as he inched closer to the edge. He surveyed the deep canyon below, looked at the camera, and then said to the attendant, “Will you, will you push me?” The reply: “No, you have to jump.”

My son’s friend had safety-sealed gear secured around his middle, the company possessed a solid reputation and a group of friends cheered in support. Perhaps it was the survival instinct within that rendered him pale! As I watched the video, I imagined that span between his feet leaving the platform and the point of rebound. A leap of faith never looked more tangible!

Over and over, I am led to the precipice of uncertainty or change and given the option to jump, by faith, into a vast unknown. Sometimes the free-fall is terrifying. But the adrenaline rush of living by faith is balanced by the solid foundation of God’s unchanging nature and promises.

Lord, please remind me daily to walk in the confidence that you are my constant guide and protection. Amen.

Thought: Take time to review the ways God has protected and guided you through difficult times and thank Him, in advance, for how He will continue to do so in the future.

By Shelaine Strom

View from Back of the Desert

View from Back of the Desert

There are three classes of people: those who have been in the desert, those still in the desert, and those who have your day coming in the desert!  If you have been there, you need no explanation from me.  If you haven’t been there, no words of mine will explain it to you.  It is not a popular topic, and God’s people perish for lack of knowledge.

Being “on the backside of the desert” is not a self-inflicted inconvenience or a detour because of our spiritual slackness.  It is one of God’s major destinations for those He wants to take deeper.  He is deliberate in leading us into the desert to speak tenderly to us and to make our trouble a gateway of hope.  God says, “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope” (Hosea 2:14-15). There we give ourselves to Him in a new way, and He affirms to us that we are bound to Him forever in righteousness, justice, unfailing love, and compassion (Hosea 2:19-20).

God has purposes and blessings for us in the desert and afterward.  From there, we will know Him as Lord more deeply.  He wants to sharpen our listening skills to His voice alone.  He wants us to know that the only proper response when there is nothing we can control is to trust that He is in control, and He can’t get it wrong.  He wants to show us that there are only two places to go: down and out, or right up into His lap.  He gets us where we can’t move in our flesh, because He must do everything of eternal significance by His Spirit.  In the heat of the desert, He burns up or blows away all the wood, hay, and stubble of our pride, confidence, and striving.

The Bible says that John the Baptist grew strong in spirit in the desert (Luke 1:80). There, he preached the message of the new entrance of God into the affairs of earth (Matthew 3:1).  The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert (Matthew 4:1, Luke 4:1).  Luke 4:14 tells us that Jesus came out of the desert in the power of the Spirit and preached his first public sermon: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).  This was His mission statement for the three years of His earthly ministry and His ultimate ministry to us and for us.

What lies ahead?  Based on the experience of the Israelites, we can expect more giant obstacles, more resistance by the heathen and hell itself, fiercer battles, and more confrontation with the forces of darkness.  That is the bad news.  The good news is that there are great things to come: more positioning as the Body of Christ to move corporately, more victories, more blessings, more light, more power in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, more of His presence, and more of His glory made manifest in our world.  For the joy set before us!

by Sylvia Gunter

Grizzlies Charging

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Grizzlies Charging “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him firm in your faith … the God of all grace … will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:6-10 A friend was hunting for elk with a few buddies when they spotted four adult grizzly bears charging down a ridge toward them. Fear gripped their hearts. There was no point in running; there was no place to hide on the open landscape. Their only hope was to stand their ground and make a lot of noise. Even with high-powered rifles the odds of dispatching four adult Grizzlies was slim. They could soon smell the stench of the bears; it wafted down on them from behind a line of trees. But the bears never came. They must have entered the trees and proceeded down the creek bed to the valley below. My friend understood in a new way the dangers of the wilderness. This story made me ask, “What are the deadly beasts that could destroy me if they took hold of my life?” adultery, addictions to alcohol or pornography, love of money and possessions? More subtle sins like pride, bitterness, laziness and jealousy? What are your grizzlies? What steps can you take to make sure you’re out of harm’s way? Action Step: Take a practical step to guard your heart, such as setting a new boundary about what you allow your eyes to see or scheduling a time to prayer through something that’s frustrating you. By Mike Woodard