My previous blog dealt with the only two choices that we have as outlined in Deuteronomy, chapter 30. When we make a conscientious decision to follow hard after God, some people would think that we relinquish control of our lives. On the contrary, I would say that we are in complete control of our destiny when we maintain our faithfulness to Him. Are we going to go through some times that we don't understand? Yes. Are we going to go through some places that make us uncomfortable? Yes. Are we going to go through some places that that will "look like" we have missed it? Absolutely. Is everybody going to be in agreement with us in our decisions? Absolutely not. And, if they did, that would be reason for us to re-evaluate our walk with the Saviour.
Let's look at some "looks likes." God promised Abraham children more numerous than the stars and the sand. He told him this when he was basically too old to have children. Some of you who know this story could say, "Aha, brother. Here's a contradiction. Sarah convinced Abraham to have a child by her handmaiden, Hagar. He missed it, didn't he?" Indeed he did. BUT, he was still in control of his destiny. He chose to go about having children like he and Sarah thought it should be done. Remember, they made the choice. That choice controlled not only their destiny, it controlled the destiny of the children of Israel even to this day. From that one mis-step, rose a nation that constantly fought against God and His people. Yes, Abraham and Sarah controlled their destiny by their actions.
However, they repented and followed hard after God. Therefore, they controlled their destiny. A child WAS born to them when it looked impossible. A child WAS born to them when nobody else believed that it could or would happen. Against all odds, they controlled their destiny by trusting God and God came through. Even after they passed away, God kept His Word to Abraham and brought a Redeemer of all mankind through him.
As we have discussed before, ALL THROUGHOUT Jesus' ministry, he was surrounded by doubts, fears, and jeers. His family didn't believe Him. The religious leaders jeered and fought against Him. Many, many times His own disciples couldn't bring themselves to believe Him.
How about the apostle Paul? In 2 Corinthians the 11th chapter, he talks about the hardships that he went through. Shipwrecks, imprisonments, and perils would have made it seem that Paul "missed it." Now, think about it. Paul controlled his own destiny by following hard after God. These things did not come his way because he "missed it." Rather, they came his way because he "got it." You control your destiny by complete and loving obedience to the will of God for your life. In essence, (see previous blog) you have chosen life and blessing. Sure you have to go through the "valley of the shadow of death" sometimes. Of course, some people won't understand. Naturally, some people will decry you as a sinner.
Let's take some advice from these heroes. Of Abraham it is said four times in the Bible--"Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness." Jesus prayed for God's will to be done and not His. He also said in John 14--Let not your heart be troubled. Paul said, in Romans 8--All things work together for GOOD. He said in 1 Thessalonians 5--In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God for you. There are many other examples I could give to you.
The bottom line is that all of these that held to the Word of God, controlled their destiny. Abraham got the multitudes of children which included the Saviour. Jesus healed and delivered many. He also rose from the dead and ascended back to the glory He originally had with the Father. He didn't lose a thing. Through all the discouraging things that Paul went through, churches were started, people were saved and a good part of the New Testament was written. You could also say that the heritage of these three continue to be manifested today.
Our enemies control their own destiny also. Let them miss it. That's their choice. If they choose to hate us, they control their destiny and God is faithful. If they choose to hinder us and withhold what is in their hand to do us good, they control their destiny and God will show Himself faithful. Whatever the decisions of the unrighteous are, we can be assured that they are controlling their own destiny whether they know it or not. They probably won't get what they thought they would get. But, our God is faithful. Let's rejoice in Him.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Keep Standing On The Word, Mr. President
Deut 30:15--See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16--In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
17--But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
18--I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, [and that] ye shall not prolong [your] days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
19--I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20--That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, [and] that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he [is] thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
My message to the President of the United States is the same that I would give to the Congress, the kings and presidents of foreign countries, the terrorists, the ministers that stand in pulpits, the deacons that serve on boards, the Christians that are going through good times and the Christians that are going through bad times.
I would give this same message to Tim Tebow, Albert Pujols, Willie Nelson, Leo Kotkke, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and anybody else on the face of this earth that would listen.
This passage of scripture is timeless and declares a straightforward message from Almighty God Who created all things by upholds all things by the Word of His power (Heb 1:3). Am I threatening anyone by this blog? Absolutely not. I am merely stating a fact that is contained in the Word of God.
The fact is, God has set before everyone that has ever lived on the face of this earth a promise the He is faithful to keep. There is no middle ground. There are no ifs ands or buts. It is point blank. And, there is no way out of it.
Here in Deuteronomy, God simply says in verse 15 that He has set before us only two choices. We can either choose life and good, or death and evil. I don't see where God said that there was any middle ground. I do not find anywhere else in the Word of God where He changes His mind on the subject. However, I can find many examples of where He carried out His promise with either a sudden blessing or a sudden curse. Some have endured great hardships while standing on His promise and received an abundance. Some have enjoyed great abundance but wound up destroyed. They probably did not realize that God meant what He said.
One of the greatest examples that I can bring to your attention in the short amount of time I have on this blog is the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus made a choice. He chose His Father's will. He chose to be faithful to His Father's Word knowing that His Father would be faithful to those who obey.
However, the religious group that claimed power over God's people and claimed to be God's voice to them chose death. No, I am not referring to Jesus' death, I am referring to a lifestyle of death and evil that the religious leaders chose. When they chose to rule God's people by their own set of rules instead of God's, they chose death and evil.. When they chose to antagonize the Lamb of God and His disciples, they chose death and evil. When they chose to persecute those that believed on Him, they chose death and evil.
I presume because God did not strike them down immediately they persisted. I presume that just because God did not come down in some visible form and tell them to stop it that they persisted. God did not need to tell them but once and He did that in the book of Deuteronomy. This book was part of the Torah and was available for all of the priests to read. If they did read it, they most certainly did not heed it. However, the continued choices of the religious leaders in Jesus's day and the years following led them to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 a.d.
The same reason that destruction came because they continued to choose death and evil, God will use to pour out His abundance upon those who will persist in choosing life and good. Every day, choices are set before us. I know first hand that it is hard to choose the right way sometimes. It is so easy to take the low road in life. But, don't give up. Spend some time every day in God's presence and in His Word. Commit His Word to memory and meditate on it throughout the day. Let His promises come to the forefront when you make decisions. Persist in choosing life and good, and God will persist in blessing us daily.
17--But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
18--I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, [and that] ye shall not prolong [your] days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
19--I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20--That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, [and] that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he [is] thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
My message to the President of the United States is the same that I would give to the Congress, the kings and presidents of foreign countries, the terrorists, the ministers that stand in pulpits, the deacons that serve on boards, the Christians that are going through good times and the Christians that are going through bad times.
I would give this same message to Tim Tebow, Albert Pujols, Willie Nelson, Leo Kotkke, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and anybody else on the face of this earth that would listen.
This passage of scripture is timeless and declares a straightforward message from Almighty God Who created all things by upholds all things by the Word of His power (Heb 1:3). Am I threatening anyone by this blog? Absolutely not. I am merely stating a fact that is contained in the Word of God.
The fact is, God has set before everyone that has ever lived on the face of this earth a promise the He is faithful to keep. There is no middle ground. There are no ifs ands or buts. It is point blank. And, there is no way out of it.
Here in Deuteronomy, God simply says in verse 15 that He has set before us only two choices. We can either choose life and good, or death and evil. I don't see where God said that there was any middle ground. I do not find anywhere else in the Word of God where He changes His mind on the subject. However, I can find many examples of where He carried out His promise with either a sudden blessing or a sudden curse. Some have endured great hardships while standing on His promise and received an abundance. Some have enjoyed great abundance but wound up destroyed. They probably did not realize that God meant what He said.
One of the greatest examples that I can bring to your attention in the short amount of time I have on this blog is the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus made a choice. He chose His Father's will. He chose to be faithful to His Father's Word knowing that His Father would be faithful to those who obey.
However, the religious group that claimed power over God's people and claimed to be God's voice to them chose death. No, I am not referring to Jesus' death, I am referring to a lifestyle of death and evil that the religious leaders chose. When they chose to rule God's people by their own set of rules instead of God's, they chose death and evil.. When they chose to antagonize the Lamb of God and His disciples, they chose death and evil. When they chose to persecute those that believed on Him, they chose death and evil.
I presume because God did not strike them down immediately they persisted. I presume that just because God did not come down in some visible form and tell them to stop it that they persisted. God did not need to tell them but once and He did that in the book of Deuteronomy. This book was part of the Torah and was available for all of the priests to read. If they did read it, they most certainly did not heed it. However, the continued choices of the religious leaders in Jesus's day and the years following led them to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 a.d.
The same reason that destruction came because they continued to choose death and evil, God will use to pour out His abundance upon those who will persist in choosing life and good. Every day, choices are set before us. I know first hand that it is hard to choose the right way sometimes. It is so easy to take the low road in life. But, don't give up. Spend some time every day in God's presence and in His Word. Commit His Word to memory and meditate on it throughout the day. Let His promises come to the forefront when you make decisions. Persist in choosing life and good, and God will persist in blessing us daily.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
What Was Jesus Thinking?
A couple of blogs ago, I mentioned the fact that Jesus' focused His heart on one thing. He had His heart, mind and soul set on His Father's will for His life. Let me reiterate the fact that God's will for Jesus was not JUST to die and rise again. The main reason God sent His only begotten Son is found in Genesis 3:15 where God gave His Word to the serpent (the devil) as well as to Adam and Eve that the seed of the woman would one day bruise the head of the serpent. Setting people free from the bondage of sin was uppermost in God's heart. As Jesus spent hours and hours in His Father's presence, He took on His Father's heart and desires.
Notice I did not say He spent hours and hours in prayer. There is a vast difference in praying and being in God's presence. I can say that from personal experience. There were times that I would just pray up a storm. I said all the things that I had heard the saints before me say. I did the things I had seen them do. That got me nowhere. It was just empty and vain repitition. I soon developed a hunger for His presence whether I uttered a word of prayer or not. My soul was hungry for Him. THEN, my heart began to pour out in prayer instead of my head just uttering words. There is a vast, vast difference.
Learn to wait on Him. When you finally train your spirit to enter into His presence, you will enter a whole new world of prayer. Prayer will come more frequently. Prayer will be compelling. Prayer will interrupt your day. I have had prayer interrupt my sleep because the Father was calling me into His presence for a reason. You will sense a dialogue between you and the Father. Your attitude will change to His and it will be a sweet and wonderful process as you taste of His love and patience with you.
Back to the subject. It was absolutely necessary that Jesus be in daily contact with His Father. It kept Him focussed on the Father's business. Here's where we get down to the nitty gritty. The Father's business was to release His man-child from the grips of sin, NOT for Jesus to be proven right all the time. Saints, that one statement ought to be put on a sticky note and put on the fridge, the tv, the mirror or anywhere that it can be seen.
God's will is NOT for you and I to be proven right 100% of the time. Does that hurt you? When God dealt that to me, it sho' nuff hurt the stuffins out of me. Jesus went around doing good and not evil. He went around blessing people that did not deserve to be blessed. But, His Father's heart made Him do it anyway. Satan was the instigator of their sin, not the people themselves. They were sold into slavery by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Father knew it and Jesus knew it.
The religious schmucks that ruled the lives of the Hebrews in Jesus' day did not give Jesus credit for anything. They called Him demon possessed, a glutton, a wine-bibber and a friend to sinners. They accused Him of being everything under the sun but the Son of God which He was born to be. They did not let Him into their clicks nor teach Him their secret handshake. They talked about Him and to Him like He was the worst scum-bucket there ever was. Let's keep in mind that satan was behind every word and action. Despite all of this, Jesus kept His mind, heart and soul focussed on ONE thing. Satan could instigate all that he wanted to. Jesus knew that He knew that He knew that He knew that one day He would meet satan on satan's home turf but under His Father's rules. His Father's rule was that Jesus would bruise His head and destroy satan's power over believers once and for all.
Therefore, all the things that should have bothered Him NEVER stayed in His mind or heart or soul for very long. He meditated on God's Word day and night (Psalm 1). He meditated on things that were true, honest, praise-worthy and just (Phil 4:8). And in His mind He saw himself doing exactly what Gen 3:15 said He was going to do. He put His anger, His hurt feelings and His desire for immediate justice aside because He knew that the day of vengance WOULD come (Deut 32:35).
Let us think on the same things and be of the same mind. Heaven, earth and our enemies will pass away, but God's Word and His promises are forever. Let's think about that.
Notice I did not say He spent hours and hours in prayer. There is a vast difference in praying and being in God's presence. I can say that from personal experience. There were times that I would just pray up a storm. I said all the things that I had heard the saints before me say. I did the things I had seen them do. That got me nowhere. It was just empty and vain repitition. I soon developed a hunger for His presence whether I uttered a word of prayer or not. My soul was hungry for Him. THEN, my heart began to pour out in prayer instead of my head just uttering words. There is a vast, vast difference.
Learn to wait on Him. When you finally train your spirit to enter into His presence, you will enter a whole new world of prayer. Prayer will come more frequently. Prayer will be compelling. Prayer will interrupt your day. I have had prayer interrupt my sleep because the Father was calling me into His presence for a reason. You will sense a dialogue between you and the Father. Your attitude will change to His and it will be a sweet and wonderful process as you taste of His love and patience with you.
Back to the subject. It was absolutely necessary that Jesus be in daily contact with His Father. It kept Him focussed on the Father's business. Here's where we get down to the nitty gritty. The Father's business was to release His man-child from the grips of sin, NOT for Jesus to be proven right all the time. Saints, that one statement ought to be put on a sticky note and put on the fridge, the tv, the mirror or anywhere that it can be seen.
God's will is NOT for you and I to be proven right 100% of the time. Does that hurt you? When God dealt that to me, it sho' nuff hurt the stuffins out of me. Jesus went around doing good and not evil. He went around blessing people that did not deserve to be blessed. But, His Father's heart made Him do it anyway. Satan was the instigator of their sin, not the people themselves. They were sold into slavery by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Father knew it and Jesus knew it.
The religious schmucks that ruled the lives of the Hebrews in Jesus' day did not give Jesus credit for anything. They called Him demon possessed, a glutton, a wine-bibber and a friend to sinners. They accused Him of being everything under the sun but the Son of God which He was born to be. They did not let Him into their clicks nor teach Him their secret handshake. They talked about Him and to Him like He was the worst scum-bucket there ever was. Let's keep in mind that satan was behind every word and action. Despite all of this, Jesus kept His mind, heart and soul focussed on ONE thing. Satan could instigate all that he wanted to. Jesus knew that He knew that He knew that He knew that one day He would meet satan on satan's home turf but under His Father's rules. His Father's rule was that Jesus would bruise His head and destroy satan's power over believers once and for all.
Therefore, all the things that should have bothered Him NEVER stayed in His mind or heart or soul for very long. He meditated on God's Word day and night (Psalm 1). He meditated on things that were true, honest, praise-worthy and just (Phil 4:8). And in His mind He saw himself doing exactly what Gen 3:15 said He was going to do. He put His anger, His hurt feelings and His desire for immediate justice aside because He knew that the day of vengance WOULD come (Deut 32:35).
Let us think on the same things and be of the same mind. Heaven, earth and our enemies will pass away, but God's Word and His promises are forever. Let's think about that.
Monday, October 24, 2011
The President Is Standing On The Word Of God
Yes, he is. I have NO doubt in my mind about it. Albert Pujols is standing on the Word of God. The pope is standing on the Word of God. I am standing on the Word of God. I trust that you are standing on the Word of God. Are you or aren't you? Are they or aren't they?
Dt 11:26--Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
27--A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
28--And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
By their actions and decisions, EVERYONE makes a choice of either blessing or cursing.
In Matthew's gospel the seventh chapter, Jesus declares that those that hear His words and does them is like a man that built his house upon a rock. Storms came and the house stood. He went on to say that those that heard His words and DIDN'T do them, is like a man that built his house on the sand. When the storms came, his house fell.
So, everyone, whether they claim to be Christians or not has a choice to make. Listen to God and be blessed. Ignore God and be cursed. I cannot find anywhere in His Word where He leaves ANY middle ground. That's because there is none. Christians, we ought to take these Words of His to heart and frame our prayers around them.
Let me share one more scripture before I explain. Numbers 32:23--But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out. This is the warning that Joshua gave to the children of Israel as they began to conquer and inhabit the promised land. This has, also, become a framework for my prayers. As I pray over our rulers and legislators, I remind God that He said that their sins will find them out. I consider this extremely necessary because of the corruption in our government. I find it even more necessary as I pray over the upcoming presidential election. There is so much talk of the media 'vetting' the candidates. That is, getting all their good stuff and bad stuff out in the open so everyone can see. Well, my prayer is that God will also do His 'vetting.' However, I pray that prayer over all of those who exercise rule and authority over us.
Dt. 11--EVERYBODY has chosen to be blessed or cursed. Mt 7--EVERYBODY has chosen to build their house either on the solid rock or on shifting sand. I stand before God early in the morning and throughout the day and pray as He commanded in Mt 6. God, let YOUR kingdom come and YOUR will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Dt 11:26--Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
27--A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
28--And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
By their actions and decisions, EVERYONE makes a choice of either blessing or cursing.
In Matthew's gospel the seventh chapter, Jesus declares that those that hear His words and does them is like a man that built his house upon a rock. Storms came and the house stood. He went on to say that those that heard His words and DIDN'T do them, is like a man that built his house on the sand. When the storms came, his house fell.
So, everyone, whether they claim to be Christians or not has a choice to make. Listen to God and be blessed. Ignore God and be cursed. I cannot find anywhere in His Word where He leaves ANY middle ground. That's because there is none. Christians, we ought to take these Words of His to heart and frame our prayers around them.
Let me share one more scripture before I explain. Numbers 32:23--But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out. This is the warning that Joshua gave to the children of Israel as they began to conquer and inhabit the promised land. This has, also, become a framework for my prayers. As I pray over our rulers and legislators, I remind God that He said that their sins will find them out. I consider this extremely necessary because of the corruption in our government. I find it even more necessary as I pray over the upcoming presidential election. There is so much talk of the media 'vetting' the candidates. That is, getting all their good stuff and bad stuff out in the open so everyone can see. Well, my prayer is that God will also do His 'vetting.' However, I pray that prayer over all of those who exercise rule and authority over us.
Dt. 11--EVERYBODY has chosen to be blessed or cursed. Mt 7--EVERYBODY has chosen to build their house either on the solid rock or on shifting sand. I stand before God early in the morning and throughout the day and pray as He commanded in Mt 6. God, let YOUR kingdom come and YOUR will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Let the Word be Your Vision
Ps 1:1--Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2--But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3--And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
There is an old song in some of your hymnals, "Be Thou My Vision." In the past several years, it has been resurrected by modern groups. Many people that follow hard after God sometimes desire a vision. I was one at one time. However, the entire Word of God is a vision if you choose to read and believe it. Most Christians do not get a vision from the Word of God for two reasons. One reason is that they very, very, very seldom read it. The second reason is that when they do read it they only half-way believe it.
Most of us are having difficult times at the present. Most of us have a hard time "seeing" their way out. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we change our visions. We have allowed circumstances, what we read in the newspapers and what we see on TV to 'Be Thou My Vision.' Our faith in our future becomes hazy, confused and sometimes non-existent by what we have fed our minds. (Note: It might be a good idea to read my previous blog about feeding the good dog.)
Jesus allowed the Word of God to be His vision. I am convinced that, according to Psalm 1, He meditated ONLY on what God said about Himself-----day and night. That's pretty close to all the time, don't you think? Let's take a look at some observations.
ONLY one or two of the religious muckety-mucks believed that He was Who He said He was. That left thousands in every city that refused to honor Him. Even after He released people from the captivity of their sins, their blindness, their lameness or demons, they refused to honor what God was doing in His life. They professed to be the voice of Almighty God to the whole world but refused to recognize His Son. Jesus never sinned. He never harmed anybody. He never did anything shady. And, He never, never, never got ANY recognition from the religious crowd. They had their own 'click.' Only brown-nosers could get in. How many times has this happened to you?
Let's go one step further. How many of Jesus' family believed He was Who God's Word said He was? None, but His mother, Mary. How many of Jesus' disciples believed that He would rise again? How many stood by Him during His trial and crucifixion? How many were with Him when He died on the cross? None, but John the Beloved. But, that never deterred Jesus.
To meditate means more than just to think about it. The Hebrew word for "meditate" also means to plot (or plan), to mutter (or to say it out loud) and to imagine (or to see yourself doing it.) However, if we JUST think about the Word day and night, we will begin to do more than just think about it. Here is a good example. Let's say that all you thought about for thirty minutes straight was a big, juicy cheeseburger or a thick, rich milkshake. You know and I know that when we think about it for thirty minutes straight, the desire for one or both of those items becomes a compelling urge. It becomes a necessity of life just because we refused to take our minds off of it. We could care less if our eating a cheeseburger or drinking a milkshake met ANYBODY'S approval or not. We were compelled to indulge.
Jesus, let His devotion to His Father be His approval. The Word of His Father was His vision. When everybody else disapproved and even disdained His desire to go to the cross and die, He was compelled to do it anyway.. To just endure the cross was not His main meditation. It sure wouldn't be mine. Jesus' compelling meditation, talk, and vision was of Him going down into the very regions of the damned to pay a visit to His life-long enemy, Lucifer. Jesus' vision for years, and years and years was the same one His Father had for eons and ages. It was His Father's will, plan, and law, that the (Gen 3:15) "seed of the woman" would one day take thousands of years worth of vengeance out on the 'serpent.' Jesus was compelled, not by what people thought or doubted, but by the love of the Creator God to meet satan on his own territory and deal him ONE FINAL BLOW. Jesus couldn't wait to get to the cross not because He enjoyed pain, but because He knew that it was the doorway to destroy the one who invented pain. In essence, Jesus wasn't looking for a death, He was looking for a fight. He meditated on dealing that deathblow. He talked about dealing that deathblow. He pictured Himself dealing that deathblow. He plotted HOW He would deal that deathblow. Just like you, me, the hamburger and the milkshake. The longer He meditated on it, the greater the joy and desire that welled up inside of Him. This adds more credence to Hebrews 12:2-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. Don't you reckon that every time Jesus thought about punching satan that a t-total-ton of joy began to jump up within Him?
And when that moment finally came, what a knockout punch it was. He took your place and mine in dealing the deathblow to satan. Luke 10:19 declares that Jesus gave us all power over this defeated foe. We can bind him and cast him out ANY TIME WE WANT TO. We can lay hands on the sick and have them recover, ANY TIME WE WANT TO. We can reach the lost ANY TIME WE WANT TO. The trouble is, do we want to? Be honest, we are afraid to. Why? Because we have let TV, newspapers, and a lot of times what our preacher or church affiliation tell us what God's Word means. Listen, if God didn't mean what He said in His Word, He would have put a cartoon there instead of His awesome promises. The problem is, we pay more attention to the cartoons on TV than we do to His promises.
Let the Word be your vision. Meditate on it more and more and more. Think about it. Memorize and confess it. Like Jesus did, think about whipping the devil stupid. Quit thinking and therefore acting like you are satan's mangy cur dog chained to a dead tree and lost in the corner of his back yard somewhere. See yourself as God sees you in Mark 16:15-18. Read it for yourself. I'm not quoting it to you on this blog. Get in there and read the Bible for a change. Believe the "GOOD NEWS" and come alive in the Word. Let the "GOOD NEWS" be your vision and you will change your household, your neighborhood and our nation.
Amen and Amen.
2--But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3--And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
There is an old song in some of your hymnals, "Be Thou My Vision." In the past several years, it has been resurrected by modern groups. Many people that follow hard after God sometimes desire a vision. I was one at one time. However, the entire Word of God is a vision if you choose to read and believe it. Most Christians do not get a vision from the Word of God for two reasons. One reason is that they very, very, very seldom read it. The second reason is that when they do read it they only half-way believe it.
Most of us are having difficult times at the present. Most of us have a hard time "seeing" their way out. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we change our visions. We have allowed circumstances, what we read in the newspapers and what we see on TV to 'Be Thou My Vision.' Our faith in our future becomes hazy, confused and sometimes non-existent by what we have fed our minds. (Note: It might be a good idea to read my previous blog about feeding the good dog.)
Jesus allowed the Word of God to be His vision. I am convinced that, according to Psalm 1, He meditated ONLY on what God said about Himself-----day and night. That's pretty close to all the time, don't you think? Let's take a look at some observations.
ONLY one or two of the religious muckety-mucks believed that He was Who He said He was. That left thousands in every city that refused to honor Him. Even after He released people from the captivity of their sins, their blindness, their lameness or demons, they refused to honor what God was doing in His life. They professed to be the voice of Almighty God to the whole world but refused to recognize His Son. Jesus never sinned. He never harmed anybody. He never did anything shady. And, He never, never, never got ANY recognition from the religious crowd. They had their own 'click.' Only brown-nosers could get in. How many times has this happened to you?
Let's go one step further. How many of Jesus' family believed He was Who God's Word said He was? None, but His mother, Mary. How many of Jesus' disciples believed that He would rise again? How many stood by Him during His trial and crucifixion? How many were with Him when He died on the cross? None, but John the Beloved. But, that never deterred Jesus.
To meditate means more than just to think about it. The Hebrew word for "meditate" also means to plot (or plan), to mutter (or to say it out loud) and to imagine (or to see yourself doing it.) However, if we JUST think about the Word day and night, we will begin to do more than just think about it. Here is a good example. Let's say that all you thought about for thirty minutes straight was a big, juicy cheeseburger or a thick, rich milkshake. You know and I know that when we think about it for thirty minutes straight, the desire for one or both of those items becomes a compelling urge. It becomes a necessity of life just because we refused to take our minds off of it. We could care less if our eating a cheeseburger or drinking a milkshake met ANYBODY'S approval or not. We were compelled to indulge.
Jesus, let His devotion to His Father be His approval. The Word of His Father was His vision. When everybody else disapproved and even disdained His desire to go to the cross and die, He was compelled to do it anyway.. To just endure the cross was not His main meditation. It sure wouldn't be mine. Jesus' compelling meditation, talk, and vision was of Him going down into the very regions of the damned to pay a visit to His life-long enemy, Lucifer. Jesus' vision for years, and years and years was the same one His Father had for eons and ages. It was His Father's will, plan, and law, that the (Gen 3:15) "seed of the woman" would one day take thousands of years worth of vengeance out on the 'serpent.' Jesus was compelled, not by what people thought or doubted, but by the love of the Creator God to meet satan on his own territory and deal him ONE FINAL BLOW. Jesus couldn't wait to get to the cross not because He enjoyed pain, but because He knew that it was the doorway to destroy the one who invented pain. In essence, Jesus wasn't looking for a death, He was looking for a fight. He meditated on dealing that deathblow. He talked about dealing that deathblow. He pictured Himself dealing that deathblow. He plotted HOW He would deal that deathblow. Just like you, me, the hamburger and the milkshake. The longer He meditated on it, the greater the joy and desire that welled up inside of Him. This adds more credence to Hebrews 12:2-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. Don't you reckon that every time Jesus thought about punching satan that a t-total-ton of joy began to jump up within Him?
And when that moment finally came, what a knockout punch it was. He took your place and mine in dealing the deathblow to satan. Luke 10:19 declares that Jesus gave us all power over this defeated foe. We can bind him and cast him out ANY TIME WE WANT TO. We can lay hands on the sick and have them recover, ANY TIME WE WANT TO. We can reach the lost ANY TIME WE WANT TO. The trouble is, do we want to? Be honest, we are afraid to. Why? Because we have let TV, newspapers, and a lot of times what our preacher or church affiliation tell us what God's Word means. Listen, if God didn't mean what He said in His Word, He would have put a cartoon there instead of His awesome promises. The problem is, we pay more attention to the cartoons on TV than we do to His promises.
Let the Word be your vision. Meditate on it more and more and more. Think about it. Memorize and confess it. Like Jesus did, think about whipping the devil stupid. Quit thinking and therefore acting like you are satan's mangy cur dog chained to a dead tree and lost in the corner of his back yard somewhere. See yourself as God sees you in Mark 16:15-18. Read it for yourself. I'm not quoting it to you on this blog. Get in there and read the Bible for a change. Believe the "GOOD NEWS" and come alive in the Word. Let the "GOOD NEWS" be your vision and you will change your household, your neighborhood and our nation.
Amen and Amen.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Feed the Good Dog
Several years ago, the company I worked for took a chance on hiring an ex-convict. While in prison he had accepted Jesus Christ. We could tell that he had a real relationship with the Lord. After he got out of prison he had joined the church whose prison ministry had helped change his life. While going to this church, me met and married the pastor's daughter. I had visited this church on special occasions and knew several of the members there.
After marrying the pastor's daughter, my friend came to his new father-in-law and had the courage to confess to him that in his sinner days, he had developed a lust for pornography. Like any other sin, it had a grip on him that he did not know how to shake. The Godly pastor and father-in-law gave him this analogy which will work every time, not matter what the sin is that has you bound.
He said that inside every one of us is two dogs. A good one and a bad one. The good one is the one who is always faithful to us. He guards our home and our children. He comes when he is called. This good dog is a pleasure to be around and makes his owner proud. The good dog does no harm. He is obedient and always has a sweet disposition. Your children can play safely inside our outside and the good dog is always vigilant to protect them. He will play carefully with them. When the good dog is in the house, everyone feels safe. Everyone loves to be around the good dog.
The other dog is a mean, vicious cur. Your family is in danger of being bitten every time they are around him. He barks incessantly. He tears up the flower gardens. When you open the door of the house to go out or come in, he barges through the door. He is extremely disobedient and refuses your orders to stop. While inside he gets his filth all over the carpet, the furniture and anyone he goes around. Before you can wrestle him outside, your house is wrecked and your family is left cringing in fear.
He finished by saying this. Whichever dog we feed the most is the one who gets stronger and stronger. He went on to say that it was possible to kill one of these dogs simply by neglecting him and not feeding him at all. We feed these dogs by what we think about. Then, the pastor told him very straightly. When we indulge in sin in our minds, the cur dog gets stronger and the Godly dog gets weaker. But, when we meditate on God's Word and on His goodness, the good dog gets stronger and the old cur begins to die.
Let's be diligent to feed the good dog.
After marrying the pastor's daughter, my friend came to his new father-in-law and had the courage to confess to him that in his sinner days, he had developed a lust for pornography. Like any other sin, it had a grip on him that he did not know how to shake. The Godly pastor and father-in-law gave him this analogy which will work every time, not matter what the sin is that has you bound.
He said that inside every one of us is two dogs. A good one and a bad one. The good one is the one who is always faithful to us. He guards our home and our children. He comes when he is called. This good dog is a pleasure to be around and makes his owner proud. The good dog does no harm. He is obedient and always has a sweet disposition. Your children can play safely inside our outside and the good dog is always vigilant to protect them. He will play carefully with them. When the good dog is in the house, everyone feels safe. Everyone loves to be around the good dog.
The other dog is a mean, vicious cur. Your family is in danger of being bitten every time they are around him. He barks incessantly. He tears up the flower gardens. When you open the door of the house to go out or come in, he barges through the door. He is extremely disobedient and refuses your orders to stop. While inside he gets his filth all over the carpet, the furniture and anyone he goes around. Before you can wrestle him outside, your house is wrecked and your family is left cringing in fear.
He finished by saying this. Whichever dog we feed the most is the one who gets stronger and stronger. He went on to say that it was possible to kill one of these dogs simply by neglecting him and not feeding him at all. We feed these dogs by what we think about. Then, the pastor told him very straightly. When we indulge in sin in our minds, the cur dog gets stronger and the Godly dog gets weaker. But, when we meditate on God's Word and on His goodness, the good dog gets stronger and the old cur begins to die.
Let's be diligent to feed the good dog.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Jesus Framed His Prayers and Defined People's Outcome by the Word
Take a look at one of the cornerstone scriptures that, I personally believe, framed Jesus' prayers and defined what kind of actions He should take toward God's man-child.
Psalm 103:12--As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
In Luke 8 and Mark 5, Jesus went across the sea of Galilee, through a storm that looked like would kill them all just to make contact with one man. This man was was so vile that no one could stand to be around him. The Word of God said that he was inhabited by a legion of demons. Out of all the GOOD people Jesus would come across in his every day experience, out of all the GOOD people that deserved to be healed and delivered, Jesus took a perilous journey to minister to this ungodly outcast of society. He prayed and commanded the demons to loose him. Why? His actions and His love were framed by the diamond of God's heart found in Psalm 103:12. Whatever that man had done, Jesus did just like His Father did. He threw that man's sins as far as the east is from the west where ever that is. It was then that He was able to see the broken man-child His Father had created to be loved. And, His compassion did the only SANE thing imaginable. He restored that man's sanity and then He restored that man to his family and friends. Somebody shout will ya. Shout or cry one.
In John 8, the pious bigots of Jesus' day brought Him a woman that they said had been caught in the very act of adultery. I don't doubt that she was guilty or Jesus would have corrected the men right then and there. This woman never protested because she knew that she was guilty and she knew that today she would die. As the scribes and Pharisees looked at the woman they had tricked and the Saviour that they were trying to trick, Jesus looked through the blood-colored glasses of Psalm 103:12 and declared this woman worthy of the love of God. Through divine wisdom and the compassion that flowed from the throne of grace, Jesus took His time answering. His answer from the heart of Almighty God broke the chains of their deceit. They melted away at the writing that Jesus made in the sand. Maybe it was this verse. I personally believe it was the overwhelming compassion for a sinner, that intangible that bigots can't fathom, that confused the issue in their minds. Jesus framed His conversation and defined His actions toward that woman by what His Father had said about her. He declared, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." (vs 11). Do you see there that Jesus admitted that He knew she had been caught in sin? Yet, He CHOSE to cast them so far away that they could never be seen.
His actions toward us are the same, my friend. Enter into His grace and compassion today and share the attitude of Ps 103:12 with those you come in contact with.
Psalm 103:12--As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
In Luke 8 and Mark 5, Jesus went across the sea of Galilee, through a storm that looked like would kill them all just to make contact with one man. This man was was so vile that no one could stand to be around him. The Word of God said that he was inhabited by a legion of demons. Out of all the GOOD people Jesus would come across in his every day experience, out of all the GOOD people that deserved to be healed and delivered, Jesus took a perilous journey to minister to this ungodly outcast of society. He prayed and commanded the demons to loose him. Why? His actions and His love were framed by the diamond of God's heart found in Psalm 103:12. Whatever that man had done, Jesus did just like His Father did. He threw that man's sins as far as the east is from the west where ever that is. It was then that He was able to see the broken man-child His Father had created to be loved. And, His compassion did the only SANE thing imaginable. He restored that man's sanity and then He restored that man to his family and friends. Somebody shout will ya. Shout or cry one.
In John 8, the pious bigots of Jesus' day brought Him a woman that they said had been caught in the very act of adultery. I don't doubt that she was guilty or Jesus would have corrected the men right then and there. This woman never protested because she knew that she was guilty and she knew that today she would die. As the scribes and Pharisees looked at the woman they had tricked and the Saviour that they were trying to trick, Jesus looked through the blood-colored glasses of Psalm 103:12 and declared this woman worthy of the love of God. Through divine wisdom and the compassion that flowed from the throne of grace, Jesus took His time answering. His answer from the heart of Almighty God broke the chains of their deceit. They melted away at the writing that Jesus made in the sand. Maybe it was this verse. I personally believe it was the overwhelming compassion for a sinner, that intangible that bigots can't fathom, that confused the issue in their minds. Jesus framed His conversation and defined His actions toward that woman by what His Father had said about her. He declared, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." (vs 11). Do you see there that Jesus admitted that He knew she had been caught in sin? Yet, He CHOSE to cast them so far away that they could never be seen.
His actions toward us are the same, my friend. Enter into His grace and compassion today and share the attitude of Ps 103:12 with those you come in contact with.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Let the Word of God Frame Your Prayers and Define Your Outcome.
John 13:3-Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
Chapters 13-17 of John's gospel deal with the things that Jesus did and said in His last hours before his trial, crucifixion and resurrection. He knew explicitly His Father's will for Him because it had been mapped out by the Old Testament prophets. He knew that His Father's love for Him was greater than anything that He would ever go through. That combined knowledge gave Him the courage to act and pray as He did. Even though He knew the terrible things that were going to befall Him, He had the peace and strength to endure all of the hardships until God's Word came to pass just like He said that it would.
Those of us who call ourselves Christians and know that these are true events should take greater courage to enter into a realm of earnest prayer and earnest expectation. Let us boldly (Heb 4:16) come before the Father, knowing His will, and lay our passions before Him as Jesus did. Jesus used the Word of God to frame His prayers. Jesus used the Word of God to define His outcome. He prayed as if the world would pass away before one teensy bit of the Word failed to come to pass (Mt 5:18).
If we know that it is God's will that everyone come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9), then the only question we should have in our minds is--"Who do I know that is NOT saved." How about ALL of your unsaved loved ones? How about our government officials, from the President of the United States on down to our city alderman? How about the members of our Congress? How about the Presidential candidates? Who? According to one of the men who walked with Jesus, it is not the will of God that ANY should perish.
In Luke 10:19--Did God really say that WE had power over ALL the power of the enemy? Is this something that we frame our prayers around and define our outcome? Or have our prayers been framed by what we see and hear. If Jesus did that, He would have run away to the Himalayas and lived with the abominable snowmen instead of running to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray until strength came to face the cross. Even though no one had risen from the dead without another physical person praying for him before, Jesus KNEW that it was OK for Him to die. He framed His prayers and defined His outcome by what His Father said. The devil had NO authority over His outcome.
In light of that, do we know of any places where satan has the upper hand? Do we know of any places where we SHOULD BE framing our prayers and defining our outcome? Any devils in our government? Any devils trying to control and manhandle our Congress and city governments? Are there demonic powers running rampant in our neighborhoods, housing projects and city streets? How about our schools and our armed forces? Do we sit idly by and think that the job is too big for God or do we frame our prayers and define our outcome by what He has promised. Are we going to idly sit by and let drugs, divorce and suicide reign freely over those that God says He loves enough to die for? I say---ABSOLUTELY NOT!!
If know one else will rise up, stand in the Holy Place of the Word of God and lay claim to the promises of God, I will. I no longer want my future and the future of my family, country and servicemen defined by any foreign nation or any other ungodly source. I fully intend on allowing the Word of God to frame my prayers and define my outcome. Are you with me?
Chapters 13-17 of John's gospel deal with the things that Jesus did and said in His last hours before his trial, crucifixion and resurrection. He knew explicitly His Father's will for Him because it had been mapped out by the Old Testament prophets. He knew that His Father's love for Him was greater than anything that He would ever go through. That combined knowledge gave Him the courage to act and pray as He did. Even though He knew the terrible things that were going to befall Him, He had the peace and strength to endure all of the hardships until God's Word came to pass just like He said that it would.
Those of us who call ourselves Christians and know that these are true events should take greater courage to enter into a realm of earnest prayer and earnest expectation. Let us boldly (Heb 4:16) come before the Father, knowing His will, and lay our passions before Him as Jesus did. Jesus used the Word of God to frame His prayers. Jesus used the Word of God to define His outcome. He prayed as if the world would pass away before one teensy bit of the Word failed to come to pass (Mt 5:18).
If we know that it is God's will that everyone come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9), then the only question we should have in our minds is--"Who do I know that is NOT saved." How about ALL of your unsaved loved ones? How about our government officials, from the President of the United States on down to our city alderman? How about the members of our Congress? How about the Presidential candidates? Who? According to one of the men who walked with Jesus, it is not the will of God that ANY should perish.
In Luke 10:19--Did God really say that WE had power over ALL the power of the enemy? Is this something that we frame our prayers around and define our outcome? Or have our prayers been framed by what we see and hear. If Jesus did that, He would have run away to the Himalayas and lived with the abominable snowmen instead of running to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray until strength came to face the cross. Even though no one had risen from the dead without another physical person praying for him before, Jesus KNEW that it was OK for Him to die. He framed His prayers and defined His outcome by what His Father said. The devil had NO authority over His outcome.
In light of that, do we know of any places where satan has the upper hand? Do we know of any places where we SHOULD BE framing our prayers and defining our outcome? Any devils in our government? Any devils trying to control and manhandle our Congress and city governments? Are there demonic powers running rampant in our neighborhoods, housing projects and city streets? How about our schools and our armed forces? Do we sit idly by and think that the job is too big for God or do we frame our prayers and define our outcome by what He has promised. Are we going to idly sit by and let drugs, divorce and suicide reign freely over those that God says He loves enough to die for? I say---ABSOLUTELY NOT!!
If know one else will rise up, stand in the Holy Place of the Word of God and lay claim to the promises of God, I will. I no longer want my future and the future of my family, country and servicemen defined by any foreign nation or any other ungodly source. I fully intend on allowing the Word of God to frame my prayers and define my outcome. Are you with me?
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Vote for God and His Word
Matthew 6:10--Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, this was the second phrase of what we know as 'The Lord's Prayer.' This seems to indicate to me the importance of inviting God to take a leading role in our lives. As I rise each morning and begin to pray, there are times when this becomes the center point of my prayer. All through the day as the opportunity arises, this phrase comes up through my spirit as I breathe a prayer to Him. It is altogether important that we all turn the reins of our lives over to the Almighty God. There are situations that come up that I have no control over, but I want to give Him that control. There are things that happen to me that I do not understand nor do I understand why. In those times, I just take a moment to tell myself as much as I say it to God, "You're in control, Father. I don't understand what You're doing. None of what I'm going through makes sense. If I was God, I would have never brought me into a situation like this. However, You are God and I trust You are bringing me into what You know to be the best thing for me. So, Father, bring it on. Bring on Your will."
We have a presidential election coming up soon. I trust you are with me when I say that it is altogether so very, very important to pray this particular phrase over the events leading up to this election. Out of all the candidates, out of all of their qualifications, out of all of their speeches and promises there is nothing as important as having the will of God done for this nation. However, if we, God's people do not take the time to 'vote' for Him as the Lord of lord and King of kings, this election or any election or event could wind up being disastrous. My daily prayer for this nation is, "God have Your way. Let Your kingdom come in the United States. Bring to the forefront the person You want and that we need to be the president. On the authority of Mat. 16:19 and Mat. 18:18, I bind satan's influence in this election and I loose God's choice from every hindrance."
As we all know, campaign speeches can be filled with more rhetoric than anything else. That's a sweet way of saying that they are vomiting out a pack of lies. So, as I pray, I refer back to what Joshua told some of the children of Israel as they began to enter the promised land. In Numbers 32:23--But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out. Therefore, for the past several years a constant phrase that comes up in my prayers is, "God, let their sins find them out." We have seen that God, indeed, is honoring His Word. Several 'hidden' things have come to light in the past couple of years that have led to the downfall of many.
Let me urge you to put those phrases into your daily prayer. If you are not in the habit of daily prayer, then get into it. God's will needs to be done in America. We NEED Him to get involved in our political process. We need His will to be done. We need His man/woman to be loosed to come to the forefront. We need every evil influence bound over this process. We need the lies to be exposed. Therefore, vote for God and His Word.
Re-elect Obama? Vote for Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney or one of the others? I do not listen to the news much and I refuse to listen to the debates. I personally have not made up my mind who I will vote for on election day next year. But I do know that today I will vote for God and His Word. I will pray, "Let Your kingdom come and let Your will be done, not only today but all the way to the Rapture. Do what you need to do, God. Start anything that needs to be started and stop whatever needs to stop. You alone are the Almighty God and to you alone do we commit this nation and our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen."
We have a presidential election coming up soon. I trust you are with me when I say that it is altogether so very, very important to pray this particular phrase over the events leading up to this election. Out of all the candidates, out of all of their qualifications, out of all of their speeches and promises there is nothing as important as having the will of God done for this nation. However, if we, God's people do not take the time to 'vote' for Him as the Lord of lord and King of kings, this election or any election or event could wind up being disastrous. My daily prayer for this nation is, "God have Your way. Let Your kingdom come in the United States. Bring to the forefront the person You want and that we need to be the president. On the authority of Mat. 16:19 and Mat. 18:18, I bind satan's influence in this election and I loose God's choice from every hindrance."
As we all know, campaign speeches can be filled with more rhetoric than anything else. That's a sweet way of saying that they are vomiting out a pack of lies. So, as I pray, I refer back to what Joshua told some of the children of Israel as they began to enter the promised land. In Numbers 32:23--But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out. Therefore, for the past several years a constant phrase that comes up in my prayers is, "God, let their sins find them out." We have seen that God, indeed, is honoring His Word. Several 'hidden' things have come to light in the past couple of years that have led to the downfall of many.
Let me urge you to put those phrases into your daily prayer. If you are not in the habit of daily prayer, then get into it. God's will needs to be done in America. We NEED Him to get involved in our political process. We need His will to be done. We need His man/woman to be loosed to come to the forefront. We need every evil influence bound over this process. We need the lies to be exposed. Therefore, vote for God and His Word.
Re-elect Obama? Vote for Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney or one of the others? I do not listen to the news much and I refuse to listen to the debates. I personally have not made up my mind who I will vote for on election day next year. But I do know that today I will vote for God and His Word. I will pray, "Let Your kingdom come and let Your will be done, not only today but all the way to the Rapture. Do what you need to do, God. Start anything that needs to be started and stop whatever needs to stop. You alone are the Almighty God and to you alone do we commit this nation and our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen."
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