james one five

…and stand our ground we can have victory.

2 Samuel 23:9-10

⁹ Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated, ¹⁰ but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.

In the NIV bible Eleazar is refferred to as one of David’s mighty men. When the Philistine army charged the Israelites they ran. The bible says they retreated which means they ran for their lives rather than face death in battle.

What are you running from? Why are you running? At what point will you grow tired of running and stand your ground and fight. We have nothing to fear because the weight is not on us. Although we are the ones physically doing the fighting it’s God with us who will give us victory.

This not a motivational line or a way for me  to convince you to stand strong and charge. This is the word of almighty God. Our Father who is merciful and loves us so much that he saved us by sacrificing his own Son.

Now this is what the word of God says.

Deuteronomy 20:4

⁴ For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

2 Samuel 22:36

You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great.

Psalm 18:35

³⁵ You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.

Psalm 44:3

³ It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.

Psalm 44:5-7

⁵ Through you we push back our enemies;
through your name we trample our foes.

⁶ I do not trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;

⁷ but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.

Romans 8:28-39

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

³¹What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” ³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Brothers and sisters I have a confession to make. I have been running all my life. In one way or another I have ran and ran and have only taken a stand when the Lord has made all other paths impossible. Even now I am running.

What are you running from? What are you afraid of? Consider these things. Part of change is to stop pretending that war is not at hand. Know that God could miracle your problems away. He could miracle you the dream life and give you everything now. But if your honest with yourself you know that although that would be great you would not learn much and it would only be a matter of time before your in the same situation all over again.

Now, what I am running from I need to face. I don’t like the idea of having to go into battle and possibly being wounded but it’s not a matter of opinion. By the word of God I will have victory. I will stand strong and strike down my enemies until the war is won. Not by my strength but by his strength.

I’m tired of running.

I’ve been learning some things about this. I’m beginning to think that Satan doesn’t have all the power we say he does. I think most of what we do is due to our flesh and our weakness. I’m beginning to think that Satan is a copout.

Sure, he exists and would destroy us if he could but if Jesus is with us and the Holy Spirit lives in us then how can he harm us?

I’m beginning to think we give him too much credit.

More on this later.

Mathew 25:1-13

¹“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

⁹” ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

¹¹“Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

¹²“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’

¹³“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Yes, brothers and sisters the world is full of darkness. But many of already knew that. So therefore let’s be prepared and keep our lamps lit. If Jesus is the light and we are supposed to be the light of the world then one way we can ensure that our light shines brightly is to keep it filled with Jesus.

Practically speaking we can fill our lamps through prayer, through reading his word and by walking in his ways.

It doesn’t mean that were always going to be motivated or that our walks will be completely sinless and blameless. What it means is that as we know that we walk in darkness we do what we can to keep our lamps lit.

If you don’t then you risk the possibility of not being able to see clearly and being mislead in the darkness by those who walk in darkness.

Therefore, keep your lamps lit and you will be able to see clearly. Even in darkness.

We have many freedoms that we take for granted. Let’s not forget our brothers and sisters who suffer for Jesus. They deserve more than our casual acknowledgment. They deserve our prayers.

Right now our leaders want us to believe that everything is terrible. They are pumping us with fear because people who are afraid are easier to control.

Even if we lose our jobs, our homes, our family’s and our health we still have it better than most of our brothers and sisters around the world.

We should not feel guilty that we have it so good. We instead should cry out to God and give him thanks for his love and wonderful mercy. Let’s give our Lord thanks for his abundance and in turn pray for our brothers and sisters who are suffering.

How do we repay God for all that he has done for us? We can’t. But how do we give thanks in a way that exceeds mere words? Love.

Esther 1:1-19

¹ This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush : ² At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, ³ and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present.

⁴ For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. ⁵ When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest, who were in the citadel of Susa. ⁶ The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. ⁷ Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality. ⁸ By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink in his own way, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.

⁹ Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.

¹⁰ On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas- ¹¹ to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. ¹² But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger.

¹³ Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times ¹⁴ and were closest to the king—Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom.

¹⁵ “According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?” he asked. “She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes that the eunuchs have taken to her.”

¹⁶ Then Memucan replied in the presence of the king and the nobles, “Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. ¹⁷ For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.’ ¹⁸ This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen’s conduct will respond to all the king’s nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord.

¹⁹ “Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she.

If God who is our King is calling you then answer that call. We have an opportunity and should be encouraged that we have been given a position that we did not earn nor do we deserve. We have been washed and made clean by the blood of Jesus. It’s not something that we should take lightly.

If you are not saved and are reading this then this is your call. If you are saved and call yourself a Christian but haven’t been answering God’s call then remember that God is patient but we do not have forever. Heed his call on your life before your position is given to someone else.

We cannot lose our salvation but we can reject our salvation. Vashti didn’t lose her position, she rejected it by rejecting the call of her king Xerxes. What was so important that she rejected him? What is so important in your life that your are too busy or too distracted to answer His calling on your life?

God’s call is a call of mercy, grace, peace, friendship, sonship it is a call of salvation. She would have remained queen if she had just come when he called. Silly right? Let’s not follow in her footsteps.

I like to think that I would take action. But who can say unless your in the situation. Just the other day I was riding my motorcycle to the gym and I saw a man trying to push his car by himself to the side of the road. He was on the driver’s side trying to push with one hand on the wheel to steer the car around the corner. I was in a  hurry and I didn’t stop.

Sure I have stopped at other times. I have helped plenty. The question however, is it a matter of choice as followers of Christ to choose when it’s convenient to help? Or is it our duty as a light of the world?

Sometimes, we are unable to help. But if were honest, we can help more often than we can’t. But we don’t more often than we do.

Enough of what I think, this is what Jesus said…

Luke 25-37

²⁵On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷He answered: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

²⁸“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³²So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Amen.

…why is there bad people in the world? Why is there evil? Why do bad things happen?

I asked all of those questions before learning the truth about Christ. Still even after I have asked similar questions like why can’t Jesus just return already and make everything right. Why did any of this have to happen. The answer is a long one. The answer sometimes takes a lifetime of experience to fully understand however I have found a scripture that may help. It has helped me and I hope it helps you.

Mathew 13:24-30

²⁴Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸” ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹” ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’

When we ask these questions in our minds, in our hearts let’s not forget that God is not willing that anyone perish but that all come to repentance. Let’s be patient and loving, let’s be a light in a world full of darkness. Let the Holy Spirit in us light the way for those who walk in darkness. Each and every one of us has the power to heal the blind, the deaf, the mute and the cripped.

By God’s grace and the truth of Jesus Christ we can help the spiritually blind see the truth, the spiritually deaf will hear the truth, the spiritually mute will speak of the truth and the spiritually cripped will walk in the truth.

Physical healing was a huge part of Jesus ministry but it was the beginning of a life changing revelation. A revelation that does not only heal the physical body but heal the spiritual body and thus free us from mortality. When we are spiritually ressurected then death has no power over us. Even though our physical bodies die our spirits will live forever.

This has freed my mind from the bondage created by a finite universe. By a bondage that has been laid upon my intellect bombarded by a society that lives for limited pleasures. As infinite as God’s wisdom and eternity is, infinitely short sided and narrow minded are those who sacrifice eternity for things that don’t last.

Mathew 13:36-43

³⁶Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ³⁹and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

⁴⁰“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴²They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

God is good, and he is so good that he has spared the weeds so the wheat can grow. There will be a harvest. Let’s live worthy of being gathered. We can, and we will, be encouraged.

Now, if your not sure where you stand then make sure right now. Simply there is no magical formula for salvation and there’s not some special ritual or prayer that must be said. What you need to do is humble yourself and ask God to forgive you. Believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God. Believe that he died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins, believe that he was resurrected on the third day and by that resurrection he defeated death and sin for all of us. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done before, what matters now is that you ask God to save you and make Jesus Christ your Lord and savior. It will change your life, is has changed mine.

Amen.

Pray for them, rebuke them gently, instruct them in the word. But, first do the same for yourself and be free from that bondage. In the race for your best life now, be sure not to sacrifice the next life for it.

1 Timothy 6:3-10

³If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, ⁴he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions ⁵and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Amen.

Proverbs 3:25, 26

²⁵ Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

²⁶ for the LORD will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being snared.

When you see everyone and everything around you falling apart, take courage. Don’t doubt and don’t fear. This is something I am learning right now. I have read this and understand the knowledge but understanding the experience and going through it is eye opening.

Yes it appears that the world is falling apart and many people especially the wicked are beginning to pay the price for their evil. I’m not talking about people who struggle with sin because we all do. I’m talking about people who deliberately defy the will of God and stand to destroy our hope.

I dare not judge them but it’s obvious that they are reaping the harvest of their iniquities. We however as children of the most high have nothing to fear. So take courage, everything is going to be OK.

Proverbs 3:27, 28

²⁷ Do not withhold good from those who deserve it,
when it is in your power to act.

²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor,
“Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”—
when you now have it with you.