The Leftovers

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."

"Dear woman,why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
John 2:1-11

I can still remember the day after I turned sixteen.

I woke up at noon somewhere on the floor in my bedroom. The clothes which I thought looked so cool were disheveled and odorous. My companions -so full of wit and clever jokes at every turn- were laying around like snoring furniture. The pillows -when there were pillows- were shoes, pizza boxes. The pizza, so excellent the night before- sat stiffly in the boxes as cold as corpses. The video game controllers were knotted together.

This is the way of esthetics. What looks good in the beginning looks terrible in the end. Sometimes it never has to change at all ... people simply tire of seeing it.

The world often deceives the young with grand delusions about their future -sprinkling half-serious notions of "changing the world" and "the world-historical significance of changing the world". And then the young grow up and find themselves selling life insurance or administering a business.

And then they look at their own lives and say, "What happened to the significance of my life? All the lovely sounding words and promises ... what happened to those? Perhaps I am not one of those important people ... not a celebrity or politician. Maybe I'm just an ordinary person living in their shadow."

But God loves the ordinary people. He loves the ones the world cares little about. He finds the things about them that others call "dull" to be His favorite. He is ready to find the people who have been forgotten and despised by the world. He is ready to find them and call them His own.

People tend to think of growing older as a process in becoming less interesting to the world, and this is true enough. As the people who have made the attention of the world their hope begin to lose hope day by day (while outwardly delighting in the excitement of thinking it may all be over soon), God has saved His best for last. The people who belong to God rejoice in the promises He has given them. Even though the vessels of their bodies begin to crack and fall apart, their spirits drink from the fountain of life, and they praise their God.

The day the world anxieties over will soon be here. Everything will be accounted and the desires of the world will be exposed. It will be completely clear to all that no one really longed for the things of the world. They were for appearances only.

Father, teach us to be your little children. Fill us with the life that does not waste away. Renew us with your understanding. Our greatness is so pathetic, and our patheticness, Father, how you love it! Send us into the fullness of your ways, so that your name will be blessed on the earth.

The End Of The End Times

The end times officially began when Christ ascended into the clouds with the promise of His imminent return. The time of that return is know only to Father God. Jesus could have returned a few minutes or hours after His ascension or anytime there after. It has been over 2,000 years now and those of us who love Jesus are still waiting and watching as we keep a close watch upon the signs of the times.

Over the centuries, there have been many Christians who when comparing the prophecies with the events of their lifetime, have been certain that Christ's return would be during their lifetime. There have also been prophets who have been so bold as to even set dates for the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ. Some have even stopped all that they were doing to gather in an appointed spot to await Jesus on a date specified by these prophets. From the Montanists, to the Adventists, to those of The Church of God, all have been disappointed as Christ's date of arrival was, again, postponed.

We live in exciting days in a globalized culture that to many Christians appears ripe for the unfolding of Biblical prophetic events. I also interpret the signs and watch the clouds waiting for my Savior's return. I wait in anticipation but many Christians who are young in the Lord, watch with fear and in trepidation. With lives yet to be lived and young dreams yet to be fulfilled, the idea of the Tribulation and near destruction of the planet only adds to the uncertainty that is inherent to living in a world under the constant shadow of death. Satan, who knows he can't remove a born again Christian from the hand of God and devour him or her, looks for every opportunity to use fear against us. Satan's great power is fear. Even such godly fear as that involved in reading the signs of the times according to scripture can be an opportunity for the evil one. By tweaking this fear, he is able to distract many Christians and cause them to lose their focus upon Christ.

When Christians take their eyes off of Jesus and their mind begins to wander away from the narrow path, they are easily sidelined from the mainstream of Christian life and service. All Christians should study prophecy and be aware of the season they are living in; but we should never substitute prophetic signs for walking by faith. If we begin to live our lives in response to events in the world that seem to be fulfilling what we read in the Bible, then we have begun to walk by sight and not by faith. If we join groups of believers who are bound together by the same understanding of prophecy or around a prophetic teacher, then we have left the church to form a cult. The true church gathers in the Name of Jesus, whether they be two or more, not around any teacher or set of teachings. The difference is subtle but insidious,in keeping with Satan's manipulative, conspiratorial style.

Jesus is coming soon. We don't know the year, the month, the day, the hour, or the minute; and He will come at an hour we don't expect. He will come like a thief in the night. In the twinkling of an eye, we will meet Him in the air and be changed. We will be glorified. We must stay aware and not give up our hope in expectation. We must remain mindful of the season and continue to read the signs of our time. We must not lose our focus upon Jesus and we must continue to walk not by what we see but by our faith, which is only, Jesus. Our Salvation is in Christ alone. Our Sanctification is Christ alone. Our Redemption too will be Christ alone. For as long as we remain in this Age of Grace, the age of God's long suffering towards mankind, there is nothing more required of us than holding on to Jesus and trusting that He is holding on to us.

Measure all things according to the character of Jesus Christ.

The Antichrists Among Us

People in the United States worship many gods today and call many of them, Jesus. Some accept Him as a prophet but deny His Deity. They accept Him as the Son of Man but deny that He is the only begotten Son of God. They believe in their own definition of Him but refute what He said about Himself. This is one spirit of antichrist that is in the world. This is the Jesus of modern times who first appeared on the scene through the Modernists who viewed scripture as beneath the authority of man and subject to his interpretation. They believe that interpretation must change with the times and thereby, maintain truth that remains relative to modern man. This is the jesus of a god created by man to serve the will of man.

There is yet another jesus who is the jesus of wealth, health, and prosperity. These people don't deny the Deity of Christ but still view Him as one who serves their physical needs in this world. Truly, their god is their belly and they only follow that which promises to fill their insatiable hunger for what this present world has to offer. Their desires have enabled them to create a magic jesus to heal their flesh and give them the wealth of material possessions that they dream of. They don't understand that all that is material is vanishing and nothing that our eyes are locked upon in our desire for them is eternal. This magic jesus gives his followers momentary happiness but in him there is no joy as there is no eternal life in that which is material.

The third jesus, who is fast becoming prevalent today, is the new age jesus. He is god tailored to the individual. The god of personal choosing that tolerates all views except those who really believe Jesus as being the person Whom He says He is. All views are tolerated as long as those who voice them don't take their beliefs too seriously and actually believe they are literally true. The new age jesus is relative truth, man's way, and living the life of doing one's own thing. The new age jesus seeks unity of religion and moral license. His followers have their reward now for they are of the world and are perishing.

The final Antichrist is the most insidious and it is of this spirit that the final and most powerful Antichrist will arise. This jesus is known as the Son of God but not acknowleged as the Son of Man. This is the Gnostic jesus, he who is of spirit only and not able to indwell flesh as his followers perceive spirit to be good and all that is material to be evil. Gnosticism is an ancient Greek philosophy that was morphed with Christ early in church history. Some of their gospels (written as late as 300 years after the death of Christ, with new gospels being written presently) even teach that jesus did not come in the flesh but instead borrowed a body of flesh to die on the cross for sin while he remained outside observing. They deny the resurrected body of Christ as being flesh glorified by the Spirit. They deny the new Adam, Jesus Who is the Son of God and the Son of Man. They deny that believers in Jesus will also receive glorified bodies, bodies of flesh glorified by the Spirit of God and made eternal. They teach that upon death those who are the elect of the spirit that guides them (believing themselves elite among men) will become spirit only and ascend into heaven. They deny the earthly manifestation of the Kingdom and Christ's 1,000 year rule of righteousness on Earth; a time when God will tabernacle Himself among all men and fulfill the prophecies given to the Jews. Rather than teaching, as the Bible teaches, that the church is grafted into the people of God through faith in Christ, they teach that the church has replaced the Jews as the children of God and that the Kingdom is spiritual only. They twist the teachings of Paul which many have difficulty understanding and they do so to their own detriment. Gnostic's were called Nicoliatans by Jesus in Revelation 2:6. He commended the church at Ephesus for hating their works and stated that He hated their works also.

Gnostic's don't form their own churches but instead, they infiltrate bodies of believers. They often appear angelic, even as angels of Light. They are very hard to discern from true believers in the true Jesus and they guard the truth of their beliefs while also seeking to draw others in unawares. The Internet is made for their agenda as it allows them to make their way into homes to take advantage of people who have been hurt in their faith and are isolated and alone. They look for broken Christians. Those who have been hurt by life circumstances and currently doubt the purposes of God in their life. They especially seek out those who have been hurt by the church and discarded by mainstream Christianity. They seek out the spiritually gullible who have only a rudimentary knowledge of the Bible and can be easily swayed from the truth. They use charm and manipulation to gain the favor of those they are leading into deception. The Internet is chock full of their prophecies and hyper spiritual writings.

The Gnostic deception creates a strong delusion that is so subtle and convincing as to be powerful enough to deceive even God's elect if they were not guarded by Jesus. It is not possible for them to fully deceive those who belong to the true Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man. However, Satan can use them to make us ineffective in our Christian service by bringing us under the oppression of the evil spirit they channel. Every false jesus has this power but it is the Gnostic jesus that will deceive the entire world. It is to him that all other antichrist spirits will give their allegiance. Therefore, test all the spirits, even those that are pleasing and seem to be only Light. Test them according to the Holy Spirit within you and according to the Bible. Do not allow anyone to talk you into discarding the Scriptures as the authority for faith in Christ. Do not bite into the delusion that will someday, devour the world. Put your trust in Christ alone and no other.


2 John 1:7-11 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.

Refuge From Fear

Psalm 12:8 The wicked prowl on every side, When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

There is no better description of the time we live in than what is stated, simply, in the above verse. All that God teaches us to be immoral is not only condoned but celebrated in our popular culture. We are now living in a culture that in many ways has become toxic to human beings. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find others who are safe to trust. In my lifetime, I have seen murder go from rare and often the subject of horror movies to often and too common-place for the horror genre. The taking of human life is no longer abhorrent to our desensitised society but instead, mildly entertaining. Mothers murder their babies in the womb and many consider putting down as one does an animal, our mothers and fathers when they become old and frail. We, as a people, are ceasing to protect the most helpless among us. We are losing the compassion for one another that marks us as human beings and above animals. Kindness and goodness are presently viewed as gullibility and weakness. None of us are safe among our own kind when living in a society with this mindset. This is the same type of spiritual environment which allowed for Hitler and his genocide of the Jews. Truly, we must enter into a delusion of safety to enable ourselves to lay our heads down and sleep at night.

It is not abnormal to view the world we live in as hopeless and desire to escape from it. Sadly, those who are in the world and of it will choose worldly pleasures and develop a sin habit as a vehicle for escape. Materialism,drugs,alcohol,sex, pornography, and gambling, are among the most common; and their promise of escape is a lie, for they only add to that which makes escape a priority. If we are left to continue in this direction, there is no hope for human beings. We as a species will become extinct by our own hand.

Psalm 14:1

The fool has said in his heart,

"There is no God."

They are corrupt,

They have done abominable works,

There is none that does good."



There is no God is a foolish but popular statement today. The most learned among us, those who lead us, are the most likely to utter it. In the sixties, God was pronounced as dead and by the nineties, Europe had entered what is called the post-Christian era. God has been removed from public life and His Laws are no longer honored as the basis for our law. Faith in God is murdered in the hearts of many young people by teachers and professors with an agenda to destroy Judeo/Christian culture. In the sixties, they began this agenda by inciting young people to rebel by using the Viet Nam War and the fear of the draft as a vehicle to create social unrest. Professors, such as Timothy Leary, plied young people with drugs that induced a false spiritual experience and false enlightenment that released the foul spirits that move the world today. Paganism and New Age religions now flourishes in a nation that once, openly and corporately, trusted in God. The truth of Jesus Christ is now heavily suppressed in a nation who's motto of revolution from the king of England was, "No king but King Jesus!"

There are many signs today that portend to the fact that God has delivered our once Christian Nation over to wrath. The first chapter of Romans runs a clear parallel to the decent of America that I have witnessed in my lifetime. This nation which once served as a refuge for those who wanted to worship God according to His Word and not according to government or apostate religious leaders has become, increasingly, uncomfortable for Christian people. We too have sought escape and systematically, over the past three decades, have begun to withdraw from the common culture. We began by first pulling our children from public schools and placing them in parochial schools. As the church became more anemic by those who wished to tailor her to please the world, parents withdrew even further and many now teach their children at home. Home churches and the Internet fill the spiritual void (felt by so many who long for sound, Biblical teaching) created by the leaders of an institutionalised church too consumed by worldly ambitions to accommodate. The one area that we have not retreated from has been politics and though involvement is good, there is no hope in politics. Time spent on political activism would be better invested in fulfilling our true call to activism, that of fulfilling the Great Commission.

Christians continue to flee from public life and with each one that enters retreat, the nation at large grows darker. It is not an abnormal reaction and I too have participated in trying to escape and protect my children from a culture bent upon self-destruction. Sadly, because of our exodus, we have become a subculture and in our frightened state, we have very little affect on the community that surrounds us. Our fear has resulted in our hiding the Light of the world under a basket. By not trusting God to keep us in the midst of evil, we no longer act as a purifying agent in our communities.

Psalm 18:1-3

I will love You, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock and my fortress
and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my
salvation, my stronghold.

I will call upon the LORD, who is
worthy to be praised;

So shall I be saved from my enemies.


Psalm 14:2-3

The LORD looks down from heaven
upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who
Understand, who seek God.
They have together become corrupt;
There is none that does good,
No, not one.

vs.5-6 There they are in great fear,
For God is with the generation of the righteous.
You shame the counsel of the poor,
But the LORD is his refuge.

Fear does not come from God and is not the spirit which should move Christians. Jesus is not an escape hatch from the world, not for us nor our children. When we seek escape in God, we are no better than a drug addict; and more likely, worse when we use God as an addict would use heroin to soothe emotional pain and calm our fears. Even though God does not allow us full escape, He is our refuge. In Christ, we know that the enemy can't destroy us for our lives are hidden in Him. Even if our bodies are destroyed, we will not die. Eternal life is ours in Christ. In Christ, we are emboldened to stand against all that the enemy uses to cause us to fear. In Christ, it is possible to do as Jesus teaches; to be in the world but not of it. God has left us here with an active purpose that can't be accomplished through nonparticipation. He is our fortress in the midst of battle but not a sanctuary for those who have gone AWOL. He is our strength to endure and even overthrow the darkness. He is perfect armor and in Him, we are safe and will not suffer defeat.

Psalm 18:4-7

The pangs of death surrounded me,
And the floods of ungodliness made
me afraid.

The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me,
The snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the
LORD,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry came before Him, even to
His ears.

Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of the hills also
quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.

There is no anger as powerful as that of a parent when their child has been injured. God loves us more than we can imagine, even more than we love our own children. Those who come against us to hurt us will not go unpunished. Though He is angry with the workers of iniquity in the world today, He loves them also. God desires that all come to repentance so that all might be restored to Him as Father. None can hear about Jesus if there is no one preaching His Word. Those who have no hope will never experience true enlightenment if the Light of the World is hidden because of our fear of them. The darkness that now seems near to total will not recede if we hoard Jesus and keep Him all for ourselves.

It is time for those who are in Christ to come out of the closet. Let us open our hearts to Jesus and be empowered through the filling of the Holy Spirit to be bold in our faith. Let us not shrink from the battle that lies before us but instead, seek the sure refuge we have in Jesus that is our stronghold in the very midst of battle.

Christian soldiers, arise! "Even the gates of hell will not prevail against Christ and His church."

Don't Forget ...

Only one this week ...




Earlier Episodes:
Episodes 1, 2, 3
Episodes 4, 5, 6
Episodes 7, 8, 9
Episodes 10, 11, 12
Episodes 13, 14, 15

Every Day Jesus

God is not a talisman and nothing fashioned by human fingers can harness His power. There is no sign, encantation, or ritual that can call His power down from heaven. There is no sacrifice that will cause Him to serve our demands. Even if we pray in the Holy Name, Jesus, the human will won't be served but only the Will of the Living God. Our faithfulness to corporate worship does not impress Him; and neither does any work that we judge to be good buy us favor from Him. God does not serve men or women but we are served when we fully surrender to Him.

If I should pray asking God to make me strong, I am in error. If I should ask that I be found worthy of Him, I am also in error and seeking my own greatness and not the glory of God. He does not perfect me in my own strength and worthiness but instead has chosen to work in my weakness. When I deny my weakness and try to hide it out of shame, I have become unteachable. I have ceased to walk according to the Spirit and instead, begun to walk according to a religion of my own making. My religion being rituals and practices that, according to my own thinking, promise to make me holy in the sight of God. My religion is in vain for there is no religion that can make men and women worthy of God's love and favor. Even the religion given by God Himself to the Jews cannot make anyone holy. Therefore, there is no joy in religion but only guilt.

When I was young and new in the Lord, I made many vows to Him of all that I would to do for Him out of gratitude for my Salvation in Christ. I wanted to change the world for His Name's sake! I fought for Him! I stood fast for truth! I denied myself many things thinking that this would make me holy and that my testimony would shine as an example to others. For the sake of my testimony, I sought to hide all that was weak in me. I hid it from myself, my friends, my family, and any stranger that crossed my path. I often even sought hide my weakness from God. I was so full of my own works, there was no room left for God to work in me. I focused upon my own strength and goodness rather than the Power and Goodness of God.

The weakness of my flesh is undeniable and when it became undeniable to others, I would cry out in sorrow and shame asking to be strengthened that I might not fall again! I begged for endurance! I asked for these things that I might be glorious and be made capable of glorifying God through the power of my own actions. Though I was born again, my flesh did not want to die and fought hard to deceive me so that it might continue to live. Pride is the power of the flesh and my pride longed to devour for itself all that belonged to God in me. Many years later, my pride still longs for greatness but is greatly hindered as now I near the completion of my redemption and Jesus in me has grown and continues to grow stronger every day.

When I was young in Christ, I used swollen words of my own devotion and set my course, planning how I could best serve God; more correctly, how I could do God a favor. Thankful I am now that the Lord is patient and faithful with me. He has allowed death to shorten the time that flesh is able to live in a world that has fallen away from Him and death weakens my flesh daily. Now that I am older and much weaker, I no longer make vows to the Lord and take part in crusades in His Name. In my weakness, I have learned to hold up my arms that my Father may lift me and carry me where He Wills me to go. I have found contentment in, Jesus even in the midst of personal failure.

It is in my weakness that God is fully glorified in me; and His Glory is my glory. There is no greatness required of me but instead, the trust of a small child. I am a child with no strength and power of my own. Yet, I am living a life empowered by the Living God. I no longer pray for my strength but instead, that Jesus be strong in me. I know now that I will not find victory by my own strength of endurance but only endure by His Mercy. It is by dieing daily to the desires of my own flesh that I am learning how to live; not for a few years that will end quickly but for eternity. As I diminish, Christ in me is growing brighter. I am in constant and continual contact with my Father through prayer and my conversations with Him sustain me. I take all of my problems, concerns, and worries to God; but not with commands of how I desire Him to fix them. Instead, I am learning to lay them at His feet just as they are and seek His perfect Will in each situation. I am becoming dead to the desire of my own will being worked out through God.

Much of my life has not gone in the way that I desired it should go. Even so, I am not filled with regret but with joy for in Jesus, God's plan for me is His life perfected in me. This perfect plan is made of a sound substance that can't be corrupted. The substance is, Jesus and His living in me by faith. This is not my work but the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Though I don't have great wisdom or riches, God's Will for me is His glory and that is glory for me. The abundant life that I am living is the glory of God in me by the Power of His own Mercy.

Look upon, Jesus! Look at all that God has done through the Son that we might find favor in the eyes of our Father and be fully restored to Him. In Christ, we are invited to walk hand and hand with the Living, Creator God! This is no religion. This is transforming relationship. In Jesus, the Father accepts us just as we are not only on the day of our Salvation, but everyday. There is nothing we can do or not do that will come between us and God ever again.

Jesus is the every day joy that fills all who call upon His Name and belong to Him.

Doxology

My soul shall magnify the Lord.
My spirit will praise Him for His many gifts.

He has blessed His servant with great riches,
And remembered him in the day of trouble.

In the time of my struggle the Lord heard my prayers.
He did not withhold His ear from the least of His people.

When the heavens foretold of destruction,
When the world seemed to be falling down around me,
My feet stood firmly on solid ground,
On a sure rock that does not waver.

I asked myself, "Who is this man to find such favor?"
Surely he is not one of the great ones.

Yet the Lord Himself watches over the ones He loves.
Behold He has set them aside for all He has planned.

Though the thinking of the wise man betrays him,
Though he says to himself, 'This will be my end'
Those who rely on God are never disappointed.
Even when they weep, their ways are full of joy.

Rejoice, oh my spirit, and know who reigns on the earth.
Magnify the Lord, oh my soul.


I won't say much about the details, but ... I had some major work to do yesterday. It looked like it was going to take all my time to make a deadline, and in the moment when it seemed too difficult I learned that my wife would be going into labor soon. This made my work very difficult indeed.

My wife and child are definitely more important to me than my job or school. Yet still I believe God intervened at a time when I felt very much in need.

It turned out she was not going into labor. I worked through the previous night, yesterday until 3 AM and it was finally done and completely working. Today I can rest, and I feel very much at peace.

Consuming Fire

Oh Holy Spirit, burning within, You are the Consuming Fire that is my God. Holy Fire, consume me! Burn away all that is hay and stubble in me! The void left in burnings wake,may You fill with Your Divine Love. Cleanse, purify, and seal this earthen clay vessel. Prepare me that God only be glorified in me! I who have been chosen as Your temple, make me worthy of the Holy One of Israel. Make me fit for the indwelling King!

King Jesus, live in me today!

I lift up holy hands to my Heavenly Father. Hands washed in the pure blood of Jesus and cleansed of all the evil deeds they have done. I offer up this heart once black with sin made clean by that very same blood. With clean lips, I praise, Jesus! I lift His Holy Name as I long for all men to be drawn to Him. Oh, Holy Spirit, draw them to Jesus for salvation!

Jesus the Lamb of God has become the Lion of Judah in me! Jesus, my King, Who has laid His claim on me, soon will lay claim upon the whole world! The Father's Will is done upon the earth and revealed to men at the full revelation of Jesus, the Son.

Rejoice!

Jesus is coming! No evil will stand before the force of Righteousness. Jesus, for the glory of His Father, will put all enemies under His feet. His victory is complete, not partial; and all that He redeems, He will lay, with His crown, at the Father's feet. He will sit in righteous judgement. He will judge for the widow and for the orphan. All will be made right in the world. All that is and ever has been unholy, tossed into the Fire reserved for that Day. All evil, sin, and death forever put down;consumed by the very same Fire that now burns within and purifies me. Death's destruction come in suffering the second death. Amen!

Oh, Holy Spirit! Oh, Consuming Fire! Burn on until all that seeks to stand against and in the place of God is but heaps of ashes. The temporal state forgotten when death rules no more and only Life remains!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise God!

A Mother Cries And God Speaks

I have been a Christian for a good number of years and because of my familiarity with God, I can find myself taking the miraculous in my life for granted. I forget, at times, what life was like before Jesus; and the wonder of peace with God becomes familiar and even mundane. Instead of rejoicing as I did in the beginning when all things of God were new to me, I mumble to myself over the sin of others whom I love and pout because God has not yet brought them to faith in Christ. I have been praying for my children for so many years and am often discouraged when I see no result. Thinking along this vein can fill me with false hopelessness for them as they have backsliden in their faith and so much time has passed that I no longer know for certain if they are backsliden or lost. I know that the hopelessness I feel is false because there is hope for all in Christ. I know it but I don't quite believe it. Sometimes, my spiritual immaturity shows itself as I begin to walk by sight rather than living by faith. At these times,I behave as a spoiled child who has no appreciation for all that my Father has done for me. Promises as to my future seem too far away to really matter or trust. I want what I want now! As a petulant child, I complain to my Father that the Kingdom can't be heaven if my children aren't included there.

When I begin to wax unfaithful, God rescues me through His own faithfulness. Gently He speaks to me, in a small still voice that reverberates His Power within me; and as I am restored to walking according to the Spirit, I remember that I am a soul that belongs wholly to God. Once, I was a slave to my own sinful desires and further even from God than my children who I cry for and pray for now. I who once served my father, the devil, am now a servant of the Living God! I did not grow up in a Christian home and I did not go to church or know Christian people; yet, God had mercy upon me and simply reached down and saved me from my sin. He quickened my spirit and I who had been dead to God was made alive to Him, in an instant, when Jesus showed Himself to me and began also to live in me, by faith. No matter how I have failed Him since that day, or any calamities I've suffered, or the pain and discouragement visited upon me through the sins of others, nothing has been able to separate me from Jesus or remove me from the Hand of my Father. Jesus, my Lord and my Savior, is the Lord of the living and the dead as He suffered and died upon the cross and then rose to life again. There is hope for all in Him. There is nothing and no one outside the scope of His Power. If Jesus saved me, He can save anyone.

I found myself in such a doubtful state only a few days ago. It is a besetting sin I have, falling into feelings of hopelessness and failure concerning my children who have strayed far from God. This time, God not only spoke to me and encouraged me through the Holy Spirit by reminding me of what He has done in my life, but also confirmed His promises to me in His written Word. Promises that I did not know the extent of in all my decades as a believer. The words of the Bible that have instructed and comforted believers for centuries spoke to me as if written personally for me. In fact, they were written personally for me as God knows beforhand all that will trouble me in this life.

Isaiah 54:8-17
With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you."
Says the LORD, your Redeemer.
"For this is like the waters of Noah to Me;
For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,
So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you,
nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed,
But my kindness shall not depart from you.
Nor shall my covenant of peace be removed,"
Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
"O you afflicted one, Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.
All your children shall be taught by the LORD,
And great shall be the peace of your children.
In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.
Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.
Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.
Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an instrument for his work;
And I have created the spoiler to destroy.
No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
And their righteousness is from Me." Says the LORD.


The passage above left me humbled and amazed at God's love for me. He has promised to teach my children directly and I need not fear for them but instead, surrender them completely to Him. The peace of God fills me anew and the dark and doubtful places that remained in me have been won as I realize the extent of God's peace in my life and the mercy and the promise it contains. There is no better place for me to leave my children than in His hands. I have nothing to fear for me or for my children for God will not allow Satan to have victory in any area of my life. God has said it and I believe it. I will no longer doubt and worry. I will completely trust Him with those who I love most in this life.

Overwhelmed and with my cup overflowing, I read on. As I read, God removed any room for further or future doubt as I read of His promise not only to me but also to my children who years ago, were discouraged in their faith.

Isaiah 57:15-18
For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity,
Whose name is Holy:
"I dwell in the high and holy place,
With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
To revive the spirit of the humble,
And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
For I will not contend forever,
Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would fail before Me,
And the souls which I have made.
For the iniquity of his covetousness
I was angry and struck him;
I hid and was angry,
And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.
I have seen his ways, and will heal him;
I will also lead him,
And restore comforts to him
And to his mourners.

I have been like Rachel weeping inconsolably for my children for many years. I am weeping no more. God has promised me that my children will return from the land of the enemy where they have been held captive. God has promised and I believe Him for He has never let me down and through His Son, He speaks directly to me. He reassures me and nourishes me with His Word. I know that Satan wants my children and that he is angry because he knows his time is short; but I will no longer fear him or cry out in doubt and torment for nothing can disassemble the promises of God.

After All

Episodes 1, 2, 3
Episodes 4, 5, 6
Episodes 7, 8, 9
Episodes 10, 11, 12

The Successful Christian

The church builds many expectations of the Christian life. Preachers and Pastors promise prosperity, happy families, and successful lives if we but follow Biblical standards for living. They promise that in Christ, we will have all that everyone desires. It is a great sales technique, good for bringing in the lost to fill church pews, but it is not what God defines as the successful Christian life.

Psalm 17:13-14

Arise, O LORD,
Confront him,
caste him down:
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
With your hand from men, O LORD,
From men of the world who have their portion in this life,
And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.
They are satisfied with children,
And leave the rest of their possession
for their babes.

As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

It is easy to be convinced that if we are obedient to Biblical principles, God will bless us with what everyone in the world desires; health, wealth, and a loving family. These are good things and they are from God but they are not the marker of a successful Christian. Success is not in blessings we have earned through our own good behavior but in Who's image we are being refashioned. It is even possible to not enjoy any of those blessings and yet, be a success in God's eyes. This success can't be earned but only submitted to. We are but clay in the Potter's Hands as daily He works to create in us the likeness of Christ.

Our faith is not of ourselves but is a gift from God. Our faith does not promise us a life free of pain and sorrow but instead, a life enabled to overcome pain, sorrow, and even death. In Christ, we are not promised a happy life, a painless life, but are gifted with the Power of Life from God at the moment we believe in Jesus. We suffer just as the ungodly suffer but we are not overcome because Jesus lives in us and He has already conquered all that seeks to conquer us. In Christ, we are empowered to overcome evil with good.

It is easy to listen to sermons that teach 'blessings earned' and be made to feel that somehow, we have fallen short. If one's children have rebelled and want nothing to do with God, it is very easy to condemn one's self by classifying one's self as a failed Christian. If one has bad health, this type of preaching can send us searching for some hidden sin that is blocking us from receiving the blessings of God. If one has lost their business or suffered some other financial loss, it is easy, according to this type of teaching, to begin to berate one's self for not giving enough to God's Work. Though Biblical principles are true and useful guides in daily life, to teach that abundant blessings are the norm for the Christian is deceptive. The abundant life is a life empowered by the eternal Life received in Jesus that is Jesus and cannot be overcome by all that a fallen world seeks to use to bring us down.

If we seek to live a Godly life and are met with persecution, we are a successful Christian. If our children turn from God and do all in their might to turn us away from Him also but we are unable to leave Him, we are a success in Christ. If we are stricken by poverty and even made homeless yet, we cling to Jesus, we are a success in God's eyes. If even all of our days are spent in physical and emotional pain and still we cry out to God, we are becoming what God has chosen us to be. If even in the face of death, we draw only closer to God, our success is near to receiving its reward. If we should fail at everything we have ever set our hands to do and yet, still believe, we have fulfilled what God intends in us, that the simple should confound the wise. A successful Christian realizes that what God desires to see in us is not our own good works that He might bless us but instead, His own redemptive work. Successful Christians are those who are being perfected in weakness and don't seek to perfect themselves.

We are not to be as the world who will believe only when their bellies are filled and their desires met. We must not be deceived into thinking that God has abandoned us when times are tough. Those of the world have their reward now. We who are in Christ seek a reward that comes in the future. All long for showers of God's blessings but for now, be content with those mercy drops that sustain us in this sinful and dying world. Our hope is not in the things of this world but in Christ, in an age yet to come. In that day, our Hope will be fully glorified and the pain we endure in this world will be remembered no more.

Hold on! Jesus is coming soon!