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Capture and Destroy

We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5 NLT

Social media provides us with a wealth of opportunities where proud obstacles are keeping people from knowing God and where rebellious thoughts are contradicting obedience to Christ. Most of us do not have to look very far to find people ranting and complaining about things not going their way and only seeing what they believe is wrong, unfair and only harming them. Most of us don’t have to look very far to find people glamorizing and promoting things that are harmful, disobedient, unloving, selfish or disobedient.

What about our own influence — what are we pouring out in our household, in our workplace, in our social life?

But what are we doing to “destroy” such things?

You may have found that arguing against someone who immediately sees you as an enemy doesn’t destroy the proud obstacles, but it just inflates the pride and entrenches the obstacle, and creates more division between you and them. In most of these situations, you can’t just PREACH AT the proud obstacle — you usually can’t just judge the person’s faults and weaknesses and call them out in public like you’re the smart “fixer”. This is because you can’t destroy pride with pride — or just inflates.

We destroy proud obstacles with humility.

Teaching someone to obey Christ many times looks like — sharing our own weaknesses — giving testimony about how our belief in Christ and the cross impacts our perspective and life — and finding common ground to come alongside others as available for friendship.

Lord, open our eyes to see the tactics of the enemy so that we might avoid the traps for ourselves and also be equipped to help others. Teach us so that our life is full of testimony of your love, your grace, your holiness, the Cross, the Blood, the Word, and The Way. Amen.

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Today is a Work Day

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is [indeed] plentiful, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
Matthew 9:37‭-‬38 AMP

Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, I’ve repeatedly existing businesses being impacted by staffing shortages. In each case, there is plenty of work that needs to be done, but positions remain open and unfilled. I’m not going to get into the political opinions behind “why” people think this is happening or “who” they have decided to blame for this situation. But I’m guessing that unless you’ve been holed up inside your house for the last 3 years, that you’ve probably noticed some type of impact to businesses around you where it seems they are at times short staffed and having a pretty rough time maintaining the quality and efficiency they would hope for. The work might still all get done with fewer workers, but it takes longer or the quality suffers, or the workers get burned out, etc. Clearly in those situations, things are not running in the midst optimal way.

A similar perspective can be appreciated when it comes to God’s Kingdom harvest. I don’t want to get mired up in whether your doctrine would have you looking at a set number of “elected” who will be harvested by fewer workers — or would have you considering the increased numbers of possibly unreached souls if workers aren’t fulfilling their call to evangelize. I will say that a healthy balance is to consider both perspectives with a healthy fear of God and sense of purpose — in order to not be complacent in our walk and in our calling.

There is work for you and I. There is no profit on our complaining or blaming whatever easy “they” we pick to point our fingers at — but there is a lot of value in our looking at our own life and being honest with ourselves about what we are doing as our part in the harvest.

What Kingdom work are we doing today?

We can’t remain satisfied living off of memories of the work we once did in the name of God, nor can we put off until tomorrow the work than can and should be done today.

Believer, are you a worker? Because the words Christian, believer, worker, and disciple should be one and the same! How can we say we believe, yet ignore the very things we say we believe in how we live and how we serve God?

Isn’t the worst heresy and most blasphemous thing that a “christian” could do be to say that the Holy Spirit of Almighty God lives within me — but prove to the world by our life’s testimony that we are dead, empty, complacent about God’s Word — that we are half as loving, and twice as wicked as they are themselves!

Lord, whatever we have to bring in the way of your Kingdom work today, don’t let us hide it away — but help us to be effective so that our work is multiplied for your glory and honor. Help us remember the joy in the working alongside you — the joy in a life lived in worship. You know the dangers and the traps we are prone to fall into when walking on our own, so lead us hand in hand today in what you have for us. And if we have grown complacent, stir us and wake us from our weariness and the hardness of our hearts. Heal us, prepare us, and use us — even as we repent, surrender, and step out in faith. Your grace is sufficient. Send us out to be your workers today, and every day until the harvest is complete. Amen.

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Complementary Contrast

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]
John 16:33 AMP

This morning, I am encouraged that there are two ways to look at this verse:

  • “In Me” VERSUS “In the World”
  • “In Me” AND “In the World”

If we look at “In Me” to be speaking of Heaven, then we can at the troubles and trials and suffering of this life NOW as a CONTRAST the life of perfect peace that a Christian can look forward to in the FUTURE.

But if we look at “In Me” as His victory abiding in us through the Holy Spirit that is promised to the believer RIGHT NOW as a necessary COMPLIMENT to our troubles, trials and suffering.

Someone unawares of concepts like Christ’s abiding victory, the Holy Spirit, and the Kingdom of God doing God’s will on Earth as it is in Heaven might look at God only as a promise of “Heaven vs Hell” after we die. And while the promise of Heaven and meeting God “some day” has its place and its purpose — leaving one’s religion as only this perspective can leave a wrong impression of God as only a far away, hidden, quiet, inactive, “big daddy in the clouds”. If this is our experience, understanding, and perspective of God, we will do well to press in closer to the abiding presence of Christ In Me.

Christ In Me is close, present, guiding, powerful, and a comfort. Christ In Me is Him walking with me inside the fiery furnace type trials that I will experience in this life when I stand upon His Word.

The Word of God doesn’t promise Health, Wealth and Prosperity if you’ll fork over your money to a swindler, dress the part one day a week, and remember to say something about God at meals and bedtime. That might be how some people sell religion as a way to control, manipulate, and oppress others — but the Word of God introduces us to Christ and to walking in The Way, which are clearly quite different than the ways of either the worldly/carnal or the religious/self-righteous.

This verse seen from both perspectives (of both CONTRAST and of COMPLIMENT — of both a promise for NOW and a promise for the FUTURE) provides a helpful tension to neither let me ignore the reality of Hell and Heaven, nor to dismiss it as only worthy of buying into a religious membership card as a means of purchasing fire insurance against Hell. This perspective both demands the importance of abiding In Christ Jesus every day for a peace that goes beyond understanding, and promises and reminds the believer that Christ has won the victory.

Lord, some of us may know about religion and about you but may not yet know you — by your grace, may we believe in Christ Jesus’s victory, confess our sins, surrender our lives, profess our faith publicly, and live our lives abiding in you and producing the fruit of your Holy Spirit, for your honor and glory. Some us may know you but need our flickering flame stirred into a roaring fire of abiding in you and walking in our calling and purpose — by your grace, may we humble ourselves, repent of our sins, put on the whole armor of God, cast away everything that hinders us, and walk in The Way. Amen.

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Infinitely More

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20‭-‬21 NLT

In my life, I’ve thought of and even asked for things that were so much less than best.

My eyes might see something, or my flesh might crave after something, or my first might long for something, or my pride might have even demanded something — that truly was costly and harmful and not beneficial.

We are prone to wander after the less that is offered right now by this world (or by our own means), rather than trusting God for “infinitely more”.

How often have we surrendered “more” and “best” to the their, rather than trust God for “infinitely more” — and then even let our swelling pride take credit for our “accomplishments”? I know that I’m guilty.

Lord, you are able and wise, and you are at work in your people. Help us to remember this, trust in you, and give you all glory for the infinitely more that you are doing through us for your kingdom and your glory. Not just for us, but for our children, their children, and Gregson after generation Amen.