Preparing for Success

​If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success. – Ecclesiastes 10:10 NKJV
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. – Proverbs 27:17 ESV
Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many peoples; and shall devote their gain to the Lord , their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth. – Micah 4:13 ESV
Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.  Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.  – Hebrews 6:1‭-‬12 ESV
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. – Acts 17:11 ESV

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.  Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. – Romans 12:3‭-‬21 ESV

True Story

True story.

*The names and specifics have been changed to protect all of us.*
Setting: 

I’m newly on fire for God a few years ago and called into a peculiar life of evangelism and discipleship that I didn’t even yet understand. I have my Bible in hand and I’m walking in a downtown area in blue jeans and tshirt, right amongst the crowds of people, bars, and clubs on a busy Friday night.
The story unfolds….
I walk up to a finely dressed and respectable looking gentleman,  and I ask one question, “Do you know Jesus?”
Being well prepared (in his own mind) with the proper response that he elected should free him from this situation — he replies, “Yes, I do. We attend _______________. Thank you very much.” And he begins to walk away.
But with complete sincerity, I reply,  “Thank goodness! I’m just now starting to find out about Him. Please,  can you tell me more about him?”
To which a white look came across his face and a stupor came to his eyes that I was completely not prepared for. And he stared at me with mouth opened in silence,  not knowing whether to flee or to fight,  I believe. He stammered a bit,  wondering what he might say to get away…
So in an effort to help him,  I assured him that I didn’t expect that he know everything that I needed to understand, but that “maybe we could talk about what I have learned so far and you could help me put….”
And he simply turned his back on me and walked away. 
He walked away…
Walked sway from a hungry young believer who just wanted to know more about Christ, and yes, who was going about his own evangelism in quite a peculiar and uncomfortable way. *Don’t be too hard on him quite yet, though.*
It wasn’t easy for me to put myself out there, asking in this way — revealing to self proclaimed “Christians” a clear and present opportunity to share the gospel and to draw close to the LORD together. I really was hungry for more of this Jesus, and not the dead,  carefully timed and orchestrated theology,  but I wanted to hear testimonies,  I wanted to know if it was real – if it was any different than Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and so many lis and confusion the world sells us in pretty little holidays and getting cards. 
But because it wasn’t comfortably confined within the compartmentalized walls of a Sunday morning religious ceremony, no one would even discuss the topic with me. And I was interested in the Truth on the street,  what was really happening in people’s lives – not what was wrapped up in the pretty paper of church clothes and prepared words like another holiday getting card. I wanted the Truth! 
I even reached out to area churches and ministers at the time that didn’t know me from Adam, and who probably thought me crazy for my questions about this upside down kingdom that Jesus seemed to be revealing in His Word.
In fact, this was true, time after time — I was avoided like a man with leprosy because I was asking uncomfortable questions — because I wasn’t remaining within the confines of the entrenched practices and customs and traditions — 
But,  do you know — out of everyone that I approached — the ones who actually responded and sat down with me and talked with me about God — can you guess who it might have been? Maybe a pastor? Maybe a grandpa elder in the church? No, not them.
It was two homeless men near the soup kitchen. One of which I have seen battle his way for over three years with addiction and issues that at first I don’t know if he even wanted to be free from — but who today is focused, renewed, delivered, and 90 days clean — sharing the good news online regularly with others by sharing his Bible studies live. 
I say this because what would you say if I walked up to you and asked you about Jesus? Would you ramble off some story you’ve heard about Easter? Or is He close and personal to you so that you can share a testimony of what He IS DOING in your life right now? Would there be excitement or fear in that question being posed to you? 
I encourage you, if you call yourself a Christian, to ask yourself – how am I living out the call to share the Good News and to make disciples? What is God doing today in you and through you? And if you find yourself pale and bloodless,  not sure if you should flee or fight,  don’t do either of those — fall dead at the foot of the cross, give your life over to Him,  and say, “Send me, LORD, I will go” and hold on for the ride of your life! 

Warfare is necessary when sufficient preparations have not been taken to maintain peace. But even when we prepare ourselves, the influence of sin in this fallen world will not allow us this life completely free from battle — unless in fact, we are the unresisting sinner participating willingly in the destruction. 

So in the end, wisdom is greater — even greater than war, even greater than peace.

Who you are isn’t defined by how you are treated by others. 

In the world, in the workplace, in our relationships — these days we can be treated as if we are evil when we stand firm for what is right. Refuse to participate in fraudulent or deceitful or unfair activities that your coworkers choose because they are seemingly profitable for the moment — and you might quickly be branded as the problem in the room. Offer suggestions that might lead to improvements and you might be branded as over bearing or a know it all purely because of people’s resistance to change and their unwillingness to consider something new unless it can be spun as being “their idea” and not your own. But do not give up hope. Don’t seek the honor or approval of men, but fear God and do what is right – God in heaven sees everything and all things that are hidden will be brought to light.

When people curse you and hate you for doing what is right, when they try to undermine you and spread lies about you and damage your reputation in am effort to lift themselves up by pushing others down, forgive them and pray for them. There may have been a time that you did the same yourself. Don’t deny them the very love and forgiveness you seek for yourself – it may be your example of undeserved love in return for their evil towards you that makes them consider the cross and repent.

Battles for the Married

Married couples, 

Do you want to know victory?

Fight your battles back to back, not facing each other. Even better, take this stance and renew your invitation of the LORD God Almighty into your married life — as a strong, binding reminder of your covenant  and His power.

Let’s look at today’s scripture and then dig in together:

How many of us are foolishly standing alone, facing others with our unreasonable expectations of their meeting “our standards”? How many of us use this very thing as the basis for justifying our own falling short of how we know we should be serving and loving one another? 
You see, many of us are confused about who the enemy really is. Many of us would rather battle against the person we see in front of us  — who can take all of our pouring out of the stress, anxiety, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc that we have let pile up inside of us — instead of standing together,  back to back,  against the one pouring all of that filth into us in the first place. 
But we have to open our eyes to what really needs to be seen. We must see with discerning eyes what is really taking place in the heart and where the real battle is being waged. We must see that the enemy is not our spouse, but the enemy is the one who would tear down, steal and destroy if we would allow it. 
And this destruction isn’t possible where there is the triple-braided cord. Defeat doesn’t come easy when a victorious couple is back to back against the real enemy. But divided and alone — opposing one another — confused about who the real enemy is — proudly standing upon our expectations of “what I deserve” and “what they should be doing” — that’s exactly where the real enemy wants us standing. 
I pray that we don’t hear this warning from Ecclesiastes as a heartfelt reminder of our wedding ceremony nearly as much as we hear it as a wake up call for the battle that lies ahead. Not as a frightening and  foreboding expectation of defeat, but as a promise of victory when we recognize the true enemy and prepare ourselves — as a call to arms for those who will be bound together as one in Christ in Spirit and in Truth.

So do not deny Truth. Do not walk according to the lies of the enemy. See the Truth in the Word of God, and choose today who you will resist,  who you will follow, who is your friend and who is your enemy. Amen.

WHEN TO KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT

My mom shared a great picture on Facebook this morning:

WHEN TO KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT

DON’T OPEN YOUR MOUTH:

• In the heat of anger. Proverbs 14:17
• When you don’t have all the facts Proverbs 18:13
• When you haven’t verified the story. Deuteronomy 17:6
• If your words will offend a weaker brother. 1 Corinthians 8:11
• If your words will be a poor reflection of the Lord or your friends and family. Peter 2:21-23
• When you are tempted to joke about sin. Proverbs 14:9
• When you would be ashamed of your words later. Proverbs 8:8
• When you’re tempted to make light of holy things. Ecclesiastes 5:2
• If your words would convey a wrong impression. Proverbs 17:27
• If the issue is none of your business. Proverbs 14:10
• When you are tempted to tell an outright lie. Proverbs 4:24
• If your words will damage someone’s reputation. Proverbs 16:27
• If your words will destroy a friendship. Proverbs 25:28
• When you are feeling critical. James 3:9
• If you can’t speak without yelling. Proverbs 25:28
• When it is time to listen. Proverbs 13:1
• If you may have to eat your words later. Proverbs 18:21
• If you have already said it more than one time (then it becomes nagging) Proverbs 19:13
• When you are tempted to flatter a wicked person. Proverbs 24:24
• When you are suppose to be working instead. Proverbs 14:23

Proverbs 21:23 “Whosoever keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from trouble.”