Welcome to our October issue. I cannot believe we are entering the final months of this year and the biggest month is yet coming with the election. My guys being Hispanic, are mostly democrats and I am a republican, and much like most Hispanics, they are Catholic. I attend an Assembly of God church. Politics and Faith can be issues that divide people, and I refuse to let that happen. We have so much more than just politics in common. We all work hard for our families, we all want the opportunity to succeed, we want to be safe, laugh with friends and family and enjoy the life we are working so hard for. A good government, and there is much more to a good government than what I just mentioned, provides these opportunities. Each morning before I send the crews out, I pray for us that God would give us wisdom to work well for our clients and meet the problems that we will encounter with excellence. With the election approaching, I have also been praying that God would intervene in our election process. I pray that as a people, we would elect public officials that would rule over us with integrity, wisdom, and justice. Not one of my men disagrees with that prayer, and as mentioned we are a mixed bag of beliefs. There is ALWAYS common ground. As we move closer to the election, may we all seek that. I am as much your neighbor as you are mine. ( Luke 10:25-37, if you are interested)
I have clients that want land, and for the most part I find that finding useful land is tough unless you are in agriculture, raise animals or just enjoy space around you. I try to discourage large expansive lawns. Though the green is beautiful, it comes with a price, financially and environmentally . My client Terry was done with having lawn (though it was not much to begin with), and he was frustrated with his landscape. I saw several things with the landscape that made it a “nonfunctioning landscape,” especially aesthetically. The things I will discuss seem to be true of all large custom home landscapes, and these problems are compounded the larger the landscape becomes. It is my opinion, that by the time the owners get to the landscape, the budget is tight, especially if you are building your home. Therefore, with the landscape being one of the final things to complete homeowners tend to go with the lowest bid, which in the long run becomes the more expensive bid. It always costs more to redo something than to do it right from the start. This is not always true, and it was not true of Terry. There can be other reasons such as lack of experience on the landscape company’s part. Unfortunately, this is a pattern I am all too familiar with.
There are many things to be concerned about with property. For example, the irrigation might be stretched. I have talked about this many times before. If the landscape is supposed to have four irrigation valves but only has three or worse two, that is a serious problem. As the landscape matures and needs more water, the water is not there, and so the plants begin to be stressed and soon die. This is especially true in the hot summer months. If the landscape has a dry stream bed, it often looks more like cobble on the ground than a stream bed. Another issue in a large yard is that there are many areas not taken advantage of. This is what I want to talk about in this article. Because of the property’s size, Terry’s driveway is long. To not take advantage of all that “shoulder space” for plantings is a huge waste of space. As we all know, curb appeal is important. Look at the before picture. You will see that next to the driveway is a slope, and below the slope are the Oak Trees. We could build a retaining wall midpoint of the slope, backfill it with good soil, and create a planter bed that one could enjoy as they drive in or out. We could also continue that wall to the top where a nice landscape could be showcased. That is exactly what we did, and in a couple years it will look very inviting and give the home a nice curb appeal. Rather than just a big home, it will be an inviting and attractive home. It was hard work for my guys to dig down into the rocky ground, but it was necessary to create a strong footing. We do not want the wall to shift over the many years it will be there. It added cost to the job, however we all found value in it. A particularly good characteristic about working for Terry was that he trusted me. He could not picture what I was saying, and only had an idea from a small picture I showed him in the catalog. This is one of many reasons why I write; to demonstrate our creativity and quality of work. Trust is earned, and I seek to start earning it before we ever step foot on a client’s property. Trust is precious and priceless to me. It is one of the few things money cannot buy. The wall solved one of the problems – unused potential. Next issue we will discuss the dry stream bed and plant selection.
I was just informed that the magazine is broken up into two mailing routes, A and B. That means this month you will receive it, but the next issue, you will not receive it until the following month. If you want to receive it every month, all you need to do is call the office. Make sure you tell them that you read Executive Care’s articles, and you would appreciate receiving it monthly. Gardeners, I hope you have your Fall/Winter garden planted. This is my favorite garden. Most Fall gardens contain spinach, lettuce, Swiss Chard, broccoli, though I can never get a crown from them, and white and red cabbage. We have this month before potential frost in November, so I would encourage you to build cold frames now, and then just cover them over with sheet plastic when the temperatures start to drop. We use ¾” PVC schedule 40 and bend it over the garden boxes as our framework. Until next time, good gardening – Arthur
Welcome to our September edition. Our response from August was overwhelming. It pushed our appointments into October. Thank you for the response, however, it stresses me out when clients havetowait so long. We will continue to do our best by being as efficient as possible,while completing each job with pride and excellence.
Every now and then, an opportunity to do something quite unique comes along. That opportunity occurred for us with Larry and Bell’s yard. Like many homeowners in the Rocklin, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills area, you inherit a less than desirable yard,but a home you love. Such was their case. They live in Rocklin, and their home is right on the edge of a relatively steep slope. Everything with the landscape is impacted by the slope. I have noticed over the years that people do not take advantage of the hidden potential of aslope because it is intimidating. It is hard to know where to begin, and it is a large and costly amount of work. There are not many companies that have the knowledge to do the job right. That is another reason why more slopes remain unsightly. When a slope is landscaped improperly, they normally lose 30-50% percent of the plants within a few years. There’s not much to show for the investment. This was my client’s situation, and we were the second company they hired.In this situation, I have to work twice as hard to gain the client’s confidence. No one likes to be burned – especially twice, so the initial lack of confidence is expected. I always ask them, “Why did you not call me the first time?” Normally it is cost related because our company is perceived as being most expensive, and we might be. I do not know what others charge, but I do know thatdoing the landscape a second time becomes really expensive, and our prices do not even come close to that! I have met clients where we were the third company they had worked with. Talk about having to break down a wall as well as the cost! Therefore, I write to help the clients in need to feel confident with Executive Care. We willdo the job right the first time, and once completed, the client will be able toenjoy their yard. It will still be pricey when we are talking about slopes, but not like paying two or three times for the same piece of real estate. With patience and knowledge, slopes can become welcoming and attractive.
I often wonder about the landscape companies that came before us, and what they were thinking. Some companies put the valves at the base of the hill, or by the house, forcing thewater uphill. How far did they think they could push the water uphill before the water pressure stopped? What about the plants higher up the hill? Did they consider this at all? They should have at least installed a 1” valve and ¾” drip line. The standard ¾ valve and ½ inch drip line, which work fine if used correctly, could never have enough water pressure to go uphill, or to cover the face of a hill, even if its downhill. With our client, the prior landscaper installed one ¾ inch valve for the whole slope and located it next to the house, a distance away from the slope. The correct way would have been to installtwo valves, which would havegiven the backyard a total of three. One valve for the level portion of the backyard, and the other two for the slope. Whendoing two valves for the slope, we divide the slope into moisture zones. One valve covers the lower half of the hill, and the other the upper half. With two valves, the watering could be more customized. The upper portion would always receive 30 to 35 minutes, and the lower portion would be about 25 minutes, and itquite possibly would need no water at all in the winter. This methodgives you more control and prevents plants from becoming too wet or too dry.
Another issue we see is that too many clients do not understand the concept of drip irrigation. As they program their timer for lawn, they assume the same time should go for drip. I tell my clients that half my grey hair came from my daughters, and the other half continues to come from clients that do not understand drip irrigation programming. They think 15 minutes is enough for drip, andwhen they turn down the time for their lawns in the winter, they assume the same time should go with drip irrigation. It is not that way AT ALL. Drip irrigationis a gallon per hour, and most landscapers, for reasons unknown to me, only add one emitter per plant. From the start, we use two, which makesa huge difference in plant growth. With two emitters,at a gallon per hour, a half hour watering (1 gallon) is right for a new landscape. However, if there is only one emitter and the program is for 20 minutes the plant is onlyreceiving a 1/3 gallon, which is not enough. Also, some clients split the watering bydoing 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening, which also does not work. By the time, the second cycle starts, evaporation has occurred from the first cycle and the plant never receives a deep watering, which is what drip irrigation is designed for and what the plant needs. PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THIS! Almost all my first-time appointments have these errors when programming drip irrigation.
Back to our yard. Though irrigation is a huge deal, it was not priority number onefor our client. There is a lot of wasted “air space” on a slope, which our clientLarry realized. In other words, if you had a platform as opposed to just a narrow path traversing the slope, one could appreciate the view and enjoy the hill. If that platform turned into a patio overhang, then patiofurniture could be added as well.Since the backyard becomes shady in the afternoon, it could become a great place to relax and hangout while enjoying the view. This is what Larry had in mind, so we built his patio overhang using columns 4”by 6” treated lumber with 16” spacing between the joist. Larry wanted a Trex deck on top without seeing the screws. Due to the way Trex can be laid, the screws are “invisible.” I was very proud of my foreman and men, as it was major hard work, especially digging the two foot (deep and wide) footings through the rock and boulders, but in the end it turned out great. We also built steps going down into it, and rebuilt the switch backs, which were very unstable prior with mixed pieces of rock stuck into the slope. Finally,and probably because I am getting older, I am becoming more conscious of safety. At my insistence, we added railing to the pathways, which earned me an “air hug” from Bell. The patio overhang was Larry’s “man cave” without the cave, and the landscape was Bell’s joy. She will enjoy seeing the plants mature and develop and be much more comfortable with Larry going up and down the pathway with a handrail and stepped switch backs all the way to the bottom.
Gardeners – we are winding down. It is time to get ready to pull your summer crops and allow the ground about two weeks until you start your fall/winter gardens. Fertilize heavy, and water well prior with an organic fertilizer.
This may seem like an unusual title for a Christmas article, however if you stay with me, it will make sense, I promise. I am writing this article on November 9, which is a Sunday night. Yesterday, Mr. Biden claimed the presidency for himself. I have my personal feelings about all that has transpired and have shared my views in November’s article. The last thing I want is to make this writing political. This article has always been a time to set aside “business as usual,” and talk about matters that help us to win in life, which goes much deeper than politics. This article is about living with peace, happiness and confidence regardless of the environment around us. We do not have to live with insecurity, fear, regret or compromise which is a great trade off, and when it comes to matters of the heart, we are all the same. Whether we be Democrat or Republican, we have all experienced negative emotions. We do not need to continue to live with fear, jealousy, envy, insecurity, lacking peace, etc. I fully believe we can limit these emotions, or “corral them,” but we need the tools to do it. These “tools” are nothing you would learn from a psychologist. These tools are what I would call the “Gold Standard of Life.” The Bible calls them the Beatitudes, and following these we slowly but steadily gain control of our emotions. Before I start, I will give you a disclaimer.
This article is a spiritual talk, or what I call “straight talk.” There are no “feel-good shallow platitudes”, but rather it is truth said in love. If you are open to that, then I invite you to continue. My hope is that you will. In Matthew chapter 5, the first book in the New Testament, we find these Beatitudes (or said in reverse, Attitudes to Be). In other words, we are created to operate, or live in a certain way. Just as computers have operating systems, so does the most complicated “computer”, the human soul. Applying ourselves to this will give us the greatest opportunity to experience everything God would have for us. Your concept of God may be very sophisticated or simple. The God I have come to know is very caring, loving and kind. However, He has His way, and I do not tell Him how I want to live my life, but rather, He tells me. This is no different than an expert in his or her trade. If you want to learn their skill, you do as you are instructed. God is The Expert at Life, and if I want to experience a life in harmony with His, I must order my life accordingly.
All I can say is that after 40 years of seeking Him through all my ups and downs, I have absolutely no regrets. I am a much better man than I could have been on my own. The difference cannot even be measured. However, it was and is not easy. In fact it has been the hardest thing I have ever done. There have been plenty of tears, worry and fears, as He was and is pressing me and molding me as a potter does clay. I see the form He is making me into as He spins me on the wheel called life, and it pleases me. More importantly, I sense it pleases Him. He’s the potter and I am the clay. At times I have gotten off His wheel, only to ask to be put back on again. I have come to learn that as He presses and shapes me, it is not to hurt me but to free me from my fears and insecurities, and to challenge me to trust Him more. It all starts very purposefully with the following set of truths. God is very predictable, He follows His Bible 100%. These truths are what Heaven runs on and ideally the human soul. So if you are tired of doing it your way, I invite you to try it God’s way.
Matthew 5:2-8 The Beatitudes
And Jesus opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
There are many good commentaries on the Beatitudes, and there are even more than these, but I want to address the first one. Blessed, is the state of being in God’s favor, or right with God, which honestly feels really good. When someone is poor, they do not have much. Poor in spirit is the same thought. “I do not have much to offer you God, I am a mess, but if you want this mess, this mess desperately needs You.” With those exact words I began my life with God 40 years ago, and what a life it has been. Like I said, I have cried my share of tears, but those tears were tears of surrender as I knew God was calling me to a life with Him and stripping me of my old habits, unrighteous thoughts and patterns, and inviting me to a New Life, one that follows Him. With each step, His peace grew in me as I gave Him more control of the steering wheel until finally I became the passenger. The best decision I have ever made, but also the hardest thing I ever did. I learned through many struggles and failures to allow Him to change me and not to try to do it myself. The more time I spent with Him in prayer and Bible study, the easier it became. I noticed that as I grew spiritually, His peace inside me grew and my insecurities, fears and doubts lessened. My confidence increased, and it was not self- confidence, but a Father/son confidence, that with God as my Dad we would go through life together. I am never alone and the more I understand His greatness, the greater my confidence grows.
Now I want to tie what I just said into what is going on politically. To say I am upset is an understatement, but as I said in my opening, the last thing I want is to make this article political. So I am praying that truth, justice and honesty win in this political chess game we are in. I would be at a complete loss if I did not have this Father/son relationship. In fact, prior to Saturday night, I was thinking that if the shoe was on the other foot, what could I write to bring comfort to those who feel differently than me. How could I comfort them? There’s nothing that I would say differently. Focusing our life on God regardless of our political party, and the outcome is and will always be the right answer especially if it is God who you want to see. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Though the elections are super important to all of us, we part here. They have no eternal bearing on our life. A relationship with God super transcends anything that we value or find important here. Here is temporary, God is eternal, and we need to keep that in mind. When we do, it is much easier to care for one another. The first command of the Ten Commandments, is to “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul and strength. The second is “To Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Instead of fighting, arguing and bickering, this is the direction we are to go in, and it is an impossible task without God at the wheel.
So let’s look in the mirror and see what we can do to change the atmosphere, and then ask a
most honest question, where do I stand with you God? If you have all the peace, security, love and joy you want, then maybe God is not for you, however if there is a sense of something missing, I would encourage you to read the Bible starting with the Book of John. Pray before you read, asking the Lord to speak to you. Also you are always welcome to send an email to Arthur@Vida4U.com any time, not just during the Holidays. Finally, thank you so much for reading. I’m sure this was not the easiest article you have read, but it was written with all my heart and for your well-being, both here and for Eternity.
You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
How long, O you sons of men, Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood?
Selah
It seems like times have not changed much. Anybody who seeks to do right and punish wrong doing will be attacked and maligned. We have people in government and in corporations that support and favor worthless ventures; ventures that are completely against God’s Word. This is the biggest battle the church has, to fight against this corruption, but not by “fighting” but by being salt and light in a dark world. David struggled with this as well. To know specifically what battle or what problem of the many David faced that caused him to write this Psalm, or if this is still the aftermath of his sin with Bathsheba, we could only guess. However, what matters is how he deals with it. He implores God, “Hear me,” and not just hear me but “God of my righteousness.” As if to say “all of who I am is reliant upon all of who You are. ” God has been many things to David through the years, God of my salvation, God of my hope, God of my strength, the God who trains my hands for war, my Rock and High Tower, etc.
And all these titles or truths of God are like armor (Eph.6) that David relied on to defeat the enemy. Be it the enemy in the field, or the enemies within his government, or his own insecurities. The sword that David is using in this Psalm is the truth that God is his righteousness. For God knows the truth and knows that these accusations are worthless, “turn my glory to shame?” Worthless accusations by worthless men, much like today. David stands forgiven and in favor with his Good Shepherd but without David knowing that, fear, doubt, anger, insecurity, jealousies etc. could cripple him as it cripples the human soul today. These negative emotions are like a cancer that invade every thought and emotion. If we are controlled by these emotions we are like puppets on a string. Satan has only to pull our strings of insecurity, or anger or fear, to cause us to act as he pleases. We must be wiser than him by being well grounded in God’s Truth. We must remember that Satan knows the scriptures too, but he spins them to his gain, confusing the weak believer as he did with Eve and millions of people ever since.
It’s very expensive both financially, emotionally, and spiritually to be a weak believer. We can be so easily deceived. It plays out in our families and individual lives from excessive arguing, to divorce, to debt, to crippling worry and fear, to a sense of being lost, or not feeling loved. These emotions and more are a result of not knowing God more intimately.
1 Peter 5:8-9
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (consume or destroy). Resist (stand your ground) knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world (the word vigilant reminds me of a lighthouse, ever searching, ever looking for harm and danger).
To stand against requires conviction, and conviction comes from the truth you believe. To know that God is still greater even if the situation doesn’t change, or even gets worse means your faith is fixed on the Lord where the impossible is simply where He begins. We are not looking at circumstances but at a God who is not limited. He can work out His will and is still able to keep you. Faith defeats fear, insecurity and doubt, the very things the enemy would want to intimidate us with.
However, before this verse is one that is mighty and powerful, said so simple that most believers skip over it to get to verses 8&9, verse 7.
But God gives grace (strength) to the humble, therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting ALL your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Humility is the secret weapon of the righteous. All those who are mighty in God are mighty because of one truth, all of them has kneeled to all of God. There no longer exists an ego that wants or needs to be acknowledged. It does not care, only that Christ is exalted. As John the Baptist said when his discipline told him that Jesus’s followers where increasing,
John 3:29-30
He who has the bride (the church) is the bridegroom (Jesus); but the friend of the bridegroom( John) who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.
And that is the movement or the underlining force of any believer who is dynamic in their faith. They seek to decrease so their Lord may increase. There is an active movement towards humility, even an embracing of it. For in humility there is the freedom that the Holy Spirit has in them to make them dynamic. Yet it has nothing to do with them other than they have become an open road for the Spirit to travel.
Continuing with our Psalm…
Psalms 4:3-4
But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him (or her) who is godly;
The LORD will hear when I call to Him. Be angry, and do not sin.
Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.
Selah
To know that our devotion and faithfulness to the Lord is such that He sets us apart, separates us as His own. As a little boy I played marbles a lot and would trade marbles, but there were four marbles that I would never trade. These were my special marbles. We are the Lord’s “special kids.’’ This is His doing. And because it is so, “The LORD will hear when I call to Him.”
However I wonder if the reality of GOD hearing us is hard for some of us to grasp. We pray because it is expected of us, but do we really believe He hears us? And when “He answers,” did He really answer or did things just turn out that way; was it coincidence? Because of this gray area in us, something we really don’t talk about, I find that many via their actions do not make prayer or Bible study a daily practice in their lives.
This God, Jehovah Yahweh, a name so sacred that the Jews would not even pronounce His name completely; human lips were way too unholy, HE DOES hear us, and it’s absolutely amazing, “off the charts” kind of stuff. It’s wonderful if you can truly believe, for it will change your behavior.
There’s at least a couple reasons for the doubt. One, we do not understand the Cross. We’ve heard Christ died for us, but this HUGE TRUTH is minimized almost to the point that we get tired of hearing it. This is a definite sign of a calloused heart. If this is you know that you are in danger. Your spiritual apathy is hurting you, robbing your joy, your peace and you are probably not that easy to live with. God has some definite concern over your life.
Revelation 3:1-6
To the Church in Sardis
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember (reflect back to when you first accepted Christ), what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers (materialism, selfish ambitions, love for the world and self) will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his/ or her name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
I definitely want The Father and the angels to know my name because Christ my Savior told them, don’t you? Next do we clearly understand why Christ had to die for us? The answer is found in several verses, I’m sharing two.
Ezekiel 18:19-20
“Yet you say, Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
Romans 3:23-25
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation (payment) by his blood (His life) to be received by faith (faith is an action word, to believe, to account it to be true). This was to show God’s righteousness ( holiness combined w/ the deepest love) because in his divine forbearance, he had passed over former sins.
Christ died to redeem us; to buy us back. Redeemption is a legal term and a legal process. To free someone from the rulership of sin in their lives they must confess faith (belief) in Christ’s work and accept the blood atonement of Christ for them. Once that is done then legally satan has no more authority over them. Much like quitting your old job and then getting a new job. Your old boss no longer has authority, the ability to order you. It’s exactly the same. We have a new Boss and proof of the change is the gift of His Holy Spirit. This is our guarantee or a down payment of our new life. The Holy Spirit needs to grow in dominance and strength in us. Therefore to be redeemed, a word that literally means to be purchased from the slave market of sin, involves a change of life, via habit, desires,and thoughts. So the truth of redemption is binding in the spiritual world.
We have talked about this numerous times, and it’s beautiful to me. At the same time we must do our part and live a life of abstaining from the flesh and the world. Otherwise the “roar of the lion scares us and we lose faith and give in to fear, worry, and do things that we normally would not do causing us to sin. Remember our verse?
1 Peter 5:8h
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Therefore to continue to live a lukewarm, compromised state, remaining slaves to sin makes no sense other than we are blind. We simply do not get it. The second reason why we remain lukewarm is complicated but it has to do with a lack of intimacy between parent and child. We never grew up feeling special, so it’s hard to believe that God finds us special.
This is, unfortunately, a common problem due to the break up of the home. A child’s mind does not think mommy and daddy cannot get along so they are divorcing, no a child’s mind thinks that they do not love me enough to stay together and work things out. And this feeling of being unloved gets grafted into their soul and begins to remake their identity. That’s why God in Malachi 2:14 -16 says this.
Malachi 2:13-16
And this second thing you do. You cover the LORD’S altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand ( or hears or answers your prayers) . But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
The way this identity crisis is solved is by the child, possibly now an adult goes through some really tough and often painful situations. It forces them to pray and when those prayers get answered it’s not just luck or happenstance, it’s GOD answering. And when God answers, everything in us changes; we feel important and we feel special.
Next concern is where are they today with the Lord. I hear stories of God’s faithfulness and they are beautiful to hear; their countenance is bright and filled with joy. Then, and sadly so, l learn that this event happened 10 years ago. They’re living on memories, and it’s sad. It should not be this way. God says He’s the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is not just the God of Abraham, the God of the past, but He was Isaac’s God and then Jacob’s God and now He is our God. We need to live today with Him. Allow the memories to encourage us of His faithfulness, but press into Him today! He’s as much a God of the present as He has been of the past.
Jeremiah, though a prophet, struggled with depression. His ministry was tough, people didn’t like his message. It was a hard message, repent or go into captivity. If you think about it, it’s the same message today. We can either live free serving the Lord and share in His peace, love and joy, or become a slave to our passions, to our insecurities and fears and
serve the gods of this world. Different gods, but its the same enslavement. Jeremiah could have remained discouraged but he chose rather to think on the character and goodness of the Lord. Its a choice he made and it’s a choice we too must make.
Lamentations 3:16-25
He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace;
I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD.”
Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me( and there’s much more to his struggle that he writes about in prior verses),
But this I call to mind ( a deliberate action), and therefore I have hope:The steadfast love of the LORD NEVER ceases;( when we are fighting are energies are becoming depleted and it’s easy to give into depression), “however”his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; GREAT is your faithfulness.
“ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him ( to wait is to trust
and not panic and do our own thing out of fear or anxiety, to stay the course of faith).
Even King Ahab, a weak and Godless King experienced God’s might in a most desperate situation.
1 Kings 20:27-28
And the people of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and they went out against them (the Syrians). The people of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the country. And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The LORD is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys,( I Kings 19) therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’”
These “Ahab” events that occur in our life not only do we know it’s all God’s doing it, but God confirms by so doing that we are definitely on His radar. Sometimes we think that God doesn’t have time for us, but we learn through these trials that, that is simply not true. And this builds our faith knowing that He is truly our God. He is quite an amazing God when you think about all He does. Him becoming our Good Shepherd, our Provider, our Counselor and our Friend and our Savior is worth all the struggle and wrestling we go through to mature to this point.
Nothing can compare to the knowing that I am His and that He is mine. It destroys insecurity and fear and gives an undeniable purpose and sense of worth and importance that is deep and unpenetrateable. And that is how intimacy between us and God is built. We must go through the furnace, but we come out stronger and better for it provided we stay the course.
Talking about a change in our identity. We are now putting on the shield of faith, thus protecting the our heart from the lying darts of the enemy, and putting on and always wearing the helmet of salvation to protect our minds from the godless thoughts he wants us to believe in so as to manipulate us. And because of His great Grace and kindness we are humbled. It is the privilege of being a sheep in His fold. He is the Good Shepherd that hears and is tuned in and turned to His flock.
With such attention, anger, a natural human emotion has no need to control us. Things will happen that are wrong, very wrong at times, but prayer is the best action towards the wrong done to us or to others. Take our political environment right now, there’s a lot to be angry about but to what end? Will being angry change the outcome? No, but if God’s people pray and beseech the Lord He will act on our behalf.
2 Chronicles 7:13-14
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
We need our land healed. We need righteous people in government, people that fear and love God, and as a people we must pray and vote for those people. And not just any prayer, but intercessory prayer where we get down on our knees and pray in earnestness to affect change in our government. If we took our privilege of prayer more seriously our prayers would be as laser guided missiles where we could see bondages broken, evil and wrong punished and righteousness exalted. We would have very little to be angry about. In this election year there should not be one believer who is not beseeching God for leaders who love Him, respect His ways, and support life and a life of faith. This is our chance to have just rulers over us; to not do so is to be asleep at the wheel and we know bad things happen when that happens (there is much looming ahead of us if Biden gets in, Harris will replace him and she is so extremely liberal).
The attention and face of God (figuratively) is found when we understand who it is we are approaching. He is High and Lifted Up, and He rules over the affairs of man and over the circle of the earth, He is to be greatly praised and greatly to be held in reverence.
Daniel 4:17
The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’
Psalms 51:15-17
O Lord, open my lips,and my mouth will declare your praise.For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalms 145:8-11
The LORD is gracious and merciful,slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
and all your saints shall bless you!
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power.”
There is no better life on this side of Heaven. Seek it, sacrifice for it, die to self and the passing ventures of this life to gain a life that cannot be taken from you and show your love ones the way to life so they too follow in your footsteps.
Father God,
We are living in difficult times with the darkness of man’s heart being openly on display. It’s evil and unabashed. We must join in prayer and become an invincible force. We can conquer and we need too. This is the time for believers to stand up and be counted. May all our voices become a strong cry before the Throne of our Father. We must live what we preach, forsaking the world and following hard after You Lord.
God Bless you – Arthur
personal note: This Thanksgiving, despite the uncertainty of our lives currently there is still much to be thankful for. God has not changed, He is the same God and is very capable to enter into the events of man and affect change. There’s no such thing as defeat when God is in control. That doesn’t mean things can’t become difficult and hard, it just means according to the difficulty is His Grace. Amen.
A Psalm of David as Absalom, his son, warred against him. Talking about an ugly scenario whoever wins, you as David still loses. This is the result of David having sex with Bathsheba and then ordering her husband to be killed. May the consequences of his adultery be enough to warn any man who is considering it ( the full account is found in 2 Samuel 11&12, very very sober, God does not tolerate sin in His rulers).
LORD, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.”
But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill.
David knew that God had forgiven him ( Psalm 51), but the consequences of his actions he was still going to reap.
Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.”
His own people were writing him off. Yet David knew better…
But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill.
Things had never looked so dismal for David. Now his son who he taught in war and many other men who were once under his command are now coming to fight against him. How many more men will betray him? In these dark times who you are at your core comes forth and it is apparent that all the battles David had fought had cemented God’s faithfulness to him. Others would betray and depart from him, even seek his death, but God who has been the “lifter of his head” will not, and that was the rock and foundation of David’s confidence and hope. How about us? Is our foundation as strong, do we know that despite those who would seek our harm or betray us or write us off or how bad the news, with God on our side we will come through?
Psalms 3:5-6
I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around (this is a huge statement of confidence in God’s faithfulness and might).
What David did with Bathsheba and then having her husband, one of David’s elite soldier’s killed, was terrible and so the consequences would more than fit the crime. The death of his and Bathsheba’s newborn babe, Tamar his daughter being raped by Amnon his son and then Amnon being killed by Absalom as revenge for raping his sister, then Absalom after running his dad out of Jerusalem had sex with David’s concubines thereby defiling them; which God had told David that what he did in secret He would do in public (tent was pitched on top of the palace for all Israel to see) and then lastly, Absalom death. His hair, which he was noted for, and vain over, being caught in the branches of a tree thereby suspending him made him an easy target. Joab being told of it came and threw darts thereby killing him.
That day was a horrific day for David with not only his son dying but others of David’s soldiers that had once fought for David. And now he had a divided kingdom that he would have to put together. He paid dearly for his sins. And to make matters even worse his trusted adviser Ahitophel sided with his son. Ahitophel was the grandfather of Bathsheba and David’s actions offended him greatly. How David must have wished a thousand times over to have turned his head from Bathsheba and done what God expected of him. He was the Shepherd King of Israel.
David as a young man may have thought he was just watching and protecting his father’s sheep but God had him in training. He was being groomed for something so much greater. His love and protection for the sheep would become his over the people as their Shepherd King. This is what made him great. Yet his actions with Bathsheba and her husband made him the wolf that came to steal, kill and destroy. How his actions must have pained him. Yet despite his sins he had deep reservoirs of faith from years and years of fighting battles and seeing God’s faithfulness. He was shaken for sure, but he was far from being beaten. His sin only served to bring him back to his rock solid base with his Shepherd King, “The Lord is my Shepherd….”( Psalm 23).
Psalms 3:5-6
I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.
I do not think there is any other chapter that so clearly gives a direct window into David’s relationship with the Lord. David did not just one day sin, prior to all this the scriptures say that God had given David peace on all sides, no more war. Things were calm now and going well. It is in these times that the flesh comes. The enemy via our pride says look at what you have done, you have built this empire and conquered all your enemies. And even if we don’t agree we start to get a little relaxed. Prayer or reading the scriptures isn’t done with the same urgency and or hunger (God had commanded His kings to daily read the scriptures Duet. 17:18&19). For David to have committed such crimes he had to have stopped reading the scriptures and spending time with the Lord. His passion for His God lessened and he began to backslide. This is the danger of the “good life.”
We begin to lose our need and hence our dependence upon the Lord. Not until a trial comes or sin enters in and then we see how far we have fallen. This had become David’s rude awakening. He would never have done such a thing in the years of battle. Yet at the same time this is what awoke him and brought him back into the passion and trust he had with the Lord during the years of battle. Battles keep us lean and mean; I want only a few “green pastures,” but many walks through the “valleys of the shadow of death,” for in them I learn “not to fear no evil for thou art with me, thou rod and thy staff they comfort me ( Psalm 23). ” His constant presence is forever worth the trials that cause my soul to need Him.
Psalms 3:7-8
Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.Salvation belongs to the LORD.
Your blessing is upon Your people.
Be careful Christian, we must walk circumspectly. We must always ever keep check on our passions and desires. Contrary to normal thought the battle is not where the danger is, for in the battle your eyes are ever focused on your General and Lord. It’s in the times of rest and relaxation were “we think we can do life ourselves,” that trouble manifests itself. The Bible says the heart is deceitfully wicked no man can know it.
Jeremiah 17:9-10
“The heart is deceitful above all things,And desperately wicked;
Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.
As a young believer this verse scared me. I couldn’t trust myself. I felt myself become prideful when life went well, as though it was my doing when all along it was God’s principles of sowing and reaping. I had been sowing righteousness through the trials and in the calm reaping the benefit. It had nothing to do with me other than my choice to follow God. It was His doing to bring just the right people and opportunities to me. And it was His wisdom in me helping me to navigate life and do my job well. I prayed for a humble heart and memorized Psalm 51vs. 16&17, David’s Psalm of a repentance.
Psalms 51:16-17
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.
I sought God for this and these verses combined with a book I read earlier in my life by Andrew Murray called the Pearl of Great Price, moved me greatly. This then became my foundation and footing. I learned via humility that when God is big my problems are small, but when my problems are big God has become small. Everything in life related back to the size of my God. So the best way to navigate and conquer life’s challenges was to grow my faith in the Lord. This then became my new adventure and honor, to know and be known by Him.
Also the Lord reminded me that He was The Good Shepherd, and as the Good Shepherd He would not lose His own ( John 10). I could not deal with the “what if’s of tomorrow,” that was His job, but I could deal with today and make sure that today I would spend time in prayer and His Word. That time for me was lunch. It was the one part of my day that I could control. If it meant saying no to going out with my follow co-workers for lunch then that was the price I paid to be with The Lord. I desperately needed The Lord much more than a few passing laughs.
Life is tough with all it’s challenges and work, though very grateful for work it is demanding and I need His guidance and wisdom. It is more than worth the price to make sure that each day I spend time with Him. And as I take care of today, He takes care of and prepares me for tomorrow. I have learned to ignore my emotions. Instead of focusing on the state of my heart, that some days wants to seek Him and some days not, I just seek Him and expect that my emotions will do what emotions will do. So through the years obedience and trust they have formed in me strong habits and the feeling of not wanting to spend time with my Heavenly Dad are all but gone. Now my day doesn’t feel right or complete if I haven’t spent time with Him.
Jeremiah 17:5-8
Thus says the LORD:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the LORD.For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.
“But” Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
And whose hope is the LORD.For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit. (it’s unfortunate that there are not a lot of believers thriving like we read, too too many of us are lukewarm, in-between faith and the desires of our flesh).
Psalm 1 is almost identical… David might have received his inspiration from reading Jeremiah.
Also I recognized that when I didn’t want to read, that that emotion represented a spiritual battle for it was contrary to God’s Word and I needed to defeat it. We are not supposed to live or obey God according to our emotion, it’s by faith that we obey. And we obey God because He is so worthy of our obedience. It’s a choice we make, emotion though nice when it agrees, has nothing to do with my walk of faith. A really great group of verses to jump start our soul and kick our flesh down the road is Matthew 4 & Joshua 1.
Matthew 4:3-4
Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
But He answered and said ( and remember Jesus had not eaten for 40 days, this was no walk in the park), “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” And if Jesus says that and uses God’s Word to defeat Satan so should we.
Joshua 1:7-9
Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
If I use the words “I fed on these verses” for years it would not be an exaggeration. I learned that whatever my struggle was I was to find the answer, or “my armor” in the scriptures. I had my normal “go through the Bible chapter by chapter study,” plus I mediated upon the verses that dealt with the struggles I was going through. I would tape the verses to my bathroom mirror and could read them first thing while I was getting ready for work. I would also tape the verses to the dash board of my truck and since smart phones I take a picture of the verses and review them while I am in line or waiting.
Some struggles took months, others took years but in every case there was gain and the spirit man grew stronger.
So what about you, how do you overcome the challenges and difficulties you face. Do you just hope that it will work out, you give it your best shot and sometimes succeed and other times fail? Do you seek counseling from others, visit a life coach, or use substances to get through the day. Are you open to exploring a walk of faith? I will leave you with one of the most famous Psalms written by a man who faced more challenges and battles than all of us combined and this is what he learned, King David.
Psalms 23
The LORD the Shepherd of His People
A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd;I shall not want.He makes me to lie down in green pastures;He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;He leads me in the paths of righteousness.
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;For You are with me;Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;You anoint my head with oil;My cup runs over.Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.
The choice is ours, God has given us a free will and according to what and how we choose with not only determine our life here but our Eternal future. Eternity is a long time and we don’t want to be wrong on this one. I encourage us to set aside our pride and humble ourselves before the Lord and seek Him a God who loves us so much that He gave His life for our life. If we would chose Him, the path towards Him has already been paved with the blood of Christ, our Savior.
Father God….
Thank you for this study on David’s life. Let us learn from him and take advantage of the opportunity that he didn’t have, The Cross that defeats sin and shame and brings us into relationship with You. Thank you and Amen
Go in the Fullness of Grace – Arthur Arthur Navarrette Vida4U.com is the website where all past Vida’s are archived. In addition to the weekly devotionals, the yearly inspirational writings featured in December’s House2Home Magazine are archived under “Faith Talk.” Please use this site for your benefit and refer your friends to it as well. If they would like the weekly series emailed to them, they can send their requests to Arthur@Vida4U.com.
Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure:
How blessed is the one who filters the world and its events through the pages of scripture?! How easy it would be to be fearful as one sees wickedness advancing and seemly righteousness retreating, seeing society through the eyes of man. God has given man free will, yet outside of man’s free will is God’s sovereign will where events of prophecy occur right on time.
Because of God’s sovereignty, some believers would foolishly say if such is the future with God, then I am not needed. Not so, our winning as a church in the world and as individuals is based on all saints battling in the now, “all hands on deck!” You battle for yourself, you battle for your family, and lastly, you battle for all who come into your realm of influence. We win because of God’s sovereignty and omnipotence. But our joy in heaven and our reward is based on our participation in the here and now.
How would it change your life, knowing that The Lord will bring victory, justice, and truth to all the current evil? Wouldn’t it cause you to live with confidence, boldness, and hope? Despite what we may be seeing right now, God will bring righteousness to reign, and we get to be part of that. It then becomes an exciting time. The day of His Crucifixion, the disciples thought that all was lost; quite the contrary, that day ushered in the most significant victory over death and darkness ever. Three days later, we witnessed the proof of that. Amen!!
We are the resurrection generation, and the same power that arose His crucified body from the grave is the same power that dwells in every born again believer. Yes, the Messiah has come and has conquered and defeated Satan. We are to continue to conquer until He comes or takes us home. May God open our eyes at the power and the victory that is ours in Christ. We must stop living as weak believers, weak because we compromise our faith by living for ourselves and worldly pleasures. This is what the Israelites did, taking forty long years to travel a 3-week journey because they wanted it their way. Then, under Joshua, they lived faithfully and conquered the land only to fall back into idolatry upon Joshua’s passing. Then more years in idolatry until Elijah comes and challenges them.
1 Kings 18:21-24
And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”
So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.” And God more than came through.
Since we do not have an Elijah or a Moses doing miracles for the proof of God’s existence, we find His reality via in the pages of scriptures. As one studies the scriptures, the Holy Spirit meets us and testifies to our soul of His reality.
Psalms 2:7-12
“I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me,
You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.'”
Now, therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little, {but}
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him (Amen).
Prophecy tells us the future as well as the end of the story. It’s like watching a football game between two teams that seem equally matched. But we are watching a rerun of yesterday’s game. No matter how hard the opposing team plays, how many passes they intercept or touchdowns they make there is no changing the outcome because the game has already been played. Prophecy is like that. Since God sees the end of the story, He can tell us. We call it prophecy because it has yet to happen in our realm, but in God’s realm it is as good as done. Therefore, having this a surety, what sort of life should we be living?
Ephesians 5:1-2
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma (let this verse sink in, it will change your life).
Ephesians 5:8-11
Walk in Light
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them (this is where we get in trouble, thinking we can fellowship with darkness and not be affected – so what’s the cure?)
Ephesians 5:15-18
Walk in Wisdom
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools (the definition of a fool is when we think we can mix darkness with light and still get a good outcome), be wise and redeem the time, because the days are evil (there is no time to waste, being lukewarm wastes so much time and life).
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is excess but be filled with the Spirit (this is God’s will for each and every believer, that we be filled with His Spirit or like Jesus said.
Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Before we give ourselves to any action or cause we must first give ourselves wholly to the Lord. If we do then by His own promise He will respond with overflowing measure. Not only will we be full but we will “spill” over onto others. We are always so worried about getting our fair share, or that we are not being treated fairly. Don’t waste your time with petty stuff like that.
There is nothing that the world can give you that can even compare to the peace, love, and joy that our Father has in store for each of His kids. The world’s goods are like July 4th fireworks, bright, pretty, grabs the attention but extremely short-lived and ultimately not fulfilling. This way, the way I am sharing with you, your cup will be full and beyond.
“See then that you walk circumspectly,” a lighthouse is the best definition of what it is to walk circumspectly. It is diligently searching the surrounding waters for danger, warning oncoming ships to steer away from the shallows, and lighting the safe way into the harbor.
Our conscience, trained in God’s Word, is to do the same (hence the importance of knowing the Word). Always interpreting what is heard, what is seen, what is touched and what is walked; bringing it all captive to God’s Word and changing course if need be so that the conscience and soul do not suffer loss.
1 Timothy 1:18-19
Fight the Good Fight
This charge (command) I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected (to cast off, expel, or to thrust away) concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck (ruining both their conscience and faith and damning their soul).
I have met a lot of people, even past pastors that have walked from the faith. Each of them had an agenda that THEY wanted God to fit into. When God did not fit into their agenda, He was no longer their God. My dad rejected God after my brother drowned. He felt that God didn’t keep His end of the deal. Though he knew that tragedy strikes many families, he blamed God for his.
By denying the faith, these people bring more harm to themselves and to their families. Instead of healing and working through the pain with God they abandon God and the pain only becomes worse. Their doctrine of “my way God” is apostasy and fits into the words of Paul, “they were among us but never of us.” Staying the course is proof of true repentance.
Sadly, their eternal souls rely on God fulfilling a temporal desire (in our case keeping our family from harm.) I pray that these people would see the great pain that they are causing themselves and others by blaming Christ, or by not coming to Christ for healing. Often these false expectations cause many other problems; increased dissatisfaction with life, hence more arguments, increased drinking, and or substance abuse, isolation, and divorce as in my parents case and sadly it doesn’t have to be.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
We are always to come to Him regardless of the circumstances we are facing. We NEED to look to THE CROSS as His proof of His love and care for us despite the hardships we may find ourselves in. There is nothing more than the enemy wants than to slander God; “if God really cared about you, you wouldn’t be experiencing this.” And sadly, we buy into it despite what the Word says about hardships.
1 Peter 4:12-13
Suffering for God’s Glory
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
At times Paul says some things that are just a bit out of reach for our understanding and we just read past it. Don’t do that! Learn to STUDY God’s Word. With the internet there is no excuse to let a verse get by you just because it seems vague or too “spiritual.” Every verse has a blessing in store for those willing to study a bit more to uncover its meaning.
2 Tim. 2:15-16
Be diligent (earnest, or I like the word eager) to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (to handle correctly) . But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase (there’s a lot of “religious talk” that goes nowhere. The “spirit” behind this “religious talk” is to sideline the gospel, in effect making people feel spiritual but not saved through faith in Christ).
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The Word of God can only be skillfully used by those who have submitted themselves to it (to place oneself under its authority) and are being changed by it.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (human) but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. (Lies, false god’s, sayings or belief that sound religious, or spiritual but ultimately deny man’s need to repent of his sin and to accept Christ as Savior.)
Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (the definition of a strong mind and heart – well trained in God’s Word).
How wonderful it would be if the Church would be so trained in God’s Word. What a force we would become; we would truly become His Light in an ever-darkening world. We desperately need to get our lives right with Christ to become that beacon of hope. We need to be able to draw people to Christ, because people will naturally gravitate to and look for hope in troubled times. We have that hope, it’s a reality with us that other faiths or teachings that are not Christ based cannot provide.
“But be filled with the Spirit,” this is what we are to occupy our time here with. It’s two fold; spending time in His Word, in prayer and fellowship, and also we are not to quench (repress, hinder, dampen) the Spirit by allowing sin/pride to enter our soul.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing (this comes with maturity, a continuous connection) and in everything give thanks (the knowing that even in this trial God is able) for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Do not quench the Spirit (through disobedience or losing faith). Do not despise prophecies. Test (prove via scripture) all things; hold fast (cling, grasp unto) to what is good (pure/holy). Abstain (stay away, refrain) from every form of evil.
The Christian walk is not a magical thing that eventually makes you start to walk on water. That does not happen. I would compare the Christian walk, more like believers living in foxholes, battling it out against carnality and spiritual forces.
We take ground ever so painfully as we die to our flesh and CHOOSE to walk a very different life where self submits and Christ is exalted. It takes much patience and work, but it all starts with our time in the Word. Notice I said “in the Word,” not in church (for new or weak believers church is critical) but we must first be taught by Christ. That bond is absolutely critical.
The Christian Faith is a 3 way braided cord made up of prayer, Bible study and church. I have known people who have gone to church their whole life without doing the other two and have remained immature. There is no depth to them. There is no substitute for one on one with the Living Lord. You want to be encouraged, just have Him speak to you as you spend time in His Word. It’s almost surreal as you sense His presence and “hear” His Words, yet you audibly hear nothing. It’s like an email to your soul. Believers who never take the time to study the Bible for themselves miss out on the sweetest joy this side of heaven.
Being a well-seasoned, grounded, growing believer takes time and a regular diet of all three principles of growth, prayer, study and fellowship. Each brings its own maturing to the believer. However, each is dependent upon the other two also being done. Here’s a saying, “to only have the “Spirit” and prayer is to puff up, to only have the Word and prayer is to dry up, but to have an equal balance of both is to grow up.” Amen
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as spiritual people but as carnal, as babes in Christ so I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
We do not want to be like the Corinthians, or like the Israelites. I would hope that we learn from the scriptures that trouble and pain come with being a lukewarm believer. Life has enough struggles without us creating more. We want to walk with confidence, boldness and with assurance; not just hoping that Christ goes with us, but knowing that as we enter each day His presence goes with us because we first go with Him.
Being a Christ follower gives us direction in times of confusion, hope in times of despair, an a sureness when everything feels unsure. We can be assured, grounded in The Father via Christ and know that He alone is able to keep us. Don’t we want this!?
James 1:17-18
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Amen
Father God,
Thank you for this wonderful and very in-depth study. May your Word and Truth bless us and ever draw us closer to You. Amen & Amen.
Go in His Grace and Truth, being ever blessed – Arthur
Please begin this months message by watching my video introduction here:
Vida4U “Blessed is the man (or woman)…”
Psalms 1
Blessed is the man (or woman) who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his/her delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates (to ponder, take to heart, to change one’s behavior) day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalms is a book for all the ages, and for all of life as we follow King David through his life. We see his low points, points of fear and uncertainty, and we see his high points where he truly learns that with God’s presence and help, regardless of the odds, victory was theirs. David fought numerous battles, but one battle in particular the writer wrote that Israel looked like a tiny flock of lambs against the encampment of the Philistines. What went through David’s head, what went through his men heads? Well, through the study of selected Psalms we will learn about the man who God said had a heart after His own, which is a huge statement.
Psalm 1 is the clearest example of actions taken and results given. David uses a fruit tree as his example of a righteous life. Abundant water and abundant fruit (as opposed to the dryness of chaff – the outer part of the wheat germ – the “husk”) which has no value. To separate the germ (which was heavier than the husk) was to cast the crushed wheat into the air and the wheat germ (being heavier) would fall back down onto the sifter with the chaff being blown away, symbolic of it’s uselessness.
Now according to the Psalm the chaff is the unbeliever. Yet there have been many good and useful causes started by people who were not necessarily believers. So why does the scriptures call their actions chaff? If we recall I Corinthians 13 it approaches the question of usefulness, talents, effort and sacrifice from a very different prospective. Again the Bible gives us great insight into God’s thoughts and views.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
The Greatest Gift
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing (chaff). And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love (Agape, God’s Love), it profits me nothing.
Others will recognize your actions and you will be praised by them, but God who is the ultimate rewarder and or judge of one’s soul will render the final verdict. How will He judge your life, and how will He judge mine?
As always God’s view of life is very different than ours. We see that God has a specific standard and if we pull back the layers of reasons and motives for the good deeds that we do what truly are the motives? Because that is what God sees and weighs. Next, in general there are two types of people. There are people who live by their golden rule, take care of number one, and others who are more philanthropic. Those who live by their golden rule are the Takers in life. They can be very nice people and even do a specific measured amount of good deeds, but they never violate their rule. As long as what they are doing benefits them, their in. Once the marriage involves too much sacrifice or becomes increasingly demanding they’re gone; or when the friendship becomes too draining where they have to start sacrificing their wants and pleasures, they’re gone. These are the Takers.
There is another type of individual who seeks to be and to prove by their actions that they are good. There is a need in them to do good and to be viewed by others as being good. Without Christ teaching me what being “good” really is, this person would be me. This is my own “natural DNA.” These people in general are the Givers. However, what is unknown to them is why do they want to do good? What is the motive and who do they ultimately seek to be good for? I know I was not aware, and unfortunately the answer always comes back less than altruistic. It’s nice to do good for others, it has its benefits but ultimately it makes me feel good about me. I did it more for me than for the person receiving the benefit.
It was shocking to see that masked within the kindness was self-interest. And even deeper than that was the thought that by doing good God would accept me into Heaven. He absolutely does not and unfortunately, He literally cannot. Doing the right thing is the right thing to do, but it does not make me righteous. Doing right and being righteous are not even on the same planet! That’s just like saying because I know first aid, I can now perform brain surgery. To say I have lived a good life and that the Holy God of Heaven should receive me into His Eternity is akin to that. It is both massively ignorant of God’s Holiness and beyond arrogant.
The fear of the Lord leads a man to repentance. Another way to say that is when we truly see God as Creator of all, we comprehend His omnipotence and might, to view His fathomless love as He willingly hung on the Cross for us would be then to hate sin, both the sin in the world and the sin in me and hence my only correct response is to bow before Him as I cling to the Cross. The Cross that gives me my only hope of redemption and hence my only response would be to stay as far away from sin as my mind and heart can keep me. This then is to Fear God.
Now, the Takers are too self-centered to care about Eternity. He or she is just living for today, making sure that they receive their fair share of the pie…, and more if possible. They have no concern or care for anything beyond that. They only become “open” to God when a crisis arises. They will either seek God or blame God for the events in their life. Which the later I find strange. If all my life I have been my own god and then sickness, crisis, or a tragedy occurs, do I then blame God? If He was never in the picture before, why is He all of a sudden in the picture now? Did I ever ask Him to lead my life, or to watch over my family, or help me with my job? If not, then why is He to blame for the pain that is now in my life?
Now let’s talk about Givers. Though spiritually in error, they are generally good people. They would “give you the shirt off their back,” as the saying goes. You want a handful of these people in your circle of friends. So in between Givers on one end and Takers on the other end exists the human race – us.
Therefore given these examples and parameters, how did David become God’s man in-spite of some terrible sins he committed? And interesting enough, before David ever became King God called him out.
1 Samuel 13:13-14k
And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”
Why is disobeying or rationalizing God’s commands such a terrible thing? King Saul was an expert in it and it eventually cost him his throne, his life and the life of his sons. Sin goes deep, it does not just affect the person but also those who are close. What are the commands that we routinely rationalize given the day and age we live in. Even in “Christian” circles these commands are violated. Example, no sex before marriage. In our culture this command, and make no mistake it is a command, is justified by several excuses. We are going to get married; we love each other and what is a piece of paper are some. Also, no sex except for your spouse, so the woman we could not wait till marriage to have sex with is now the one whose being cheated on? Without obedience to God’s Word we are like a boat that drifts soon to become shipwrecked, hurting many people in the process all because of our selfishness. Also, to ignore these other commands, no lusting, lying or cheating etc., is to lay the groundwork for defeat. I worked with someone who frequently eyed women and when I called him on it he simply said that his wife said that he can look but can’t touch. Within a few years his wife divorced him because he “touched.” To rationalize God’s commands so that you can break them is to put yourself above God, a most stupid thing to do. In essence, you just became your own god. As Samuel said to Saul, “you have done foolishly,” or you have played the fool and will now receive a fool’s reward.
Acts 13:22
And when He had removed him (Saul) He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’
**
The following words are being copied from an introduction of a book…
Next to Jesus, the Scriptures cover more of David’s life than any other man. David, Israel’s greatest king, is one of the most amazing men who ever lived. He is known as being a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22) yet his life is filled with similar ups and downs as those faced by most men today.
It doesn’t seem that if your God’s man you would be committing such grievous sins, and sadly pastors and men in general have also been guilty of sexual sin. However, David was a man who was not born again, though he enjoyed the over shadowing of the Holy Spirit. There were others who were thus anointed. Samson, though called of God from birth and gifted with superhuman strength was a Taker, being extremely heathen until his final days. And then there’s Solomon, the wisest man to ever live. God gave him wisdom beyond any man. He started out good but ended terribly. Too much into his intellect, he soon justified his actions and in time rejected the commands of God as he led Israel into idol worship; a most grievous sin. In just briefly mentioning these few men we can almost make the conclusion that God‘s appointee and gifting is given period, what the individual does with it is what they will be judged by in the end. In his process of repentance, we know that David said, “take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” His sin was separating him from his intimacy with God and he felt it (read Psalm 51). In short, when God moves out, it’s because sin has moved in.
So, let’s start with our first question, what are the characteristics that make a person after God’s own heart?
Let’s look at our text.
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
These are our Don’t commands, and for good reason. Bad company spoils good intentions and ultimately even one’s life. So, who do we get our advice from? Daily we are bombarded by opinions, news outlets, comments from others etc., and what we actually digest and act upon is critical. To walk indicates a direction and that direction comes from applying a specific set of counsel, be it the news, a friend’s advice or God’s Word. What “truth” you decide to “walk in” will define your life and advice void of Godly counsel, which is 95% of what is out there, fails to meet the mark of God’s Word. Why is Godly counsel or counsel that acknowledges God so important? Without that all counsel, as heart felt as it might be, is void of the reality of a God who loves, who cares, who gives hope and who has a very specific way that we are to live and who is Greater than any problem and gives hope far beyond this life. To take godless counsel is parallel to accepting fifty cents when you could bank a million dollars.
To stand is to congregate, who are your friends? As the younger generation says, “who do you hang with?” Whoever they are, they are an influence either for good or for bad and lastly, we have the scornful. These are the mockers. No one reading Vida should be in this very compromised position. To sit in the seat of the scornful is to have lost the battle. Not only are you “walking” in their direction, “hanging with them,” but now you have taken a seat among them. These now have become “your people.” There no longer exists a distinction between you and them. You have now come under God’s judgement. So these next verses I am quoting are for you and bear in mind these are the nicer ones.
Revelation 3:14-19
The Lukewarm Church
“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’( our view) —and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked ( God’s view) – I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire His Truths) , that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”
Just as there are prohibitions, actions that bring harm to our life, there are actions that bring strength, joy and peace. Steps that not only protect our relationship but grow our relationship with the Lord.
Psalm 1:2
“But his delight (joy) is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.” (Do we look forward to our time in the scriptures, I know I do. It’s the highlight of each day).
Psalms 86:11-12
Teach me Your way, O LORD;I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.
I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forevermore (these verses make a great prayer and great verses for memorization).
3 John 1:3-4
For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth (how cool it is to bring God joy).
Galatians 5:16-17 (The Unseen Battle).
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Since the sin nature “the Taker” exists in all of us and the Life Giver, the Holy Spirit exists in all those who are born again, the point Paul is making is there is a battle that is spiritual in nature, and to win it must be fought supernaturally. The Spirit seeks for His nature “The Giver” to dominate, and the flesh seeks to Take, who will win is the question? I use to watch wrestling because my friend was so good. In the beginning both contestants seemed equally paired but as the wrestling continued I could see my friend beginning to gain the upper hand as he incessantly grappled with his opponent not seeking to pin him but to tire him out, and soon, tired enough and having no more strength to resist, my friend pinned his opponent. My friend in practice wrestled with teammates 50 lbs. heavier (a big deal in wrestling) than him and by virtue of their weight many were stronger. A few he pinned, but most pinned him. He always gave a good fight. Wrestling was his passion and he overt-trained to win.
And Paul would say that my friend trained to win an earthly crown, we train to win a heavenly crown.
1 Corinthians 9:25-27
And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore, I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus, I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified (the believers action must be purposeful, each step away from sin and towards righteousness, each punch a direct blow or a counter punch to the flesh and its ways).
What about us, do we even train, let alone over train? To train as a believer would be to keep your daily prayer times with the Lord, your daily Bible study and in your car or bathroom or on your smart phone note verses that speak to you and read them frequently throughout the day. Listen to Christian messages and Godly music that worships the Lord. Be diligent to make the most of the time you have to hear and read God’s Word, and rule over the flesh. If you struggle in a specific area find out what God’s Word says about that and memorize those verses. These verses will become your sword and shield.
And make time to exercise. I find when I exercise, I stay more alert, more on point as I read God’s Word and live out my Christian faith. Also eating right, exercising discipline overeating habits; not eating sweets and breads that temp the appetite and are not healthy. Saying no to these helps me maintain that “soldier” attitude which is critical for anyone wanting to progress in their Christian faith. There’s a great verse in Ecclesiastic’s about eating.
Ecclesiastes 10:17
Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,
And your princes feast (eat) at the proper time (not gluttons)
And eat for strength and not for drunkenness!
A son or a daughter of a King, which all those born again are, you should select and eat your food based on the strength it gives you. I know taste in our culture is a big deal but it’s overrated. Eating for strength is how we should determine what we eat or don’t eat. When you look at food with this in mind it becomes a disciplined look, a controlled look that will keep us more fit for God’s work. What are the foods that will make me and keep me healthy and strong, those are the foods I eat. For one to discipline his or her eating habits to this level is such a great victory, so few of us do it. I personally believe that the lack of discipline with our eating habits comes back and hurts us in other areas of our life.
And, proper sleep. I have neglected it in my younger years but now find it a must. Since we are body, mind, and soul keeping these areas “tuned up,” helps the Spirit to grow himself in us. These are practical things we can do. As long as we are in our body we are in a battle and those of us who take the walk of faith seriously understand the importance of what I am sharing.
Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Zechariah 4:6
So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.
The point the Spirit is making is our battles are spiritual in nature, they must be fought spiritually. As the prophet Zechariah told Zerubbabel that it was the Lord who would build the Temple. It was not for him to build the temple, but it was for him to seek the Lord for guidance. Just as we must seek the Lord for Him to build His Temple in us. Our Temple is not built by brick and mortar, or flesh and blood, but by His Spirit and His implanted Word. Amen
Hebrews 12:11
Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained (disciplined or exercised) by it.
Father God,
You are the Master Architect of our soul. You know how to tear down attitudes of defeat, low self-esteem, bitterness, lust, pride, anger, loneliness and the like. In tearing them down we feel vulnerable and don’t like it but afterwards You rebuild us with Truth that will ransom our soul from Hell and deliver us into Your Eternal Kingdom, yielding the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Amen
Go in Peace and Grace – Arthur
Personal Note: Life could get tough in the coming months with all that is happening in the political arena. As believers we must support and pray for our candidates that stand for God’s principles. The right to assemble for worship, the right of the unborn and the dignity of life in general and the social structure that the Ten Commandments give which are being torn from our society, without a fight. Pray, and pray frequently that Truth and Righteousness will prevail. At the same time prepare….
1 Peter 3:13-15
And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; ( if days become hard your testimony will be critical, if you are on the fence in your faith get off, get off now and start to grow your faith. Your salvation and the ability to have a living faith cost the Life of our Savior, please do not take it for granted).
Until next time – Arthur Vida4U.com is the website where all past Vida’s are archived. In addition to the weekly devotionals, the yearly inspirational writings featured in December’s House2Home Magazine are archived under “Faith Talk.” Please use this site for your benefit and refer your friends to it as well. If they would like the weekly series emailed to them, they can send their requests to Arthur@Vida4U.com.
These verses are repeated for memorization. These and others are the backbone of the Christian Faith. I would encourage you to commit them to memory.
Romans 1:16-17
The Just Live by Faith
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Philippians 1:20-21
According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:27-29
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together (as opposed to against each other) for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of (their) perdition, but to you of (your) salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
There are some incredible verses in the scriptures. A lot of times they are just one-liners taking but a second to read. However, if we do not pause to consider what we just read, its importance just slips by us. Let us examine a few stories and then make application. The first one is in 1 Samuel 14.
1 Samuel 14:4-7
Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah.
Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few.”
So his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart (what a great armor-bearer).”
There is a reason why Samuel spent time describing the terrain. It was not an easy hike for them to get to the Philistine garrison, it took effort. We will read in a bit that it was so steep that they had to climb on their hands and knees. Not a great position to be in when going to face your enemy. It would have been very easy to say, “why go to them, by the time we get there we will be too tired to fight.” As believers God asks us to do things, how many times do we say that it takes too much effort. Drive down the block and share Christ with a friend, or a classmate or co-worker, or volunteer for any of the needs of the church. The church relies on volunteers. There is a saying that 20% percent of the people do 80% percent of the work in the church. This should not be. That’s how burn out happens and it’s a bad testimony for the church.
Now let’s look at Johnathan’s statement. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few. Where does this kind of faith come from? He definitely did not get it from his cowardly, self-consumed father the King. Let’s put Johnathan’s statement in our language. The game of football is a 11 man sport. Imagine that today we are playing for the Western Division Championship and all the opposing team shows up but only 2 of your teammates show up and neither of you are the quarterback. Johnathan would say, let’s play ball. We would say, “Johnathan I don’t think you understand the situation we are in. We don’t have enough players to play all the positions, we will get slaughtered.” Johnathan would look back and smile and say, “what is it to God whether we have a full team or not? He can win the game by many or by few, so let’s play.”
Two critical points here. For this kind of faith to work you must make sure your on the right team. There is the team for self and then there is the team for God and sometimes we think we are on God’s team but in reality it’s for ourselves. It takes the Holy Spirit to reveal the true motive of our hearts. It makes all the difference. The saying happy wife happy life, a similar thing could be said about the Lord, “right with God equals right in life.” Being on “Team Self” equals frustration and defeat.
Next lesson, God becomes the God of your faith. If you believe that God will do it, then He will. Johnathan believed that God could bring victory though it was approximately an eighteen to two proposal. The term uncircumcised means one thing to us, but it meant something much more to Johnathan and it was at the core of his faith. The male Jew was circumcised as a baby because of a Convenant God made with the Jewish people. These Philistines were outside the Convenant of God therefore they could be defeated. Though Johnathan and his armor bearer were only two, being under the Convenant meant that the full power of God was on their side and numbers didn’t matter and sure enough they were defeated.
Another example of extreme faith was the women that had the issue of blood.
Luke 8:42-45
But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”
When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”
The word touch is haptomai in the Greek meaning, “ to apply oneself to, or the handling of an object as to exert a modifying influence upon it or upon oneself.” Though many touched Him only one touched Him with desperate faith. In other words when we approach God our Father with this kind of faith His virtue is released. That is what this story teaches. Christ healing power was released even without Christ commissioning it so. He didn’t say “I will, be healed,” she was just healed for she “met” the criteria.
Hebrews 11:6
For without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
This woman was desperate beyond measure. She had no more money, she had spent it all with the doctors and was no better. Something about Jesus gave her hope. Maybe she saw him heal others, or maybe her friends spoke of his kindness and love, we don’t know. We only know that she knew that if she could just fight her way through the crowd and touch the hem of his robe that’s all she needed to be healed, she didn’t even need to speak with him. That “touch” as the English puts it was so much more than a touch. It represented her desperation, her hope, and a new life and it released Christ healing virtue.
Luke 8:46-48k
But Jesus said, “Somebody touched (hapsomai) Me, for I perceive that power (dunamai – achieving power) left my body. Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling (to dread, to be terrified); and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has madeyou well. Go in peace.” Jesus obviously saw and felt her fear and wanted her to be happy and rejoice. She seemed by nature timid and shy and confronting Jesus directly for her healing with the crowd around him would have made too much of a scene, especially since her ailment was personal. Another point, had it not been for her faith and persistence to get to Jesus, she would not have been healed. Application, Jesus is present, He’s not hidden, but how willing and to what lengths are we willing to seek Him out, are we desperate? If we saw our condition from Christ’s perspective we would be, and we would do everything in our power to not miss a day of fellowship and study with Him. It would be the high point of each day.
This kind of faith represents the fullness of confidence, not even a shadow of doubt. We were on a mission trip in Mexico and had just completed the final touches on a new church for the first ever evening service happening that night. We had gone out into the community earlier to invite everyone to come. It was around 5 o’clock, we were going to eat, shower and dress for church that was starting at 7. I had noticed earlier that the wind was picking up which concerned me, that maybe rain was coming. Sure enough by 6 I knew that rain was coming.
We had worked so hard to get the church ready for tonight’s service that I saw this as a ploy of the enemy and I was mad. There was no way that Satan was going to win, no way!! So I stepped out of the dinner room and walked up a small hill where I could see the storm coming. I rebuked the storm and Satan and told them that this was Jesus’s night and in the name of Jesus it was not going to rain on God’s night. It was not happening! There was not a shadow of doubt in me, all I felt was anger and authority. You might call it righteous anger for I was contending for my Father. It was a total of about 3 minutes, I came back down the hill and back to dinner. My wife asked me what I was doing pointing my arms at the clouds and shouting who knows what. I told her I was rebuking Satan and the storm, she gave me this look like what did you just say? Her eyes said everything. She just simply said that after the service I needed to go right to bed and not stay up to talk. As she walked out she said “I told you that you were working too hard today”. I felt a little silly afterwards, but it didn’t last long, we needed to get ready.
That evening the church was full. I introduced our group and spoke a little bit about us – where we were from and what our purpose for coming was (being bilingual helps) but then I turned the service over to the pastor with whom we were staying. By God’s Grace he did a great job. The new pastor for the church was suppose to speak this night but at the last minute he could not come, so in a moments notice our host pastor had to speak. After the service we said our good byes to the people and hopped on the bus to head back to the pastor’s church. There was about ten of us.
I had all but forgotten about what I had done earlier, I was so happy about the service. However as we got about 10 minutes out from the church I saw wet roads, then I heard the rain hitting the bus and then the windshield wipers started going full speed. Then it hit me, that we truly did rebuke a storm in Jesus name, just like Peter truly walked on water. We know of these stories in the scriptures but the reality of them and what they teach we seldom take seriously. We regulate the stories both Old and New to folklore or cute stories to teach to children but seldom seek to apply them to ourselves. However, to the people involved in the stories, these events were life and death situations where God came through for them. And as He came through for them, TODAY He will come through for us. These stories are factual as God is real and they are meant to strengthen our faith; especially in “impossible” situations. As long as Peters eyes were on Christ he did the impossible, and so can we.
That night Satan lost and God won all because God listened to a man willing to be His fool and a pastor who took seriously God’s command to “be ready in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2).” Here’s one take away from this story; how many times do we under achieve in our Christian walk because we are too worried of what others will think of us? I would rather be God’s fool and see miracles than appear wise in the eyes of man any day.
Now let me regress a bit and come back to the woman with the issue of blood. Which is the greater healing, to be healed of an infirmity, or to continue to worship and maintain a thankful disposition in our infirmity? Which is the greater testimony? Here’s another question. If Jesus didn’t answer a single prayer you prayed but promised you Eternity with Him, would that be enough of a “healing,” or would you need more? Is it right to seek the healer just for the healing? I am benefitted much by the healing but I am benefitted the more by learning to praise Him through my suffering.
Going to Heaven is my greatest healing, changing my sinful nature over into robes of righteousness far outstrips anything that could happen to me here, would you not agree? And my testimony of His faithfulness in my suffering touches and encourages more people than a healing. Testimonies of healing are great, they give hope, but they are also soon forgotten. However testimonies of God’s consistent ongoing presence through our struggles are even greater.
To be able to say I went through that, just like the Psalmist says “even though I go through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil,” is a great testimony for people in the valley. Also we are not suppose to “camp” in the valley. We are meant to learn the lessons of the valley, being made the better through our struggle and go on our way. Unfortunately there are Christians who camp in the valley. They fail to yield to the lessons, just like the Israelites took forty years to travel a months journey because of their continued complaining and worshiping of idols. We can waste so much of our life in the valleys just because we continually substitute worry, fret, lust for this world, idols etc., for trusting the true and living God.
A great prayer, “ Father I am yours, make me completely yours and do with me as that which brings You the greatest honor and testimony of Your faithfulness and love. Cultivate in me a love for your Word and prayer.”
Thank you for this study and Amen,
Move Forward in His Grace – ArthurArthur Navarrette Vida4U.com is the website where all past Vida’s are archived. In addition to the weekly devotionals, the yearly inspirational writings featured in December’s House2Home Magazine are archived under “Faith Talk.” Please use this site for your benefit and refer your friends to it as well. If they would like the weekly series emailed to them, they can send their requests to Arthur@Vida4U.com.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Philippians 1:20-21
According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:27-29
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together (as opposed to against each other) for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of (their) perdition, but to you of (your) salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.
What does being sold out look like? The best examples I find are sports. When I ran Cross Country in High School, we would arrive at the gym at 6:30 in the morning, suit up and then run 5 to 6 miles, shower, and get ready for class. We all liked the morning run. It was relaxed and easy. However, the afternoon run was a different story. We would run 16 miles on Monday, close to the same on Tuesday and Wednesday’s 12 miles. By the end of the afternoon runs, we were tired. Thursday was only the morning run because we had our track met that afternoon. Friday, we got to sleep in and only ran 8 to 10 miles in the afternoon. Weekends we were on our own. Living only 15 minutes from the beach, I would drive down and do beach workouts. The beach I went to had a steep hill, so I made a loop that included the neighborhood, the beach (both wet and dry sand), and then finished it off on the hill. I took a breather and did it several more times. My legs burned after each set.
If we didn’t run at least 5 to 6 miles each day on the weekend on Monday, the coach would make us all run sprints after the afternoon run. Nobody wanted that, and nobody wanted to be the one that made the team have to run sprints. You’d catch it from the others in the locker room. So we were all pretty good about getting our runs in.
Our team consistently placed number one or two in our league, our only real competitor was Corona Del Mar High. They ran more hills because of the school’s location and were a tough rival. At the end of the season, some of our better runners went to state to compete. The two years that I ran, my sophomore and junior years, were hard years. Everything that I did was focused on improving my run. It was 24-7. If I didn’t do something, it was because it didn’t help my running, if I did do something it was because it would help my running. From the food, I ate or didn’t eat, even going out with my friends. I needed to be home early so I could get to bed on time.
Every choice and decision I made was seen through that window. I didn’t like running but knew God was using it to teach me toughness and endurance, and I was definitely getting that daily. I was so relieved when I felt God releasing me from running. That senior year I was elected to be Student Body President and had a lot more school duties, so sports ended up taking a back seat. God has a sense of humor, as much as running stressed me out, having to badged my shins because I was constantly dealing with the pain of shin splints, to this day the only sport I continue to do from my school years is running and weight lifting ( weight lifting came from football).
When Paul says, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” cross-country would be my example of a 110% devotion. And so because of that experience, I understand what Paul means. It’s “I’m all in,” and there is no plan B. If plan A doesn’t work, then I go down with the ship. Fortunately, our hope is not in a man, but in God who can never be defeated and who never fails. So cross-country taught me to resolve, and Jesus has taught me and continues to teach me purpose.
Several other verses speak to this 110%devotion.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Striving for a Crown
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I should become disqualified (the literal translation to “discipline my body” means to give myself a black eye. If my eyes cause me to sin I punch them to keep that from happening). True Christianity is you are either all in, or you’re not in at all. There is no “American Christianity” where you can have your indulgences and Christ, no it’s just Christ, He’s our life. However, having said that there is maturing in Christ. What I knew and how I lived for Christ 5 years ago to how I live for Him now is not the same. The challenges and difficulties of the last 5 years have given me the opportunity to say no to more of the worldly desires that existed in my soul and to repent of them.
And 2 Timothy 2:3-4
“You, therefore, must endure (sustain, under go)
hardship (pain, evil, affliction) as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles( engages) himself or herself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” ( our calling)
How many of us are so involved in this life that we don’t know what it’s like to be solely devoted to Christ? That truth, unfortunately, is the single biggest reason why our society has become more tolerant and accepting of behaviors that we were not 10 to 15 years ago. We have been too busy doing our own thing, we have ceased being salt in the sense of a being a preserving agent against the decay of immortality and licentious behaviors. And we are called to be light, and by our life live The Way so others can see it ( Christianity was termed The Way in the early church by non-believers).
There has not been a flashlight big or small that has ever failed to chase away the darkness. It could be pitch black, and the light always pierces through the darkness and shows me the way. Are we doing that, can others see the life of Christ in us, especially in these times. I hope so, for this is when it counts. Confusion, fear and doubt all lessen when we are still and hear God speak to us through His Word.
Being a Christian requires enduring faith. It’s not for the faint of heart. The heart that is seeking its gain, it’s own recognition should not be a Christian. This is where people become disappointed with Christianity, God does not play by our rules. Jesus said some hard things, statements that turned people away. These hearers wanted something easy, something they could add to their daily agendas without much effort and still be guaranteed a spot in Heaven. Living faith does not work that way.
Matthew 10:37-39
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it ( sober words).
If I pastored a church I would rather have a 100 members whose lives were solidly committed to Christ words than a 900 who were not. Unfortunately, this is a good definition of the American church. It’s the 900 hundred that make the pastors job hard.
Matthew 10:32-33
(Luke 12:8, 9)
“Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven ( you don’t want to do that regardless of the consequences, and the consequences can be ugly).
Matthew 10:16-20
Persecutions Are Coming
(Mark 13:9–13; Luke 21:12–17)
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you( Amen, never ever left alone).
These are tough verses and we are not as yet experiencing persecution and we may never become like China, however with a change of leadership there are many underlining forces in our country that could easily pull us in that direction. Take advantage of this current time, grow your faith and pray that we start getting back to meeting as a church.
Our company supports various organizations, one is the Voice of Martyrs. They send out a monthly magazine that updates believers of areas of persecution around the world. There is an article about China almost every month. Here are some quotes from this month’s magazine, our brothers in Christ.
“This new era of persecution may be a period of refinement for the maturing church. Some have left the faith because of the persecution but many more are firmly committed to following Christ despite the persecution. ‘ Persecution itself is evil to the people of God,’ Ben Chen said,’ but we rejoice that the gospel can be spread. We don’t simply believe that persecution itself can make the gospel spread, but God uses the persecution to make His people realize that there is a treasure (Christ) in the clay (us).” So as the church cherishes more holding the gospel dear, so they grow and the gospel is spread.”
Another attitude foreign to us is the attitude towards interrogations. What we are reading is the fruit of suffering, purified( free of self) and hence It becomes unstoppable faith. This kind of faith never sees defeat, because it turns conflict into opportunity. “When we are interrogated and or beaten for our faith, and I’m quoting, “‘ Try… to turn the event into a new meeting place for the church.” Some church members report seeing jailers come to Christ or policemen soften toward the gospel after witnessing the testimony of believers lives.’ These quotes come from leaders in The Early Rain church( let us pray for them).
And lastly a quote from Wang Yi the senior pastor, “ If God uses persecution of the church to lead others through a period of disillusionment with their life so that they can come to true faith then I am joyfully willing to submit to God’s plans, for His plans are always benevolent and good.”I definitely know that I have brothers and sisters from other mothers; their words resonate within my soul. Faith can only be developed through hard times and it can only be stopped if we sell out. If we stop being sons and daughters of our loving Father and Dad, and trade our relationship with Him for the rituals of religion, we will stop being the church.
As of 5/23, President Trump ordered that churches had to be opened, that they were essential. Whatever your opinion is of President Trump he has been an advocate for the unborn and for the church more than any President in this century. That should count, it does with me and we should be praying for him. It’s not just the right thing to do as believers but we are commanded to.
1 Timothy 2:1-2
Pray for All Men
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
Unstoppable Faith, how do we measure up? What would you do?
Acts 16:16-23
Paul and Silas Imprisoned
Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laidmany stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.
Now ask yourself, what would be your attitude at this moment, why me God? I was just doing what you told me to do? Unfortunately, most of us would probably think this. What is Paul and Silas attitude, do they demonstrate unstoppable faith in an unstoppable God? Was God faithful to them, you decide.
Acts 16:25-30
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns( not crying or complaining) to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Why did this harden jailer want to know of Christ? He’s heard many a man’s story proclaiming their innocents. How was Paul and Silas so different? Can it be….
James 1:2-5
Profiting from Trials
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
“count it all joy when” literally means to mentally consider or chose joy when the natural response is just the opposite. Habakkuk, was a prophet of God, and God was telling him that famine and war was coming. That God was using the Persian army to judge Israel for her idolatry, something that we are so guilty of. We may not worship idols of stone, but we definitely have our idols. The prophet faced the same choice as Paul and Silas. In the face of terrible news how did he respond? How have we done during this time of Covid?
Habakkuk 3:17-19
A Hymn of Faith
Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The LORD GOD is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.
To rejoice literally means to jump up and spin around with joy. As if your favorite team just won the Super Bowl. Sold Out Faith is invincible because it believes in a God who is all able, loving, personal and caring. He is all powerful and above any circumstance. And if He doesn’t change the narrative of our life, it is not because He doesn’t care, but it is because He does care and He is teaching us to become victorious IN the suffering. To loosen our white knuckle grip on the possessions and cares of this world and how we think our life should be and to fully trust Him so as to gain a greater treasure. Paul and Silas did not sing praises in spite of the suffering but because of the suffering because they were counted worthy to suffer as their Lord. Next time sickness, illness, unfair treatment or rebuke cultivate a thankful heart that we are being given an opportunity to live out our faith and as you rejoice know that your testimony of Christ shines.
This world fills our bags with useless stuff that we can’t take with us. These things do not give us lasting joy or peace, what they give is a counterfeit joy and peace. We need to empty our bags so the Lord can fill them with His possessions, possessions of joy, life, peace, wisdom, fulfillment that endures into eternity. Amen
Lastly, remember the most dangerous prison is the one we don’t see. Compromising holiness and purity for the things of the world dilutes and quenches our faith and builds a wall between me and a loving, but a most Holy God. This prison is unseen because it caters to our flesh, and unless we are careful will lessen our earnestness toward our faith and make us comfortable with this life.
Father God,
Use these unsettling times to grow our faith. Pandemics are nothing new to You, you have been with many a believer through them, be with us now. Covid and/or the agenda behind it will potentially change our way of life. However, if our way of life is hid in You, then though the external things may change, our life with You only gets better. Your people and saints in the past have also been faced with difficulties and struggles. Help us as our brother said to value the treasure that is in the clay and allow whatever buffeting that may come to purify us as gold is purified. Thank you for this study and Amen.
Go in Grace and in the Power of the Holy Spirit. – ArthurArthur Navarrette Vida4U.com is the website where all past Vida’s are archived. In addition to the weekly devotionals, the yearly inspirational writings featured in December’s House2Home Magazine are archived under “Faith Talk.” Please use this site for your benefit and refer your friends to it as well. If they would like the weekly series emailed to them, they can send their requests to Arthur@Vida4U.com.
I have purposefully kept this Vida short. I want you to be able to keep it under notes on your phone and be able to review it while you wait in line or on hold etc. Times of stress do come and go; however, when they go, have we been made stronger by them or weaker? Much like the waves at the ocean. Before I knew how to body-surf, they tumbled me, almost drowned me once, but once I learned how to ride them, they brought me to shore with much joy and pleasure. God’s Word stored in us and repeated in these times of testing and trial will allow the same situation that defeated us before to deepen our faith and bring us closer to Christ.
1 John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because He who is in IN YOU IS GREATER than he who is in the world.
Deuteronomy 31:8, “He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Isaiah 43:1,“Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.”
1 John 4:18,“Perfect Love(His love in us) Casts Out All Fear.”
Psalm 18:2, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.”
Proverbs 3:5-8
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear (respect) the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones (evil deals with fear, anxiety, strife, etc. and the actions that result from them).”
Meditate upon these truths until they become part of the spiritual fiber of your soul. So when fear comes knocking, and it well, you are prepared. Repeating these verses in your mind with your heart, giving testimony is how we fight these spiritual battles. These verses are our armor and defense, and these are just a few. Google Promises from God and allow a daily time that you spend just with Him in study of His Word and prayer. I like to write out and date my requests, it builds my faith when I see them answered, and it challenges my faith when they are not. Many times behind an unanswered prayer is a motive that was just for me, to make me look good rather than making God look good. Here are two examples of Paul living a life completely in God’s Grace.
Philippians 1:19-25 – To Live Is Christ
“For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith.”
Another time was when Paul was in Phillips’s house in Cesarea.
Acts 21:10-14
“And as we stayed many days (in Phillips house), a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”
Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”
There is no knowing the future, and we have never been able to. However, since our life, in general, has been fairly free of outside threats living with this uncertainty right now is tough. However, it has always been an illusion that the future was stable. Because it has been, we believe it will continue to be. So we have become comfortable rooting into this world when all the while, this “illusion” has been a hindrance to our growth in Christ.
Imagine if our lives were in communist China where at any moment, night or day, the police could break into our home, take our children, putting them into re-education camps, and put us into forced labor. How would we live, would we denounce Christ? Unfortunately, I believe some of us would. We are way too rooted into this life, when we should be deeply rooted into Christ. Paul was building his home in Heaven; he had no stocks, investments, etc., in this world, financially or emotionally. Ourwealth is each other, our friendships because of Christ. Money can’t buy that. Whatever the future holds, we do not know, but Christ holds us, and the future does not threaten Him.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
1 Peter 1:3-5 – A Heavenly Inheritance
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Are we emotionally and spiritually prepared to face hardship, Paul was. The key to his readiness was he was sold entirely to Christ. He fully acknowledged that he belonged to Christ, and though no other disciple suffered as he did, it was accepted by him knowing that God would see him through. Do we have this confidence?
In ancient times, in times of war, there were two swords the soldier used. One was for at a distance, and the other was in close; for hand to hand combat, it was the dagger. The dagger was short, precise, and sharp. It did the job of successfully killing the foe. If you remember nothing else I leave you with these daggers, use them well.
2Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Joshua 1:7-9
“Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
In this time, whatever comes can be used to deepen our faith or to stumble us from our faith. The choice will be ours as our faith will be sifted, either unto purer and refined gold, or will be shown to be chaff that the winds of hardship blow away. I pray that this Vida, especially the verses, will be taken with great seriousness.
Amen
Father God,
This is a lot to consider. I mostly pray for my brothers and sisters who have had a belief in you but have been busy with their earthly lives here, ignoring their true life with You. This period will be like a spiritual boot camp for them. Help them to completely surrender themselves to you so that peace, confidence, hope, and joy can be theirs. Bring your wayward children home, Father, under Your care and protection.
Final Thoughts… Psalms 23:1-5
The LORD the Shepherd of His People
A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Questions or concerns send to Arthur@Vida4U.com. Give me a couple days to answer you.
Be strong, be smart, be in prayer and on the practical side of things grow a garden. Being a little self sufficient can never hurt.
In parting, instead of saying be safe, which is still true I want to part by giving you a strong spiritual rope (ropes are made up of three strands).
Let His forgiveness be your peace, Let His Grace be your joy and let His Love be your strength – Amen
Until next time – Arthur Navarrette Vida4U.com is the website where all past Vida’s are archived. In addition to the weekly devotionals, the yearly inspirational writings featured in December’s House2Home Magazine are archived under “Faith Talk.” Please use this site for your benefit and refer your friends to it as well. If they would like the weekly series emailed to them, they can send their requests to Arthur@Vida4U.com.
