Fighting From Victory, Not For Victory

“If God is for us, who can be against us? -Roman’s 8:31

Before the batter had even begun, God told Joshua He had delivered Jericho into Joshua’s hands.

We don’t really like to talk about battles or wars anymore. The idea of everyone co-existing sounds really nice. But it will never happen.

Until Jesus returns and He brings Judgment on the earth, battles and wars will remain. No matter how peaceful we want our lives to be, the truth is our lives, this side of heaven, will have conflict.

Many people have an unseen war going on raging against them. Fighting us and trying to keep us from embracing who we are in Christ.

Ephesians 6:12 reminds us,

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.”

While that is true, we are not to be discouraged or feel defeated. Jesus has already fought the ultimate battle on the cross and won. Because of Jesus, we fight these battles from a place of victory, not defeat.

I think this is something our country and around the world, we should embrace as truth. The fight is in the spiritual realm not the earthly realm.

God’s warfare tactics are not like ours. In Joshua 2-6 it gives some pretty detailed commands that God gave to Joshua.

Joshua obeyed God no matter how crazy His military tactics sounded. God basically tells Joshua to attack Jericho with some marching men, trumpet-carrying priests, the Ark of the Lord, and some shouts from all the people. Joshua obeyed because He trusted God. He knew God will do what He said He would do.

Through those crazy military tactics, God’s amazing power is displayed to an evil nation and His own watching children.

The unconstitutional military tactics God gave Joshua we’re as much for the evil nation as they were for God’s people.

God does the same for us today through His Word.

God is for us, not against us, we need to listen for His voice and obey Him even if His tactics sound crazy.

Maybe your city of “Jericho“ is in your life to show you, and the believing world around you, just how powerful God is.

Do what He says and watch as God tears down your “Jericho” walls before you’re very eyes.

There is no situation, no pain, no sin so great the God cannot handle and no problem too big for His mighty hands.

God promises us He will never leave us or forsake us. We do not simply fight for victory we fight from victory. Because Jesus has already won the battle.

He promises that if we obey that we will have the the victory.

Passing Time

What will your life be like in three years?

In three years I hope I will have grown and learned much more than I know now. Without growth and knowledge, the passage of time would be worthless.

Hopefully, I will have learned how to respond better to situations on my journey through life. Every circumstance allows us to reframe our mindset to ultimately make our lives happier.

Many people are focused on achieving fleeting things like wealth, success, or fame. These only provide temporary happiness. I would out of all these things I can work towards personal growth which leads to contentment.

Personal growth is about overcoming our natural tendency to respond quickly to negative situations. Controlling how we respond to any situation opens up a world of possibilities.

Inventing A Holiday

Invent a holiday! Explain how and why everyone should celebrate.

I don’t think we should invent any holidays. I think we should celebrate the ones the we have the way there were meant to to celebrated

Easter was meant to be celebrated Jesus who was killed, and in 3 days He rose again. He was our Passover lamb that saved us from our sins. We should celebrate that He rose again. Not the commercialized holiday it has become. Easter is not about the bunny or the eggs it’s about the Lamb.

Christmas was meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Our greatest gift ever received. There is nothing wrong with giving gifts, but again America was commercialized it so much, that people put themselves in debt trying to buy gifts when they should be celebrating Jesus as our Lord and Savoir. Christmas is not about the gifts but the greatest gift of all.

We have moved so far away from the “true” meanings of these holidays that we have lost our way.

If you want to give gifts, try baking some cookies, or some fudge and giving from your heart and spending a little time with that person. That will mean so much more than any gift you’ve gone them and you won’t go into debt to buy.

Losing Friends, Gaining Faith

When God separates for His purposes there becomes a time when our friend circle becomes smaller. Personal growth tests our circle of friends.

We definitely find out who our true friends are when we choose to follow Jesus. Failure friends have a way of testing our Christian values in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

True friends support you and your beliefs allowing you to grow spiritually. This is a complex social landscape, these tests from fake friends can come in various forms and guises.

Being a follower of Jesus means navigating these challenges with grace and wisdom.

Fake friends have a knack for disrespecting biblical values. They challenge your beliefs, and some make you second-guess your faith. It’s not always blatant, sometimes it’s as subtle as a sarcastic remark or dismissive attitude toward our values and beliefs.

They put you in situations where you have to defend your faith which often goes against popular opinion.

But a true friend will respect your beliefs, and values, even if they don’t share them.

It’s something we should watch out for and is a clear indication that we are being tested by fake friends.

I had a friend who constantly wanted to put me in situations that conflicted with my values. She would invite me to her house for a little get-together, with people who would intentionally say things that would go against my beliefs and values just to make me feel uncomfortable. She would constantly test my ability to uphold my values in challenging situations.

It’s not easy to stand up against peer pressure, especially when it comes to friends. But true friendship is about respect and understanding, not about forcing someone into uncomfortable situations.

Our circle of friends can greatly influence our behavior and attitudes.

Fake friends often encourage negative behavior that goes against our beliefs and values. They promote gossip, dishonesty, and other actions that don’t align with the teachings of the Bible.

God holds up to a higher standard. If you notice someone in your life who encourages behaviors that clash with your beliefs and values, it could be a sign they are testing your resolve.

I like to think God sifts out our relationships. He removes people from our lives to prepare us for better things to come. He helps us move in the direction He intends us to go.

God’s Truth

God’s truth is made up of three things. Revelation, Inspiration and Illumination. These are important truths that are used in explaining the giving of Scripture by God, the recording of scripture and the understanding of it by believers. Therefore, it is Crucial that we comprehensive exactly what each if these terms mean and how they relate to each other.

We also need to understand the differences between these terms. These can be stated simply,

  1. Revelation: the giving of divine truth

Revelation is God revealing His truth to humanity. This truth could not be discovered through any type of human reasoning. It is entirely a work of God.

2. Divine Inspiration: the recording of divine truth.

Divine inspiration is concerned with the recording of truth. It refers to God supervising the writers of scripture to say exactly what He wanted to say. The result was Ho, y Scripture -the Bible.

3. Illumination: the understanding of divine truth by believers only.

Illumination is something we can experience through the work of the Holy Spirit. It refers to God giving understanding to His people of what His written Word means.

Before I was born again or even prayed, I tried reading the Bible and did not understand any of it. It honestly was a bunch of gibberish to me. It wasn’t until after I was born again and prayed for God to help me understand what I was reading that I began to understand.

Revelation is the disclosure of God’s truth to humanity, divine inspiration is the communication of that truth in written form. And illumination is the understanding of that truth. They can work separately, or together.

Sometimes there is divine inspiration, the recording of God’s truth, without revelation which is the supernatural giving of God’s truth. There’s an example of this in Luke 1:1-4,

“Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account most excellent Theophilus that you may know the certainly of those things in which you were instructed.”

Luke wants to inspire others, to his collected truth in the form of eyewitness accounts, facts, and evidence from the early church. We can learn from out elders (from generation to generation. Luke was present for many crucial events in the early church and was a co-worker with the Apostle Paul. In his travels, he likely met many key figures in Jesus’s earthly ministry. Biblical faith has always placed great emphasis on truth and reason. We don’t know who Theophilus is exactly. But we do know Luke seeks to strengthen his faith in the truth being taught about Jesus.

While Luke based his gospel on a variety of sources, the end result was divinely inspired scripture, but not divine revelation.

I cannot imagine not learning the things I have from my pastor. If you can I urge you to get connected with a Bible-believing church. And ask as many questions as you can to the elders. I used to feel dumb asking questions, but really there are no dumb questions when you want to learn about God and His Word.

Usually, divine inspiration and divine revelation go together. Revelation 1:1-2 says,

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him (John) to show His servants things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel His servant John, who bore witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of his prophecy, and keep those things which are written I it, for the time is near.”

God divinely revealed these truths to John and then divinely guided the writings of the Book. This divine revelation, the giving of truth, worked with divine inspiration, the recording of that truth.

Divine inspiration can also occur with illumination. The writer would then understand the divine revelation they back been given. Paul wrote,

“For this reason, we also thank God without ceasing, because when you receive the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of man, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

Paul understood that he was passing along divine revelation to the people. He also understood what divine revelation meant.

There are a number of ways in which divine revelation inspiration, and illumination can work together, or separately. Each is a work of God.

Illumination is a supernatural event where the Holy Spirit helps people understand the meaning of the Bible. The best way to explain it. Is when you’re reading God’s Word and you get that Aha moment. You finally understand what God is saying to you.

My favorite Websites

What are your favorite websites?

I have three that are my go to.

walking Kabbalah.com – it is a Jewish website that has Hebrew letters with spiritual meanings.

LoveIsrael.org – it is an international Ministry of Baruch Korman. He is an instructor of who provides verse-by-verse teachings of the entire Bible from A Jewish perspective. He also has a YouTube channel.

Manyinthemakin.com – she is a southern lady who shares some amazing recipes that she serves her family. She also has a YouTube channel where she shows her recipes step-by-step.

Age Re-lived

Is there an age or year of your life you would re-live?

If reliving an age involved having the wisdom I have now then yes. At the age of 19, I would have left my town, headed for the city, and pursued a career in psychology.

At 19 years old I was trying to overcome the life a had as a child. At age 19 I was doing anything I thought would numb the pain I felt.

Burdens And Benefits

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens, even the God who is our salvation” -Psalm 68:19

God carries our burdens. Life is tough, and the burdens it hands us can be so hard to bear. But thankfully we do not have to carry them alone. God promises that if we cast our burdens on Him, He will sustain us and protect us from being overwhelmed.

Perhaps the greatest example of carrying burdens is the Apostle Paul. He was burdened with a thorn in his flesh. He prayed three times for God to take it away. Instead, God turned his burden into a benefit. He told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

Sometimes God gives answers to prayers by taking things away, other times He answers prayers by adding things to us. That’s what He did for Paul.

I have prayed for God to take my migraine headaches away for years. No amount of medicine can take these things away, relaxation and meditation doesn’t help, and medication, that does work gives me side effects that are worse than the headaches.

One benefit I do have is a have a strong relationship with the Lord. I know when I pray, I hear from Him.

I live one day at a time because life’s burdens can be crushing. I have been through a lot in my life. Some burdens I have caused myself and some God gives us. Everyone I thought I would never get through. But God gives us His promise that He will carry us.

There is a poem written by Mary Stevenson, “Footprints.” It dates back to 1939, to when she was a teenager.

Most people have heard it, as “footprints in the sand.” I think of all the times Jesus carried me. Watched over me, and protected me.

God knows how much we can bear and His grace is surely sufficient for each of us. Every day. God has the power to turn every burden into a benefit, and every mess into a message.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil. For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours forever and ever” -Matthew 6:11

Historical Event

What historical event fascinates you the most?

The Life Of Jesus

Jesus is the greatest being to be born on this earth -our perfect example. He is Lord of Lords, the Creator, our Savior , and He came to earth so that we could live with God again.

Jesus was born in humble circumstances. Born of a virgin in a small village and a remote corner of the world. That humble birth fulfilled the hopes and dreams of all of us. He was the Son of God with infinite knowledge and power, yet He was author, immortal and susceptible to hunger and pain. Jesus fully experience the challenges and sorrows of this life. He knows each of us and understands us perfectly.

Even as a young man, Jesus was teaching the word of God. At 12 years old, He taught in the temple, and all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding. When Jesus began His ministry, He fasted in the wilderness for 40 days. He was tempted by Satan and overcome that temptation. He was also baptized in the Jordan River by his cousin John the Baptist, even though He was without sin, he was still baptized by immersion in order to teach us obedience to God.

Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and even brought the dead back to life. Although His works were considered blasphemous behavior by the Jewish Pharisees. Jesus continually reminded people that His works were aligned with God‘s will so “That the Father may be glorified through the Son.” (John 14:13).

Jesus is a perfect example of love. During His life on earth, He cared for the poor. He healed the sick and He never turned away children. His love was endless and available to all of us.

Jesus taught that we must forgive. Even as He hung and died on the cross. Jesus forgive the people who killed Him.

He became the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Yet, so many people hate and deny him still to the day.