Hold On

August 31, 2024

“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—” —Ephesians 6:18 

Being watchful is not much use if we fail to persevere. When driving, it’s easy to get distracted. When I was growing up, it was changing channels on the radio, or the driver dropping a hot cigarette ash in his lap. Today it’s cell phones. Or maybe just turning your head to see something that caught your eye. It only takes a second for tragedy to strike. Being watchful is a full time job. 

Peter tells us that the Enemy of our souls is constantly prowling around looking for someone to devour. Like a lion, he probes for the weak spots, the vulnerable and defenseless. If we let up on our watchfulness, he is right at hand, ready to strike. So even if you don’t see him or sense his presence, be aware that he is like the sniper, patiently waiting for that time your guard is down. The best way to be aware of him is to be even more aware of Jesus. When the devil tempted Jesus in the desert, he failed because Jesus had spent 40 days getting close to his Father. Because he was aware of his Father, he was prepared to face the devil. It works the same for us.

You don’t need to be paranoid about him; Jesus is greater. But we do need to be wise about him so we can give Jesus room in our lives to defeat him.

 

Hang in There!

August 30, 2024

 “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—” —Ephesians 6:18 

Being watchful is not much use if we fail to persevere. When driving, it’s easy to get distracted. When I was growing up, it was changing channels on the radio, or the driver dropping a hot cigarette ash in his lap. Today it’s cell phones. Or maybe just turning your head to see something that caught your eye. It only takes a second for tragedy to strike. Being watchful is a full time job. 

Peter tells us that the Enemy of our souls is constantly prowling around looking for someone to devour. Like a lion, he probes for the weak spots, the vulnerable and defenseless. If we let up on our watchfulness, he is right at hand, ready to strike. So even if you don’t see him or sense his presence, be aware that he is like the sniper, patiently waiting for that time your guard is down. 

You don’t need to be paranoid about him; Jesus is greater. But we do need to be wise about him so we can give Jesus room in our lives to defeat him.

Watch Out!

 August 28, 2024

“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—” —Ephesians 6:18 

Watchful. It’s a hard word. When Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion, he chided his sleepy disciples with the words, “Can’t you watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” —Matthew 26:41 

In those days, the watchman was the frontline of defense for a city. His job was to continually scan the horizon for any sign of an enemy. If he failed to do his job, the entire city was vulnerable to a surprise attack. It was such an important job that falling asleep was punishable by death. 

Today, our watchmen (and women) keep their eyes focused on computer screens and satellite surveillance, but the purpose is the same, as are the stakes in the game.

So when Paul tells us to watch in prayer, he isn’t only echoing Jesus, he’s reinforcing the critical nature of our prayers. Watching in prayer is our early warning system for the schemes and tricks of the Enemy of our souls, Satan himself. So stay alert when you pray! Fight off the drowsiness that so often descends upon us when we pray. The lives of those you love may be hanging in the balance.

Prayer in the Spirit

August 27, 2024

I’m back in Ephesians 6 tonight. We’re all suited up for battle with the armor of God. Now what? Paul tells us. We pray. Because that’s where spiritual battles are fought.

“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—” —Ephesians 6:18 

Here’s a question for you: Is it possible to pray outside the Holy Spirit? If Paul says to pray in the Spirit, I would imagine we can pray outside the Spirit, except it wouldn’t be much of a prayer. I suspect however, that a lot of prayers are said that have little to do with the Holy Spirit. 

I keep going back to Elijah. In 1 Kings 17, he is introduced as one who “stands before the LORD.” He did that for three years during the drought. In chapter 18, he challenges the priests of Baal to a contest: build and altar, lay the wood and sacrifice on it, and the god who answers by fire is the true God. Of course, they are unsuccessful, “and it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word.” (I Kings 18:36)

It’s those last three words that are important. He did this “at your word.” This is a prayer “in the Spirit” because he prayed according to the word he had heard from standing for three years in the presence of God. Too often we pray according to our word rather than God’s because we have failed to stand, listening to what God wants to do. Prayer in the Spirit is prayer that comes from having listened to God’s heart instead of our own.

 

Little People

 August 26, 2024

A bit different theme tonight—one of my favorite Bible verses:

“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.”

—Luke 3:1-2 

You might rightly ask, “Why is this one of your favorite verses?” The answer is simple. Every name in this list with the exception of Zacharias and John were the high and mighty of their day. They were the rich, the connected, the powerful. Ordinary people would grovel at their feet, hoping for a favor. But if it weren’t for John, the son of Zacharias, most of us would never have heard of them.

People think you have to be rich, famous, and powerful to make a difference in this world, but the Word of God came to none of those “important” people. It came to John in the wilderness. So if you find yourself to be an ordinary person, stranded in a wilderness, a wild place where nothing is familiar or safe, don’t panic. The Word of God comes to little people like you in places like that. Today’s high and mighty will pass away, just as did those in John’s day, but you can rejoice that your name is written down in heaven (Luke 10:20).

Truth

 “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,” —Ephesians 6:14 

Here’s something about truth: Jesus Christ is the embodiment of it. Don’t take it from me; Jesus himself said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). This means that he is the yardstick by which we measure all claims to truth. To the extent whatever we believe deviates from what he said and what the apostles said about him is the extent to which we have deviated from Absolute Truth. 

People outside the faith take issue with this, but here’s the test: John 8:32—“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” Does what you believe help you live a freer life? Are you free of bad habits, of resentment, of judgmentalism, anger, lust or greed? Have you learned how to forgive so you aren’t bound to the people who hurt or disappointed you? And pay attention to those who say they have the truth—do their actions and attitudes demonstrate freedom, or bondage? Many who claim to have the truth are all to eager to bring others into bondage The Truth is Jesus, who sets us free.

Truth and Righteousness

August 6, 2024

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,” —Ephesians 6:14 

I think it’s important that Paul connects truth and righteousness together. We can often easily be convinced that something is true, only to find out later that we’ve been duped. A friend who encourages you to do what you know to be wrong is not your friend. From fake websites and scam artists to preachers who say one thing and do another, we’ve all been taken in by skilled conmen. We thought what they were telling us was true, but it wasn’t.

One way to guard against this is to always keep truth and righteousness hand in hand. I’m not going to get good financial advice from someone who won’t keep their marriage vows, no matter how skilled they may be. I won’t get true Bible teaching from someone who is greedy, prideful, lustful. He or she may have a PhD in Biblical studies, but without righteousness, sooner or later “Truth” will go off the rails.

Common Ground

August 5, 2024

 “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,” —Ephesians 6:14 

We live in a time where people want to make up their own truth. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard, “Well, that may be true for you, but it’s not true for me.” How do we answer that? To be honest, if someone is persistent in that thinking, it’s hard to find common ground to talk. But unless the person is actually crazy, we do have common ground. It’s called the conscience, and though there are some things your conscience may permit that mine doesn’t, God has built into us a moral and ethical compass that we can ignore if we wish, but we can’t escape it. Here’s what the Bible says: 

“(When Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)” —Romans 2:14-15 

So take heart when witnessing to people; their conscience is on your side, even if their heart and mind are not!.

Liar

 “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,” —Ephesians 6:14 

Paul here shows us what we need to be able to stand against the enemy, and uses the illustration of what was the standard military gear of a Roman soldier. Israel was under the often brutal occupation of Rome, so everyone was familiar with a soldier’s weaponry.

Paul starts out with the belt of Truth. If you look at a police officer today, you’ll see the importance of the belt. It holds everything he/she needs for the job. The same was true back then. Paul is telling us how important Truth is. Without it, everything else falls apart. Our fight begins with Truth. 

When we come to Jesus, we come to the Source of all Truth who is willing to expose every lie we believe so we can be set free. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Our problem is that Satan, who is the father of lies (John 8:44 ), is so good at it that we tend to believe all sorts of things that aren’t true. How then can we know what is true and what is false? A good starting place is, “Does it match up with Scripture?” If it doesn’t, you’d best check your spiritual lie-detector, Jesus Christ.

 So here’s my question: Is there anything in your life where you are dodging the truth in Jesus? Let it go, so you can be free, and so everything that depends on truth can fall into place in your life.

Stand

 August 2, 2024

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

                                                                                                                    —Ephesians 6:13 

That little word “stand” just keeps popping up all over the place. I’ve told you how the prophet Elijah described himself as one who “stands before the LORD.” Recently, I was reading in 2 Kings 5:16, where Elisha who was his protégé used the same words to describe himself. In other words, Elijah mentored him by example, and when his ministry was finished, Elisha asked for, and received, a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. 

Whatever gift or talent you have been given, hone it to perfection by practice, hard work, and lots of prayer. Then make sure you pass it along to someone else. If everything works the way it should, the one you train will reach higher and go farther than yourself.

Here in Ephesians, the imagery is military, “last man standing,” having fought his best, weary and perhaps wounded, he still stands. There is no finer example than one that has been tested and proven. Linda and I constantly are praying that by God’s grace we will stand so you can see what it looks like, follow our example, and take it to a whole new level.

The Real Enemy

 August 1, 2024

“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.” —Ephesians 6:12 

It’s hard enough when our problems are things like sickness or natural disasters, accidents, and challenges of life, but when our problems are caused by other people or even by ourselves, it’s easy to get angry, resentful, or revengeful. When someone lies about you, attacks you, or generally tries to make your life miserable, getting even is often the first thing on our minds.

Don’t forget that people aren’t the enemy. Satan is. It’s often hard to remember that. People can be mean, hateful, and hurtful. But that’s all because Satan, the god of this world, has blinded their minds (2 Corinthians 4:4) and poisoned their hearts. They are held in bondage to their sin, and are to be pitied and prayed for instead of hated.