Wednesday, April 29, 2015

A Fighting Chance - Part 1



Michael writes this week on spiritual battles that we all face in life. He writes: As people of God, sometimes we wonder if the battle will ever end ... if we will ever win. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3, "I count myself not to have attained, but this one thing I do, I press toward the mark of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus." The challenges in life are what give us the ultimate victory in Christ. Oswald Chambers wrote a book called "A Fighting Chance."  Either we are victims of things that happen, or we take the initiative though the power of God and we make things happen. In God's economy, there are consumers and there are producers, there are takers and there are givers, there are spectators and there are participants. Christianity is not a spectator sport. You've got to play to win. The greater the battle, the greater the victory. You have to put yourself in the game of life. Only then can God give you a fighting chance.

Romans 8:35-39 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall famine or nakedness or peril or sword?  As it is written, for these things we are killed all the day long.  We are counted as sheep for the slaughter.  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor death, nor any other creature shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The fight is against apathy and the way of the world. In our own strength we cannot fight against the powers of darkness. From the inspired words of the great hymn by Martin Luther: A Mighty Fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing ...  Did we in our own strength confide, our battle would be losing, were not the “Right Man on our side, the man of God's own choosing.  Doth ask who that may be? Christ Jesus it is He.  And He must win the battle.

Chambers said that little boys during the French Revolution carried banners with the words, "Tremble tyrants, we are growing." God said to Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones, "Can these bones live?  They are without life, without sinew, muscle and flesh."  Ezekiel said to God.  "If you say so, they can live."  God said to prophesy my word over these dry bones and they shall live.  So Ezekiel prophesied and there was a great rattling as bone connected to bone. Then sinew and muscle formed and joined bone to bone and then skin came upon the flesh. Then Ezekiel said, "but Lord, they have no breath in them."  So then the Lord breathed upon the dry bones and the bones began to move according to the power of God ... Only the word of God and the spiritual breath of God gives life.


We'll continue Michael message tomorrow.
In Christ,Brian

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