Now that I have become ninety percent deaf, few would be likely to guess that I was once a fair song leader.  From the teenage years when I first learned how,, a favorite was, “Sunshine in My Soul.”  These days, a favorite line from it is, “Jesus listening can hear the songs I cannot sing.”  When one cannot hear what note he is singing or hear well enough to stay in the same key three phrases in a row, the result is seldom melodious, but Jesus can hear what I cannot any longer sing.

Life throws us many curves.  Our plans seldom work and when they do, we are often forcefully reminded, “Beware what you wish for, you might get it.”  Health declines, for many it was not great to begin with.  I am going deaf, my wife is going blind.  We live in a “manufactured home” and our insurance company of 20+ years just dropped us. Yet, recently a young person (most of them nowadays) described me as a happy person to someone she did not know was my son.

I must admit, that made my day. “Happy” derives from things that happen.  I could make a long list of reasons I am not happy.  My deafness, my wife’s impending blindness are just the first items on each of our lists.  (She is so tired of repeating herself that she says if she had wishes she’d fix me first).  Everyone has a list, some longer or containing more serious matters than others.  Even healthy and relatively wealthy people are often not happy.  The basis for our JOY lies in a line of the title song: “For Jesus is my light.”  We are not the only ones with problems, in fact, I see JOY on the faces of those whose list makes mine seem like a wish list.  Jesus lights up your life when you live as he would have in your shoes.

Jesus emptied himself to accomplish things for others (Phil 2:5-8).  If self is the center of our ambitions, there will be no room for his light.  Jesus served others.  He gave up his time and place that he might save people who did not even like him.  If we will focus on doing kindness to others, there will be sunshine in our souls that can be seen.  The sunshine comes despite the things that happen, and because God knows what will fill us with joy and peace.  He sent his Son to show us.

Life is full of trouble and heartache and pain.  It often seems that good happens only so it will hurt when it is taken away, or to make the bitter worse by contrast….then you die.

But, then you will be raised--raised as certainly as God raised Jesus.  Raised to a heavenly body in a sinless world where everything always goes right. The sunshine in my soul shines from the hope Jesus gave of being in that place.

And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the midst of the street thereof.  And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  And there shall be no curse any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and his servants shall serve him; and they shall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads.  And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. Rev 22:1-5

Keith Ward

Now that I have your attention with that title, you can take the jaw out of your lap.  On second thought, save yourself some trouble and leave it there, because I am about to shock you again:  we all need to be more like Jezebel. 

Jezebel was smart.  She knew Ahab wanted Naboth’s vineyard, but she knew better than to just have him killed.  Someone might have rebelled at the murder of an innocent man.  So she took care to have “witnesses,” even though they were false witnesses, so everything would look “right.”  We should not be deceitful in order to get what we want, but we are commanded to be “wise as serpents” when the good of the Lord’s work requires it.  Jesus did not thumb his nose at all the traditions of his time, just those that were diametrically opposed to the intent of God’s Law.  And he was the master at answering a question with a question, putting the questioner on the spot.  Paul learned well from his Master.  Remember those speeches that always seemed to be just right for the person and the cause?  Sometimes we “cut off our noses to spite our face,” bragging about our zeal in doing so, when the Lord’s work suffers for it.

Jezebel was loyal to her husband.  She even went as far as murder for him.  How loyal are we?  Will we go out of our way to do even innocuous things for our spouses?  Or is it just too much trouble and s/he ought not to be so picky in the first place?  Do we never even allow thoughts of infidelity to enter our minds, or do we consider those harmless as long as we do not act on them?  What kinds of things do we say about them in the break room at work or the neighborhood coffee party?  What do our children hear us say?  Disloyalty can be shown in many ways.

Jezebel was loyal to her god.  She converted an entire nation to Baal.  How concerned are we about our neighbors’ souls?  Do we even mention the True God to them?  Are we careful to keep our relationships with them in such a state that they will come to us when a spiritual need arises?  Jezebel was ready to avenge her god by killing Elijah (1 Kgs 19:1) for his having killed the prophets of Baal.  Both her and Elijah’s loyalty was measured by their willingness to fight for God (or a god).  Do we stand up to oppose false teachings and immorality in our society, or are we afraid to stir things up?

She implanted her values into her children--so well that they followed in her footsteps all their lives.  The problem, of course, was her values.  How much effort do we put into teaching our children God’s Law, even when we know it could cost them their souls if we do not?  Or are we too busy supplying physical needs, and cultural “enrichment?”

Of course, none of us want to be like Jezebel in her wickedness, but remember Jesus’ parable about the unrighteous steward, “…the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of light,” Luke 16:8.  Learn your lessons from whomever you can.  Just make sure your application is righteous.

My son, if you will receive my words and lay up my commandments with you, so as to incline your ear unto wisdom and apply your heart to understanding, yes if you will cry after discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasure, then you shall understand the fear of Jehovah, and find the knowledge of God.  For Jehovah gives wisdom.  Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. Prov 2:1-6

Dene Ward

I have never been artistic.  The best portrait I ever drew was a stick man.  I could never decorate a house.  I have friends who can walk into a store, look at a picture or wall hanging and say, “That would look great over the table in the foyer.”  Would it?  I have no idea.  Good thing we never had a foyer.

The same is true for my cooking.  I could never make anything look like the picture.  In fact, my boys learned to judge the taste of things by how ugly they were.  If it fell apart on the plate when I served it, they shouted, “Oh boy!  This is going to be good!”  Food stylists?  People who actually make a living making food look artistic?  The mere thought of it just confuses me.

I am just as happy to have naturally curly hair.  It will only do what it wants to.  Saves me a lot of trouble trying to figure out what sort of hairdo would “enhance” my features.  Which brings me to the point of all this—true beauty.  When a people become so wealthy they can spend thousands on plastic surgery, worry about whether their teeth are white enough, and spend so much time making a plate look “pretty” that the food gets cold, we have become just a little too worried about how things look instead of how things are.

I came across the passage, One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of Jehovah, And to inquire in his temple. (Psa 27:4)  So I wondered, what is “the beauty of Jehovah?”  It obviously has nothing to do with white teeth, high cheekbones, and hour glass figures.  (Hurray!)

It only took a little cross-referencing to find Psalm 63:2-5.  Jehovah’s power, his glory, and his lovingkindness make him beautiful.  Surely there are many other traits, but those certainly stand out from the various “gods” of the people around the Israelites.  Petty, spiteful, and cruel well describe the idols the Gentiles worshiped, then and even into the first century.  Read the mythology of the Greek gods and you will find the most loathsome characteristics ever attributed to a deity.  How could anyone even think of worshiping such things?  Yet they did, and actively resisted Jehovah, a God of beautiful character who was not unknown to them.

It makes sense then that his people would be judged by similar things.  Deut 4:6-8 tells us that Israel would be judged as a wise and understanding people, whose God was near them and whose laws were righteous.  Are we “beautiful,” a people whom God would be pleased to call his own?  Are we wise and understanding?  Are we righteous?  Is God near us, or do we keep him as far away as possible except when we need him?  Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they were worried more about the outside than the inside—they made pretty plates, but had ugly insides (Matt 23:25,26). 

In general the world is blind to true beauty, whether in a picture, on a plate, or in a person.  It makes sense that they would not consider the gospel beautiful either.  “Foolishness” Paul says they call it.  Just as it takes a hungry man to see the true beauty of a plate of good food, it takes a hungry soul to see the beauty of the gospel.  As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" Paul quotes Isaiah in Rom 10:15.  Is that what appeals to you?  Or does it have to be some feel good piece of fluff that makes you laugh a lot before it’s worth listening to?

One of these days we will see the beauty of Jehovah, His glory and power.  I wonder how many will think it isn’t beautiful, but horrifying instead, and only because they never desired to see it in the first place.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Cor 4:3-4.

Dene Ward

Sometimes I think in our efforts to be so careful about doing exactly what God has said to do, we ruin perfectly simple commands with all sorts of convoluted logic.  I recently heard one of those old notions again:  since we cannot pray 24 hours a day, “Pray without ceasing,” must mean to be in a prayerful attitude all the time.  When I was a child I never did understand that, but I assumed I would when I grew up.  I still don’t.  It says “pray,” not be in a prayerful attitude, and exactly what is a prayerful attitude anyway?  I know for a fact that you cannot be in a prayerful attitude 24 hours a day any more than you can pray like that.

Have you ever tried to play a 40 page Beethoven sonata from memory?  Believe me; trying to remember the fingering and the notes, not to mention getting the nuances just right, takes all the concentration you can muster.  How about singing German lieder?  As an American who does not speak the language, trying not only to remember words that sound like gibberish to me, but knowing when the “ch” sound is a frontward cat hiss and when it is a backward throat scrape, takes all the brain power I have.  I am sure that some of the things you do take equal concentration—one cannot do them and pray at the same time, nor even have a prayerful attitude.  And I defy anyone to have a prayerful attitude while they are asleep!

One of the works of the Holy Spirit was to take God’s words and put them into words we humans could understand, 1 Cor 2:6-13. The way to understand 1Thes 5:17 is simply to use words and phrases the way they are ordinarily used.

Suppose you have a checkup with your doctor.  He says your cholesterol and blood pressure are both up, and asks, “Have you stopped taking your medicine?  Have you stopped exercising?”  No, you tell him, but instead of believing you he says, “How can you lie to me like that?  I am standing right here in front of you and you are neither exercising nor taking your medicine at this very moment!”  I hope you would get a new doctor immediately because you certainly cannot communicate with this one.  You have not stopped taking your medicine because you still take every dose on schedule.  You have not stopped exercising because you walk every morning.  Nothing has caused you to change those habits.  Just because you are not doing it at that particular moment does not mean you have “ceased,” and anyone with common sense would know that.

How about a Biblical example?  Daniel prayed three times a day, Dan 6:10.  When his enemies tricked the king into making the law that anyone caught praying to anyone besides him would be cast into a den of lions, did Daniel cease to pray?  We all know he did not. He still prayed three times a day.

So the passage means “Don’t stop praying.”  If you begin to have one problem after another, don’t blame it on God and stop praying.  If unbelievers make fun of you, calling you a superstitious fool for believing in a higher power, don’t be embarrassed and stop praying.   If you have great successes, don’t start relying on yourself, forgetting that God can take it away in a flash--remember the great privilege you have, and don’t stop praying.  Pray without ceasing.

Bow down your ear, Oh Jehovah, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.  Preserve my soul, for I am godly. Oh my God, save your servant, who trusts in you.  Be merciful unto me, O God, for I cry unto you all day long, Psalm 86:1-3.

Dene Ward

 I was humming that old tune a few weeks ago when I suddenly thought of that phrase in a slightly different light.  “Tell me about it!” we sometimes say to people who are complaining about something, not realizing that we have had the same or worse experience.  Or sometimes people say it to us, and if we are as mature as we like to believe, we suddenly stop whining out of sheer embarrassment.  I often wish Jesus were here to say that to those who complain about his church.

So they hurt your feelings?  They didn’t come see you when you were sick, they didn’t help you when you were depressed, they didn’t praise you in public after you did a good deed, the preacher preached a sermon that stepped on your toes, and you don’t like the way the Bible class teacher looked right at you when he mentioned a particular sin. 

Tell it to Jesus.  No one complimented him on his sermons. They usually just got mad and walked away.  Even his own disciples scolded him for insulting the Jewish rulers.  They called him a liar, a blasphemer, a madman, demon-possessed, and a child of fornication, none of which was true.  He didn’t sit there pouting, he kept right on teaching, right on serving, even people who didn’t deserve it, like you and me.

So the elders won’t listen to you, especially when you think you have discovered something new.  They won’t use you in the way you think you should be used.  You aren’t asked to lead the singing as often as you think you should, or teach the classes you think you should be allowed to teach.  They won’t give in to your pet ideas about how things should be said or done or presented.  So why should you bother to try any longer?  Why should you keep a good attitude, or do the things you are asked to do as well as you can when you aren’t even appreciated?

Tell it to Jesus.  I found ten passages in the gospels where the people in charge “communed with one another” to see how “they might destroy him.”  At least seven of those ten were completely different events.  Has anyone in the church done that to you yet?  Has anyone taken up rocks to stone you?  Has anyone nearly pushed you over a cliff?  Has anyone even come close to crucifying you yet?

No, but the church is full of hypocrites.  Why should I even have to sit in the same building with them?  Why can’t I just leave and do it my own way?  You know their two-faced worship isn’t acceptable to God, so why must I keep company with them? 

Tell it to Jesus.  He never stopped attending the synagogues on the Sabbath, and that wasn’t even part of the Law, it was simply a tradition that had begun after the return from the captivity.  He still attended the feast days right along with all those horrible people, even the Feast of Dedication, which was just a civil holiday.  He never left the work God gave him to do because someone hurt his feelings.  He never quit because people didn’t give him the due he deserved.  He never allowed the sins of others to cause him to forsake the God who deserved his love and loyalty.

Are you going to let those phonies do that to you?  If you do, doesn’t that make you one of them?

…The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 2 Chronicles 15:2

Dene Ward

Perhaps you remember Newton’s second law of motion from high school physics (or is it the third?  Hey!  At least I can remember the law):  for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Sometimes we live our lives by this law as well.  We constantly react to what others do, and excuse it because of what the other person did first.  Christianity is a life of action not reaction.  My actions should not depend upon what other people do, but upon what is right and what is wrong.  Any time I let someone else’s behavior “cause” me to do something; I am actually letting that person control me.  How often have I said, “He made me so mad?”  No, he didn’t. I let myself get angry.  When I stand before the throne of God, I will not be judged on other people’s deeds but upon mine, no matter what the other guy did first. 

Most of us know this, and readily spout the appropriate answers when called upon in Sunday morning Bible study, but when we get out in the world things are always “different.”  No, they are not.  These things apply to my relationship with my next door neighbor, my co-workers, my family, yes, even to that driver up in front of me!  Then there is the matter of poor service in a restaurant, or a delay in the doctor’s office, or a faulty product that needs returning.  All of these offer me a chance to act as a Christian, not react as an unbeliever who has no self-control.  Yes, in our society we are allowed to voice our concerns over shoddy service and merchandise, but Christians never have the right to make a scene or be verbally abusive.  By letting others control me, I am showing how weak I truly am, not how strong.

Christians control themselves—they do not let others do it.  Is this easy?  Not with Satan constantly whispering in my ear, “He had it coming.”  Like Eve, I often listen to him.  But this is how important ignoring that whisper is:  I must constantly ask myself why I have acted as I have.  If the answer starts, “Because he/she/they…” I am condemned already.

Jesus’ Laws of Motion:

For this is acceptable, if for conscience toward God a man endures griefs, suffering wrongfully.  For what glory is it if, when you sin and are buffeted for it, you shall take it patiently?  But if, when you do well and suffer for it you shall take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.  For hereunto were you called:  because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps; who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth; who, when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered, threatened not, but committed himself to him that judges righteously.   1 Pet 2:19-23

And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them likewise. And if you love those who love you, what thank have you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to them that do good to you, what thank have you?  For even sinners do the sane.  And if you lend to those of whom you hope to receive, what thank have you?  Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive again as much.  But love your enemies and do them good, and lend, never despairing, and your reward shall be great, and you shall be sons of the Most High, for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.  Luke 6:31-35

Dene Ward

I bet you’ve never heard of Rizpah.  Her story actually begins in Joshua 9.

The first cities the Israelites conquered after they entered Canaan were Jericho and Ai, Joshua 6 & 8.  In spite of what we would consider primitive communications, the word spread, and just as Rahab had heard about the Red Sea, a nation of people called the Gibeonites, who lived just north of present day Jerusalem, had heard about the Israelites and Jehovah’s promise to help them drive out all the Canaanites, 9:24.  Gibeonites were Hivites, a tribe of Canaanites, so they qualified for destruction, and they knew it.

They chose several men to act as ambassadors, packed up moldy bread, old clothes and shoes, and carried old wineskins.  When they arrived at the Israelite encampment, they said, “We’ve come a long way.  Look, everything was new when we started, and our food fresh.”  They wanted to make a pact.  “We will be your servants forever, if you will spare us.”  Instead of going to God, the Israelites believed these people, and were deceived into making the covenant, swearing by Jehovah.

As their punishment, God held Israel to the deal.  Years later, Saul killed some of the Gibeonites. They came to David for justice in 1 Samuel 21.  Two of Saul’s sons by his concubine Rizpah, and five of his grandsons by his older daughter Merab were given to the Gibeonites for execution.  I cannot imagine the despair in these mothers’ hearts as their sons were taken to their deaths.  But even more, I cannot imagine the strength it took for one of them to do what came next.

The Law stated that a body should not be left hanging overnight, Deut 21:22,23.  But those men’s bodies hung out there day after day.  Rizpah took it upon herself to care for the remains, not just of her sons, but of another woman’s sons as well, until someone took notice and obeyed God’s Law.  This woman, who had been a king’s wife (a concubine is a wife of second rank), living in relative luxury for many years, sat out in the open, 24/7, chasing away vultures by day and packs of snarling, scavenging jackals by night “from the beginning of harvest till the rains fell again,” possibly as long as six months!  Now add to that physically taxing and dangerous chore the overpowering, nauseating smell and the hideous sight of seven decomposing bodies, in the heat of summer, and above all, the heart wrenching pain of knowing that two of those bodies were her sons.  Finally, David noticed, and buried them.

Being a good parent requires strength and sacrifice, and huge quantities of time.  It involves a lot of humbling dirty work.  But no messy diaper or pool of vomit to clean up can come close to what this woman endured for her children.  Surely with Rizpah as an example, we can do whatever is required of us for the good of our children.  We can give up our selfish desires when necessary.  We can administer tough love, even when it hurts   We can take the time to teach them right from wrong, and teach them God’s word day in and day out, rather than expecting the church to do our God-given duty for us.. 

Rizpah could not save her sons’ lives, but even after their deaths, she did more, endured more for them than some parents will do for their children who are alive and well every day in their comfortable homes.

Set your heart unto all the words which I testify unto you this day, which you shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law, for it is no vain thing for you, because it is your life…Deut 32:46,47

Dene Ward

We had a terrible time with gnats this past summer.  Despite our automatic atomizer, a dozen swarmed the lights at night and several buzzed us during dinner.  So I looked up the reproductive process of gnats and found out why.  We live in a veritable breeding ground—standing water (water buckets for the dogs), damp landscaping (mulch in the flower beds and more rain this year than any in the past ten), food (a large vegetable garden, a blueberry patch, and grape vines), and, ahem, animal residue—we live in the country, it’s everywhere.

So keeping the doors and windows shut should fix the problem, right?  No, they breed in garbage cans too.  When you live in a small rural county there is no weekly pickup.  You must carry your own garbage and trash to the dump.  To minimize the number of trips we put all the flammable items in a paper bag to burn in the “burn barrel” onsite, and the wet garbage in the kitchen can until it fills enough to empty it into the one outside.  That means our kitchen can is probably emptied less often than yours because there is no paper trash “filler,” and that means plenty of time for any gnats that whiz in a door as we enter or leave to lay eggs and hatch. I have tried spraying it every morning with insecticide, but even that does not seem to help.   

There is no getting around it.  Garbage breeds vermin of one sort or another all the time.  They simply love filth. Putting it in the garbage can, as long as the can is still inside the house, doesn’t really help a bit.  You have to remove it from the house entirely, and soon enough that the gnats cannot breed.

If we don’t want spiritual vermin, we have to get rid of the garbage in our hearts.  It doesn’t help to just try to hide it.  Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof, Paul told the Roman brethren in 13:14.  You can’t just stash it away in case you might want to indulge again.  You have to remove it completely, and soon enough that it doesn’t breed yet more.  The Devil loves the dirt.  His minions wallow in it.  Why do we think it won’t soil us too as long as no one knows?  Would you eat a meal that was swarming with gnats and flies?

Get rid of the gnats in your soul.  The only way is to empty that garbage can inside yourself and keep it that way.

…Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you.  And I will be to you a father and you shall be to me sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.  Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us therefore cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, 2 Cor 6:17-7:1.

Dene Ward

That is how my doctor describes me:  “She’s a puzzle every moment.”  At least that’s what he says when I am present.  I wonder what he says when I cannot hear and he is once again at a loss for what to do next.

In the past few years I have learned more about eyes than I ever wanted to know.  At least one doctor has told me I can open up my own practice soon. 

I was born severely hyperopic and nanophthalmic with anatomical narrow angle.  I also have narrow angle glaucoma, as opposed to the more common open angle variety.  The zonules in my left eye are weak.  The sclera is thick.  My corneas are among the steepest ever measured at the University Of Florida School Of Medicine, and the eyeballs the smallest.  My anterior chamber is too shallow and I have a shallow retina detachment in the right eye.  Because the angles are too narrow, the vitreous humor is backing up and raising pressure.  I have had two iridotomies, four iridoplasties, two lens replacements, and two trabeculectomies, after which I went into aqueous misdirection and needed nearly half a dozen capsulotomies and anterior hyloidotomies.  There is talk of a vitrectomy and a CPC (cytophotocoagulation) procedure.  I have one piece of hardware in my right eye and three in my left, including a capsular tension ring and a 50 micron shunt, which leaves me with an elevated bleb.  My epitheliums are being “crucified,” in the doctor’s words, by the medications.  See what I mean about learning?  Three or four years ago I only knew what a couple of those polysyllabic words meant, and not many more of the shorter ones. 

But the more I learn, the more amazed I am by the complexity of the human eye, and the foolishness of so-called learned men who believe it all just “happened.”  If one part of your eye does not work right, you will probably lose your vision.  So how in the world did the eyeball evolve?  The eyeball had to exist and work right from the beginning or those blind creatures would not have survived long enough to reproduce and adapt.  Here is the real puzzle:  How can anyone believe that something as amazing as the human body just happened by accident? 

 Pardon me if I choose to be a little less foolish and believe in a Creator.  The very complexity of all creation and the various relationships that must exist for both sides to survive scream Eternal Intelligence far louder than I ever could.

Tell your children.  Tell your neighbors.  Creationists are not ignorant fanatics.  In fact, we are the only ones who make any sense at all.

For you did form my inward parts;
            You did cover me in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks unto you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
            Wonderful are your works;
And that my soul knows right well.  Psalm 139:13, 14

Dene Ward

The last time Silas came to visit, shortly before his third birthday, Chloe scared him to death.  What did she do?  Nothing.  Our sweet-faced red heeler simply existed and Silas wasn’t too keen on being in the same yard with her, not even a five acre yard.
           
Then he discovered that Chloe was even more afraid of him.  She would cautiously creep out from under the porch when we all went outside, but always made sure I was between her and that frightening little human.  What had Silas done to her?  Nothing.  He couldn’t get close enough to do anything to her. 

When he finally understood, he thoroughly enjoyed his time outdoors.  He picked flowers for his mommy.  He loaded the bird feeder.  He looked for big hunks of bark that had fallen off the sycamore, broke them into three pieces—one for granddad, one for grandma, and one for himself—and led a countdown: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1—whee!—at which point we all threw our hunks of paper-thin bark into the air, over and over and over until there wasn’t a piece of bark bigger than a quarter to be found anywhere.

Then he walked around to the side of the house and found the two old bathtubs Keith soaks his smoker wood in.  “Oh!” he cried.  “A pool!”

First, he simply stood there splashing the water.  Then he eyed an old coffee can and some plastic flower pots, and began dipping into the tub and pouring the water back in and, in the process, all over himself. 

Then he eyed Chloe, the dog that no longer scared him.  You could almost see the wheels turning.  He dipped again into the tub and sat the can on its edge.  “Chlo-eeeee,” he called in a singsong voice.  “I have something fooooooor yooooooooou.”  He picked up the can and headed straight for the dog, sloshing water with every step.

I knew exactly what he was going to do, and so did Chloe.  She took off running.

Funny how one simple piece of knowledge was so empowering.  When Silas learned that Chloe was so afraid of him, he was no longer afraid of her.  But it isn’t just the knowing; it’s the believing.

How many times do we fail because we simply don’t believe what we’ve been promised?

With every temptation there is a way of escape, 1 Cor 10:13.  We are equipped with armor that will enable us to stand against the Devil, Eph 6:11-20.  We are guarded by the power of God unto a salvation that is ready and waiting, 1 Pet 1:5.  Our faith stands in the power of God, 1 Cor 2:5.  We are supported in our afflictions by the power of God, 2 Cor 6:7.  His power works in us, and we are strengthened by it, the same power that raised Christ from the dead, Eph 3:16,20.

Do you think Satan isn’t afraid of you?  The devils believe also, and tremble, James says, 2:19.  Since it is Christ’s power that rests on you and not your own, 2 Cor 12:9, what makes you think you aren’t a fearsome entity as well?  The only thing that would hinder it is disbelief in the promises of God.

Our weapons are mighty, 2 Cor 10:4,5, far more so than a bucket of water in the hand of a toddler, and we should be ready and willing to use them.  Yes, we should face the devil with care, just as we would a rattlesnake, but his fate is already sealed.  All we have to do is believe it.

…we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Colossians 1:9-12

Dene Ward