Cowering vs. Courage 2/24/2014

"'Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.  If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us.'  Again the Philistine said,  'I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together.'  When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid." 1 Samuel 17:8-11

Imagine a scene in which two great armies stand on opposing hills glaring at each other across the valley that separates them.  Imagine one of the armies having a 9 foot giant calling out to the other for a one on one with their champion to settle the whole matter.  Imagine this going on for 40 days.  And imagine the fearful army being the army of God.

We face the great challenges of the adversary every day, both as individuals and as the body of Christ. It seems that the world is becoming increasing bold in withstanding the word of God and that the battle is waged on more and more fronts.  Our children can no longer pray in school.  They are being taught that we evolved from some microbe in some primordial slime and worse, that we are descended from monkeys.  Christians in some parts of the world are being martyred for their faith. Their is an active effort to remove the God in whose belief this country was founded.  And we are experiencing moral decay at an alarming rate.  The giant adversary and his armies are taunting and threatening the people of God.  How long will we cower?

Beloved, we must remember who we serve and who is on our side.  We must also remember that the problems of today are not new.  Thousands of years ago, it was a young boy who asked the people of God, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" 1 Samuel 17:26.  It was a single voice that spoke up for the cause of God.  A single person who took on the enemy.  And it was a single act that emboldened the people of God who went on to victory. Imagine what could be done with 2, 3, 100 or 1000 faithful voices crying out to God for strength and courage to do what needs to be done.

Let us not hide in our sanctuaries and tremble at the enemy.  Let us engage.  Let us fight for what is right in all aspects of life, beginning with our own.  And let us be the people that God called us to be. Surely He will give us the victory.

One,

Lee

Contending For the Faith 5/10/2013

"Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints."  Jude 3-4

What is it in life that is worth fighting for to you?  Though physical fighting may immediately come to mind, think more along the line of struggling, defending or taking a stand.  Nearly all of us would come to the aid of a family member, an innocent or a victim.  Some will do so for a principle or a way of life.  Others still would do so for their rights under the law or for what they consider to be "right."  In fact, passions can run so highly about these and other subjects that physical fighting and even killing can result.

Beloved, as Christians, our highest priority is the conviction we have for the truth of the gospel and the salvation to which it connects us.  It literally is what distinguishes us as Christians.  There are many things about which we are told to "turn the other cheek" or to "why not suffer wrong" (to be done to us); however, we are never told to let our faith slip.  On the contrary we are repeatedly warned against it.  Our faith is to be established, grown, matured and defended at all cost.  Though the context of Jude's writing is to defend against false teachers in particular, we must be willing to fight hard against anything that would threaten our individual faith and the faith.  Our salvation depends on it.

Committed,

Lee

When We Are Threatened-DD 3/16/11

"Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.'" 1 Sam 24:10

Saul, in the rage of his jealously, pursued young David with 3,000 men in an effort to kill him. He happened into a cave to relieve himself where David and his men were hiding. As the king was indisposed, David's men reminded him that God promised to deliver his enemy into his hand and that this was that moment. Listening to this counsel, David approached the king and clandestinely cut a piece of fabric from his cloak.

As Christians, we must consider with a great deal of gravity, how we respond to those who array themselves against us. Throughout our lifetimes, we endure slander, mistreatment, lies, verbal and sometimes physical attacks at the hands of others. In these situations, what type of advice do we receive from our friends? Is their advice in keeping with our Christianity or our humanity? What, then, do we do with that advice and how do we conduct ourselves?

David felt guilty for taking the limited action that he took and went to his enemy Saul, apologized and appealed to him to be reasonable and stop threatening his life. His reason for doing this was his love and respect for God. Because Saul was anointed by God to be king, David felt that it was wrong to lay a hand on him, even in his own defense.

Beloved, when we are threatened and scandalized, we must remember whose we are. The command that we have been given regarding our enemies is to love them. Vengeance is reserved for the Lord and is His sole domain. He has also said that no weapon formed against us will prosper. Let us place our faith in God, our protector and our redeemer.

Loving Like Jesus,

Lee

The Quiet Fight-DD 1/4/2011

"The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent." Ex 14:14

From a very early age, we are taught by our parents to fight back. I remember my own mom telling me that "If someone hits you, you hit them back!" This was designed to build in us an ability to defend ourselves and not let others take advantage or abuse us.

This foundational learning runs like a thread through our lives and can be seen throughout. We can see this mentality manifested in politics, relationships, sports and even traffic. We develop a tendency to attempt control of our environment, impressions of ourselves in the minds of others and even the things that may happen to us in the future.

The interesting thing about this is that we really do not control anything, with the possible exception of our responses to the things that happen to us. The way we respond, however, is more often a demonstration of our lack of control than the other way around. You see beloved, fighting back is a response. It is a reaction to being attacked. We do not control the attack at all.

Despite our best efforts to plan, set goals and even build defenses, it is not the least bit unusual for us to face circumstances and situations that we hoped would never come. Our response is to not only defend, but to sometimes go on the offensive. I invite you to consider God's advice to the Hebrews. They were under attack from the rear and facing an insurmountable obstacle in front of them. How often we do find ourselves in this situation. God says to trust Him, be still and to leave it in His hands. As it was with Moses, He will tell you what to do and when to do it. In His good time, you will see the power of his might...and your salvation, in life as well as in your seemingly insurmountable situations.

Be encouraged.

Loving Like Jesus,

Lee