Category: From Pastor

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Key #2: Be Ready for the Battle!  (WATCH HERE)

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First, devotion reader, I apologize for missing the devotion post yesterday…and it was even Ascension Day!  But perhaps that provides a good lead in for a final thought on this week’s key: Be ready for battle!

The role of a commanding officer is to rally the troops, be clear on the mission, and provide the ability to win the battle.

As Jesus was finishing his time on this earth, he wanted to make sure the work he had done would impact the world around.

His army?  The eleven remaining disciples and about 130 other followers…not a very large group.  He knew the task would be hard and the resistance strong, but he knew the salvation of souls was at stake.

So, before he ascended into heaven, he spoke these words recorded in Matthew 28:

Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

On numerous occasions, Jesus has warned the disciples that being his follower and proclaimer of his grace would not be easy.  Conflict would come and opposition to the gospel would arise.  So, not much has changed today.

There is opposition to Christ.  There are the forces of evil that desire the demise of Christianity and the destruction of souls.  Although they may not come out directly and say this, their actions are clear to take out the viability and validity of the Christian faith and disparage it at every opportunity.

So how do you and I stand up against the opposition of Satan which seeks to devour all that is connected to and stands for Christ?

Remember the words of our commanding officer before he went back into heaven.

First, remember the power you have behind you.  Jesus said, “ALL authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me.”  The Apostle Paul put it this way, “22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:22-23) So, while Jesus is in heaven, his power is still at work in his church to carry out the mission he has given to us.  Governments may seek to curtail the Gospel and individuals may dismiss it or shout it down, but the power is not in them, but in Jesus who sends his church to proclaim the Gospel.

The mission is clear.  For followers of Jesus Christ our mission is clear: Make more disciples.  The means is given to us: Baptizing and Teaching.  We don’t have to wonder what to do or how to do it.  Jesus makes it clear.  Utilize the gift of baptism to bring people into the kingdom of God and then teach them to hold on to every teaching the Lord has given to us.  As these both take place, followers of Jesus are created and nurtured.  

The presence of Jesus is real.  We are not alone in the battles we face.  Whether those battles are the ones that rage within our souls or the ones which we fight collectively as the Church to bring the Gospel to the world.  

We have the power.  We have the mission.  We have the promise.

So don’t just be ready for the battle…Fight the battle!  Soldier as a good soldier!

 

Apply: As you think about the battles you face, what aspect of Jesus’ final words encourage you the most?  His power, his mission, or his promise?  

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for carrying out the mission you had to do all that was necessary for our salvation.  Lead us to boldly fight the good fight of faith and hold onto and proclaim boldly the truth of grace to the world! AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Key #2: Be Ready for the Battle!  (WATCH HERE)

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On May 2, 2011, US special forces descended on a compound in Pakistan to carry out a raid on the compound of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.  For almost 10 years, intelligence sources stalked the killer, but finally the element of location and surprise allowed the forces of the US to descend from helicopters, eliminate their target and get out without any US casualties.

Except one.

A stealth helicopter.

On the raid, the helicopter malfunctioned and was unable to fly away from the compound.  However, the crew had a plan.  Destroy the aircraft.  Why?  Because the super secret technology that the helicopter contained was not to find its way into enemy hands and be used against us in future combat.  So it was blown up before the forces left.

If you leave your weapons behind, you give up the impact of those weapons for the enemy to utilize.  Again, you can read stories of armies taking the weapons of slain enemies and turning them against the very forces that carried them.  However, a good soldier who was able, would never leave their weapons behind for the enemy to use.

A good soldier would also be foolish to leave their weapons back in the barracks and not take them to battle.  Unarmed in battle is a suicide mission in the making.

So it is in spiritual battle as well.

Perhaps we are more guilty of never using our weapons than leaving the weapons for Satan to use, but he is capable of that too. (Remember he used the “sword of the Spirit” (the word of God) against Jesus himself…he would love to use it against you too.)

We can easily underestimate the enemy and overestimate our ability to combat him on our own.  For example, Paul encourages us to put on the “belt of truth” around our waist (Ephesians 6).  The purpose is so we can fend off the lies of Satan when they come our way.  We may rely on Bible knowledge we learned as a kid to combat the religious melay that we face in our culture today.  We may rely on what we “think” the Bible says, instead of knowing what it actually does say.  We may push off time in the word because our day has too many other “important” things to do.  As a result of these inactions, we leave our belt of truth behind and we are left to be confused at best or give in to smooth sounding arguments that are lies at worst.  And when we abandon this weapon…we lose spiritually.

So don’t abandon your weapons – offensive and defensive.  The battle is real.  The enemy is strong.  To enter combat without the weapons God has given to us is spiritual suicide!  So be soldier good at soldiering and every day do as Paul encourages in Ephesians 6:10:

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 

Apply: Which of these weapons do you often forget about or “leave off” when taking on spiritual challenges/battles?  What do you think would change if you stop abandoning that weapon and put it on?

Prayer: Lord thank you for the armor and weapons we need to fight the good fight of faith! AMEN.

 

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Key #2: Be Ready for the Battle!  (WATCH HERE)

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The morning of December 7, 1941 was a day that left the Pacific Fleet vulnerable in Pearl Harbor.  There were three key warnings that indicated an attack was coming, but each was dismissed individually without connecting the dots as to what was about to come.  Earlier that morning, a scope of a Japanese submarine was spotted and eventually the submarine was destroyed, but no broad warning was sounded.  Before the main squadron of planes came, two Japanese planes flew into US air space to test the readiness of the air defense.  No shots were fired at them.  Finally, the individuals on radar duty indicated a large group of planes coming toward the island, but a new lieutenant dismissed it as a squadron of US B-52’s that were expected to arrive that day.

Hindsight put all the pieces together, but in the moment, the watch of those who encountered the enemy did not sound an alarm loud enough and wide enough to protect the 100s of lives and naval equipment destroyed by the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  The US was not ready to fight the fight that day.

Military journals are filled with surprise attacks, warnings left unheeded, and individuals who failed to sound the alarm of an impending attack.  Really it is the enemy’s tactic to find their foe with a lack of preparedness and a watchfulness that is waning.

Satan is no different.  He wants to attack our souls when we are least expecting it and around the defenses we have set up.  

The hard thing about watching for the enemy is you DON’T know when he is coming so it takes a constant watchfulness to ensure your heart is protected.

When Paul encouraged Timothy to “fight the good fight,” he was saying to “soldier as a good soldier” and a soldier in Paul’s day would never leave his post.  A Roman soldier was to remain at his post until the commanding officer relieved him of his duty.  It was for the protection of the soldier and really the whole company of soldiers for him to be vigilant and watching for the enemy to attack.

As Paul writes to Timothy, he indicates that people don’t always intentionally allow the enemy to attack them, they just see or hear something that intrigues them and they “wander” away. a few individuals throughout the letter that have “wandered from the faith.”

1 Timothy 1:3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 

Satan loves to lead us to think that the latest teaching is better than the Gospel of Jesus which communicates grace and forgiveness.  False teaching can sound very good.  False teaching we can dismiss as well-meaning teaching.  Engaging conversations that move a heart away from the Lord can be intriguing.  But in the end, all that teaches contrary to grace is a teaching that is false and leads to damage to our soul.  Satan loves to test our defenses and then when weakness is determined, he brings an all-out attack to bring demise to our faith and good conscience.

So, when we see a blip on the radar that doesn’t correlate with God’s truth…sound the alarm.  When we see Satan’s periscope poke up and see if we are paying attention, we have to blow it out of the water.  When we sense we are vulnerable to a large attack, we must ready our defenses and strengthen our resolve to take out Satan’s attack.

Don’t leave your post!

 

Apply: How does Satan sneak up on you and attack your faith?  What can you, with God’s help, do to destroy the attack before it creates harm to your soul?

Prayer: Lord give me the resolve to never leave my post so that I can always be ready to fight the attacks that Satan sends my way.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Key #2: Be Ready for the Battle!  (WATCH HERE)

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1 Timothy 1:18 Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience.

To fight the good fight, one must be a good soldier.  This phrase Paul writes to Timothy literally could be translated, “Be a soldier good at soldiering.”  It defines the person more that distinguishes the battle.  The battle is not for ground or power, but to hold on to “faith and a good conscience.”

Or as Paul wrote to the Ephesians:

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

How ready are you to engage in this battle every day?

How aware of the battle are you every day?

Do you win or lose these spiritual battles?

Most probably would say that their awareness of the spiritual battles we face every day are not that acute.  We probably don’t spend a ton of time thinking about it, unless the direction we are headed is obviously in a negative way.  However, every day, Satan “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

Satan is looking to remove you from God’s grace.  Paul didn’t want Timothy to lose grace, but much more to ensure individuals in the Ephesian congregation didn’t lose grace.  He knew it was going to be a battle, because he himself had waged it.  As his time on the earth was coming to a close, he encouraged Timothy: Timothy 2:1-4 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.

Timothy was going to be at the front end of the spiritual battle for grace.

Today, you and I are on the front lines of the battle for grace.

So how are we going to soldier as a good soldier?  How are we going to “fight the good fight”?  How will we be ready for the battle that is at hand?

In yesterday’s message I referred to the five parts of the oath a Roman soldier would make as an outline to ensure we are ready at all times for Satan’s attack.

The Roman soldier would take an oath to do the following:

• Remain at your post until given permission to leave it.
• Never steal from the army.
• Never abandon your weapons.
• Never flee from a battle.
• Be willing to give your life for Rome.

For the Christian, these have application that we will unpack further this week.  But like the ROman soldier was convinced Rome was worth fighting and dying for, today I ask that the reality of grace and its impact for our lives would engender a true commitment that grace is worth fighting for and grace is worth dying for.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

 

Apply: Reflect and write down five reasons why grace is worth fighting for?

Prayer: Lord thank you for your grace.  Give me a commitment and the courage to combat all that would oppose grace.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: The Key to life and leadership is Grace!  (WATCH HERE)

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The Apostle Paul had a dramatic conversion story.  There was a clear “before” picture that contrasted with the “after” picture.  Before was a clear opposition to anything that Christ stood for and after was a clear zeal for all to know Christ and the power of his grace.

But what about you?

Do you have a “clear” before and after story that makes the reality of grace so evident and obvious?

I have to admit, I don’t.

There has not been a day in my life where I have not known grace.  From the waters of baptism at ten days old in 1971 to today, I have been blessed to live in and under the reality of God’s grace.

So, does that make the impact of grace any less?

Impact no.  Realization of the impact?   Honestly, that can be a challenge.

But this week has helped.  I pray it has for you as well.

Max Lucado put it this way in an opening video for a small group study on grace:

God’s grace has a drenching about it. A wildness about it. A white-water, riptide, turn-you-upside-downness about it. Grace comes after you. It rewires you. From insecure to God-secure. From regret-riddled to better-because-of-it. From afraid to die to ready to fly. Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off. 

His point in these phrases is grace is not just an academic or theological concept, it is a life changing reality that defines our being and guides our lives.  It is what calls us to faith and gives the power to believe and live that faith.  It’s what settles the question of what life is all about and where I’m headed when life ends.  It is what makes me secure in my relationship with the holy God and settles my identity as a child of God.  It is not an “out there needing to be grasped” reality, but an “in my heart, life changing” reality.

Grace is the key.

We don’t need a dramatic conversion story like Paul or others in our lives.  If you do, you may have a different experience with grace, but you still have the same power of grace as someone in whom grace took hold at ten days old.  Grace is a gift that is to be loved and lived.  It is a reality that is to live in you and flow through you.  It is to be appreciated and applied.  It is to affect not just part of life, but all of life.

Grace is the key.

Perhaps you have other words to speak of its impact in your life.  But let me just share a couple personal ways it is affecting my heart these days.

In an election year and a world that is topsy turvy and at unrest and in conflict, I sleep well at night knowing that I have God’s grace which gives peace.  To the extent I can show up as a citizen and affect people in a positive way, I know that the ultimate solution to evil in people’s hearts is the grace of God that changes a heart yearning for evil to a heart that is zealous for good defined God’s way.

In my relationships, I am asking God to fill my heart with grace so that his love flows first out of my heart to my words and actions with my wife, my girls, the people of Crosspoint and our Georgetown community.  I am asking him to help me be a conduit of grace to the people around me so that they see his grace living in and through me.

Reflect on your grace story.  Realize the profound impact of God’s grace to you.  Let it dwell in you and live richly through you!

1 Corinthians 16:3 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

 

Apply: Write out your grace story, taking time to reflect and realize the profound impact grace has had on your life no matter what your story is.  Use this story of grace to witness to others the magnificence of God’s amazing grace.

Prayer; Lord, thank you for your incredible love and amazing grace.  AMEN