Warning Against Unfaithfulness

C.S. Lewis said something decades ago:

“The greatest enemy to the church is ‘contented worldliness.’”

1 John 2:15-17 (New International Reader's Version) Do Not Love the World
Do not love the world or anything in it. If you love the world, love for the Father is not in you. Here is what people who belong to this world do. They try to satisfy what their sinful natures want to do. They long for what their sinful eyes look at. They brag about what they have and what they do. All of this comes from the world. It doesn't come from the Father. The world and its evil longings are passing away. But those who do what God wants them to do live forever.

The command do not love the world demands that we reject those ways of life which do not lead us to God or to the practice of truth, justice, righteousness and love. While this sounds easy enough in theory, it is not easy in practice. For it entails the recognition and condemnation of sin and unrighteousness. Here we can too easily fall prey to arrogant judgmentalism on the one hand or, on the other hand, to the subtle tug to let sinful behaviors pass unnoticed or unnamed in our efforts to love and accept people as they are. And yet acceptance and love of others never means that we must--or may--approve of a way of life that is inimical to God's way of light. Certainly Jesus knew his ministry to be one that exposed sin (Jn 16:8-10). Yet a ministry of exposing the unrighteousness of the world's ways does not stand in contradiction to a ministry of love. For precisely by exposing sin, lies and hatred, we can become channels of God's truth, light and love, so that we enable others to live in that truth as well. But let us remember the epistle's admonitions to confess our own sins, and so let judgment begin at home.

The Essence of Worldliness (2:16-17)
"Worldliness" cannot then be neatly packaged into certain behaviors that the devout believer avoids. And yet John continues with two verses that sound rather like a dire warning about the nature of worldliness. Indeed, the NIV's vivid transla tion--that the sinner exhibits cravings, lust and pride--leaves little doubt that these impulses are to be resisted. But what are these impulses that characterize the "world" but should not characterize those who are "in but not of" the world?

First comes the phrase the cravings of sinful man. The word cravings (epithymia) is the same word translated as lust in the next phrase. Craving may be neutral in its connotations, meaning simply longing or desire, and often in the New Testament it has this sense. The NIV translates the Greek "flesh" (sarkos) as sinful man. But flesh can be positive in the Johannine literature. Both the Gospel (1:14; 6:51-55; compare 17:2) and epistle (1 Jn 4:2) unashamedly state that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. "Flesh" means the human realm, which, in itself, is not evil or negative. But insofar as it stands apart from God, it must be reborn through the power of the spirit (Jn 6:63), or it remains lifeless and dead (Jn 3:6). Just as a body without breath cannot live, so flesh without Spirit cannot live eternally.

Hence the cravings of sinful man are "desires that come from the flesh," or "human striving." This means desire that is shaped by the world unaware of and untouched by God, all those desires and plans that are shaped entirely by our impulses and not by the Spirit of God. The criticism of the "desire of the flesh" rests not on the fact that such desires come from sin--for "flesh" need not have that meaning--but on the fact that they do not come from the Spirit. Had John given some examples relevant to today, he surely would have included this culture's pervasive materialism, workaholic ethic, sexual laxity and driving desires for success and prosperity. Any attitude or action that makes the individual-- and not God--the center and measure of the universe smacks of world liness. "Worldliness" is serving many gods, be they personal whims, ambitions or strivings or simply love of pleasure.

Just as flesh is the source of the craving in the previous phrase, so here human eyes are the source of the lust in the next phrase. We might translate lust of his eyes as "desire that comes from what the eyes see." These desires do not come from the insight that God gives, but are shaped by the world in its ignorance of or opposition to God. They may include greed, materialism and envy, for later the Elder warns those who do not aid their brothers and sisters in need (3:16). Those held by the grip of the world lust for what they see, and not for what the Spirit gives them eyes to see as good.

The third phrase in this trio is boasting of what he has and does. The pride spoken of is self-reliance, self-sufficiency. Either people trust in themselves, or they derive their values, assurance and life from God. It is exactly this attitude of self-sufficiency, seeing things in our own light and not by the light of God, that the Elder terms "worldliness."

Those who live this way experience a futile existence, dedicated to things that are short-lived and offer little lasting satisfaction, for the world and its desires pass away. John means that God's light, already shining (2:8), has overcome the power that animates the world of darkness (2:12-14). Those who put their trust in earthly possessions commit their energies and selves to a sphere whose end has already been assured. They strive to live by a power that has been drained of its source of energy and is now running on empty.

This passage, then, is a manifestation of the fact that one loves either God or the world. This theme echoes throughout Scripture. The first commandment is "You shall have no other gods before me." Joshua commanded the children of Israel to "choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. . . . As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD" (24:15). Jesus warned, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money" (Mt 6:24).

And now the author of 1 John, like his master Jesus, reminds people that there can be only one allegiance, one loyalty, which shapes all that we are and do. There is no way to play both ends against the middle. The commands of this passage are to be heard both as an invitation to serve God and, for those who have heard and responded to such an invitation, as an exhortation to continue to make that response daily.

Anne Murchison Testimony

Though I am not in the Hebrews Hall of Fame, I am another one who is totally convinced that I could not save myself nor can I keep myself saved. Neither can I conform myself to the image of God, for goodness is not god-likeness, though I could not even claim to be a good person.

After coming to Christ at the age of 35, I set out to serve God, teaching the Bible, giving my testimony, hosting Bible studies in our home, leading many to Christ, tithing my money, doing all I could do to obey God. I worked hard at being a good witness. Then my son became ill with an incurable neurobiological disorder. My mother died, my husband was diagnosed with a terminal neurological disorder and he had to take bankruptcy while he was dying. We lost everything we had. Because my husband was the founding owner of the Dallas Cowboys Football Team, the story of our lives was splashed across the pages of the nation's news media. His bankruptcy reverberated around the world. Every detail of my husband's bankruptcy and illness was made public. It was my dark night of the soul.

I became enraged at God. He let me down. I had done everything I could to please Him and my life was falling apart at the seams. Every day my anger escalated as I shouted my pain out to God. "Get out of my life, God. All you do is hurt people." My heart was flooded with terror. "Just send me to hell NOW God. It can't be any worse there than it is here."

A still small voice whispered from God's mouth to my ear, "Come unto me"In the midst of my insanity, a still small voice whispered from God's mouth to my ear, "Come unto me". "Come unto YOU! I screamed. Why would I want to come unto YOU? All you do is hurt people?" The still small voice persisted, "Come let me love you". I raged back in the face of God, "Let you LOVE me! If this LOVE, I want no part of it. Get out of my life!

Much to my surprise, God did not get out of my life. After several months of ranting at God, one morning I heard the Lord speak in my heart, "Come get in my lap and let me hold you".
Something inside me broke wide open. I began to weep in brokenness and repentance, and I have never been the same. From that day forward the Lord began to reveal the truth of His sovereignty, His grace and His love. My legalism only drove me away from God. It was His love that broke my heart and turned my life around. This prodigal daughter came to grips with the truth of God's providential forgiveness, mercy and grace.

Our sins and iniquities are not merely forgiven and covered. They are not imputed to us at all! Rather they are completely forgotten.

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 8:12).

This is why the Word of God can say Abraham wavered not in his faith, that David was a man after God's own heart and that Lot was a righteous man. This is also how God could invite a rebellious daughter to climb up in His lap and let Him love her. His great love broke my heart and drew me to His breast. My sins were remembered no more. Thanks to the finished work of the cross in the heavenlies, it is done.

God sees the end from the beginning. Even though it gets messy down here on earth, He patiently works to will and do according to His good pleasure in our lives. Positional reality and manifested reality are two different realms with the same result. Manifested reality is conditioned only upon our willingness to be broken and to depend upon Him. And if we are not yet willing, He will see to it that we are.

What happens on earth in our flesh is "remembered no more." This is truly amazing grace. This is the good news! There is nothing more powerful than this. I can hear that great cloud of witnesses which surrounds us all. They are cheering louder than a crowd at the Super Bowl. They are giving praise, honor and glory to the Lamb of God who made it all possible. Abraham, David and Lot are among them, and they are cheering us on.

Heavenly Father, I am in awe of your humility and boundless love for me. Your grace astounds me. Your mercy abounds to me. How can I ever thank you enough, praise you enough, worship you enough? The answer is I can't. The one thing I can do is surrender to your will for my life, clinging to you as though my life depended upon it, because it does. I surrender, Lord, and cling to you with all my might. Because of your amazing grace, it is not my will but thine, O Lord. In your Name I pray. Amen.

Acquiring Perseverance - Spurgey

The Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little. (Deuteronomy 7:22)

We are not to expect to win victories for the Lord Jesus by a single blow. Evil principles and practices die hard. In some places it takes years of labor to drive out even one of the many vices which defile the inhabitants. We must carry on the war with all our might, even when favored with little manifest success.

Our business in this world is to conquer it for Jesus. We are not to make compromises but to exterminate evils. We are not to seek popularity but to wage unceasing war with iniquity. Infidelity, popery, drunkenness, impurity, oppression, worldliness, error; these are all to be "put out." The Lord our God can alone accomplish this. He works by His faithful servants, and blessed be His name. He promises that He will so work. "Jehovah thy God will put out those nations before thee." This He will do by degrees that we may learn perseverance, may increase in faith, may earnestly watch, and may avoid carnal security. Let us thank God for a little success and pray for more. Let us never sheathe the sword till the whole land is won for Jesus.
Courage, my heart! Go on little by little, for many littles will make a great whole.

Spiritual Contentment? - Vandruff

A brother wrote and asked about how to find a church, and my tangential answer was to consider carnal versus spiritual contentment. We have our discontent all wrong, it seems to me. We are discontent about material things. If I only had more hair, or money, or a nicer car, or better job. Not that we always say these things, but we feel them deeply; and in many cases we do not think it a sin to speak this way even among the brethren. While this is "natural", it is not something encouraged by God.

Luke 3:14 (KJV) "... Be content with your wages."
Heb 13:5 (NRS) "... Be content with what you have."
1 Tim 6:6,8 (NIV) But godliness with contentment is great gain... But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

There is no doubt that we should bring our real needs to God in prayer. But how much of our discontentment has to do with real needs? On the other hand, we tend to be spiritually complacent and think we have "made it" at any and every stage of spiritual maturation, and many churches actually encourage this. Here is a litmus test: In prayer meetings, what are we asking for? For more of God... or for more of the ephemeral stuff of the here and now? While this materialism is natural enough, and to be expected, I suspect that God wants to goad us to a certain spiritual discontent and passion for more of what is eternal.

1 Cor 12:31 (GLT) But zealously strive after the better gifts.
Isa 55:6 (GLT) Seek Jehovah while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.
Mat 5:6 (GLT) "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness! For they shall be filled."
Ps 84:2 (GLT) My soul longs and even faints for the courts of Jehovah; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Ps 63:1 (NRS) God... I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Ps 42:1 (GLT) As the deer pants after the channels of water, so my soul pants after You, O God.

Anyone speaking like David in today's Christian culture would likely be pulled aside and harangued for being "negative" and given a book on being spiritually content where he was. And yet I think we have it exactly backwards. We should be content with the paltry and ephemeral material things we have, and thankful to God for them. We should hunger and thirst and seek and zealously strive in every way for more of God and his grace, even if few will encourage us in this direction outside of the holy saints of old.

In short, my advice would be to look for a group--or start one in your home--with such a purpose: to seek God and find him. Not to be content with mere talk about him, but to be motivated to have him in truth. Look for those who have "tasted and seen that He is good", and who are ruined for anything else. Short of this, go to the church you must, but never give in to the tendency to lower God's standard of holiness. Never sell out to the half-way or the watered down. Hold out for the real and permanent, even if you are not there yet. For if you hold on to your hope, you will not be disappointed if your hope is in God.

Rom 8:24 (NIV) For... who hopes for what he already has?
Gal 5:5 (NIV) But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.

Let the Holy Spirit help you cultivate a heart content in the physical (unnatural as this is) and that has permission to pine for God in the spiritual (unnatural as this is) till it is fully satisfied.

Eph 1:16-20 (Phi) ... This is my prayer: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the all-glorious Father, will give to you spiritual wisdom and the insight to know more of him: that you may receive that inner illumination of the spirit which will make you realize how great is the hope to which he is calling you--the magnificence and splendor of the inheritance promised to Christians--and how tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God. That power is the same divine energy which was demonstrated in Christ when he raised him from the dead...

Shame on Me?

Jer 3:3 (NIV) Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame.

In previous studies, we have looked at conviction and condemnation in the way of repentance. Conviction is portrayed in Scripture as the first (welcome) work of the Spirit, and condemnation as the (just) sentence of God on our sinful natures. This much, hopefully, is clear in its practical benefit in our spiritual reflexes to prod us back into Christ when we find ourselves "in the flesh".
Jer 6:15 (NAS) "Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; they did not even know how to blush."

Shame might also have a use in our sanctification, and this might be good to understand. For example, often we flinch at looking so closely at our proclivities to sin because we feel a deep sense of shame... and so turn our eye in order to temporarily ease the pain. The sermon is over, the session is done, and we go away from the mirror and forget what we look like.
Part of the romance of God may be to prepare us to be a "blushing" bride. We certainly have enough to blush over, if we will just let the Spirit search us. But this blushing of shame "the flesh" HATES more than anything! It touches the very nerve of "self" in a most painful way. So why should we, or why must we, endure this awful feeling?

Reactions To God
Luke 5:8 (Wey) When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at the knees of Jesus, and exclaimed, "Master, leave my boat, for I am a sinful man."

Simon Peter's response is part of anyone's reaction to a real encounter with God. By seeing Jesus he was "undone" by the resultant heightened sense of his own depravity; how far He was from the glory of God.

It is one thing to play with words and self deception concerning our state before the Holy One; it is another to come up against His pure goodness. What we thought we wanted now makes us feel dirty. When goodness is laced with badness it is easier to take, easier to relate to. But pure goodness is alien to us. And we know God is powerful, but to experience that power brings our own insufficiency into the light. We tend to recoil from what we also most want. Jesus did not leave Simon Peter for his honest reaction, speaking words of comfort instead and calling him as an apostle. For Peter's will power had come up against a greater will. But Peter's "reaction" remained for a deeper "treatment" at a later date.

Are we greater than Simon Peter? Are we less in need of being saved "in the highest way" than him? Will we not have to be cured of this same problem in the future, even after hearing words of comfort? Even after confessing Christ? Even after walking in intimate fellowship with our Lord?

The Problem Of Self Confidence And Pride
Luke 22:31-34 (Phi) "Oh, Simon, Simon, do you know that Satan has asked to have you all to sift like wheat?--but I have prayed for you that you may not lose your faith. Yes, when you have turned back to me, you must strengthen these brothers of yours." Peter said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go to prison, or even to die with you!" "I tell you, Peter," returned Jesus, "before the cock crows today you will deny three times that you know me!"

Peter was a boaster, being confident in himself. Like us, he was prone to make grand promises to God and then to blow it in actual experience, leading to the ache of shame.

Luke 22:59-62 (Phi) "I am convinced this man was with him..." "Man," replied Peter, "I do not know what you are talking about." And immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crew. The Lord turned his head and looked straight at Peter, and into his mind flashed the words that the Lord had said to him... "You will disown me..." ...and he [Peter] went outside and wept bitterly.

In this dismal process of humiliation we perhaps can understand at a deeper level how God is going to work out that no flesh will boast in His presence.
Come on, with us? Really?

The Appointed Task

GALADRIEL: This task was appointed to you. And if you do not find a way, no one will.
FRODO:Then I know what I must do. It's just, I'm afraid to do it.
GALADRIEL: Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.
FRODO:I cannot do this alone.
GALADRIEL: You are a Ring-bearer, Frodo. To bear a Ring of Power is to be alone.
FRODO: "I can't do this, Sam."
SAM: "I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. 'Cause sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How can the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end it's only a passing thing. A shadow even darkness must pass. A new day will come and when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something even if you were to small to understand why. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folks in those stories had lots of chances in turning back only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding onto to something."
FRODO: "What are we holding onto, Sam?"
SAM: "That there's some good left in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."

Rebellion

Rebellion does not nullify God's promises to us nor disqualify us from inheriting them. God's grace guarantees that they are always available to us when we sincerely turn our hearts back to Him.
" . . . after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to [Israel]. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an unexpected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive" (Jeremiah 29:10-14 Brackets and italics mine).

I am tremendously encouraged by these words of our gracious and merciful Father. The wonder and glory of His faithfulness and love are stunning. Yes, there will be discipline. Yes, He chastises us when we walk according to the letter of the law instead of the voice of His Spirit. No! Rebellion does not nullify His promises to us nor disqualify us from inheriting them. It guarantees they are always available to us when we sincerely turn our hearts back to Him.
We either hear and obey the voice of God or we walk under the law which is idolatry.

Dire Consequences—Idolatry
Scripture teaches over and over again that we either hear the voice of God or walk under the law, which is idolatry. The cornerstone reference to this statement is Jeremiah 11:1-11 (NAS).

"The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 'Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and say to them, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Cursed is the man who does not heed [hear] the words of this covenant, which I commanded your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, "Listen [Hear] my voice, and do according to all which I command you, so that you shall be My people, and I will be your God, in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.'" And the Lord said to me, 'Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying "Listen [Hear] the words of this covenant and do them. For I solemnly warned your fathers in the day that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, warning persistently, saying, 'Listen [Hear] my voice.' Yet they did not obey (hear) or incline their ear, but walked each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, [which was 'hear my voice'] but they did not. Then the Lord said to me, 'A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors who refused to hear my words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their father.'"

Many other scriptures validate the principle that we walk in idolatry when we don't hear and obey His voice.

"This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing" (Jeremiah 13:10).
"And it shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God, and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 8:19-20 NAS Italics mine).
"But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them, I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it" (Deuteronomy 30:17-18).
"And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the Lord pro-nounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God? Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the Lord, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law; And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me" (Jeremiah 16:10-13 Underlining mine).

We can be sure if the glory of God's presence is not with us we are worshiping the God of our own stubbornness—the god of our own choice or imagination and the lust of our own hearts (Jeremiah 13:10, 16:12).

The root word for stubborness, lust and imagination means "enemy". Thus when we walk under the letter of the law rather than according the leading of the Spirit of God, we are enemies of God. James actually says that that we are adulterers—friends of the world and enemies of God.
Adultery, idolatry and friendship with the world are synonymous.

"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4).

Adultery and idolatry are synonymous in both the Hebrew and the Greek. The evidence keeps piling up, doesn't it?

Curses Instead of Blessings
The blessings of God come to those who "hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord thy God" (Deuteronomy 28:1-2 Italics mine). The curses come to those who "wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God" (Deuteronomy 28:15 Italics mine). Legalism steals almost all of our blessings. The one it does not steal is the steadfast love of God. The hound of heaven never stops working in our lives, even when we are running from Him.

Abide, Practice, Trust, Obey
How do we learn to hear the voice of the Lord? First, abide, abide, abide in God's Word for therein is the truth that will set us free. Second, practice, practice, practice. Third, trust, trust, trust. And fourth, obey, obey, obey. Seek confirmation for the big things and look for confirmation for everything. There are several criteria for discerning the voice of the Lord. One, the Lord will never contra- dict the truth of His word. Two, He will always confirm what He has spoken. My personal criteria are 1) to love and want truth more than my own way, and 2) to seek confirmation from a mature, fruitful believer. I frequently pray for the Lord to correct me quickly. It is better for me to be right with the Lord than to be right in my own eyes.

RIGHTEOUSNESS - The goodness of God, imparted to His children

We can't resist compromise unless we continually see the difference between the world's most noble views of right and wrong and what's right in God's eyes. Otherwise, it's all too easy to confuse God's mercy and love with today's "positive thoughts" about tolerance, unity and collective values. It's easy to ask, What would Jesus do?, but we miss the answer every time if we follow our own idealistic standards and subjective interpretations of God's mind and movements. The fact that man's collective actions seem to succeed based on human assessments, doesn't mean that "God is moving" in step with our pragmatic visions.

"You thought that I was altogether like you," He reminds us. "But I will rebuke you...." [Psalms 50:21] "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord." [Isaiah 55:8]

Only by His Word and Spirit in us can we see right and wrong from His perspective. For "no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God." [1 Corinthians 2:11] But when we feed on His Word and rely on His Spirit , He sensitizes our conscience to His will and imprints His ways on our hearts: "I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." Jeremiah 31:33

Those who reject God's Truth and Righteousness have a very different standard for right and wrong. Conformed to cultural values rather than to God's Word, their consciences simply endorse man's corrupted values. Since human nature doesn't change with time, this Old Testament warning is still relevant today:

"Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?No! They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush." Jeremiah 6:15

In fact, the world's ways and God's ways are totally incompatible. That's why God's Word tells us repeatedly to shun the world's counsel even as we demonstrate God's love:

"The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray." Proverbs 12:26"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.' "Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate,' says the Lord. 'Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.'" 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
"... in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!"...all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned." 2 Timothy 3:1-14

In other words, don't let the world distract you from God's Word and ways. As followers of Jesus, we are "in the world" as salt and light, but we're not "of the world" as participants in its social and moral consensus. [John 17:11, 14] This division has kindled the world's fury through the ages. That's why Jesus -- knowing His disciples would face its cruel onslaughts -- explained the consequences of such an uncompromising stand:

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.... because they do not know Him who sent Me." John 15:18-21

Persecution seems both remote and unreal to Westerners unfamiliar with the torture of God's faithful ones in Communist, Hindu and Islamic countries today. Too distracted to learn history or Biblical prophecy, most of us neither look back to the persecution of the early church nor forward to prepare for the battles ahead. [See Revelation 13 and 17]. Those who have not been desensitized by imagined media violence might shudder at the following list, which shows man's ingenuity in inflicting pain on others. May it impress on our hearts the surpassing value early Christians put on the righteousness of Jesus Christ! Pleasing Him was worth more than life to them! A torturous death was not too high a price for a heavenly eternity with their Lord. They knew the cruel consequences of discipleship, but compromise was not an option!

• shut up in a sack with snakes and thrown into the seas
• tied to huge stones and cast into a river
• hanging on the tree (cross), they were beaten with rods until their bowels gushed out, while vinegar and salt were rubbed into their wounds
• tied to catapults and so wrenched limb from limb
• thrown to the beasts; others tied to their horns.
• Women stripped, enclosed in nets and exposed to the attacks of furious bulls
• tortured with scrapers, claws and pincers [then] delivered to the mercy of flames
• broken on the wheel or torn in pieces by wild horses
• the feet were slowly burned away...
• scourged to the bone, then placed near a grid-iron that he might witness the roasting of pieces torn from his own body
• fixing red-hot plates of brass to the most delicate parts of his body... [then] slowly roasted in the iron chair.
• 'melted lead, hissing and bubbling, was poured' [down their backs]
• a few.... escaped with the searing out of their eyes, or the tearing off of their legs."[4]
  

These faithful men and women could have won release by simply recanting their faith or affirming the gods of Rome. But they refused to deny their Lord! To them, the following Scripture was far more than a nice memory verse: "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Romans 8:18. By God's wonderful grace, may we, too, demonstrate to a needy world the surpassing values of knowing and following our King -- in His ministry here on earth as well as in His suffering and death!

"I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death...." Philippians 3:7-11

The power is in the cross of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:18).

We overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony and by loving not our lives unto death (Revelations 12:11). The blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony come easily for most Christians. Resistance sets in when it comes to loving not our lives unto death. Instead of submitting to God and resisting the devil, we unwittingly submit to the devil by resisting our death to self on the cross.
We long for the glory of God until the refining fires begin to burn up the wood, hay and stubble of our lives. It takes faith to entrust ourselves to the consum- ing fires of God. It takes faith to know when He tries us, we will come forth as gold. It takes faith to know that even in the darkness He is a light for us.
Lord Jesus, refine me. Teach me. Lead me. Convict me. Protect me. Strengthen me. Help me. Comfort me. Reveal the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus to me and set me free from the law of sin and death. In Your Name I pray. Amen.

Our rights?

It is important to understand that the essence of sin is not morality or immorality but our claim to our right to ourselves. It is self and its inherent selfishness that is at the core of sin. This selfishness can drive us to lie, cheat, steal and kill. Before we get to feeling too smug, sin can also drive us to strive for an appearance of godliness for the approval of men.

The heart of man is revealed in temptation. Man knows his sin, which without temptation he could never have known; for in temptation man knows on what he has set his heart.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Warning: It is all too easy to do the convenient thing instead of the godly thing.

Satan's Greatest Hits!

by David Kyle Fosterfrom "Mastering Life" Newsletter # 23
Satan is a mobster - a hit man - and he wants nothing more fervently than to rub you out. He's a murderer, a liar, a gangster, and he's got a contract out on your life. His final days as god of this world system are spent manically battling the angels of God for the souls of men. And if he can't have your soul, he'll settle for desecrating your call as an ambassador of the Kingdom of God.
As children of light, we have no business even dabbling in Satan's kingdom. We have no business sleeping with the enemy in compromise and sin. Everything he lures us with is a lie. It's darkness. It's cursed. Church of the living God, we've got to wake up and declare, "No more! My life of compromise is over. I am going to serve the Lord and walk in His ways and bring glory to His name with every breath that is in me! I am through playing games with evil. I am going to develop an intimate relationship with my Father in heaven and live in humble dependence on Him to keep me from falling and to walk in His ways. May God Almighty, this day, write across my forehead, 'Holy unto the Lord' and may it never be erased again!"
It is dangerous to focus on Satan too much. However, the Bible clearly teaches that we should be aware of the ways in which he operates. The Apostle Paul indicated in his second letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor 10b-11) that they were not to be unaware of Satan's schemes, so that the devil could not outwit them. Again, in Ephesians 6:11 Paul refers to "standing against the devil's schemes". That, of course, presumes one knows what his schemes are!
Satan's most effective devices, by far, are those that operate unseen in people's lives. They are subtle schemes, that take on the appearance of being natural, normal, unavoidable and sometimes godly. They're effective because they are so integrated into the norms of our culture that they don't appear to be contrary to the ways of God. Consequently, we allow them to remain a part of our lives. Long term, these are the sins that provide a foundation for more obvious acts of rebellion.

The Upward Call of God

The walk of faith is not the same day in and day out. Neither does God intend for us to remain the way we are. Faith leads us to higher and higher ground. The path to higher ground is always down.

"Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed" (Isaiah 66:1-5). The word "humble" means among other things, depressed, pressed down. The way up is down.

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up" (James 4:10).
Job was no different than the rest of us. No one wants to throw himself onto the fire. Few of us can or will. It is unnatural for the flesh to want to suffer. No one wants their loved ones to suffer. This is even worse. So we say to ourselves, "Let's take out fire insurance. If we just do everything 'right' this will please God. Let's get those bulls and goats and throw ‘em on the fire. Get that burnt offering going! That way we won't have to go through the fires ourselves!"

This kind of thinking reflects an incorrect understanding of the ways of God. It is also typical of people who who love God. Job's propriety, the attitude that we can live right enough to please God, is exactly what God was working on. Sin is not so much about morality and immorality as it is about our claim to our right to ourselves, but self is what must be thrown into the flames.

Sacrifice and burnt offering were the order of Job's day. The Lord says over and over through His Word, however, that sacrifice and burnt offering are not what He desires. Let's look at what He does desire of us.

"For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Psalm 5l:16-l7).

"Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened; burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart" (Psalm 40:6-8).

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name" (Hebrews 13:15).

"I will praise the name of God with song, And shall magnify Him with thanksgiving. And it will please the Lord better than an ox or a young bull with horns and hoofs. The humble have seen it and are glad; You who seek God, let your heart revive" (Psalm 69:30-31).

I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Romans 12:1-2)

ORPHANS OF GOD

Who here among us has not been broken
Who here among us is without guilt or pain
So oft’ abandoned by our transgressions
If such a thing as grace exists
Then grace was made for lives like this

There are no strangers
There are no outcasts
There are no orphans of God
So many fallen, but hallelujah
There are no orphans of God

Come ye unwanted and find affection
Come all ye weary, come and lay down your head
Come ye unworthy, you are my brother
If such a thing as grace exists
Then grace was made for lives like this

O blessed Father, look down upon us
We are Your children, we need Your love
We run before Your throne of mercy
And seek Your face to rise above

Storm

Lifehouse - Storm Lyrics l

how long have I
been in this storm
so overwhelmed by the ocean's shapeless form
water's getting harder to tread
with these waves crashing over my head

if I could just see you
everything will be alright
if I'd see you
the storminess will turn to light

and I will walk on water
and you will catch me if I fall
and I will get lost into your eyes
and everything will be alright
and everything will be alright

I know you didn't
bring me out here to drown
so why am I 10 feet under and upside down
barely surviving has become my purpose
cause I'm so used to living underneath the surface

if I could just see you
everything will be alright
if I see you
the storminess will turn to light

and I will walk on water
and you will catch me if I fall
and I will get lost into your eyes
and everything will be alright

and I will walk on water
you will catch me if I fall
and I will get lost into your eyes
and everything will be alright
I know everything is alright
everything's alright

Learning to Tremble, by Kimberli J. Brackett

You know why I think sin is so easy for me to choose -- because I'veforgotten to tremble. I guess if I'm really honest, I can't rememberever trembling. I went to a Mercy Me concert a few weeks ago and during the concert they sang a song by Audio Adrenaline. They chose to have all the lyrics of the song come up on the screen and God kept directing my camera to take pictures of the screen every time it said, "I tremble." I know it was God because I took a picture each time the screen said "I tremble"and I had no idea why I was doing it until I looked at my pictures. I knew God must be trying to tell me something but even as I got them developed, I wasn't quite sure what He was trying to say.

A few days after the concert, I was driving to Dallas early in themorning and I put in an older Nichole Nordeman CD called "ThisMystery." Guess what the second song on her CD was called? "Tremble."The song convicted my heart in a way I can't express in words, and I wept in my car as I realized I had never trembled. A few days later, I flew to Nashville to do a seminar and I met a woman named Charlotte. I happened to be speaking on holiness and she found me after the conference and told me I would love Henry Blackaby's book,"Holiness." I am now aware when God has people tell me to read books that He wants me to read and I knew without a doubt this was one of those times, so I went to Lifeway later that evening in Nashville and guess how many copies of Holiness they had in stock? You guessed it, they had one!I bought it and read almost the entire book on the plane coming home.

In the very first chapter, Blackaby writes, "I trembled before God as I realized God's people no longer feared God nor sin, and no longer sought holiness" (Page 6). Henry was talking about me! He not only writes about trembling before God in the first chapter, but used Scriptures and thoughts about "trembling" throughout the book (Pages 6,8, 27, 47, 72 and 99)! God obviously had my attention and I was listening! Well, if you think God was finished convicting me of forgetting to tremble, you're wrong. Just a few days ago, I was reading something about the power of God's word in my quiet time. I felt God's Spirit prompting me to read Psalm 119, so I turned to it in my bible. Psalm119 is all about the power of God's Word, but as I kept reading, guess what David addressed? You guessed it, trembling! "My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws" (Psalm 119:20). He came backto the subject again, "... but my heart trembles at your word" (Psalm119:161). David trembled in fear of God and was in awe of God's laws and God's Word.I can't recall there being any immediate consequences. Have we forgotten to tremble?This is what I believe God has revealed to me about why I don't tremble. Honestly, I believe it is because for most of my life, I can't recall there being any immediate consequences for my sin. UnlikeAnanias and Sapphira, I wasn't struck dead by God the first time I lied. I wasn't struck dead the second time either, or the 15,894 time. I forget to tremble because most of my life I have watered down in my mind, in my heart, and in my own words the sin I have sometimes blatantly chosen. When I lie, I call myself "untruthful" instead of calling myself a liar. When I talk bad about people, I call it "being unkind" instead of calling myself a slanderer and a gossip. When I had sex outside of marriage, I called it "premarital sex" instead of calling myself a prostitute or an adulterer. When I am mean and prideful, I call it "snobby" instead of calling myself self-righteous.When I am self-righteous and judgmental in my Christianity, I call it"opinionated" instead of calling myself legalistic. When I put my job before God and my family, I call it a "strong work ethic," instead ofcalling myself an idolater. When I watch filth and ungodly things on television, I call it "inappropriate" instead of admitting I am condoning, justifying, and embracing sexual immorality. I deceive myself in every way, so that in my self-absorbed sin, I see nor feel any reason to tremble. I wonder, will I ever tremble? Will I ever really understand the depth of David's words in Psalm where he trembles in fear of God and His word? I know in the past year God has shown me through so many ways the depth of my sin and my pride because He wants me to know that until I acknowledge the depth of my sin, I will never comprehend the depth ofthe blood that covers it! Until I can see my sin through the eyes of God, until I acknowledge the holiness and deity of God, I will neverunderstand the powerful relationship I can have with my HeavenlyFather. I will never understand the awesomeness of God until I tremble. Holy Father, I want to tremble. Will I ever tremble, God? Show me,convict me, teach me to tremble! Oh to tremble in fear of you God so I can truly tremble at my sin ... let me not forget to tremble.

"As Jesus draws near, so rises the storm"...

Praise the Lord, He is indeed drawing near - woe to those who do not prepare or make themselves ready - and woe to those who coddle their sin and say "He doesnt see me or care about how I live". It is time for judgment to begin in the house of the Lord.

Yes, the Ancient of Days has risen from His throne, with his scepter in his hand to execute justice. We continue to cry out to him for justice, and stand before his throne of grace to obtain mercy and help in time of need. We continue to ask our Heavenly Judge to render a verdict in favour of His remnant in this land. We ask him to judge those living wickedly and encouraging others in their wickedness. We ask Him to remember mercy in judgment.

Psalm 110:2 (New International Version) The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies.

scep·ter A staff held by a sovereign as an emblem of authority.
Ruling power or authority; sovereignty. To invest with royal authority.

also spelled Scepter, ornamented rod or staff borne by rulers on ceremonial occasions as an emblem of authority and sovereignty. The primeval symbol of the staff was familiar to the Greeks and Romans and to the Germanic tribes in various forms (baculus, “long staff”; sceptrum, “short staff”) and had various significances. The staff of command belonged to God as well as to the earthly ruler; there were the old man's staff, the messenger's wand, the shepherd's crook, and, derived from it, the bishop's, and so on.

Vessels of honor

2 Timothy 2:19-30 (The Message)Meanwhile, God's firm foundation is as firm as ever, these sentences engraved on the stones: God knows who belongs to him. Spurn evil, all you who name God as God.
20-21In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.
22-26Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil's trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.

Character Before Breakthrough (From Francis Frangipane's book "This Day We Fight")

Dear ones, let us perservere. We don't know what the victory will look like when we finally break through. Consider Joseph - betrayed, enslaved, slandered, and forgotten, he had to endure to reach his destiny. But the time finally arrived, and never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined it to be so wonderful.

What we become, is more important to God that what we can do for Him. The struggle deepens our character. Maintaining our standards when pressed, finding grace when stretched, makes us true men and women of God. Almighty God is in control. He knows how to take what was evil and transform it into something good, even using the devil's own devices to bring him down. God has something marvelous in store for us, otherwise the enemy would not be fighting so intensely. Indeed, Scripture tells us that Satan rages worst when he knows his time is short (Rev. 12:12)

There is a principle here that if understood will lead to victory in our battles. There will be a time where we will feel overpowered. Yet if we endure, we will climb higher into God. If we refuse to lose our trust in God, a time will come when the Ancient of Days enters our circumstances and changes everthing in a day. Looking at our newly developed character, He will pass judgment in favour of our cause. He looks at our character, forged in the fire of overpowering delays and battle, and says "Good, this is what I have been waiting for"...

So, whatever your battle, whether you are praying for this country, standing for your children, whether your cry is for the lost, or for the end of some local or personal conflict, remember the words of Paul "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary" Galatians 6:9

Prayer: Master, I ask that You work in me the character that perseveres until the end. Forgive me for being such a wimp. Help me to grow up to stand up until the harvest I have sown spiritually bears fruit. Thank you for not giving up on me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Counting The Cost, By C.S. Lewis:

"The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self--all your wishes and precautions--to Christ.
"Christ says 'Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don't want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked--the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: My own will shall become yours.'...
"When I was a child I often had toothache, and I knew that if I went to my mother she would give me something which would deaden the pain for that night and let me get to sleep. But I did not go to my mother--at least not till the pain became very bad. And the reason I did not go was this. I did not doubt she would give me the aspirin; but I knew she would also do something else. I could not get what I wanted out of her without getting something more, which I did not want. I wanted immediate relief from pain, but I could not get it without having my teeth set permanently right. And I knew those dentists; I knew they started fiddling about with all sorts of other teeth which had not yet begun to ache. They would not let sleeping dogs lie. If you gave them an inch they would take a mile.
"Now, if I may put it that way, our Lord is like the dentists. If you give Him an inch, He will take a mile. Dozens of people go to Him to be cured of some one particular sin which they are ashamed of... or which is obviously spoiling daily life (like bad temper or drunkenness). Well, He will cure it alright: but He will not stop there. That may be all you ask; but if once you call Him in, He will give you the full treatment. That is why He warned people to 'count the cost' before becoming Christians. 'Make no mistake,' He says, 'If you let me, I will make you perfect. The moment you put yourself in My hands, that is what you are in for. Nothing less or other than that.'
"'Whatever suffering it may cost you in your earthly life... whatever it cost Me, I will never rest, nor let you rest, until you are literally perfect--until my Father can say without reservation that He is well pleased with you, as He said He was well pleased with me. This I can do and will do. But I will not do anything less.'
"The goal toward which He is beginning to guide you is absolute perfection; and no power in the whole universe, except you yourself, can prevent Him from taking you to that goal. That is what you are in for. And it is very important to realize that. If we do not, then we are very likely to start pulling back and resisting Him after a certain point. I think that many of us, when Christ has enabled us to overcome one or two sins that were an obvious nuisance, are inclined to feel (though we do not put it into words) that we are now good enough. He has done all we wanted Him to do. And we should be obliged if He would now leave us alone.
"But this is the fatal mistake... The question is not what we intended ourselves to be, but what He intended us to be when He made us....
"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you know that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of--throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself!"

Prayer..

Prayer:Lord, I submit my heart to You. I ask that You cleanse me of tolerance, of compromise and fear. You have given me authority over all the power of the enemy. You said no weapon formed against me will prosper. You said he who overcomes shall inherit Your promises. Lord, make me as Jehu of old. Empower me to overcome the spirit of Jezebel.

You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)- thanks Kirk..

Josh Groban: You Are Loved

Don't give up

It's just the weight of the world

When your heart's heavy

I, I will lift it for you

Don't give up

Because you want to be heard

If silence keeps you

I, I will break it for you

Everybody wants to be understood

Well I can hear you

Everybody wants to be loved

Don't give up

Because you are loved

Don't give up

It's just the hurt that you hide

When you're lost inside

I'll be there to find you

Don't give up

Because you want to burn bright

If darkness blinds you

I. I will shine to guide you

Everybody wants to be understood

Well I can hear you...

Everybody wants to be loved

Don't give up

Because you are loved (you are loved)

You are loved (you are loved)

Don't give up (don't give up)

It's just the weight of the world!! (you are loved)

Don't give up (don't give up)

Everyone needs to be heard (don't give up)

You are loved (you are loved)

Suffering

If every call to Christ and His righteousness is a call to suffering, the converse is equally true— every call to suffering is a call to Christ, a promotion, an invitation to come higher.

~CHARLES BENT~

Deception..

2 Corinthians 11:3 (New Living Translation)
But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.

Deception is Satan's biggest tool, is most effective and its very intricate..

This exerpt is written from the perspective of the demonic realm as in the book by C.S. Lewis - "The Screwtape Letters":

"Your Worst Enemy - Intelligence
When battling, your number one enemy is the enemy’s intelligence; actual external threats are secondary. The greater the intelligence of your enemy, the greater the threat becomes to both you and your allies.
When I use the word intelligence, I am referring to several various factors that culminate in their total mind power. I have separated the forms of intelligence into the following 4 categories:

Problem Solving Ability - this is the wisdom to be able to efficiently solve any problem presented to you.
Decision Making Skills - this is the straightforward knowledge and understanding of what to do when presented with a certain situation. For example, the decision of when to engage or when to evade a certain threat.
Observance - this is the ability to take in and process what is going on around you. The game gives you three different sensory outputs: sight, sound, and touch (through your Xbox controller). Your ability to observe depends upon how much attention you pay to these three mediums. Observance can also depend upon how much attention you pay to your surroundings, which can include evidence of a battle (blood, bullet-holes, exploded canisters, destroyed vehicles, grenade marks); missing resources (weapons, vehicles, powerups); the location of your enemies and teammates (radar, teammate icons, sight and sound); and the allocation of resources.
Awareness of Strategy - the ability to foresee an enemy strategy based on your observances.
Having a personal proficiency with these forms of intelligence can give you a formidable edge in the game, but the real power of intelligence is Deception. The power and importance of intelligence is a testimony to how weak your opponent would be without it. Intelligence is powerful, but it has its weaknesses; it can be tricked, it can be warped, and it can be deceived.

The Antithesis of Intelligence

THE ART OF DECEPTION
Warfare is the Way of deception.

Therefore, if able, appear unable,

if active, appear not active,

if near, appear far,

if far, appear near.

If they have advantage, entice them;

if they are confused, take them,

if they are substantial, prepare for them,

if they are strong, avoid them,

if they are angry, disturb them,

if they are humble, make them haughty,

if they are relaxed, toil them,

if they are united, separate them.

- Sun Tzu, The Art of WarCopyright © 1999 - 2004

deception - 1. the act or practice of deceiving 2. the fact or condition of being deceived
Deception is misleading your enemy into thinking something that is untrue. Tricks that worked yesterday won't necessarily work today or tomorrow. The battlefields have countless possibilities and I have no possible means of covering every single topic of deception, and even if I could, I wouldn't. Your ability to deceive your enemy depends entirely on your own wit, and if you think that this article will tell you exactly how to accomplish it, you are better off not reading it. I'm here to teach the underlying fundamentals of deception. Be forewarned, some assembly required."

PEACE, GRACE & TRUTH ARE THE TRUE BELIEVER'S

GREATEST WEAPON!

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 (Amplified Bible) If you forgive anyone anything, I too forgive that one; and what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sakes in the presence [and with the approval] of Christ (the Messiah), To keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions.

Ephesians 4:14 (New Living Translation) Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

1 Peter 5:7-9 (Amplified Bible) Casting the [a]whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, [b]once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you [c]watchfully.(A) 8Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [[d]in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 9Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset--rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same ([e]identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.

Brokenness

“For Thou does not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; Thou art not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise”(Psalm 51:16-17).
The word “broken” used in Psalm 51:17 translates “crushed, broken in pieces, torn, and brought to birth!” The word “contrite” means “collapsed physically or mentally”. These two words describe a soul in devastated brokenness. From an eternal perspective, these are the sacrifices of God. This is not exactly something the fittest, the toughest and the slickest want to hear, but it truly is good news. Like freshly tilled soil, a broken and surrendered heart is the perfect environment for God to bring it to birth.
It is a narrow way that leads to life (Matthew 7:14). The word “narrow” means “to suffer tribulation” and “pressure”. Like a baby coming through the narrow way of the birth canal, the pressures of our sorrows are actually meant to bring our hearts to birth, to life, by the power of God’s grace.
Paul’s writings bring light to the phenomenon of a heart brought to birth. In Galatians 4, he wrote that he was “once again in labor that Christ might be formed” in us (v. 11). This word “labor” is from the root word meaning “to lament and mourn”. Jesus used the metaphor of laboring in childbirth to describe the weeping and lamentation His disciples would endure upon His death (John 16:20-21).
The seasons of crushing brokenness we all endure are like birth pangs. They bring our hearts to birth as we surrender to God in the midst of them. Great or small, our brokenness is the incubator of God’s overshadowing grace as He forms the tangible reality of the character of Christ within us. This is one of the most important and misunderstood spiritual dynamics in the Word of God.
The Book of Psalms is the holy of holies of the Bible. Much of it is an intimate glimpse into the journal of and memorial to the tearful prayers of the broken- hearted. It stands as a testimony to God’s love and faithfulness to those who cry out to Him for help.

Cry for Help

Psalm 34:17-19 (The Message)
17 Is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you. 18 If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there; if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath. 19 Disciples so often get into trouble; still, God is there every time.

May God Have Mercy..

When the Holy Spirit comes, his first work is to cleanse his people. He cleans out anything that hinders the flow of the Spirit of God. And that means cleansing every individual. All flesh is chased out. Gossips and others who have bitter tongues against the godly are exposed. Those who lie and falsely accuse others are isolated and made to stand and face the truth. Soon, those who cause strife are living under a dark cloud of their own making. And those who didn’t face up to their hidden sin were exposed. In fact, one couple — Ananias and Sapphira — paid for their deception with their lives. You may get away with hidden sin in dead, dry churches, but you can’t in a church where the Holy Ghost is present.

That’s the way it all happened at Pentecost, when the Spirit came. Scripture says that when Peter began to preach with the Spirit’s anointing, the people’s hearts were pricked. They cried out, “What must we do to be saved?” Thousands came to Christ that day. They didn’t need to be convinced through gimmicks or professional entertainment. No, they recognized their sin, and they wanted freedom.

You see, the Holy Spirit is also the administrator of the peace of Christ. He portions out peace both to the pulpit and the pew. Yet there can be no peace without righteousness. Isaiah continues his prophecy: “The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places” (Isaiah 32:17-18).

Peace comes because righteousness is at work. The Holy Spirit is busy sweeping out all unrest, disturbances and condemnation. What follows is peace of mind, peace in the home, and peace in God’s house. And when God’s people have the peace of Christ, they aren’t easily moved from it: “When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place. Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass” (32:19-20).

Isaiah’s prophecy about the Holy Spirit was directed to Israel during Uzziah’s reign. Yet it also applies to God’s people today. It’s known as a dual prophecy. The fact is, every generation needs an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And I believe the church today hasn’t seen anything compared to what the Holy Ghost wants to accomplish.

Have you LOST YOUR WAY?

Luke 15:3-7 (Amplified Bible)So He told them this parable:
What man of you, if he has a hundred sheep and should lose one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness (desert) and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?
And when he has found it, he lays it on his [own] shoulders, rejoicing.
6And when he gets home, he summons together [his] friends and [his] neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep which was lost.
Thus, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one [[

a]especially] wicked person who repents ([b]changes his mind, abhorring his errors and misdeeds, and determines to enter upon a better course of life) than over ninety-nine righteous persons who have no need of repentance.

Here's Audio Adrenaline..

http://ca.wrs.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9FJqiKdN0JFgWwBoUvrFAx.;_ylu=X3oDMTB2cXVjNTM5BGNvbG8DdwRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZAM-/SIG=12vamlk01/EXP=1162053917/**http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/emicmg/ffd40877/video/wma/300/leaving99.wvx

I'm lost and broken all alone on this road
The wheels keep turning but the feeling is gone
when I fear I'm on my own
But you remind me i am not alone

You say..

I'd leave ninety-nine
Leave them all behind
To find you
(For you alone) I'd leave ninety-nine
Leave them all behind
To find you

It's dark and lonely and the path is unclear
Can't move my feet because I'm frozen with fear
And you say, my child, my child
i am always here, i'm at your side

I'd leave ninety-nine
Leave them all behind To find you
(For you alone) I'd leave ninety-nine
Leave them all behind
To find you
you're never too far down
i promise you'll be found,
i'll reach into the mud,
myree clay
persue you to the end,
like a faithful friend,
nothing in this world,
will keep me away.

I'd leave ninety-nine
Leave them all behind
To find you
(For you alone) I'd leave ninety-nine
Leave them all behind
To find you...
to find you..

Trust...and lowering walls..

The fact is that most parents, including Christians, replay what they learned, even in those areas that were personally hurtful. To break well-defined generational habits, we need to understand not only Biblical solutions, but also how experiences from our early development impact the rest of our lives. To heal, we have to trust Him. To trust, we have to deal with the reasons we don’t trust anyone and be willing to yield control. To stop controlling, we have to become willing to let someone else dictate our destiny; someone we may believe failed us when we needed Him most. To heal means we lower our walls of selfprotection and allow Jesus to restore us in His own way. To do that, we must see Him as Someone Who is safe. Most people who were injured emotionally as children believe that no one is safe and trustworthy. Consequently, victims of childhood abuse or neglect seldom let the One they need most into their fragile hearts. Unfortunately, many of us are still worldly, looking for quick fixes and new drugs of choice to soothe our damaged souls. Or we try to get our insatiable needs fulfilled through others. Unfulfilled expectations becomes a long list, with each loss hardening the wall of self-protection and deepening our numbness. Because of God’s great kindness and tender love, we can experience a level of emotional healing that will allow us to honestly know and love Him in the depths of our hearts. We do not have to be victims or survivors; rather we can be servants and children of our glorious God. Instead of focusing inward to find strength, we will cry out to Jesus for help in our time of need and embrace our weaknesses (Heb 4: 14-16). Our relationships will improve, not only because of new boundaries we set, but also as a result of obedience to Biblical truth, an obedience that flows out of earnest love and relationship with the Lord.

We All Have Wounds...

The presence of emotional wounds, the imprints forcing our minds to have certain thought patterns and the isolation of a part of us (the hurting part) from the rest of ourselves, all work together to distort our interpretation skills of situations and people. It forms “filters” through which all incoming information must move prior to the interpretation thereof. When this “filter” is caused by deceptions and lies concerning who we are, we will most often interpret information to accomplish our preconceived ideas about others and ourselves!This will in turn simply strengthen our distorted viewpoints and lead us further away from the truth. When the fruit of hurt in our lives have matured, we often will spend much energy in dealing with the fruit, trying hard to rid ourselves of them. Often this effort goes unrewarded, because they are only the outward evidence of deeper pain. Do not be distracted by these fruits, rather allow God’s spotlight to show the root of the problem. Attacks will always be part of our lives as long as we are in God’s army, but our ability to handle it will mature as we allow God’s Spirit to work His in will us. It will no longer knock us down when someone criticizes, or rejects us.

Good news though! We are all aware that when wounds are healed, they become scars. These scars give evidence of some hurt that has successfully been healed. In the same way the spiritual scars give evidence of a spiritual battle that has been fought and overcome. This is seen as ranking in the spiritual realm. In other words, the enemy sees the scars and then recognizes the ranking. Therefore wounds can actually give us an opportunity to grow in God’s army! Good news indeed and motivation to pursue healing! In summary, we can see that when we go to war, we need to be prepared. We are in a spiritual war, therefore we need to be prepared spiritually. To be spiritually prepared, we need to be whole in body, soul and spirit. When we still suffer from open, unhealed wounds, the Enemy will mark us quickly as open targets, easy prey to destroy and demotivate for the calling of intercession and warfare. These potential prayer warriers will be left alongside the field more wounded than before and totally discouraged for further battles. Be warned, do not enter the battlefield unless your house (your self in totality) has been dealt with and the wounds are healed.

HELP, I NEED HEALING!
How do we gain healing and victory from and over these wounds?
Matt 11:28-29
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden
and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I
will ease and relieve and refresh your souls] .
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I
am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
rest (relief and ease and refreshment and
recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. (Amp)

Jesus is the Balm of Gilead (Jer 46: 11). He brings healing to every wounded heart, He heals painful memories and He restores the yearning in us because of our unmet needs. Healing comes by spending time in the presence of the Great Physician, allowing Him to place His healing balm on the open wounds (Jer 8: 22 , Amp). We need to ask the Holy Spirit to shine His spotlight into those painful memories by using the petition. This will bring a process into action where the hidden or disguised information will be revealed and the Lord then guides us through our healing process. What do we do with information surfacing and calling out for urgent attention? We will be guided by God’s Spirit to deal with each piece of pain according to His wisdom, applying His truths. Let us examine various aspects of healing.

Forgiveness and triggers
This will not always be easy, but forgiving those who hurt us badly are a vital part of the healing process. Forgiveness starts by making an active choice to be obedient and then working with God’s Holy Spirit through the various steps of forgiveness. Two aspects should be taken into consideration: To forgive the one that hurt you and to ask forgiveness for any judgements in your own heart toward that person. To forgive someone in general (i.e. for everything he did to me) will not always be very effective. Keeping in mind that we release special chemicals to keep information hidden, we can understand that the information is filled with detail concerning the specific event, including sounds, smells and feelings! There are certain associations that work like triggers for the feelings to be experienced. For eg. : A certain tone of voice will always make us feel inferior, like a naughty child. In dealing with forgiveness we need to allow the Holy Spirit to bring healing, even with these associations, i.e. to remove the effect of those “triggers”. As the specific feelings connected to those events are released, healing can come. In this the “garbage” that poisoned our beings are released and God’s ointment can reach into the open wound and bring healing! An exceedingly traumatic event, may cause harm to our minds and the shock also needs to be broken. An important factor to keep in mind, is that wounding is not always caused by what happens to us, but more accurately caused by our reactions toward that which happened to us. Therefore, blaming those who hurt us will bring no release, only in taking responsibility for our own reactions opens a way for God’s Spirit to work in us. Often we would only search areas where others had hurt us and forget the important fact that we often need to also forgive ourselves and…. yes…..also God. This is not due to God hurting us, but more our distorted interpretation of God’s character and therefore causing us to nurture angry feelings toward Him. Often God will place us in relationships that will effectively challenge us to face and deal with exactly those areas we need healing from.

The relationship with God as our Daddy will bring deep healing to our need to be accepted, appreciated and adored! To experience God as El Shaddai (the nurturing Father), will bring healing in our yearning for true nurturing. God is more than enough, He has come to heal the broken hearted.

Question?

If someone treated you the way you treat God, would you believe that person really loved you?

In His Grip!

Really to believe that Christ has accepted you, knowing what you know about yourself… How difficult that is for some people! Really to believe that your faith is of no worth or consequence if you do not live faithfully before the Lord… How difficult that is for some people! The Devil has two great lies and they are so much easier to believe than the truth of God. The first lie, the lie he told to Adam and Eve in the garden is "You surely shall not die!" Your sins are not that serious, you have nothing to fear from them, there is no need to take God and his word so seriously!

But, if he is unable finally to convince a person of that, he uses his second big lie: that, while Christ might save some people, he certainly will not help you; not a person as bad, as ungrateful, as unable to surmount your sins, as unworthy of his love and favor as you. It is this second lie that got him his infamous nickname: "The Accuser of the Brethren."

Sometimes we must with great difficulty GRIP onto one hand - God's hand. "Grip" is the idea; laying hold for oneself; holding on to for dear life; refusing to let go. Let a person believe in Christ that way and he will find faith, even faith as a grain of mustard seed, lifting him up from this benighted world all the way to the heavenly country. "Do you believe the promises of God?" Isaac Watts was asked on his deathbed. "I believe them enough to venture an eternity on them." [Toplady, Works, 487]

Oh, no. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that faith is a small thing, an easy thing, a lighter thing than works. Faith is the weightiest thing in the world. I’ll let my hero, Alexander Whyte, have the last word.

"Give me a passionate man, a hot-headed man, and one that is headstrong and unmanageable; and with faith as a grain of mustard seed, I will, by degrees, make that man as quiet as a lamb. Then give me a covetous man, and avaricious man, a miserly man; and with a little faith working like leaven in his heart, I will yet make him a perfect spendthrift for the church of Christ and for the poor. Then give me one who is mortally afraid of pain; and one who all his days is in bondage through fear of death; and let the spirit of faith once enter and take its seat in his heart and in his imagination, and he shall in a short time, despise all your crosses and flames…. Then show me a man with an unclean heart and I will undertake, by his faith in Christ, to make him whiter than snow, till he will not know himself to be the same man." [Bunyan Characters, iv, 109-11]

And why is that? Because faith is the rope that ties us to Jesus Christ, the chain that binds us to him, the current through which his power and grace are transferred to our hearts and lives, the hand by which we walk hand in hand with him through this world.

Lyrics of a song - prayer for friends and family (thanks Lisa)

I will pray for you now for you have been my faithful friends
While the road we walk is difficult indeed
I couldn’t not ask for more than what you’ve already been
Only that you would say these prayers for me
May your heart break enough that compassion enters in
May your strength all be spent upon the weak
All the castles and crowns you build and place upon your head
May they all fall come crashing down around your feet
May you find every step to be harder than the last
So your character grows greater each stride
May your company be of humble insignificance
May your weakness be your only source of pride
What you do unto others may it all be done to you
May you meet the one who made us
And see him smile when life is through
May your blessings be many but not what you hoped they’d be
And when you look upon the broken
May mercy show you what you could not see
May you never be sure of any plans you desire
But you’d learn to trust the plan he has for you
May your passions be tried and tested in the holy fire
May you fight with all your life for what is true
I have prayed for you now all of my dear and faithful friends
But what I wish is more than I could ever speak
As the way wanders on I’ll long to see you once again
Until then, would you pray these prayers for me?
Oh that you would pray for me. ~Kendall Payne

I want to be a dish made of gold!

2 Timothy 2:20-35 (New Life Version)
In a big house there are not only things made of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some are of more use than others. Some are used every day. If a man lives a clean life, he will be like a dish made of gold. He will be respected and set apart for good use by the owner of the house. Turn away from the sinful things young people want to do. Go after what is right. Have a desire for faith and love and peace. Do this with those who pray to God from a clean heart. Let me say it again. Have nothing to do with foolish talk and those who want to argue. It can only lead to trouble. A servant owned by God must not make trouble. He must be kind to everyone. He must be able to teach. He must be willing to suffer when hurt for doing good. Be gentle when you try to teach those who are against what you say. God may change their hearts so they will turn to the truth. Then they will know they had been held in a trap by the devil to do what he wanted them to do. But now they are able to get out of it.

Can God trust an unbroken person?

Henri Nouwen wrote in his book, The Return of the Prodigal Son, that "it is often difficult to believe that there is much to think, speak or write about other than brokenness".

Mark Buchanan wrote in his book Your God is Too Safe, that there is one soil that usually withers pride. It is brokenness. He goes on to write that broken- ness "molds our character closer to the character of God than anything else. To experience defeat, disappointment, loss—the raw ingredients of broken- ness—moves us closer to being like God than victory and gain and fulfillment ever can."

J. C. Philpot wrote over 150 years ago that "There is much presumption, pride, hypocrisy, deceit, delusion, formality, superstition and self-righteousness to be purged out of the heart of God's child. But all these things keep him low, mar his pride, crush his self-righteousness, cut the locks of his presumption, stain his self conceit, stop his boasting, preserve him from despising others, make him take the lowest room, teach him to esteem others better than himself, drive him to earnest prayer, fit him as an object of mercy, break to pieces his free will, and lay him low at the feet of the Redeemer, as one to be saved by sovereign grace alone!"

The catalysts for brokenness don’t have to be huge, tragic or devastating, though sometimes they are. Suffering comes in all sizes and shapes every day of our lives. And when it comes, we often bury the pain of it somewhere deep inside us where it simmers and stews and gnaws away at our peace, faith and health, turning our hearts even stonier, compounding our pride and unbroken- ness layer by layer.

Lord, save us from ourselves...and break up the unplowed, hard ground of our hearts. Do whatever it takes, so we can be a vessel of honour, fit for the Master's use, in whom He does not need to be ashamed. Lord we submit ourselves to your dealings. You know what is in our hearts, and you know best what we need. We welcome your discipline and your correction for we know that this is proof that you love us and proof that we are indeed your sons and daughters.

Prayer is the falling of a tear

Being in agony, Jesus prayed” to His Father in surrender to the cross in Gethsemane (Luke 22:44). Agonizing tears of surrender in prayer are powerful. So are agonizing tears of intercession for others. The mark of God is upon the forehead of those who sigh and cry in prayer.

“And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof” (Ezekiel 9:4).

It is written in the Psalms that tears are like seed and weeping is like the sowing of that seed in prayer.
“Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6).

Sheaves are the answers to our prayers, the fruit of our labor in prayer. Rachel labored in prayer with lamentation and bitter weeping. God promised her that her labor would be rewarded.

“Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work [labor] shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border.” (Jeremiah 31:15-17).

Lawlessness? what is that?

Dictionary definition: ignoring or breaking the law, especially violently.
Thesaurus: insurgent, revolutionary, mutinous, riotous, outlaw, violent.

One feature of the close of the present age that Jesus warned His disciples about was an upsurge of lawlessness.

Matt 24:12
And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

Jesus indicated that many Christians would be infected by this prevailing lawlessness
and as a result their love for God and His people would grow cold. The essence of lawlessness is a rejection of authority. This has become an obvious feature of our contemporary culture. There is a widespread contempt for any rules or regulations that interfere with each person’s individual liberty. People are very forceful in asserting their “rights”, yet very reluctant to acknowledge their corresponding responsibilities. At times, the consequence is a condition bordering on anarchy. As Christians, we have to guard ourselves against this kind of attitude.

We are required to show our respect for our spiritual leaders and legitimate secular authority .
But first and foremost, we must cultivate and maintain an attitude of respect and obedience toward God our Father and toward Jesus our Saviour. This will be expressed in a corresponding attitude of respect and obedience towards God’s Word, the Scriptures.

John 14:23-24
Jesus says, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word … He who does not love Me does not keep My words.

We may claim to love God and we may even pray long and eloquent prayers or preach long and eloquent sermons. However, we do not honour and obey God by going through religious actions without having a lifestyle of holiness. In the midst of prevailing lawlessness it would be appropriate for each of us to make a fresh affirmation of our unreserved and total submission to the authority of Scripture.

2 Tim 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.

Affirmations of a Revolutionary

I am a revolutionary in the service of God Almighty. My life is not my own; I exist as a free person but have voluntarily become a slave to God. My role on earth is to live as a revolutionary, committed to love, holiness, and advancing God's Kingdom. My life is not about me and my natural desires; its is all about knowing, loving, and serving God with all my heart, mind, strength, and soul. Therefore I acknowledge the following:

• I am a sinner, broken by my disobedience but restored by Jesus Christ in order to participate in good works that please God. I am not perfect; but Jesus Christ makes me righteous in God's eyes, and the Holy Spirit leads me toward greater holiness.
• God created me for His purposes. My desire as a revolutionary is to fulfill those ends, and those ends alone. When I get out of bed each day, I do so for one purpose: to love, obey and serve God and his people.
• Every breath I take is a declaration of war against Satan and a commitment to opposing him.
• God does not need me to fight His fight, but He invites me to allow Him to fight through me. It is my privilege to serve Him in that manner. I anticipate and gladly endure various hardships as I serve God; for this is the price of participation in winning the spiritual war.
• I do not need to save the world; Jesus Christ has already done that. I cannot transform the world but I can allow God to use me to transform some part of it.
• My commitment to the revolution of faith is sealed by my complete surrender to God's ways and His will. I will gratefully do what He askes of me simply because He loves me enough to ask. I gain my security, success, and significance through my surrender to Him.
• I am not called to attend or join a church. I am called to be the Bride.
• Worship is not an event I attend or a process I observe; it is the lifestyle I lead.
• I do not give away 10% of my resources. I surrender 100%.
• God has given me natural abilities and supernatural abilities, all intended to advance His Kingdom. I will deploy those abilites for that purpose, when He leads me to do so.
• The proof of my place as a revolutionary is the love I show to God and people.
• There is strength in relationships; I am committed to other revolutionaries and will bless believers whenever I have the chance.
• To acieve victory in the spiritual war in which we are immersed, there is nothing I must accomplish; I must simply follow Christ with everything I have.
• There is no greater calling than to know and serve the Lord.
• The world and many in the churches are desperately seeking identity and destiny. I will respond to that need however the Spirit leads me.
• Absolute moral and spiritual truth does exist, is knowable, and is intended for my life; it is accesible through the Bible, illuminated by the Spirit of God.
• I want nothing more than to hear God say to me, "Well done, My good and faithful servant".

Thank you Lord for loving me, for saving me, for refining me, for blessing me, and for including me in the work of your Kingdom. My life is Yours to use as You please. I love you!

Cathy (taken from "Revolution" by George Barna)

Lord, Convict Us!

Whenever Jesus showed up, He brought division among men. He brought inner peace to a few, but outward hostility among people who were getting along fine until He showed up. Christ's Spirit is the great polarizer, wedge driver, sword. If this same Spirit lives in us, we should expect that we too will illuminate what eternal side people are on. John 16:8 (NEB) "When he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world, and show where right and wrong and judgment lie. He will convict them of wrong..."

The first work of the Holy Spirit is the conviction of sin. If we are temples of the Spirit, His presence, His name in us will convict us, and others, of sin. We will feel more affinity towards those who, like us, long for more conviction, repentance, and the power of God to live a life that will stand the test of fire. It should not surprise us that as we follow Christ, people who want to remain in sin will start to get uncomfortable around us; that we will be accused of being "judgmental" before we have said a word, and that in general we are disliked and avoided for the sake of His name. Others will be attracted to us for this same reason. This is sure proof of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. If this does not happen, can anyone rightly claim to have a measure of the Holy Spirit? Holiness, by its very nature, illuminates sin in sharp relief.

The Holy Spirit never encourages our carnal nature--the flesh. The truth is, our carnal desires and nature must die. We are wicked people. Since we long to fellowship with an utterly holy God, somebody has got to change, and it will not be God. God offers eternal encouragement by the way of the Gospel: death, burial, and resurrection. The starting point is the truth. The truth convicts: we are guilty of sin. Conviction is the first step in the cycle of sanctification, and we should expect it and welcome it as it does its deadly work on the old man. ~D. Vandruff

Phil 4:8 (NIV) Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure...
John 8:32 (Phi) "...and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."