Word for your week

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Boldly and joyfully, the Bible declares God’s Son is alive! And so are the sons and daughters of God!

“He is not here; for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying” (Matthew 28:6) The angel’s out-of-this-world, early morning announcement to the despairing disciples on that first Easter morning changed forever the lives of Christ’s fearful, feeble followers.

Paralyzing fear gave way to potent faith. Believing in Christ’s resurrection, the disciples were transformed into resurrection people. Previously powerless, Christ’s followers became spiritually powerful. Through Jesus’ mighty resurrection power, they turned their world upside down and right side up (Acts 17:6).

The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:10-11 “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”   Philippians 3:10-11

Paul longed to know Jesus and “the power of His resurrection”! Paul’s supreme desire was to personally experience the person of Christ (“that I may know Him”) and to live his life with His resurrection power. Paul’s ultimate spiritual goal was to be raised from the dead himself (“attain to the resurrection from the dead”).
    
While journeying on this earth, fighting the good fight of faith, the apostle’s heart cry was to endure and overcome suffering for Christ (“the fellowship of His suffering’) and conquer the power of death (“being conformed to His death”) through the resurrection power of Jesus.

Personally knowing God. Daily experiencing His resurrection power. Overcoming suffering and conquering death. That a prescription for victorious Christian living!

Paul hit the proverbial nail on the head: Christlikeness and Christian living is all about Christ’s resurrection power in us. What a way to live…the only way to live the Christian life!

Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead provides power for the powerless…. hope for the hopeless…. help for the helpless…. and abundant, eternal life for the lifeless. THE RESURRECTION IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.

Without resurrection, death rules and reigns. Resurrection destroys the power of death…. and life reigns!

How about you? What does the resurrection of Jesus Christ mean to you? Are you living your life according to the power of His resurrection? Do you experience spiritual power on a daily basis? Does resurrection power empower you to overcome life’s difficulties and live a victorious Christian life?

Christians are resurrection people with resurrection power for resurrection living!
    
Here are some thoughts worth meditating upon regarding Christ’s resurrection power.

• Resurrection power is a by-product of a personal relationship with Christ. Christians are powerless without resurrection power.
• The Holy Spirit fills us with is Jesus’ resurrection power (Acts 1:8).
• Resurrection power provides power for effective witnessing to Christ’s resurrection (Acts 4:33).
• Resurrection power empowers believers to rise above and triumph over life’s trials.
• Resurrection power is the power the world is looking for.
• Resurrection people’s lives attract lost people to the resurrected Christ.
• Resurrection power provides power for victorious Christian living.
• Resurrection power is the power that will propel God’s people to heaven!

Considering the above truths, how can we possibly live powerless lives when the power of Christ’s resurrection is available to us every day?

Think about it. If I am walking through life without power, what does that say about my faith in the One who provides all the power I need to overcome through His resurrection from the dead?

Fellow Christian, we are alive in Christ! You and I are powerful persons. Filled and empowered with resurrection power! His power! Formidable, life-changing spiritual power for overcoming life’s trials and witnessing successfully for Him.

Resurrection people should live productive, powerful lives, not pitiful, powerless ones.    

Away then with powerless lives and non-productive living! Do not be pushed around by life. Never allow thoughts of despair, defeat, disaster, destruction or death to trouble you. YOU ARE ALIVE IN CHRIST AND HAVE POWER OVER DEATH!
    
So boldly lay hold of Christ’s resurrection power…. and His power will lay hold of you. Settle for nothing less than a powerful, productive life in Christ that is powered by His resurrection. Rise up today in resurrection power as a resurrection person and bring resurrection life to people who need the Lord.

Glory to God for Christ’s resurrection power!
    
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”                                          Romans 8:11

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”                            I Peter 1:3

A Word For Your Week: Live your life with resurrection power.

“It is finished.”
God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, uttered these three last words as He voluntarily and sacrificially died on the Cross (John 19:30).
We humans tend to pay attention to and give homage to people’s last words.
We memorialize and even immortalize “famous” final words. As Christians, I believe you and I should humbly, reverently, thankfully and joyfully acknowledge the last words of Jesus which are the greatest last words of all time.
This week set apart some time to read the account of Christ’s crucifixion in all four Gospels (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19). Meditate upon the narrative of Jesus’ last moments. Ask the Holy Spirit to renew within you a fresh understanding of what really happened when the Lord declared “It is finished.”
“It is finished” meant mission accomplished. Jesus, committed to do His Father’s will, came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). That’s you, me and all who choose to believe in Him.
What was finished? Salvation. Atonement. Redemption. Forgiveness for our sins. A reconciled, restored relationship with our Father in heaven.
What happened that memorable day on the Cross on a mount named Golgotha (Place of the Skull) in a singular moment changed human history for time and eternity.
As Jesus suffered on the Cross, being in unimaginable spiritual, physical, mental and emotional agony, His wounds pouring out His precious life blood, the boisterous, devil inspired, disrespectful, irreverent crowd at Calvary, led by the religious hypocrites, trash-talked, taunted and mocked Jesus.
If you are the Son of God come down off the cross. Look, He saved others, but cannot save Himself. The spiteful, hateful, heart-piercing words of deceived, spiritually lost men and women only drove the cold metal spikes further into His wounds.
The Lord’s response to the abuse: “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Forgiveness based on God’s love was the suffering Savior’s offer to those who hated Him.
 My friends, there is power in the Cross of Christ. The power of God’s love. The power of hope. The power of forgiveness. The power of salvation. The power of restoration. The power of a new beginning. The power of death to life!!!
The Apostle Paul writes in I Corinthians 2:2-5 “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling. And my message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
Paul’s ministry was founded upon the central themes of the Cross of Christ and the Lord’s resurrection. In the Cross, Paul saw the power of God unto salvation. Paul was faithful to preach Christ and Him crucified in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus humbled Himself to the death of the Cross (Philippians 2:8). The Lord endured the Cross, despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2). Why? So you and I could be saved. His death in our place made it possible for us to be forgiven and restored to the Father.
That is power!!!! Pure power from the throne of Almighty God!
What do you think about and how do you feel when you consider the Cross of Christ? I know how I feel. I am deeply moved with a mixture of overwhelming sadness and soul-wrenching heartache for my tortured, brutally beaten, abused, bleeding, beloved Savior and a deep, inexpressible well of undeserved gratitude for His sacrifice for a sinner like me.
Where would I be if Jesus had not stayed on that Cross? I would still be spiritually lost, dead in my sins, headed for hell, not heaven. I would not know the power, freedom, peace and joy of the unconditional love of my heavenly Father.
The hymn says it well.
“I will praise Him, I will praise Him, praise the Lamb for sinners slain,
Give Him glory all you people, for His blood has washed away my stains.”  
Lord Jesus, my precious Savior, thank You for shedding your holy blood on the Cross for Steve Roll.
As we prepare to celebrate the glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, remember there is no resurrection unless there is a death first. Jesus died so you and I could be forgiven and have eternal life.
He sealed salvations’ deal when He rose from the dead! THE CROSS AND AN EMPTY TOMB IS GOD’S WAY OF SAYING I LOVE YOU!
Because He died and lives, we live!
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name (Jesus) under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:13
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for salvation, to everyone who believes, to the Jews first and also to the Greeks.” Romans 1:6
 A Word For Your Week: Glory to God! “It is finished”!
​

If there has ever been a time for Christians in America to be courageous, it is now.
A tempestuous, terrifying tsunami of unrestrained evil is sweeping across our nation with a vile, vicious, ferocity not seen before. Our culture is coming unglued, pulling apart at the seams because many good, God-fearing men and women are hiding out in the coward’s closet.
Where in the world are courageous followers of the Lord Jesus Christ who will unashamedly take a bold, firm stand for all that is holy, righteous, sacred, honorable, respectful, decent, truthful and right? Edmund Burke hit the nail on the head with his famous words “All that is required for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
I hope not, but you and I may be witnessing the destruction of our republic right before our eyes.
A nation is heading over the dark, bottomless abyss of self-destruction when morality takes a backseat to politics, when truth is gleefully trampled upon by lies, when rebellion against and arrogant defiance of God’s Word, and disdainful disrespect for the rule of law and lawful authority produces a culture of disorder, confusion, chaos, violence and anarchy.
I am gravely concerned about the future of America.  First and foremost, my allegiance is to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I love Him with all my heart, believe the Bible is the truth and do my best to obey His good, acceptable and perfect will for my life.
I am a wholehearted, fully devoted, committed Christian who also loves his country that was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles. I am a legal citizen, military veteran, a proud patriot whose blood flows red, white and blue. The Bible has a lot to say about nations. Our Creator laid out how nations should conduct themselves if they desire His blessing. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen for His own inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12). “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to a people.” (Proverbs 14:34).
Righteousness, being right in God’s sight and doing what is right, exalts a nation. Unrighteousness, what is not right, destroys a people. Personal and national sin is disgraceful. God calls the nation blessed who calls Him Lord.  II Chronicles 7:14 is God’s gracious invitation for restoration of a nation. “If My people who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear them from heaven, forgive them of their sin, and heal their land.”
Sad to say, many American people have become degenerate cowards in the face of challenges, gutless wonders when confronted with destructive forces, and whiney wimps that hide out and hope the seeds of self-implosion we have sown won’t reap a whirlwind of devastation. The Christian community is not exempt.  Why? Because we have turned our backs on God and each other.
In the book of Joshua, we have these words to Joshua who would lead Israel into the Promised Land: “Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous? Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord Your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9). Three times, in verses 6,7 and 9, Joshua is commanded (not a suggestion!) to be strong and very courageous. It would take courage and strength to fight thirty-nine battles in securing the Promised Land.
The Lord gave two assurances of success for Joshua and the Israeli nation. One, God would be with them every single step of the way. No man could stand against them. Two, Joshua would be strengthened and gain courage by meditating on and obeying God’s Word (Joshua 1: 8).
The Word of God builds faith. Faith in God and His Word produces courage. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is faith confronting and overcoming fear. Faith is courageous in the face of fear.
Could it be, we professing Christians are cowardly and not courageous at times because we are not studying, meditating upon and obeying the Bible? Could it be our faith is weak because we don’t build it up with the Word, then put into practice in our daily lives?
Bottom line: Faith in Jesus Christ produces courage.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, our country, our families, our neighbors, our fellow citizens need us to be courageous. I think about my adult children and little grandkids. What will life in America be like for them if some godly folks like you and me don’t stand up and fight the good fight of faith for their future? Do you and I want the generations following us to witness the spiritual/moral/economic/relational implosion of America?
Rubber meets the road: If we do nothing, we lose everything dear and near to our hearts. If we do what God would have us to, we preserve what we hold dear.
God didn’t just call Joshua to be “strong and courageous, very courageous.” He calls all His chosen people in Christ, you and me, to be full of faith and courage. So, what does that look like in our day?
I am asking myself these critical questions. How is my Christian faith? Growing? Deepening? Strong? Courageous? Unshakable? Do I have courage, no matter what the cost, to stand up and stand fast for what I believe? When under pressure to compromise my convictions, do I cower or boldly proclaim what I know is true? If no one else stands with me, am I willing to be courageous in the face of persecution?
Do I have courage to confront evil in our culture? Do I have the courage to be a moral man in an immoral culture? Do I have courage to protect the innocent from injustice? Do I have the courage to repent when I have sinned and done wrong? Do I have the courage to make things right when I have wronged someone? Do I have the courage to witness to an ungodly, aimless, deceived culture that has lost its way? Do I have the faith and courage to rebuke and resist the devil in Jesus’ name?
Do I have the discipline to meditate on God’s Word every day, knowing my success as a Christian is dependent upon the truth guiding my life? Do I have courage to lead my family to follow Jesus? Do I inspire courage in my brothers and sisters in the body of Christ? Would those who know me best call me courageous or cowardly?
These are soul-searching questions that each of must address if we desire that God use us to win a hurting, wayward world to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Courageous or cowardly, which will you choose? I am asking God to help me be strong and very courageous as Satan seeks to destroy the souls of men and women and our great nation.
These are difficult, desperate, defining days in our national life. It is high time for professing Christians, like you and me, to seek personal revival and renewal. TO FALL ON OUR KNEES, REPENT OF OUR SINS, BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND OBEY THE WORD TO WALK IN HOLINESS BEFORE THE LORD AND MEN.
Time for followers of Christ to stand up. Stand out. Stand firm with courage through faith in Jesus Christ.
“Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.” Ephesians 6:10
A Word For Your Week: Be strong and courageous in Christ.

Imagine with me for a moment.

You are near the end of your earthly life and have been taken to stand before the President of the United States. Your lifelong enemies have ridiculed your faith in Jesus Christ, slandered your good name, and labored relentlessly and ruthlessly to ruin your reputation. You have been brought before the most powerful person in the country to defend your belief and behavior as a Christian.

What would you do? How would you handle yourself? What would you say? What would the news media report about you on their bottom of the hour breaking news alert?

Something to think about, huh? While we are thinking, our word for this week reveals to us what the Apostle Paul did when he was dragged in chains before the Jewish King Agrippa to give account of his Christian faith.

“And so, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He should be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”  Acts 26:22-23

Paul stood tall, testifying boldly about his personal belief in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Read his whole testimony in Acts 26. What stands out to me is that Paul not only stood before King Agrippa, but he stood up to him. He stood boldly and unashamedly as a courageous, confident Christian who almost persuaded Agrippa to become a believer in Christ (Acts 26:26-29).

Note Paul says that “to small and great” he gave witness of his faith in Christ. No matter if the crowd was large or small; the person(s) important or unimportant according to the world, Paul stood up and spoke boldly about Jesus.

Under immense personal pressure from Jewish religious zealots and powerful Roman governing authorities, Paul could have shrunk back in silence. He could have compromised his convictions. Or he could have denied his faith. He did none of these things. On the contrary, Paul stood up boldly for what he believed in when it was neither popular nor personally profitable to do so.

Where did Paul get his boldness? Our verse says he stood boldly with God’s help. Look what he writes in II Timothy 4:16-18.

“At my first defense, no one supported (stood) with me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. BUT THE LORD STOOD WITH ME AND STRENGTHENED ME; in order that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear, and I was delivered out of the lion’s mouth. The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
    
Don’t you love what Paul says? His words get my spiritual motor running! Though no man stood with Paul, God did. The Lord supported, strengthened and delivered Paul from men because Paul stood boldly for God before men.

A man can be bold when he knows God is standing by his side.

I believe bold belief produces bold behavior. If ever there was a time for Christians to be bold about their belief, it is now.

Our sad, sin-sick, spiritually, morally lost world needs to hear good news from bold believers who trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Courageous Christians need to heed God’s call to stand against the high tide of unbelief washing over our culture, country and world. Falsehood, deception, and outright lies run rampant and unchallenged in the daily chatter of our fellow countrymen. Satan has pulled out all the stops in his bold, bullying tactics to steal the souls of men and women.

Christian boldness is the need of this critical hour in history.

But barriers to boldness keep too many Christians from standing up for Christ in our society. Some of these barriers include:
    

• Fear of going against the grain
• Fear of being labeled politically incorrect
• Unwilling to suffer adverse consequences
• Desire for man’s approval over God’s approval
• Try to avoid Satan’s attack against bold believers
• Ignorance of what we believe and why we believe it
• Complacency and apathy in the body of Christ
• Silent faith is the religiously correct position

The enemy of our souls and his evil forces are bold, so why aren’t God’s people as bold, if not bolder? I John 4:4 declares “Greater is He (Jesus Christ) that is in us, than he (Satan) who is in the world.”  If the greater One is in us, shouldn’t we be the boldest?

Boldness begins and ends with our relationship with God.

Boldness comes from closeness to the Savior who was bold on our behalf when He suffered for us on the Cross and rose again from the dead. When we know Him, we can show Him to the world.

Christian faith is not for pansies. It’s for courageous men and women who are willing, out of love and devotion to God, to put everything on the line to stand up, stand tall for their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
    
Fellow believer in Christ, I urge you and encourage you with all the passion in my heart: believe boldly, behave boldly, stand up boldly. Pray for boldness. Pray for opportunities to be bold. Prepare to be bold when opportunities come.

Do not two-step with your faith. Stand tall. Be bold. Be counted for Christ. Someone you know needs to hear about Jesus from you, a bold believer.  

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and to the Greek.”            Romans 1:16

“Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.”   II Timothy 2:8

“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with BOLDNESS.”                                    Acts 4:31

A Word For Your Week: Be bold about what you believe. Stand up. Stand tall for your faith.

The first Christians were persecuted for their faith.

Professing Christians were forbidden, then ordered by government and religious officials to not speak in the name of Jesus (Read Acts 4:1-31). Sounds a lot like 2023 in America.

If your head is not stuck in the sand as many are, you know how the name of Jesus and those who profess Him are under attack. Publicly and privately, believers in Christ are ridiculed, mocked, laughed at, shouted down, smirked at, vilified, demonized, marginalized and ostracized. Dare to talk openly about Jesus, then watch how “mainstream” people will respond to you. Cancel culture will swing into high gear.

So how did our first brothers and sisters in Christ respond to their persecutors? With boldness! 

“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31

No pity-poor-us party for our Christian ancestors. Banding together, they prayed for boldness. Every time I read this scripture I get spiritual goose bumps.

The meeting place was supernaturally shaken. What was that like? I have not experienced our church building shaking when we pray. How about you and your church or small group Bible study? Everyone praying was filled with the Holy Spirit. Refreshed and recharged with resurrection power, the Spirit-filled Christians exited the prayer meeting to speak boldly for Jesus.

Acts 4:33 states “And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord, and abundant grace was upon them all.” I would love to have been part of their Spirit-anointed, Spirit-empowered evangelistic outreach. How about you? 

Christ’s followers could not and would not stop sharing what they had seen and heard. How could they possibly deny the Savior who loved them and gave Himself for them?

Thank you 1st century Christians for setting the standard for courageous, winsome witnessing for Christ. Shouldn’t you and I follow their example today?

My fellow Christians, if you have not noticed, the devil’s crowd is bold. Obnoxiously so, mocking our Savior and the faith we have in Him. But I have good news. Awesome truth. Jesus’ crowd can be BOLDER. Why? “Greater is He (Jesus) who is in you, than he (Satan) who is in the world.” I John 4:4. The Holy Spirit overwhelms, overcomes, overpowers and soundly defeats the devil every single time. Praise the Lord!   

So, what are you and I going to do when we are told to be quiet or silent about Jesus? I suggest we SPEAK BOLDLY! When we are ordered to sit down and shut up, STAND UP AND SPEAK UP BOLDLY!

Choose to refuse to be bullied by unbelieving, spiritually lost, worldly people. When the law of the land contradicts the law of God, you and I must choose who we will serve. Joshua declared. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father’s kingdom, BE BOLD. Never, never, never cower in fear or cave into oppressive opposition. Stand firm in faith. Courageously share the good news of Jesus Christ that people who are spiritually blind and morally misled need to hear.   

Christians, Pastors and churches, gather together. Pray for courage to stand up and speak up for Christ. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Be anointed with fresh oil (See Psalm 92:10). Then speak with fiery, passionate boldness that comes from heaven above.   

Maybe, just maybe, if we prayed a little less about personal prosperity and a little more about being bold to share our faith, our lives would be truly rich and satisfying.
    
Could it be that you and I who confess Christ need shaken up? How about personal revival and renewal? A fresh, daily dose of the Holy Ghost would set our lives on fire to be courageous for Christ.

Now my friends, not someday down the road, is the time to be bold. Now is the time to be heard. Now is the time to be confident and courageous in Christ. Now is the time to turn an upside down world right side up in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you and I do not stand up boldly for the Lord, who will?   

“And do not get drunk with wine for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Ephesians 5:18

A Word For Your Week: Be bold about your beliefs.

​What do you believe America needs most at this critical, pivotal time in our nation’s history?
Concerned citizens across our country readily (sometimes without thinking!) offer up their personal remedies for our national ills and troubles.  “America needs income equality. America needs tolerance, diversity and inclusion. Americans need to throw out career, establishment politicians. America needs a global outlook. America needs a female president. America needs more coffee, donuts and chocolate. “    
I would like to suggest, because I believe this with all my heart, that America’s remedy is revival.
To revive means to restore to life. To bring back to life that which is dead or dying. Revival is a sovereign act/move of God. Never man-made or worked up. Revival is sent down from heaven through the Holy Spirit.
AMERICA IS DYING. Revival must begin with the church of Jesus Christ. Sadly, in some quarters, the church is near death, on life support.
Our nation’s soul is sick. Sin sick. Sick unto death. Franklin Graham wrote in Decision magazine “The Scriptures say that “sin is lawlessness” (I John 3:4). Sin corrupts. Sin rebels. Sin destroys. Sin deceives. Sin kills.” The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin’s payday is always the spiritual, relational death of individuals, families, nations and the world.
My friends, fellow Christians and concerned citizens, our deepest problems are not political, economic or global. They are spiritual and moral.
The shocking truth is a vast majority of Americans have individually and collectively turned their backs on the Almighty Creator and Redeemer of the Bible. “We the people” are choosing to openly and unashamedly defy the moral laws of God. “We the people” arrogantly rebel against His Word. ”We the people” mock and blaspheme His holy name, dismissing and rejecting His plan for our lives.
Death of the innocent unborn, abominable, perverse, immoral sexual behavior, life-enslaving substance abuse, malicious violence against lawful, God-ordained authority and disrespect, prejudice and hatred towards people we disagree with are a few of the many sins we commit against the Lord and one another.
Shame on us that sinful, premeditated misconduct is the modus operandi of so many of our citizens.   
America does not need to be reformed. The United States needs to be revived!
“Revival is nothing less than a new beginning of obedience to God.” Charles G. Finney.
”Revival is a renewing and a reformation of the church for action.” Max Warren.
“The church does not need to be white-washed; it needs to be washed white! We do not need so many new members as we need the old bunch scrubbed up.” Vance Havner
“The best definition of revival is “times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.” J. Edwin Orr.
News bulletin: no individual person, political party or governmental institution can fix America. A new president will not save us. Billy Graham has said “No matter who is elected, America is not going to be saved unless we have a moral and spiritual revival”. Dr. Graham is right on the mark.
God alone can heal the soul of our nation. A revival that turns people to Jesus Christ is our only hope because He is the only Savior of the world. (John 3:16-17).
II Chroniclers 7:14 reveals a biblical formula for people of faith who desire to see the church and America revived.
“If My People, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land.”  
This verse is an if-then proposition. God is speaking directly to His people. “My people” today is the worldwide church. The body of Christ. If those who confess Christ humble themselves, pray seek God and turn, notice turn, from wicked ways. “Wicked ways” by wicked, evil men and women abound in our society. Is it possible that “wicked ways” can be found in the church? Sadly, they can and are.
There is hope in this scripture. Good news. God says that if you, My people, will do the above, I will hear from heaven, forgive your sins, and HEAL YOUR LAND.  Healing of God’s people’s hearts and land is the goal of God’s invitation to make things right with Him. Also take note that forgiveness of sins precedes healing of our nation’s soul.
Here is a troubling, terrifying thought: No humbling, no seeking, no praying, no turning from wickedness….God will not hear, forgive or heal our land. Not a good picture for America.
Revival, restoration, renewal, and salvation comes when God’s people ask Him to forgive their sins. All of us are sinners (Romans 3:10-18, 23). All of us need forgiveness (Ephesians 3:1-8). All sinners, including you and me, will be forgiven when we confess our sins. (I John 1:9, Romans 10:13).
National revival begins with revival in the church. Oh Lord, wake your people up. The church has fallen asleep on watch. Holy Spirit move Your people to seek Your mercy and forgiveness before it is too late for our beloved nation.   
Evangelist Gypsy Smith was once asked how to start a revival. He answered “Go home, lock yourself in your room, and kneel down in the middle of the floor. Draw a chalk mark all around yourself and ask God to start a revival inside that chalk mark. When He has answered your prayer, the revival is on.”
Be encouraged Christians. Throughout our nation’s history, spiritual/moral revival has come every time when believers in Jesus turned to Him, got their lives right with Him, and then reached out with evangelistic fervor to win their neighbors to Christ. Father in heaven, send revival fire one more time!
Revival: Why not me? Why not you? Why not now?
Why not find a piece of chalk and ask the Lord to breathe new life into your soul through a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit?
“Will Thou not Thyself revive us again, that Thy people might rejoice in Thee?” Psalm 85:6
A Word For Your Week: Seek revival for yourself and America.

Difficulties have a way of knocking on the door of our lives.
But there is a wide difference between being overcome or being an overcomer when life hits the proverbial fan.

In Revelation 12:11 our arch enemy Satan is identified as “the accuser of the brethren.”

“And they overcame the accuser of the brethren by the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.” Revelation 12:11

The devil takes immense pleasure and goes to great pains to point his foul, evil finger of condemnation and judgment at those who believe in Jesus Christ. His unholy purpose is to overwhelm and overcome God’s children with guilt, shame, discouragement, failure and defeat, rendering believers victimized and powerless.

Not so fast enemy of our souls! The devil and his hellish horde of rebellious angels were thrown down from heaven (Revelation 12:7-20) and are scheduled soon to be thrown down again. This time into the lake of eternal fire to be tormented forever (Revelation 20:10).

Burning forever in hellfire. Sounds to me like the devil and his crowd are the overwhelmed and overcome ones!

A Christian’s position in Christ is overcomer even when we feel overwhelmed and overcome.  Paul writes “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Read the list of “all these things” in Romans 8:31-39 and decide if life conquers you or you conquer life. By the way, “overwhelmingly conquer” means we are super, super, super, super, duper conquers in Christ!

Praise the Lord who has made us overcomers of the devil and life’s difficulties!
According to our scripture, two things guarantee us victory over the enemy.

1. The blood of Jesus. God’s perfect, spotless, sinless, only Son Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, voluntarily shed His precious life blood for us (Romans 5:9, Hebrews 9:14, I Peter 1:18, I John 1:7-10, I John 2:2-1). Christians are washed, cleansed, covered, and protected by Christ’s blood.

Satan cannot touch the holy blood of Jesus! A blood line was drawn at Calvary’s Cross that the devil cannot cross.

Rejoice believer! Every time the enemy accuses us of sin and wrongdoing, the blood of Jesus Christ is our defense. Satan points to our sin. God points the devil to our Savior who paid the price for our sin. Case dismissed!        

2. The testimony of believers. Testimony is our word. Witnesses testify in a courtroom to what they have seen and heard. When the devil comes as prosecutor to charge us with sin, how do we plead and answer? Because of Christ’s blood, we plead not guilty and we stand up confidently to declare why.

The overcome forget who they are in Christ and sheepishly say so. Overcomers in Christ remember who they are in Him and SAY SO BOLDLY!!!

• Testimony Check. Out of your mouth, do your words testify (speak, confess) failure or success? Losing or winning? Tragedy or triumph? Victory or defeat? Death and life are in the power of our tongues (Proverbs 18:21), so watch your words and keep your testimony triumphant!

OVERCOMERS OVERCOME. Overcomers in Christ are not conquered by life’s difficulties.

Courageously and confidently, they conquer challenges, faithfully advance through adversities, valiantly triumph over trials and joyfully plant the flag of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords on the devil’s hill! Hallelujah!

Refuse to be overwhelmed and overcome by Satan’s attacks. Choose daily to rise up as a blood-bought, blood-covered (I Corinthians 6:20) Spirit-filled, spiritually equipped (Ephesians 6:10-12) overcoming child of the Living God who always triumphs in Christ (II Corinthians 2:14)!

Overcome or Overcomer is our choice.
Overcomer in Christ sounds good to me! How about you?

“For you are from God little children and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”    I John 4:4

“These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”                                    Revelation 17:14  

A Word For Your Week: Your testimony determines whether life overcomes you or you overcome life!

Have you ever taken a spiritual hit and struggled to get back up?

Of course you have, and so have I.

Christians are engaged in a spiritual fight (Ephesians 6:10-20). Every born-again believer takes some blows from time to time. Satan, the enemy of our souls, takes pot shots at us, hoping to knock out our belief in Christ. His shots are cheap shots. Strategically and specifically designed to discourage us from running our race and going forward by faith.

If the devil knocks us down he works to keep us down.

So, what should we do when knocked down in life by Satan’s hit?

GET BACK UP!
    
Believers are to get up because we may be down but we are never out!

The Apostle Paul provides fighting words for us to fight back against the devil when life knocks us down. He reminds us where our strength and ability to bounce back from a spiritual blow comes from.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and nor from ourselves.”   II Corinthians 4:7

First, Paul reminds us that the treasure of new life in Christ is encased in an earthen or fleshly vessel. Our renewed spirit is housed in a body that is weak and susceptible to life’s blows. Tragedy, accidents, illness, life setbacks, financial reversals disappointment and discouragement are all blows that can knock us down. But they do not have to be a knockout blow!

Secondly, the power to get back up when down is from God. If it were solely up to us, we might stay down on the canvas for the eight count. Why? Because we lack power in ourselves to get back up! Our personal strength is inadequate. Paul knew from firsthand experience that our adequacy and sufficiency is of God. We can do all things through Jesus Christ who is our strength. (Philippians 4:13).

It is His power, not ours, that helps us bet back up when knocked down!

Paul lists four blows common to Christians in verses 7-9.

1. Afflicted……but not CRUSHED! Adversity and difficulties come, but they do not crush the life of Christ out of us. Life’s problems and pressures only cause Christians to press in to Christ and draw on His overcoming power.

• Life doesn’t crush those whose faith is firmly planted and rooted in Jesus Christ.

2. Perplexed……but not DESPAIRING! We may scratch our heads, but we do not despair. Christians have the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16). We know where to turn when life turns on us and everything turns upside down. Solutions to our problems are in Him.

• Despair flees when we look to Jesus to solve life’s problems.

3. Persecuted……but not FORSAKEN! When the enemy comes in like a flood, we have help. Jesus Christ is our standard, our banner, our champion. When the blows are falling, Jesus stands with us. He does not take a hike when we are taking hits. He takes hits on our behalf and always leads us to triumph in Him!

• God never forsakes His children when the fight is on.

4. Struck Down……but not DESTROYED! Satan’s blows have limited power. They may discourage but they cannot destroy. Unholy hits may take us down, but never out! We can always get up again because Jesus Christ’s resurrection power is in us.

• The devil could not keep Jesus down and he cannot keep God’s children down either!

God left us in our flesh so we would depend on Him for strength. He alone would receive glory because His strength would overcome our weakness. The life of Jesus is revealed in our flesh when we get back up when struck down. (Verses 10-11).

People see Jesus in Christians when they get back up when they have been down.

As God’s choice champion in Christ, never forget:

• DOWN IS NOT OUT.

• FAILURE IS NOT FINAL

• DELAY IS NOT DENIAL

• YOU CAN COMEBACK FROM A SETBACK.

Life knocked you down? Lift your eyes, look to Jesus Christ and get back up! Draw upon His power and strength to overcome the blow the enemy has delivered. Greater is Jesus who is in you than Satan who is in the world. (I John 4:4).

In Christ, we are up even when down!

“Moreover, David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”                                               I Samuel 30:6

“For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again…”                   Proverbs 24:16

A Word For Your Week: We are never down for the count when we count on Christ’s strength.

“I’ve got your back” is a familiar phrase.

We hear it declared in every corner of our culture. Friends, family members, athletic teammates, law enforcement officers, military personnel all use it. “I’ve got your back” makes us feel good when someone is covering our backside in life.      

But have you ever been through a time when you wondered who or what was covering your back?

His name was Bob. He was a board member of the local church I served as Pastor. I loved him as my brother in Christ. I liked Bob. He was fun to be around. Laughed a lot. Encouraged me often. After every board meeting Bob would pat me on the back, look me in the eye and say “Pastor, I got your back.”

Bob had my back…… until he didn’t.

Sadly, strife and division raised its ugly head, rocking our fellowship. People chose sides. Those who were with the Pastor and those who opposed him. Joining with the dissenters, “I got your back Pastor” Bob turned his back on me. Backslapper turned backstabber.

Devastated me. I thought Bob would stand with me to help heal the division. Instead, he chose to not support me when I needed his support.

Back-stabbing happens. Always hurts. Cuts deeply.

I have been there. You probably have too. I recall looking over my shoulder with concern while passing through a season where past hurt haunted me. Emotional pain and depression can cast an ominous, demoralizing dark shadow over our lives. I worried that things that had hurt me previously would sneak in the back door of my heart and wound me again in the future.

In the gray shadows cast by worry and fear, I needed light. God’s delivering light to break out like the dawn and chase the darkness away. I desperately desired healing and recovery. Oh, how I prayed that it might come speedily! Though spiritually, emotionally and physically weak and weary, I did my best to look to the Lord with faith.

During my personal pain, the Lord assured me of this truth:  God our Father will never stab us in the back. He will guard our back all the days of our life!

In my time of need, when my backside seemed so vulnerable, God gave me His Word that He had my back!

Our verse for this week tells us “the glory of the Lord will be our rear guard.”

“Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard” Isaiah 58:8

The way I read this, God’s glory guards our rear!

 So, why do we need the Lord to be our rear guard? Because we are vulnerable to attack from our enemies from behind.

When God led Israel out of Egyptian bondage, He went ahead of them. “A pillar of cloud by day” and “a pillar of fire by night” directing their path. Whenever they stopped during the day or camped for the night, God moved the cloud and fire to their rear. Right between them and Pharaoh’s murderous army (Read Exodus 13-15).

The glory of God became their rear guard. God had Israel’s back!

Like Pharaoh tried to do to God’s people, the enemy of our soul, Satan, tries to sneak up on us from behind. He is a back door devil. A back-stabber! The evil one will never try to enter the front door. Why? Because the devil is a deceiver, conniver, and coward. He lacks courage to attack his enemies head on. Satan revels in end runs and back door assaults.

No one likes to be hit from behind. I have learned the back doors in my life that the devil likes to knock on are temptations, weaknesses, faults, shortcomings, mistakes, disappointments and failures I have struggled with in the past. Eternity’s biggest loser loves to hit us from behind, blindside us or bushwhack us if he can.

I have bad news for Satan and good news for you and me: When Satan tries to sneak up on us from behind, He runs head on with the Lord. God’s got our back. He slams the door on Satan. The Lord is the bouncer who bounces the devil every time.

If you are struggling with your past, or if you think the devil can crash and trash your life through the back door, I want you to take heart today.

THE GLORY OF THE LORD IS YOUR REAR GUARD!!!! The Word of God says so! Nothing, nor anyone, in heaven, on earth, or in hell can take out the God of glory!

My friend, our future is forward. Faith moves forward, not backward. Israel’s future was in the Promised Land of Canaan, not the wastelands of oppressive Egypt.

You and I can go forward by faith to enter new doors of opportunity in life because God is guarding the rear door.

Slam the door on self-pity, disappointment and discouragement over your past. Almighty God has got you covered! God is always on the job watching our rear!

So, who has your back today?

“Thou are my King, O God: Command victories for Jacob. Through Thee we will push back our adversaries; through Thy name we will trample down those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, nor will my sword save me. But Thou has saved us from our adversaries, and Thou has put to shame those who hate us. In God we have boasted all day long; and we will give thanks To Thy name forever.”    Psalm 44:4-8

A Word For Your Back: When God has our back we do not need anyone else to back us up.

Pressure.

As I sat down to write this piece on pressure, I thought about what I wanted to say about dealing with pressure in life. I know what I want to say. I do not like pressure. I do not know about you, but I prefer not being stressed and pressed by pressure.

A pressure free life would be just fine with me. Of course, that is wishful thinking, fantasy island stuff, not reality.

Like it or not, pressure comes with the territory of human experience.

Pressure, whether positive or negative, is part and parcel of real life in a real world.

Webster’s first definition of pressure is “the burden of physical or mental distress.” Living in our hurry and worry world, you and I feel pressure from the inside, the outside, upside, downside, from every side. Pressure to perform, pressure to succeed, pressure to win and pressure to get along with people.

Pressure to deal with pressure successfully can produce mental and emotional distress.

People handle the distress that pressure produces in diverse ways. Some people cave in under pressure. Others choose to run away when stressed. Some self-medicate under stressful situations. And too many people blow up when pressured by pressure. Pressure, a by-product of stress, tends to build up. Built up pressure will blow up if not relieved.
Blowing up and blowing out is not God’s will for people under pressure. Especially Christians. I am ashamed to say that throughout times in my life I have allowed pressure to build up, blow me up and blow out on others.

Emotional blowouts are never pretty! They do tremendous damage to our relationships.

I am learning that the pressure I feel must be relieved by the Lord and never unleashed on people.

Family members, friends, relatives, work associates, fellow church members, authority figures, and our pets are not deserving of our immature and irresponsible reactions to personal pressure.
When feeling pressure, the Word in I Peter 5:7 invites me to cast (to throw) my cares (anxiety, burdens, pressures, distress) on God.

“Casting all your cares upon Him because He cares for you.” I Peter 5:7

Why should I throw my pressure to Him? Because He cares for me. God loves and cares for me. Yes, God cares about stressed out Steve! He cares so much that He encourages me to cast my pressure on Him. He will catch it. My pressure becomes His pressure.

Truth is: God manages pressure better than Steve does!
If anyone who walked on this earth was under pressure, it was the Lord Jesus Christ. Pressed upon daily by crowds of needy people, persecuted relentlessly by religious hypocrites, faced with the prospect of death by crucifixion and the personal pain of abandonment by His closest friends while fiercely battling the forces of hell for the souls of men, God’s Son, Savior of the world, experienced pressure firsthand.

How did Jesus handle life’s pressures? He took them to the Father. Jesus cast His cares upon God. That is why He slipped away to pray. (Matthew 26:36, Mark 6:46, Mark 14:32, Luke 6:12, Luke 9:28).

He spent time alone with the Father relieving pressure so He could fulfill His purpose.

Time for a reality check. When you are under pressure, how do you deal with it? What would those who know you best say how you handle pressure? Is anyone in your life paying the price for your pressure? What does it mean to you to cast your cares upon God?

As a point of continual personal growth, I am working on this pressure thing. I have established a rule of thumb for myself when I feel pressure. The rule is this: Back off and cast pressure on the Lord.

I am doing better than I used to but not as well as I would like to.     
I have discovered a three-step process that helps me relieve pressure.

1. RECOGNIZE THE PRESSURE. I acknowledge immediately that I am under pressure. I call it what it is. I identify the source of pressure and how it is influencing me. I face pressure straight up. Seeing pressure for what it is (just pressure) motivates me to overcome it.

2. REALIZE PRESSURE NEEDS RELIEVED. I know I will make mistakes if I make decisions and take actions based on negative pressure. I am not at my best when “under the gun” of pressure. I tend to react instead of responding to life. Therefore, it is wise for me to seek relief from stress and pressure. Relief, not unleashing, is what I need.
3. RELEASE PRESSURE TO THE LORD. Release means I let go. I choose to purposely cast or throw off my personal pressure on God. I take my hands off, placing  pressure in God’s hands. I know from His Word and experience that He manages pressure much better than I ever will.
I am still not fond of pressure. Slowly but surely, I am learning how to take the pressure out of pressure by taking my pressure to the Lord.

Put some pressure on pressure by casting it on Jesus.

“Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My load is light.”                  Matthew 11:28-30​

A Word For Your Week: When the pressure is on, turn it off by taking it to God.