Good Friday...What's so good about it?

Today is Good Friday.

I remember a guy from the first church I was a member of.  I remember him saying that about Good Friday, "What's so good about it?"  I thought he was making a joke, and I was really pretty new to the whole church thing, so I thought, "Maybe it's an inside joke, I'll get it later..."

That was around 17 years ago, I am still not sure what he meant by his question, but I am glad he asked it...because every Good Friday I ask myself the question..."What's so good about it?"

I think we must go back to the beginning to find the answer to that.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

Time Magazine Quote: from Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon:

 "I remember on the trip home on Apollo 11 it suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small." 

Judging by Psalm 8, King David felt the same way....

"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"

Have you ever been lying on your back on a perfect summer night, looking at the stars?  When we lived in Texas we would occasionally (& spontaneously) load up the kids and throw the air mattresses into the back of the truck and drive out until there was no light pollution.  We would all lay on our backs looking up at the stars.  We could see so many...so far...it was just amazing. I can remember talking with our kids about how God just spoke all of it into existence.(Genesis 1:14) We were all just so in awe with how mighty and powerful He is. 

He.Spake.The.Stars.And.Planets.Into.Existence.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:1-3 

The Word is another name for the Son of God, Jesus. It was Jesus who made all things, nothing was made without him!

 My friends Jake and Hali moved from Hawaii to help us with our church, they have been blessed to see some of the most beautiful things on earth there.  

Jesus made this----->

Jesus also made this.

I know I am not alone when I say, "I love a field of wildflowers..." And why are they so beautiful? God could have made them ugly and stinky, but he didn't. 

In Texas we had the privilege of seeing the bluebonnets paint the landscape every spring. My boys. (Jesus made them too) Weren't they sweet?

We have friends who live in Alaska and Colorado, and are never bored with what God has created there.
Other friends showed us pictures like this they had taken in the Canadian Rockies, yes, Jesus made those too!

So, this same Jesus that the Bible says "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."  Willingly left his throne in Heaven for this...

And this--->

And this is when while they knelt at the foot of the cross casting lots for his clothes as souvenirs, He said... "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

And he had never ever sinned, he did not deserve any punishment! They should have been on their faces worshiping him!  He could have made it happen. He could have stopped it at any moment!  But he willing laid down his life for us the sinners. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:21

He did this for us because He loves us.  He did not deserve this. We deserve this, I deserve this.  He loves me, therefore He died for me...and you.


"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

This same Jesus who knows the thoughts and intents of my heart.

This same Jesus who made the lame to walk and the blind to see.  

This same Jesus who has power over the Devil, and will one

day throw him into Hell for all eternity.  

  

This same Jesus, who spoke worlds and 

universes and galaxies into being.

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and

men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for 

all, to be testified in due time." 1 Timothy 2:5-6

The same Jesus holds every atom together, by his will...Colossians 1:17 says,

"And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

Here is an image depicting that same Jesus on the cross over 2000 years ago, a day we call Good Friday.

Here is a photo taken of the Nucleus of the Whirlpool Galaxy.

So...what's so good about Good Friday? 

That same Jesus.

Amazing Love! 

How can it be that thou my God should die for me?

They changed the truth of God into a lie.

I was led to read in Romans 8 the other day, I was so blessed and God really spake to my heart exactly what I needed to hear, to give me the encouragement to face a difficult situation, that I know I can only do with Him!  So as I finished praising Him and thanking Him for being so present in my life and speaking His truth to me in my need, I was just looking back over ever beautiful word...so I went back to the beginning of the chapter and as I often do when a chapter of the Bible starts with a "therefore"  I figure I better see what it is actually there for....(and the church goers all chuckle, because our Pastors say that all the time) So....well I decided to start with the first chapter, Romans 1. I then continued to read through to the end of Romans 7 and back to Romans 8.  I am confident that God is truth, I am confident that God is love, I know that He created us for His pleasure, and for that I am eternally grateful to Him, who is perfect and holy and mindful of me this wretched sinner  Because of what I owe him but can never repay, I will always side with God.  Because He is right and unless I am lined up with Him through his word, I am wrong.  So if He says it that settles it.  How do I know what God says?  He gives us His word, which I believe every word of it is true and directly from Him.

So that brings me to this...

For several years now I have observed the way Satan has been working in this world as he infiltrates the family in his campaign to change our minds about what is and is not sin in the battleground called homosexuality.  I have came to a conclusion about the strategy that God's enemy has.  I do not claim to be the all enlightened one, and I do realize I am not the first to see anything...but let me talk about this, and maybe it will shed some light  for someone.  I believe that one of Satan's strategies is this:  If he can infiltrate every family with one person that is a homosexual he will be able to change the tide in our culture. I guess he figures that we humans are so self-centered that if we have one person that we care about losing, we will have to change our mind about this sin.That people will instead of standing up to the friend or family member and telling them that they side with God , they instead chose to side with the loved one that has decided to go against God our Creator, His design for marriage, the family, society, and sexuality. I have seen it again and again...people side with their friend or family member against God.  And it never stops there. Sure, "good Christian people say we must love the sinner hate the sin....as to which I agree.  So what does that look like?   I think for most that have tried to stay involved in the homosexuals life, even if they say they do not approve, or condone...eventually they are less likely to see homosexuality as the egregious sin they once knew it to be before it hit so close to home.  I have heard a friend who was once appalled by the thought that an entertainer they liked being rumored as gay, because that was so heinous, later tell me they wouldn't consider Christianity because they have a gay friend. Recently, a conservative Ohio senator changed his mind about same sex marriage 2 years after his son told him he was gay.  Christians even who have lived in a manner that reflects true belief in the teachings of the Bible, have always believed that Homosexuality is sin and spoken out on it, change their mind when their son or daughter come out of the closet.   What changed their minds? Did God's word change what it said, no...the only thing that changed is their proximity to the sin.  They did not want to make a sacrifice, so instead they made a compromise.  But Jesus is the same yesterday today forever, God does not change (Malachi 3:6). So if God does not change his mind about homosexuality, then why would we?

I think it is explained in Romans 1:25 "...Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator..."


You might say..."Easy for you to say...you have never loved a homosexual, just wait till someone you care about tells you they are gay."

I do not speak without experience...My family is not untouched by this attack...we too have a loved one that has came "out of the closet".  

The difference for us is this...

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."  Joshua 24:15

My husband and I have decided to and are resolved that our relationship to our God come before every other relationship, including the relationship with our loved one, because we choose to serve the Lord.  God is first in our lives, and we want to keep our hearts in tune with his. It is not that we think we are better than prostitutes, gays, pedophiles, rapists, and the rest.... No, we are sinners, saved by GRACE!  But we chose Christ.

 It is that like I stated before, I believe that there is a strategy, and it is our job to guard our hearts and our minds against the enemies attack to change the way we think about sin.   So we have to make a stand. And we do chose to stand with Christ. 

Our children know that, not because we say it...but because they have seen us live it, even at great cost to us personally. I pray that they will follow our example in this, and that when it is personally painful to follow God they will still chose right over evil.

Jesus, though He came to rescue sinners,(rescue them from-not for their sin) so he reached out to them and He loves everyone, He does not wink at their sin, when he said to the men about to stone the woman caught in the act of adultery, " he who is without sin throw the first stone", he did not ask the men to tolerate her sin, and accept adultery...he said the the adulteress "go and sin no more". That same Jesus is the God who created the universe and everything in it...He is the same Jesus who in John 1:1 is called the Word.  He is the same Jesus who is the author of the Word of God that says this....In Romans chapter 1:24-32...

^" Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

So whose side are you on? As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

Pray for these precious ones!

I am praying for these precious children.  I am praying that God will give them a home with a loving Christian family.  A place where they will be loved and cherished, valued and accepted.  A place where they feel safe and secure.  A family that they know will be theirs for all their lives. A home where they can laugh and play and sing and cry sometimes.  A place where they are not afraid.  A place where they will learn all about the God that created them and loves them more than anyone could ever love them.  A home filled with the love of Christ, in such a way that it is not only seen in words but in action, in real life all around them.  A place where they will learn to live a life for others, like Jesus did. A place where they will feel the freedom to discover their talents and their gifts that God has given them, and where they will be encouraged to use them to make the world around them better. A place where they can dream and hear the cheers from their family as they reach for those dreams.  A place of comfort and rest when their dreams don't come true, until they are ready to reach again!  I am praying that God will bless them with that "forever family", praying that it would be ours, but if not....that He would give it to them in another. Please pray with me.

Show Me Your Glory

As it often happens I was so moved today as God allowed me to see a glorious nugget of truth about parenting, well about leadership actually.  And as it often happens, to those who have the “Gift of Exhortation” I want to share this great experience with others! To encourage, so please hear it as that ~ “encouragement”

I am a mom, but more than that I am a Christian.  So as I have been doing this awesome job (that I do not deserve) God has given to me in raising these three beautiful children for His glory; I think I have done some things right, (I hope) and some things wrong (I know).  And if you are like me in whatever it is that you are doing for the Lord, you want to do more of the right; and make right more of the wrong!  I hope you can make sense of that!

I love as I get into God’s Word and when I actually allow God’s Word to get into me, He speaks to my heart, often it is amazing truths about how awesome He is, in ways I have not stopped to ponder on before, and many times I am shown something that I need to change, and it is not always pleasant or easy, but I am always thankful.  This time it was both!

I am not a Pastor, but if you are, this might be for you in that area of life.  You are a Moses to your congregation, and to your family…your wife and your children. 

I am a mom, so, I am a Moses to my 2 sons, Jake and Josh, and to my daughter, Bree.  One day I will be Moses to my grandchildren, if the Lord blesses (and I hope He does). 

I also am a Moses to others that God has given me the privilege to lead.  It might be the children and young people I minister to and have influence over.

I am a Moses to the other women in our community and in our church who look to me for direction and as an example.  And whoever you are, you are a Moses to someone. Is it your co-workers?  Is it your children? Your neighbors? People you have in your sphere of influence? In small and big ways we are all Moses to someone?

So as you look at this portion of scripture with me, keep in mind that you are a Moses to someone.

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount. And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.  And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone. And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.  And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.” Exodus 34:1-8

And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. (v 27-28)

 “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.”  

Moses didn’t realize that he was shining, but the Israelites definitely saw it! Aaron and the others had to tell Moses.

“And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai. And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.”

They could see the glory of God in his face!

They now had a new respect for him, a reverence because they knew he was different, what made this time different?

And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the Lord hath commanded, that ye should do them.

Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.

Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.

So with the God-given authority and humility, Moses proclaims to the people what God wants them to do…

 And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying,

Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord; gold, and silver, and brass,

And they really want to do it, he says “whoever is of a willing heart”, he doesn’t lay out the guilt trip, he is not trying to twist any arms…he doesn’t have to.

“And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the Lord.

Because the people could see with their own eyes that God had changed Moses they respected his instruction. They were more than willing to bring everything above and beyond what was needed as an offering.  Moses was legit, They could see the glory of God in his face!  They knew his words were God’s words!

And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair.

The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the Lord had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.

And then God gave abilities to them, He equipped them. (gifts)

And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the Lord hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work. And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work. Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had commanded. And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it: And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning. And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made;”

Moses did not need to prod them, he did not have to remind them of the need for them to give…they had been stirred in their hearts by God through a man who they could see God in! They brought above and beyond what was needed, and it looks as though they were not going to ever stop giving to the Lords work!

“And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.”

The Israelites had to be told to stop giving for now, but they had to be restrained….if Moses hadn’t they would have given and given.

When I had first read this I thought of churches being instructed by their Pastors in the subject of giving, serving, exercising their spiritual gifts…etc….

I thought if more Pastors were experiencing TRUE WORSHIP, you know the kind that God actually showed up for; that more believers would see that they were changed by their time spent in genuine worship/fellowship with the Almighty God!  I remember back when God wrote the 10 Commandments with his own finger, and then  God told Moses what the people were doing, and how God was going to deal with them, Moses asked God to have mercy on them, not to destroy them.  Then when he saw their sin himself Moses got mad, and he lost his temper…he reacted in the flesh to the peoples sin.  Ok, so Moses isn’t perfect and neither are our Pastors…but I do think that there is something to be learned here. 

I asked earlier…What was so different in the 2 experiences Moses had with God.

So here is the “nugget”…and I think it really is a bit more than a nugget.  After Moses went through the whole thing when he came down with the Ten Commandments the first time and there was the huge idolatrous orgy going on, smashes them to pieces in his anger, and God tells him to get two more stone tablets and head back up the mountain, Moses asks God for a sign…a sign of God’s grace.

“For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.”

And God in His infinite love for Moses, His friend, answers… “And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.”

 And Moses asks the question of all questions…“And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.” (way to go, Moses!!!)

Show Me Your Glory

“And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.  And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:  And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:  And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.”

WOW!  It takes my breath away to imagine this scene! What a mighty God we have!  He is so great that all of His goodness would kill Moses, so He put him in a safe place and covered him with his hand while he passes by!!!

Again Moses had God’s presence with him the whole time, 40 days to be exact, standing with him moving around him as God gave him the words to carve into the stone, how much time Moses must have spent on each and every letter.  But it wasn’t that that made him shine, it was that he saw the Glory of God, not all of it, but enough that it rubbed off on him.  God’s glory (or at least the results of it) was shining from Moses, you could see the evidence of his time spent with God just by looking at him!  He was different! 

So I thought about that and I thought about how many sermons Pastors have preached to encourage their people to give to the Lord’s work.  How many different “methods” have they concocted, to get people on board with giving? And still the people are unmoved…  Now I am not saying that we are to expect our Pastors to stop teaching on giving, tithing, serving, etc…but I am asking us to look at this example of what worked for Moses and ask if that would perhaps work today.

Ok, let’s not stop there.  I am a mother.  One of my greatest desires as a mother, as a parent is to see my children serving the Lord in obedience to the Word , in giving of their time and talents and resources with a willingness of the heart. Sure I can force them to DO anything I want…but what I want, and what I am sure you want is also what the Lord wants, and that is for them to want to serve Him,  desire wholly to live a life for Him!   So, when I instruct them as I am told in scripture to do…what do they see when they look at me?  Do they see Mom, or do they see God’s glory in Mom because she has been with God, really been with God? If I ask God to show me His glory, am I ready? Do I mean it? It WILL bring about TRUE WORSHIP.  Others will know, others will see.

Show Me Your Glory

Have I spent time today in true worship with God?  Have you? Was He even there? Did He see my worship, or your worship as genuine humble adoration of the “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”

God’s own words about himself as Moses is on his face worshipping Him! (Ex. 34:6-7)

“And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.” Exodus 34:8

Show Me Your Glory

Woe unto them that call evil good!

I just watched a video aimed at Latino women,  “Yo Te Apoyo”  (translated “I Support You”)  

As I watched it, I see various Latino women and men assuring the intended audience that they will not be judged, in fact they will be supported if they chose to have an abortion because they are not ready to be a parent.  No one mentions that they will support them in their decision to respect their bodies with abstinence.  No one assures the audience that they will support them if they make the decision to give their babies a life, but will chose adoption.  Not one says I will support you if you decide to keep your child...not one.  Only I support you in killing your innocent baby.

One woman implies that she had an abortion in the past because she was not ready to be a parent, as her toddler climbs onto her lap. She then says that when she was pregnant with the child on her lap she wanted to be a parent. She goes on to say how she imagines a world for her daughter where she can be free and powerful.  What she wants is a world where her daughter will have the power to kill her own baby and be free of anyone thinking that it is wrong.  She says that choosing to have an abortion is not about right or wrong.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20

If I can believe the statistics provided by the CDC, today in America 2,262 babies will be killed by their own mothers.  I noticed that the same Abortion Clinic that advertises a $50 discount to all abortions on Sundays, also says this....

"Today, the number of abortions has declined from a peak of 29.3 per 1000 women aged 15-44 in 1979 to 19.4 per thousand. It has only slowly dropped over the last several years because poor women have not had access to Family Planning Facilities for education and prevention of pregnancy through effective birth control measures." 

 

So if there is a decrease in abortions, heaven forbid it be for any moral reason!  It just must be that we are not killing these babies cheaply enough!

WHAT SHOULD BE THE SAFEST PLACE ANYONE OF US HAS EVER BEEN....in our mothers womb, in our mother's care.... is no longer the safe haven you and I enjoyed.  I remember when I was pregnant, thinking..."If only I could keep them this safe forever..." 

We really need to act now...

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."                                                       2 Chronicals 7:14  

One great weapon we have is prayer! 

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.                          Ephesians 6:11-13

There is more to this passage, and it may be our greatest line of defense...Have you ever heard that the best offense is a good defense?  Well, I have to think that it even may also be true of the opposite.  Maybe the best defense is a good offense. Here is a broader look at the above passage in Ephesians 6.

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

¹¹ Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

¹³ Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

¹⁵ And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

¹⁶ Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

¹⁸ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

¹⁹ And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

²⁰ For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The "wiles of the devil, principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places"...these were the enemies of God and His creation in Paul's day, and nothing has changed...these are God's enemies today.  These are our enemies today.  Paul warns the church that they are in a battle and he give instruction on not only how fight the enemy, but I dare say how to defeat the enemy...notice his words.

"...that ye may be able to stand..."

"...that ye may be able to withstand..."

"...having done all, to stand..."

"...Stand therefore..."

"...ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked..."

These do not sound like the instructions to a soldier in a losing battle to me, there is a confidence in Paul's words that shows that he knows that God will win the war, and if we follow these instructions we will win the battle!

I know that much can be done if we will pray for an end to abortion, but in this I see another weapon against the enemy.  It is the sharing of the Gospel.  The message of the glorious Gospel changes lives, and saves lives.  If more people hear and turn to the truth of the gospel, if they repent of their sin, and live for Christ there will be less people in the camp of the enemy. More true and sincere followers of Christ reaching more people with the Gospel...that is our greatest strategy, our most effective weapon in this fight for the future babies who could face abortion, against this enemy that only wants to destroy what God loves.  

Let's support pro-life ministries and let's continue to vote for pro-life leaders in our government. Let's pray every day for an end of abortion and this modern day Holocaust!  Let's continue to minister to these pregnant women who are experiencing the difficulties that come with these pregnancies.  

But let us never forget that the best defense just may be a good offense.  If more people are living lives for Jesus Christ less mothers will be killing their unborn babies.

Picture this...a 17 young woman who is in a serious relationship with her boyfriend finds out she is pregnant, but wants to finish high school and go on to college, so she decides to have an abortion.  Or imagine a similar young woman who is sold out for Jesus because of that she chose to remain abstinent until marriage, she never got pregnant and therefore never had an abortion at 17 years old.  

I believe that a heart turned toward Jesus would change the path of would be serial killers and abortion doctors, rapists, and pedophiles. The simple truth is that a life lived for Christ is not a life lived for self, and genuine Christianity, the gospel, and the murder of the unborn do not go hand and hand.

A genuine follower of Christ lives his or her life trying to live like Christ, desiring to become more like Him with every day.  Jesus taught us by example sacrificial love for the whole world, and complete obedience to God and His Word.  So, a genuine follower of Jesus Christ, a true Christian would not want to add to the world these things that we can site as the consequences of sin, such as murder, rape, fornication, adultery, incest, etc...Jesus does not and a person who is living for Jesus would not.

So I close with this...

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might…

…to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Trust In The Lord With All Thine Heart

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

God has shown me a truth about Himself today as I was reading in Exodus.  As the Israelites are finally being freed from the bondage they had known for more than four hundred years as the slaves of Pharaoh,  God reveals that He is the same...yesterday, today, forever.

 "And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:

  But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt". Exodus 13:17-18

I see here an example of Gods loving providence.  He knew these Israelites were too weak to face the trial of war. You and I know that had they went to war against the Philistines, God would have won the battle for them, but God knew that they would have fainted at the first sign of trouble! He knew their hearts. Even after he had shown them how mighty He truly is, through all the plagues he visited on the people of Egypt, BUT NOT on the Israelites!  He knew their hearts, so he led them away from the way that made sense…the closer route.  He took them the “long way”, the way that seemed a “dead end”.  Well that didn't make a whole lot of sense to anyone, I am sure…the multitude may not have really known the geography…but surely Moses did, as he had traveled outside of Egypt to the land of Midian.  This would be the route God would allow them have their back against the wall, or sea as it turned out…..and God would have to show himself to them in a way that only He could be the answer for their deliverance from the hands of the Egyptians. He knew their hearts, and he did what was best for them, even if they didn't know what was best for themselves.

So, have you ever seen God take you the long way?  You can see a path or a direction that makes much more sense…but God clearly says “no, follow me this way”… I can say I have time and time again.  In my life and in the lives of others…

I think of the college student, who has worked very hard to get through college debt-free.  She came to her final semester, and thought she would need to take a loan as she did not see how she would be able to finish without.  But God shut ever door on her as she sought acquiring a loan to pay for the last semester.  And now we see that God had a plan of provision that would pay for her tuition without debt.  So she was able to see God provide through her own hard work, and her parents help.

What about the young woman, who only four months after trusting Christ found herself pregnant, after a date rape?  What route should she travel?  The thing that would make sense to most, would be to get an abortion, but this young woman felt God leading her to consider adoption instead.  The long way was the hard way, facing her family and friends, co-workers with a pregnancy and no father…and then the painful moment when she would say good-bye to the baby she had carried, and held…and loved.  But God gave her a peace, it was the way he could show her He was there to comfort and lead her in her new life in Him.

What about the husband and father who had a job that he loved, a happy family that enjoyed their life and their situation immensely? Who, when he heard God tell him the route he had for him was to quit his job and move his family to a faraway place to share the gospel with a people that would not want to hear it, in a region his family would not want to go…the long way, the difficult route would begin the day he told his family of God’s plan: the day he said "yes" to God that he would trust him. God showed Himself to be a mighty God every step of the way to the family, and to the man.  In ways that could only be seen as God’s hand, God displayed His loving provision for this family! And looking back they are all happy to have followed God the long way. He has blessed them and grown them through the journey that they would not have chosen, but God chose for them.  Because Gods way was better…far far better than that they would have chosen for themselves.

So many times I have heard people say, I don’t think the God of today is the God of the Old Testament, or often I hear Christians say they don’t even read the Old Testament, that God seems so mean, angry, and hard, judgmental…they want to read about Jesus, and the God that is loving and healing and forgiving… I am so glad that I follow the same God that I see here in the book of Exodus.  (Which btw…is the God of the New Testament) This God is loving and longsuffering, and he is such a gracious father that will be patient with His people even knowing their weaknesses and their tendency to turn back to their slave-masters to avoid trials in their new life with God leading them to victory!  I am grateful for every hurdle that God has placed before me, because in my willingness to trust him and overcome the hurdle in Him, He is the one who lifts me over the hurdle!  And because of that I love and trust him all the more! 

He is the one that I want to direct my path, He is the one that I can trust with all my heart!  

I am so thankful that I serve the great I Am!  

The Gifted...

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:  

From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.                                                         Ephesians 4:11 -16