This blog is a long term investment.  It debuted August 2, 2012.  But even before that, I began writing devotionals that I sent to a small email list three times a week.  That first list contained 32 names.  Many times I have thought about quitting, especially when I looked at a blank screen and could not think of a thing to write, but knew I had to if this thing is going to stay alive.  “Why?” I think, especially since I rarely get feedback and sometimes wonder if anyone else cares whether I bruise my brain for a couple dozen hours a week anyway.

 My average pageview day runs 300-400, with an occasional spike of 2000+.  I have now passed over a million pageviews total.  But look back where I started—32 names.  It has taken many years of hard work, truly a long term investment.  I would never have made it this far if I had given up.

 Life is made up of long term investments.  Education, marriage, children, career, mortgages, as well as stock portfolios, and many other things take years to show any profit, any growth, any benefit.  In spite of our instant gratification society, most of us know this about life:  some things are worth the time and trouble and the long, long wait, and many of us manage to avoid quitting.

 Why do we forget that in our spiritual lives?  We become Christians and expect overnight that our problems will disappear, that our temptations will cease, and that our faith will move mountains.  Then reality sets in and instead of working on it, we give up.  We go to an older, knowledgeable Christian and ask for help in learning to study, but after two or maybe three weeks of making the time to meet and finding the time to do the studies he assigns, we quit.  It’s too tedious and we are too busy.  We thought there was some get-wise-quick formula.  It’s just the Bible after all, not rocket science.

 It’s perfectly normal to have bouts of discouragement.  David did:  How long O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?  Psalm 13:1.  Asaph did:  All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.  73:13. I’ve tried and tried and gotten nothing for it!  Why bother?  And then they remind us to look ahead, because it is a long term problem with a long term solution.  In just a little while the wicked will be no more…you guide me with your counsel and afterward you will receive me into glory.  Psalm 37:10; 73:24.  Sometimes the wait seems long, especially when we are suffering, but faith will be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him 37:7.

 And if you are floundering a little, wondering perhaps if you will ever make it, if your faith will ever be strong, if you will ever be able to overcome temptation on a regular basis, give yourself a break.  This doesn’t happen overnight.  Are you better than you were last year?  Did you overcome TODAY?  That’s progress.  Keep working at it.  No one expects to lose 100 pounds in a week.  Some of us have way more than that to lose spiritually. 

 The reward is worth the waiting.  It is worth the struggle.  It is even worth the tedium of learning those difficult names and the exercise involved in buffeting our bodies.  But you won’t get there if you give up, if you say, “This is boring,” or “I’m too busy,” or “I can’t do it.” 

 I have many new friends because of something I started a long time ago during a difficult time of life.  I cannot imagine being without them now.  I certainly don’t want to be without the Lord.
 
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised, Heb 10:36.
 
Dene Ward

And you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, that prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy against them, and say, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Woe to the women that sew pillows upon all elbows, and make kerchiefs for the head of [persons of] every stature to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of my people, and save souls alive for yourselves? And you have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hearken unto lies. Wherefore thus says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith you hunt the souls to make [them] fly, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let the souls go, even the souls that you hunt to make [them] fly. Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and you shall know that I am Jehovah. Because with lies you have grieved the heart of the righteous, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, and be saved alive: Therefore you shall no more see false visions, nor divine divinations: and I will deliver my people out of your hand; and you shall know that I am Jehovah  Ezek13:17-23.

 After a lot of study on this passage, I realized that I had found just as many scholars who say they don't know all the things this passage is referring to as there are those who think they do know.  That automatically makes me doubt the ones who are so sure of themselves.  However, I think that some of these things are clear and they give us yet more ways that Satan can deceive us—in this case in the matter of who to listen to.

 First notice verse 17:  they prophesy out of their own hearts.  I once heard a woman say that she hadn't been sure of the meaning of a passage in the Bible until suddenly she felt in her heart that it meant ____________.  Fill in the blank with whatever you want to be good in the sight of God, because ultimately, that's what a statement like that will allow you to do.  As long as you feel like it's not a sin, then it isn't.  You can get away with the most hideous evil in the world with that kind of reasoning.  When someone—even a good friend—tells you to follow your heart, then take you and your heart and leave right then.

 Verse 18 tells us that these prophetesses "sewed pillows and kerchiefs for persons of every stature."  Perhaps I am reading something into this but does that mean they are making everything "fit" what each person wants to hear?  You say one thing for one person and another for someone else, depending upon their circumstances.  Ask yourself, do they say the same things regardless of the trouble it gets them into with some people, or does everyone like them and their message?  If you are preaching to a bunch of sinners who have rebelled against God, as these people in Judah had, it will be impossible for every one of them to like what they hear!  Truth does not change—no, not even "your" truth because the only Truth there is, is God's. Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth  John17:17.

 Verse 19 comes right out and says these prophetesses are lying.  Do not ever be afraid when you hear an obvious and deliberate falsehood from a preacher or teacher to call it what it is—a lie.  There may be someone there who needs to hear that in order to wake up or be strong enough to resist.  God does not lie.  False teachers often do.  Just a small example, anyone who tells you that once you commit your life to Jesus all of your problems will go away, is lying.  God never promises that we will have a life of ease.  In fact, He promises just the opposite.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved usRom8:35-37.  I could multiply passages like this.  What God promises is that He will be with us when bad things happen, not that they will never happen.  This is why you need to know your Bible—so you will know when someone is telling you something besides God's Truth.  When you figure it out, run.  They may not be Satan, but they are allowing themselves to used by that being to deceive you.

 These prophetesses "grieve the heart of the righteous and strengthen the hand of the wicked."  It must surely be obvious to everyone by now that we have reached that stage in our culture where people are calling good evil and evil good.  And not only that, but if you stand for God, you will be called "hateful" people who use "hate speech."  IN the UK, people have been arrested for "hate crimes" for simply reading the Bible aloud on a street corner.  Yet the obvious is true:  you love people enough to want to save them from their sin, even if it causes you untold amounts of grief and even persecution.  Freedom of religion is rapidly disappearing if you do not want to practice it the way they do, allowing everyone to do their own thing not only with tolerance, but with loud approval. 

 The Devil has captured many a believer because they cannot stand to be called horrible names or suffer loss, especially monetary loss or loss of status in the community.  It will only get worse.  Prepare your children to be strong, to love God more than mammon, to stand even when no one stands with them.  Don't let Satan use this device to steal their souls.  Ezekiel tells us these women were on the "hunt" for souls, and they succeeded all too well.

 Don't let them catch yours.

I charge [thee] in the sight of God, and of Christ Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts;and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.  But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry  2Tim4:1-5.

Dene Ward

 It's amazing what having children can do to you.  You find reserves of strength you never knew you had when their temperatures rise and their chubby little cheeks turn rosy with fever.  You find you can do without sleep or food far longer than you ever expected.  Even more astounding, you find the Mama Bear that has been lurking unexposed your whole life until the very second someone looks at your child cross-eyed, much less actually threatens them. Grandchildren add a totally new dimension to all of this.  At least when your children are young, you are still in relatively good shape physically.  But for your precious grandchildren, arthritic knees, stiff backs, and eye-blurring cataracts will not stop you from your appointed rounds!

 Silas is in high school now, playing his first year on the varsity basketball team.  Living with a house full of men all these years, I have learned enough to know that his defense is stellar, with 2 or 3 steals and 4 or 5 rebounds a game.  He is also an assist "machine," some of which are so crisp and clean they take your breath away.  Besides all that, he makes a few points every game, yet does all of this in usually about 2 quarters since he is not yet a starter—but would be if Grandma had a vote.

 As supportive grandparents, we bought season tickets to the home games and rarely miss one.  Unlike the flag football team—where he is known for his touchdown receptions and interceptions—basketball games are played in a gym.  The home gym is 59 years old and I would bet the bleachers are the same age.  The orangy brown wood is scuffed from years of sneakers, Keds to Air Jordans to Ohtani's New Balance, I imagine.  At the bottom in the middle is something they call a step, which leads you to the top.  Evidently, 59 years ago, people were much taller, or at least had longer legs.  This "step" is higher than my knees, my achy arthritic knees.  So now they tell me to climb on up.  Pardon?  I can barely lift my foot that high, much less actually climb up.  No one is sitting there, I think, so why can't I just sit down myself?  Because, in pretty black stencil are the letters "NOT A SEAT."

 The first time I tried to step up nothing happened.  So I rocked back a step and gave it another try.  Still no go.  At this point Keith lifted on my elbow.  I am here to tell you the elbow is NOT the problem.  A lady sitting to the side on the second row reached out and asked, "Can I help you ma'am?"  I had no idea who she was, probably a fan from the other team, but she was obviously a well-bred Southerner—the ma'am always gives us away.  Meanwhile, the line behind me is growing longer.  Finally, someone—I have no idea who but just as obviously an NFL fan—gave me a "tush push" and I made it up the step.  The remainder of the steps were built for us ordinary folks so I made it to my seat.

 This has happened at every home game.  By now I am the pre-game entertainment that the whole crowd breathlessly waits for.  Even if their own team loses, they get to watch an old lady make an absolute idiot out of herself.  But I do it for my grandson and I would do it every day if I had to.  I went to a flag football game and nearly got creamed by a player going out of bounds as I sat on the sideline.  The young man found out he was really good at hurdles.  I went to a play and sat in front of a wiggly group of kindergartners.  I babysat for 18 days and by the time it was over I could hardly move I was so tired. I "ate" spaghetti and meatballs made of pine straw and rocks.  I kept chicken nuggets in my freezer along with curly fries for one and sweet potato fries for the other, and always kept the cookie jar full.  You do these things when you are a grandparent, and you don't mind a bit if you look or sound ridiculous doing it, if it's tiring, inconvenient, or embarrassing.

 For, I think, God hath set forth us the apostles last of all, as men doomed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, both to angels and men.  We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you have glory, but we have dishonor. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place; and we toil, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;1Cor4:9-12

 Paul said the apostles were willing to be made a spectacle for the sake of Christ, his gospel and his church.  How about us?  I am afraid we are too proud sometimes.  Who wants to look different than the rest of the world?  I honestly think that is the real reason for immodesty, not the desire to show off skin.  We just do not want to be different.  My skirts were the longest ones in my high school class, along with two other Christians.  Unfortunately, there were more than two other Christians at the school.  Lucas finally gave up on the high school baseball team because the locker room talk was so vulgar, coarse, and crude.  My own Daddy was ridiculed at work because his language did not match the other workers'.  They called him, "Shucks," but you know what?  I never even heard that word come out of his mouth.

 What are we not willing to do for the Lord because it will affect how we are perceived by our neighbors, coworkers, or unconverted family?  In our old home, we were friends with some Mennonites.  Do you think those women and girls were never stared at when they went grocery shopping?  Their long skirts and modest tops, their hair pinned high in something resembling a snood, definitely garnered attention from others, most of it unkind.  While I do not believe we need to be that careful, I find myself wondering if any of us could take it if it were required by God.  Can we really say we love the Lord our God with all [our] heart and with all [our] soul and with all [our] might (Deut 6:4)? 

 I will do most anything for my grandchildren, just as I did for my children.  I do it because of how much I love them.  Maybe we should ask ourselves if we love God and our Lord Jesus that much.

For the love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died;and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again2Cor5:14,15

Dene Ward

Yes, there are more obvious things we simply read over in Psalm 23.

 When do you usually hear a reading of the twenty-third psalm?  Funerals and deathbeds, right?  We have consigned this little gem to those two occasions, probably because of the translation, “the valley of the shadow of death.”  Yet, if we had simply done a little study—very little, in fact—instead of just accepting what we always hear and assuming it the beginning and end of the matter, we would have found many other uses for this psalm.

 “The valley of the shadow of death” is actually one Hebrew word—tsalmaveth—and it can mean “deep darkness.”  It is, in fact, translated that way in the modern versions.  Yes, in Job 38:17 it seems to refer to physical death, but in Jer 2:6 it refers to the wilderness wandering, certainly a dark era for the people of God.  In Jer 13:16 it refers to the coming destruction and captivity, perhaps their darkest period.  In Job 34:22 I am not certain what it refers to, but it certainly isn’t death.  This is important because all of us experience times of deep darkness in our lives.  To know that God is with us during those times too, not just at death, is a comfort beyond any other.

 And do notice this, God is the one leading us to and through this dark place.  In fact, coming immediately after “he leads me in paths of righteousness” (literally, “right paths”), this dark place is the right place for me to be.  It may be a severe trial, but for some reason I need to be there.  It is right for me to be there, and God will lead me “through” it.  He will not put me there and leave me there.  Even something as severe as losing a child, becoming disabled, or becoming terminally ill, is one He has led me to and through, accompanying me all the way. 

 But there may well be other kinds of dark places I must go through, and will realize He has been with me when I get out on the other side.  That is, if I have remained His faithful servant, trusting in His wisdom and care.  As long as He is with me, “I will fear no evil.”  It may be that His presence involves correction or discipline (His “rod and staff”), but I know that He loves me and this is the right place for me to be, and that even in this dark place, “goodness and mercy follows me,” that is, “pursues” me.  His goodness and mercy are on the hunt for me, even in the dark places—especially in the dark places.

 Don’t miss out on the gold in this little treasure chest just because you have heard it all your life.  Use it to help you navigate those dark places, with Him as your guiding star.  Trust Him, as this particular genre of psalms is called, the Psalms of Trust, or Psalms of Confidence—in God. 

 You can make it through the dark to a light beyond, which is also implied, for you can’t have a shadow without a light shining somewhere.

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple, Psalm 27:1-4.

Dene Ward

Back in my younger years I was a jogger.  If you missed the story, slip over to the “categories,” and click on “Country Life.”  Scroll down to “One Fencepost at a Time”—even farther back than “Backwards One Fencepost at a Time”—and you can read about it with its own lesson of encouragement.

 When I finally progressed to jogging on the highway instead of the cow pasture (explained in that previous post), the first time I took nearly twice as long as I should have to jog the same distance.  Ordinarily, jogging on a firm surface is easier because your feet push off and the momentum is with you instead of all sinking down into the dirt, sand, mud, or grass of the softer surfaces.  That was not what slowed me down.  What kept distracting me were the things I had passed by in a car every day for three years and never seen before.

 In a car, you usually see the road, the signs, and possible problems—other cars, animals both domesticated and wild, pedestrians, potholes, discarded bottles, trash bags that fell off other vehicles, boards that might have nails in them, pieces of blown tires.  You must look for those things if you want to avoid an accident. 

 But that morning as I jogged slowly by I found out for the first time that a tiny creek ran through a four foot diameter culvert under the road just past the neighbor by the woods.  I discovered a path through those same woods that led to a ramshackle cabin a hundred feet off the road, nearly hidden by the ramrod straight pines.  I discovered that another neighbor had a second driveway, much smaller, that led to a shed behind the house.  Then as I approached the bridge over the New River, I found a path snaking off to its side, probably used by fishermen looking for bait, or kids swimming in the shallows.  All those things had been there the whole time I had, but it was as if I had discovered a brand new place.

 That is exactly how I felt after our ladies’ class studied Psalm 23.  I almost skipped that one—everyone knows it.  We all memorized it as children.  If there is a Bible passage in a movie, it is apt to be that one.  Why should we include that in what I hoped to be a study of brand new material for most of us?  Because it was brand new material, too.  I had gotten out of the speeding vehicle passing through it, and had jogged at a slower pace, seeing the details for the first time.  We are going to talk about what I found this time and next.

 Psalm 23 is classified as a Psalm of Trust.  I doubt that David, Ethan, Asaph, Solomon, Heman, the sons of Korah, Moses, or any other of the writers of the psalms actually made a decision to write a particular type of psalm and then followed some carefully laid out pattern.  No, the elements and patterns have been analyzed by scholars thousands of years removed from them, but it is interesting that they do follow something of a pattern.  For instance, Psalms of Trust (some call them Psalms of Confidence [in God]) tend to view God in metaphorical terms.  He is variously called a shield, a fortress, a rock, a shelter, a master [of slaves], and in this familiar psalm a shepherd.

 But here is the part I always missed—the metaphor in these psalms is apt to change abruptly, as it does here in verse 5.  Suddenly God is depicted as a host.  Some of the older commentators do not want to see this change, but please tell me, when was the last time you saw a sheep eating at a table or drinking out of a cup?  No, the shepherd feeds the sheep in verse 2: he makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters.  Sheep eat grass and drink water, and the shepherd has fed them exactly what they want and need.  Now it is the host’s turn to feed his friend in a brand new metaphor.

 And notice this, the host in verses 5 and 6 is not just an acquaintance fulfilling the obligations of hospitality in the Eastern tradition.  He is a close friend.  He takes you into his house not just for a meal but to “dwell forever.”  Indeed the Hebrew word for “house” often implies “household.”  That last verse could easily and correctly be translated “and I will remain in the family of the Lord forever.”  We’re not talking about being a pet sheep in the family, but a human member of the family, someone who eats at the table with the rest of the family, the truest sign of acceptance in that culture.

 See what you miss when you just breeze through an old familiar passage without a second thought?  You need to get out of the car and walk through it, paying attention to every detail and thinking about every nuance.  That’s how you learn new things.  And this new thing is nothing compared to the one I will show you tomorrow.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, Eph 2:19.

Dene Ward

A few Sundays ago the chill weather made it possible for me to wear my best suit, one a little heavier than anything else I have, one a little more expensive, but a hand-me-down from a friend.  We stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up a couple of limited time specials.  That’s one way we stay financially afloat—picking up specials when we are already the thirty miles into town for assembly.

 So we were loading the trunk and as she passed, a stranger said to me, “That’s a lovely suit.  You’ve been to church, haven’t you?  I apologize for being nosy, but would you mind telling me where you attend?”

 Would I mind?!  Of course I spent the next five or ten minutes telling her where I attend, when we meet, who we are, and what we do.  Then I handed her a blog card and pointed out my contact information in case she had more questions.  “Please email me or just call.  I can give you more detailed directions,” I finished with.

 I know a lot of people who no longer “dress up” for church.  They certainly have that right.  But I know a lot of others who go even further—who tell those of us who grew up doing it that we are wrong, that we are trying to be Christians on the outside instead of the inside.  I have yet to figure out why wearing my good suit on Sunday makes me a hypocrite any more than someone who thinks sitting on the pew in jeans on Sunday then dressing up for the boss all week makes him a Christian. 

 In fact, tell me this.  If you were this woman and you were searching, who would you ask on a Sunday around noon at the grocery store—the guy in shorts, tee shirt and flip-flops or the man with a tie on?  The lady with a dress on or the one with cut-offs and an oversized shirt hanging over her waistline?  Maybe there is something to be said after all for making it obvious on a Sunday that you have been to church. 

 But then we have this point—it isn’t what you wear on Sunday that makes the Christian; it’s what you wear every day. 

 Put on therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do you: and above all these things [put on] love, which is the bond of perfectness, Col 3:12-14.

 My neighbors need to see these spiritual clothes every day.  There can be no “dressing down” spiritually after you have “put on Christ” in baptism, Gal 3:27.  The people I work with, the people I go to school with, the people I come into contact with, especially on a regular basis, should know by my speech and my actions that “I went to church on Sunday.”  God won’t accept a “casual Friday” set of spiritual clothes any day of the week.

 I’ve had a great many things make people ask me questions—maybe that’s a good subject for another day, but it all boils down to this—I have to look different.  Whether it’s how I act, how I speak, how I run my family, or any number of ways, it needs to be obvious.  Let’s stop making judgments about one another’s literal clothes, and just go out there and show people who we are with the spiritual wardrobe of a child of God. 

The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk becomingly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]Romans 13:12-14.

Dene Ward

 2 Kings 18 and Isaiah 36 show us yet more ways that Satan tries to deceive us.  This time we see them in the person of the Rabshekah, a diplomat or high ranking court official for King Sennacherib of Assyria.  Already the Assyrians have not only conquered Samaria in the Northern Ten Tribes, but also most of Judah's fortified cities.  Next they come up against Jerusalem.  Evidently we see some sort of face-off between the Rabshekah and King Hezekiah's emissaries, Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah.  One has a mental picture of a man with a bullhorn standing outside the closed city gates.  I doubt that is even close to accurate, but you get the idea of what is happening.  Notice all the "devices" used to persuade the Judahites to simply ignore their king and surrender.  (All the following verses are from Isaiah 36.)

 In verse 4 he does a subtle putdown of their king by giving King Hezekiah no honorific at all—he is simply "Hezekiah," while he calls Sennacherib "the great king."  It reinforces the idea that the Assyrian king is stronger than the King of Judah and therefore unconquerable.

 He continues to try to make Hezekiah suspect in their eyes in verse 7, when he asks why they should expect their God to come to their aid when their king has torn down all the high places where they worshipped him.

 In verse 8 he uses sarcasm to create doubt:  "I will give you 2000 horses, if you can find enough men to sit on them."  You can hear the heh-heh in his words.

 He claims, in verse 10, to have God's support in his attack.  "God told us to do this," and how could they argue about what he was told (they might think).

 He speaks in the common man's language so they can all hear what he is saying.  When Eliakim asks him to speak in Aramaic, evidently the diplomatic language of the time, he just shouts louder (verses 11ff).

 Then he verbally attacks Hezekiah himself, claiming he is deceiving his own people and does not have their best interests at heart, verses 14 and 18.

  He lies in verses 16,17 about how wonderfully the King of Assyria will treat them if they just leave Jerusalem and surrender, but by now he hopes they feel so desperate they will believe it.

 After laying this foundation he comes to his final point in verse 20.  None of the other gods has beaten us.  How can you think yours will?

 All through this, the man uses ridicule, half-truths, threats, and lies to try to get the people on his side.  He blasphemes God by equating him with the idols of the nations around them and shows his complete ignorance of God when he talks about the high places as if God approved of them.  Don't believe for a second that Satan won't use the same things against you, and he will do it with people you know, and with some you like or even trust.  You simply must be wise enough to see what is really being said, and strong enough to stand against it.  Now, more than ever, the world will blaspheme God and ridicule you for believing.  They will call you stupid fools and ignorant rubes while showing themselves to be totally ignorant of what they mock.  Hang onto that when you hear it.  They are ignorant.  They do not truly know what they are talking about, so how can you trust anything they say?  Those people so long ago did not do very well very often, but this time they were not taken in and stood firm.  Be sure you do, too.

“They will be Mine,” says the LORD of Hosts, “a special possession on the day I am preparing. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.  So you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him  Malachi 3:17-18  

Dene Ward

I don’t get it.  Something is very wrong when we make heroes out of monsters.  First it was vampires, and now zombies.  But did you know this?  We have spiritual vampires and zombies out there too, and some of us make heroes out of them.

 Televangelists and faith healers come to mind.  Has there ever been a more despicable sort of bloodsucker?  They use the desperate, the ill, the old, the ones afraid of dying without God, and steal their money and their minds, basking in the adoration of distressed souls who want just one last vestige of health and a moment of relieved peace before their deaths.  Yes, a lot of it is their own fault.  If they knew and loved the Word of God as they should they would not have been deluded so as to “believe a lie” (2 Thes 2:9-11).  Yet Satan’s ministers are good-looking, amiable, charismatic people, and even the good-hearted can be deceived if they aren’t careful (2 Cor 11:13-15).

 But the worst are surely the walking dead. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will, John 5:21.  Notice, Jesus said this well before he ever raised anyone from the dead.  Most commentators believe he was talking here about raising the spiritually dead, and the full context proves them correct. 

 How are we dead?  Most of us can easily quote passages saying we were once “dead in sin,” but Jesus was talking to the Jews of the day, God’s people. 

 Verse 16 tells us these people were seeking to kill Jesus because he healed on the Sabbath.  They understood when it suited them that healing on the Sabbath was not a sin; they did the same for their animals.  But their traditions outweighed the clear dictum of the Law to “love thy neighbor as thyself.”  In another healing, Jesus quite purposefully called the woman who was bowed together a “daughter of Abraham” in order to shame the ruler who did not want her healed (Luke 13:15,16).  Follow the man born blind in John 9 and see the ridiculous lengths they went to in order to condemn a man who could heal as no one ever had before.  Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes, John 9:30.  Even Jesus was amazed at their determination not to see his obvious origins, and therefore his authority to heal whenever he pleased. 

 That determination is shown earlier in John 5.  They clearly understood that Jesus claimed a relationship with God that was above and beyond their own, yet despite the works he did, and thus the witness shown by God through those works, they denied that witness, one that shone clearly to any who dared to actually see. 

 Those people who thought they were the one true people of God, following the one true Law, couldn’t even tell when God was among them.  What did Jesus have to say about that?  Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him, John 5:24.  Don’t count on your pedigree in the faith.  Don’t count on following the rules.  These people had the first (Abraham is our father, John 8:39), and did the second, but Jesus says to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life, John 5:24.  He was calling them dead, yet they were still on this earth walking around, still in charge of God’s people, a people they disdained, John 7:48,49.

 How are we doing as a people of God?  Do we truly listen, or have we become nothing more than a self-righteous, unloving group that prides itself on having been baptized and following a set of rules, including a bunch we devised ourselves and then judge others for not keeping.  As sad as it is, we have the walking dead still among us, and some people think they are heroes. 

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.  Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you, Rev 3:1-4. 

Dene Ward

After seeing a performance of Verdi's Aida, 17 year old Giacomo Puccini decided to give his life to writing operas.  Now we know him as the composer of some of the most beloved operas—La Boheme, Tosca, Turandot, and Madame Butterfly.  But none of those were well-received in the beginning.

 Madame Butterfly premiered on February 17, 1904, at La Scala in Milan.  The audience hissed, booed, and even yelled.  Many walked out.  It was back to the drawing board for Puccini, who went to work on a revision.

 Several things had to be fixed.  The staging was abysmal.  He seemed to have fallen into a rut and this opera was too much like all the others.  The second act was ninety minutes long.  So first, he divided that act in half.  Then he added a different sort of musical piece called "The Humming Chorus" which became very popular.  Of course, the staging was fixed pronto, or should I say, "Presto!?"  Along with a few other minor changes, the second performance on May 24 was a grand success with extended applause, repeated encores, and ten curtain calls for Puccini himself. 

Suiting the audience is as it should be for operas, but can you imagine a church service that did the same?  Encores by the song leader, curtain calls by the preacher, and a long standing ovation before the final amen.  Of course not!  Pleasing the audience is not what a church service is about.  Or is it?

The problem is we mistake the performers for the audience.  You and I are not the audience.  God is.  We are the performers and it's our job to do whatever we can to please Him.  Puccini obviously liked his second act and all the staging, but his audience thought otherwise.  He fell all over himself trying to change things to please them.  When I pick a church because I enjoy (feel entertained by) the service, then I have missed the whole point.  I need to be choosing a church that acts as the New Testament has shown me is pleasing to God—whether I personally like what they do or not.  Which church is it that follows the guidelines set for pleasing Him? 

The question is not, and never should be, did the preacher/songleader/Bible class teacher perform well enough to please me ("What did I get out of it")?  The question is, and always should be, did I perform well enough to please my Audience—God. 

But the hour will come, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth John4:24.

Dene Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

Last time we discussed the concerns some have about demonic possession, and concluded it is a biblically unfounded fear, but we also said we did have somethings to be concerned about, which we should address now. 

Eph. 6:12  "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

1 Pet. 5:8  "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

This is scary.  "The spiritual hosts of wickedness"?  Satan as a hungry lion?  We understand that there are spiritual forces working against us which we are rarely allowed to see.  Occasionally, we get glimpses behind the scenes, like in Daniel 10 when an evil angel tries to stop one of God's angels from delivering a message to Daniel.  Or Job 1-2 in which Satan demands that Job be tested.  Scarier and scarier.  What do we do about this? 

First we should note that even in times of possession, there is no mention in the Gospels of righteous people being possessed.  Some who were freed from possession became righteous, notably Mary Magdalene, but none previously righteous are ever mentioned as becoming possessed.  Also, the clear implication of Luke 11:24-25 is that a prepared and defended mind can ward off approaching demons.  That preparation is key to all our battles with Satan and his forces.

Eph 6:10-18  "Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit"

The very reason given for donning the armor of God is to battle these demonic influences in our lives.  How does this armor work?  Well, the belt that holds it all together is truth.  If we know the truth of God's word, if we live and breathe it, then the influences of Satan won't affect us.  If our lives are focused on doing the right thing (righteousness) we will be protected better than any bulletproof vest could.  If we are marching with the peace that God's good news brings us, we will never trip up.  If our heads are fully certain of the hope of salvation God has promised and if our faith is bright and strong, we will be protected from all that Satan could do.  Yet, the armor of God is not all defensive.  We are given the Sword of the Spirit.  The Word of God is our weapon to attack all these influences in the world. And attack we should, since when Jesus spoke of founding His church He said, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."  (Matt. 16:18)  We often read that as the church's gate will stand against Satan's attacks, but that is not what Jesus said.  He said Hell's gates won't be able to stand against our attack.  The fact of the matter is that we don't need to be afraid of demons.

THE DEMONS SHOULD BE AFRAID OF US. 

"On every hand the foe we find drawn up in dread array.  Let tents of ease be left behind and onward to the fray.  Salvation's helmet on each head with truth all girt about, the earth shall tremble 'neath our tread and echo with our shout!"  (Faith is the Victory, Yates & Stankey)

Lucas Ward