An interesting thing happened to me yesterday

An interesting thing happened to me yesterday. After church my wife and I went to Walmart. I was still wearing my clerical collar and was amazed at how many people were openly offended by it. I'm not sure whether that stems from the controversy surrounding the recent events in the Catholic Church (of which I am not a member) or just plain Holy Spirit conviction. I am leaning toward the Holy Spirit conviction theory. In 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 the Apostle Paul writes that we are the aroma of Christ everywhere we go. To one we are the aroma of victory and to the others we are the aroma of God's convicting power. This goes back to early Biblical times when as the king of a conquering nation would return from his conquests, the priests would lead the procession back into town burning incense. At the rear of the procession would be the leaders of the defeated nation. As they marched into town, the conquering army and all the inhabitants of the nation would smell the aroma of victory! But.... to the leaders of the country that had been defeated, they smelled to aroma of death. The reason being that as soon as the march was over, they were to be publicly executed.

10% of our potential?

It's been said that we humans on use 10% of our potential brain power. Whether or not that's true remains to be seen. It's interesting to me that 10% is the exact amount that God demands as the first fruits of our income. Malachi 3:10-13 (KJV)
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroyc the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
So.. even if this is true, God can take that 10% and do much more than we can even ask or think with it. If I give God 10% of my income (which I do by the way), He promises in His word that He will pour out a blessing that I will not even be able to contain. That tells me that if I will give the 10% of my brain that I'm using to God, the same principle of sowing and reaping applies. Too cool.

Five Smooth Stones

As I was driving to church this morning, I was praying (or whining) you decide. I was telling God that I'm not sure how to be the man that I know He is calling me to be. There are a lot of reasons why I would be unsure, but the bottom line is, I am at times. God has been speaking to my heart this week about King David. Pastor Aaron has been teaching on David's life over the past few weeks. I have been thinking about how when David went to fight Goliath, he had five stones. It is our responsibility as believers to pick up stones for the battle long before the battle confronts us. God is saying that scripture memorization is the way of having those "smooth stones" for the battle. If I wait until I'm in the thick of battle to start looking for stones, I will not like the outcome of that battle. But... if I have hidden God's Word in my heart that I might not sin against HIM, this Word will come forth at exactly the time that I need it. David had also "picked up stones" before this in his fights with the bear and the lion. God had used David's previous life experience as preparation for this battle with Goliath. His self-confidence was where it needed to be. He knew that he could fight. When every one else was standing in fear, David only saw a "Philistine dog that defied the Army of the Living God". In the same way, I have had many, many battles over the last 33 years with many "bears" and "lions". So... if I do not use what I have learned from these battles, it is unbelief and SIN. Now... back to this morning while I was driving to church. God very clearly spoke to my heart and told me "you know that this is spiritual warfare and after 26 years in the Army and Army Reserve, you know how to be a soldier!" It's time to use the warrior mentality that resides in me. I'm sick and tired of this and starting now, NO MORE! As we used to say in the Army, "in the absence of orders... ATTACK!" 2 Timothy 2:3-7 (KJV) 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. 6 The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. 7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. Well I'm driving a stake down here and moving into the attack mode. It's time to do as it's said in a popular Christian praise song, and go into the enemies camp and take back what he's stole from me.

Times of Refreshing

I have just returned from attending our annual pastor's conference. What a glorious time it was! But, it occurs to me that every day should be like this. Although it is great to spend time with others of like faith, we have all we need to have a living and vibrant relationship with God the Father. The only thing that keeps me from this victorious lifestyle is ME! My goal is to maintain a continous, real relationship with God. This means that, as in any other relationship, I must be willing to make sacrifices in order to keep my relationship healthy. There are things that I cannot do because it would damage this relationship. Don't get me wrong, 1 John 1:8-10 says
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 
The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 . Logos Research Systems, Inc.: Oak Harbor, WA
What this says to me is that there will be times that I will miss the mark. But, Thank God for Jesus who through His infinite love gave Himself as the sacrifice for ALL my sins. There is no sin that I can commit that was not in the future when Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice on the cross for ME!

Mind Games

The devil has been referred to as the prince of the power of the air. There are people in the world today that go up into skyscrapers to do spiritual warfare. There is a group of people today that rent airplanes in order to fly over specific areas of the world in order to meet face to face with the demons that rule over that city or country. There are two words in the Greek that refer to the air. One refers to the higher air that is above the mountains. The other refers to the air that is about 5 or 6 feet off the ground. Just about the height of your head! This is the area that satan is the most interested in because if he can torment our minds and cause us to stop in our walk with God or not ever get born again, he has accomplished his mission.

2 Corinthians 11:1-3 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.(listen to me anyway)For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds (your thoughts) should be corrupted from the simplicity (liberty/freedom) that is in Christ. (KJV)

a. Satan wants to get our attention away from the simplicity that is in the Gospel. When the Word of God renews our minds, there is liberty and freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord there is liberty.

b. The word mind appears 95 times in the New Testament in 92 verses.
c. Satan wants to keep us so bound up in guilt and condemnation that we never fulfill the will of God for our lives.

We will be looking at five scriptures today: Acts 10:38, 2 Cor 2:11, James 1:14, 2 Cor 10:3-5, and 2 Cor 4:

Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (KJV) There are two words in this passage that we will be looking at: Oppression and devil.

a. Oppression - This word is the Greek refers to the habitual activity of a wicked tyrant or king. This puts me in mind of communism. It also gives the idea of mental confusion - A mind that is under siege from an outside force. People in eastern block countries can spot an American by the way that we walk and carry ourselves. The people in those communist countries walk with their heads down and will not look you in the eye because they have been oppressed for so long that there is no hope left in them.

b. Devil (diabolos dia - penetration bollo - to pick up something and
throw it like a rock.
1 satan keeps throwing accusations and condemnation against our
2 He will keep on over and over and over and over until he can gain entrance into our minds.
3 How many times have you had thoughts just pop into your mind
and you are trying to figure out where they came from? Satan wants to get into our minds and give us a distorted view of ourselves. We read the Word of God and it says one thing about us, but our minds constantly give us another view of who and what we are.

Romans 7: 14-25 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. (KJV The word devices describes a mind that is so confused that can no longer tell the difference between the truth and a lie. It also refers to the emotions.

James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. There is one word that I want to look at in this verse. The word encticed gives the idea of a fisherman luring a fish out of his protective cover to take the bait.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

There are three words that I want to look at in this verse.

a. Strongholds - This word describes a fortress or a jail. If satan can penetrate our minds and make us believe whatever he tells us, he has built up a stronghold in our minds.
b. Obedience - Someone who is in a subordinate position
1 When thoughts come into your mind, bring them into captivity.
2 Satan would love to get us to believe that surely God could never use us for anything. The anointed one - When our minds are in subjection to the Word of God, then the anointing can be released into our lives.
c. My paraphrase of 2 Cor 10:3-5 For the instruments, implements of our host or army are not of the flesh or subject to the human intellect, but they are powerful as of those possessed of spiritual power to the demolition and destruction of the accusations that satan casts against our mind.

d. Satan wants to divert our attention from the simplicity that is in the Gospel. He does this by constantly coming against our minds trying to stir up our emotions. The habitual activity of the devil is to constantly hurl accusations against our minds. If he can get into our minds, then he builds a stronghold in whatever area he is oppressing us in. Once he builds that stronghold, our effectiveness in the kingdom of God is damaged or destroyed. He wants us so confused or discouraged that we have no effectiveness for the kingdom of God.
e. The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but spiritual. It is our job to constantly renew our minds by reading the Word of God, prayer and fellowship with other believers. By this God is always at work showing us areas in our lives that are not submitted to Him.

CONCLUSION: 2 Corinthians 6:11-12 O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. (KJV)

a. God is speaking to our hearts. He has such great love for us!
b. When we allow our feeling of guilt; condemnation and unworthiness stop us in our relationship with God, the enemy has won!
c. God is saying to all of us, "The feelings that you feel are not from me." 1 John 3:32 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. (KJV)
d. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
e. For he hath made him sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (KJV)
f. Proverbs 12:5 The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit. (KJV)
g. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Hebrews 12:1-3 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
h. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.