Tuesday, March 31, 2020

What’s In Your Hand? – Part 1


In 1921 David and Svea Flood, a young Swedish missionary couple, felt God calling them with their two year old son to the Belgian Congo. There they teamed with another missionary couple from Scandinavia, Joel and Bertha Ericsson. David and Svea believed God called them to minister to the remote village of N’dolera. However, the village chieftain would not allow them to enter the village. He feared that Christian missionaries would offend their local gods. They built a small hut outside the village and told the gospel to everyone they met.

After a year, the only one that listened to the gospel message was a young delivery boy who the chief allowed to sell them eggs and chickens twice a week. That year Svea, although sick with malaria, gave birth to a baby girl they named Eina. Svea died only seventeen days after Eina’s birth. David buried his young wife on a mountainside in Congo. He was overcome with waves of grief. His grief turned to bitterness. His faith shaken, David left the mission field and returned to Sweden. He gave his newborn baby girl to Joel and Bertha, but the Ericsson’s both contracted a mysterious illness and died only eight months later. An American missionary couple adopted Eina and moved with her back to the United States. They renamed their little girl Agnes. 

Aggie’s adoptive parents loved their daughter and settled in South Dakota where they pastored a local church. Agnes graduated from North Central Bible college in Minneapolis where she met and married Dewey Hurst. They dedicated their lives to Christian ministry and raised two children in a loving home. Agnes and Dewey served many years and God blessed them with a fruitful ministry. Dewy became president of a Christian college near Seattle. There were many families of Scandinavian descent in their community. Aggie found a Christian missions publication in her mail written in Swedish. Although she couldn’t read the flyer, she noticed a picture of a small white cross that marked a gravesite in a remote area. On the cross was inscribed the name Svea Flood. She recognized the name on the cross. Aggie drove to the college to meet with a professor she knew who spoke Swedish. She begged him, “Please tell me what the flyer says.”  

Here is an excerpt from the biography – “Aggie, The Inspiring Story of a Girl Without a Country”: The instructor summarized the story: It was about missionaries who had come to N’dolera long ago , the birth of a white baby, the death of the young mother, the one little African boy who had been led to Christ and how, after the whites had all left, the boy had grown up and finally persuaded the chief to let him build a school in the village. The article said that gradually he won all his students to Christ, the children led their parents to Christ and even the chief had become a Christian. Today, there were six hundred Christian believers in that one village, all because of the sacrifice of David and Svea Flood.

On their twenty fifth wedding anniversary, the college where Dewey served presented Dewey and Aggie with a trip to Sweden. Aggie made plans to see her biological father. After Aggie had been born, David Flood left Africa, returned to Sweden, remarried and fathered four children. Aggie visited with her half brothers and her half sister and they emotionally bonded as long lost siblings. They told Aggie that their father had recently suffered a severe stroke. They warned her that even after fifty years, he was still bitter over the death of his young wife in Africa. David Flood had turned his back on God and whenever anyone mentioned the name of God, he flew into a rage. He had turned to alcohol and lived a life of despair.

Undaunted, Aggie found the squalid apartment where her father lived. She entered his bedroom strewn with empty liquor bottles and approached the bed where he lay suffering from the effects of his recent stroke.  “Papa,” she said softly. David turned toward his daughter and began to cry. “Eina, I never meant to give you away,” he said.
“It’s all right, Papa,” she reassured him. “God has taken good care of me.” David instantly stiffened at the mention of God. He said, “God forgot about all of us. I’m living in despair because of Him.” He turned away from her, facing the wall.

She stroked his face and continued. “Papa, I need to tell you a true story. You didn’t go to Africa in vain. Mama didn’t die in vain. The one little boy you led to Christ grew up and started a school in N’dolera. He taught the children there about Jesus Christ and they taught their parents about the gospel. Even the chief accepted Jesus Christ. Today because of the one little seed you planted, there over six hundred Christians who serve the Lord because you were faithful to follow God’s call for your life. Papa, Jesus never hated you. Jesus always loved you.”

The old man faced his daughter, looking into her eyes filled with tears of love. His face began to soften as they reunited as father and daughter. By the end of the afternoon, he had reclaimed the faith he had forsaken decades before. They spent the next precious days bonding and encouraging each other before Ages and Dewey had to return to the states. Just a few weeks later, David passed into eternity.

Five years later, Dewey and Agnes attended a Pentecostal conference in England. The speaker was the superintendent of the national church of Zaire, formerly known as the Belgian Congo. He spoke eloquently of the explosive growth of Christianity in Zaire where 110,000 people had recently been baptized for Christ. Aggie felt compelled to approach the speaker after his speech, “Do you know anything about David and Svea Flood? I’m their biological daughter. They were missionaries in the Belgian Congo in 1921.”  He responded in French through a translator. “Yes Madam. Svea Flood led me to Christ. I was the little boy who brought your mother food twice a week before you were born. I think I was the only one who believed their stories about the Bible. I remember her little girl named Eina and I’ve often wondered what became of her. I placed flowers on your mother’s grave not long ago. I thank God that because of her sacrifice thousands of people in Zaire have come to Christ.”


Let's look at the second half of Michael's message in the next post.
In Christ, Brian

Monday, March 30, 2020

The Living Bread of Life - Part 2



John 6:36-47 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. 

Continuing Pastor Herk’s message, he explains that without Jesus, our physical blessings really have little meaning. Jesus tells us in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” It’s a package deal. But, there are people out there who do not really believe that. They believe that you can do enough righteous deeds and be a nice enough person to earn a guaranteed place in heaven; that you bought your ticket by just being a good person. But, that is not true. No one person has been good enough by their life. The only way that any of us are getting to heaven is through Jesus Christ. In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 6:48-51, “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

Jesus was not talking about real bread here. When He said, “I am the bread of life”, what He meant was that every time you look at a loaf of bread, remember that just like you need bread to live, you need Jesus to live. When Jesus said, “I am the vine”, He didn’t mean that he literally was a vine. When Jesus said, I am the gate”, He didn’t mean that he was a literal gate. In His teaching, He was talking about sacrificing His flesh and body on the Cross that we may have forgiveness and life.  

John 6:57-58 “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

Bread gives life, and like physical bread Jesus’ body on the Cross gives us life and life eternal. Salvation is too important to be put off until another day. Make haste to lay hold of the living Bread of Life. Pass the bread please.

In Christ, Brian

Sunday, March 29, 2020

The Living Bread of Life - Part 1


John 6:30-55 “Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 

The other week, Pastor Herk of Little Church in the Pine at Bass Lake, California, where my dear old dad attends Sunday Worship Services, completed his last sermon before closing the campus until the Coronavirus epidemic is over. In his final message before the break, he asked the congregation, “How many like bread? Every culture on earth loves bread and it is considered a staple (a basic, main or important element of a diet. Americans alone consume approximately 34 million loaves of bread daily.

But, what did Jesus mean when He said, “I am the Bread of Life”? And, what difference does it make to us? Jesus was not saying that He was the “giver” of bread. We see from the context that Jesus had just miraculously fed the 5000 people from five loaves of bread and two fish and still had twelve baskets of bread leftover. Then, Jesus walked on the water to cross the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, with His disciples crossing in a boat. The next day, the people cross the lake to find Jesus. They tracked Him down because He gave them what they wanted. They wanted the bread, but they did not necessarily want Jesus. They wanted the blessing, but not the Blessor. They did not hunger for Jesus, but for the gifts that they were about to receive.

But, Jesus was saying that you cannot get the blessing without Him. “I am the bread” means “I am the blessing”. Essentially, without Jesus, none of us are going to get the blessing that God want to give us. We receive our blessings because of Jesus. Born again Believers have the blessings of being children of God, citizen of the kingdom of Heaven and the receiving of the indwelling Holy Spirit; all spiritual blessings.

We need to be thankful for our physical blessings in life, but dependence upon our physical blessings is why we need Jesus, because physical blessings can become a trap. Many Christians stumble and lose their faith because of lost physical blessings. Because their faith was based on physical things, they lose both. They focus on the physical blessings that they want from Jesus that they forget about the fact that there are spiritual blessings that are even more important.

So, we have to try and protect ourselves from this trap; to realize that we do not deserve these physical blessings to begin with. They are all gifts from God that can be lost in a heartbeat. We should always be thankful that God is granting us kindness.


Let’s continue Pastor Herk’s message on “the Living Bread of Life” in the next post.

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Lost Before Found


Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I was watching an interview between Pastor and Evangelist Greg Laurie and Shock-Rock legend Alice Cooper on YouTube today, hearing his testimony of how he came to a “saving” knowledge of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It’s a great one-hour interview that I highly recommend you watch (link at bottom of this post). Being in High School from the early to mid-70’s, The Alice Cooper band had such mega hits as “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “School’s Out” that rocked my world, but hearing his journey to Christianity validated the story I lived and know on the gospel road of our life. You have to realize that you are lost before you can be found.

Have been a pastor’s son, Alice had drifted about as far away from God and the Kingdom of Heaven as you could get through his rebellious music career. And it took hitting rock bottom with the emptiness of a godless drugs and rocker fame lifestyle that threatened his marriage and life to wake him up to the acknowledgement of needing to change, which included going to a Christian church where a “hellfire” Baptist preacher brought him to a realization of his truly lost and hell bound condition of sin. The message was for him because it was about him and he made the discussion to accept the Savior that found him, accepted him and saved his soul. He later attended a church that preached the “love of God” and discovered that both messages, given in the right gospel order were needed because, as my great mentor always taught, you first have to know what you were saved “from” (hell) before you can truly know what you have been saved “to” (heaven). It’s a supernatural revelation that transforms the heart, soul and spirit of the “born again” Believer and disciple of Jesus Christ.  
Romans 3:21-24 “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Forgiveness of sin and salvation are not earned or deserved; it’s a gift from God to those who confess, repent, believe and cleave to the Lord. Conversion to Christianity is not a change of lifestyle (though it will); It is a complete metamorphosis from death to life with a regeneration of the dead human spirit towards God in restoration and reconciliation through the atoning sacrifice of Christ Jesus, our risen and living Lord. Our life story may be different from Alice Coopers’, but the message and destiny of the lost sinner found and saved by grace is the same. Praise be to the Lord!


In Christ, Brian



Friday, March 27, 2020

Supernatural Disasters


Leviticus 26:21-25 “If you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins. I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate. ‘And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins. And I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant; when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.”

Today we hear about natural disasters in the news almost everyday; Tsunami’s, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, typhoons and hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning strikes, wildfires, avalanches, droughts, and floods, but infestations and disease outbreaks also. These natural disasters, produced by nature, are commonly labeled as “Acts of God” when they bring devastating results to life and property. Various outbreaks of pandemic diseases, such as Ebola (killing up to 70% of those infected), SARS (having a mortality rate close to 10%) or the current coronavirus have prompted many to ask why God allows—or even causes—pandemic diseases. Is Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic an act of God?

Leviticus states that, at least some natural disasters, are enacted through nature (naturally) by nature’s God (supernaturally) as the result of our sins (you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me), but their intention is reformation and restoration of our fallen relationship with our Creator. What is sin against our just and holy God? Sin is defined as the voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God's commands or law. Sin differs from crime, not in nature, but in application. That which is a crime against society, is sin against God.

Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” The world that Jesus speaks of is the God-rejecting world system. The sinful world.

Caused or allowed by Almighty God, this epidemic outbreak is definitely a wake up call to repent, reform, reconcile and return to the Lord, to truly love and willfully obey His perfect statutes and commands with joy, walking the “straight and narrow path” of righteousness by His holy Word, Will and Way in thought, words and action, aligning our purposes with His purposes. It's a "come to Jesus" moment in time. The question is not whether God causes or allows diseases, natural disasters and catastrophes but why does He allow or cause these to occur. Answer: Sin. It’s as if God is pleading with humanity to get right with Him … to seek Him and establish a relationship with Him … to repent and be saved. God desires that none perish but that all would come to repentance and be saved (2 Peter 3:9). 

In Christ, Brian

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Remarkable Grace Part 4



Continuing Michael’s message on God’s remarkable grace, he writes that in Romans 8, the Apostle Paul says, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? Is it Christ who justified, yea rather who rose from the dead? What shall separate us from the love of God? Shall persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Because of the love of God through his son Jesus Christ, we have been justified freely by his grace.

How shall we who have been saved from sin continue any longer therein? It’s not about us, it’s about the Lord. It’s easy to become prideful because of our own natural abilities. However, He’ll break up our physical and natural so-called gifts so that we can rely on His ability, not ours. Thank God for breaking our hearts. For tribulation works patience and patience experience and experience hope. And hope makes not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.

Jesus came to set the captives free. He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. The ultimate freedom is in captivity to our Master’s will. Make me a captive Lord and then I shall be free. When we confess Jesus is Lord, this means we are no longer our own. Salvation means that He’s Lord, not me. The ultimate freedom is doing the Master’s will. We’re set free when we make His delight, our delight …. Delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give the desires of thine heart.

The Apostle Paul said, “in my flesh dwells no good thing.” The sin nature that we inherited from Adam is contrary to the righteousness of God. The antidote to our sin nature is the spirit nature that we received when we accepted God’s gracious gift. Romans 8:1 says there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the flesh, condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.

When a woman was caught in adultery, the Pharisees gathered around to convict her of her sins. They pronounced her guilty as charged and picked up rocks to stone her to death. Jesus said to the crowd, “he who is without sin may cast the first stone.” Her accusers slinked away. He said to the woman, where are your accusers? She said, they’ve all gone. Jesus said, then neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.

1 John 5:13 says that we have His gift of eternal life. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to Hs will, He hears us:”

Because of His amazing remarkable grace, we’ve been given His gift of eternal life and His Holy Spirit. We who were dead in trespasses and sins hath he made alive, for by grace are ye saved. When we know God, we are His and He is ours. For He who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.


That we may be to praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ, Michael

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Remarkable Grace Part 3


Ephesians 6:16-20, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel. For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”


This week, Michael continues of the message of God’s remarkable grace, pointing out that even though Paul had suffered for the Lord, he wrote that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high. Remarkable grace is given so that we can serve our Lord Jesus Christ from a heart of love. Jesus said, “in that you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.” Jesus prayed for the soldiers who nailed him to the cross …“Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
The theme of Ephesians 6 is the spiritual battle. Jesus said, “blessed are they when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake, great is your reward in heaven.” Because of God’s remarkable grace, mercy, peace, love and wisdom, be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good. God’s remarkable grace is His divine favor given, by the one who didn’t’ need to give it, to the ones who didn’t deserve to receive it. There’s also one other type of grace where Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor (grace) with God and men. Grace is the foundation of receiving God’s precious gift of Holy Spirit. This valuable gift of grace was paid for by the precious blood of his son, Jesus Christ. 

What makes grace remarkable? Grace is only found in one religion on earth, the truth of Christianity. After Jesus’ resurrection, grace was available as God’s gracious gift. However, the Pharisees thought that there was no such thing as grace. They thought that they were righteous in their own works. They thought everyone else deserved death and that they were the only ones who were righteous. They were filled with “so-called” righteous indignation. However, because of Jesus’ righteousness, by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast
According to Romans 3:23, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord. He died in our stead that we might live.

The world says, “God helps those who help themselves.” This is the doctrine of the Pharisees. They think that they’re righteous in their own works … that they’re justified by their own performance. They try to help themselves through their vain attempts to keep the letter of the Old Testament Law. However, Jesus said, whoever breaks one law only once is guilty of breaking the whole law. The Old Testament Law convicts everyone of sin. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. 

Let's continue Michael's message on God's remarkable grace in the next post.
In Christ, Brian

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

The Cure for Fear


Here is a new Corona virus produced phobia that has larger implications to the local economy and society as a whole. I've been informed by my wife that we are to not have ANY food prepared outside of our house ... no dine in, out pick up & no delivery out of a paralyzing fear that the one who prepares the food, the cook or the delivery person has the Corona virus and transmitted it to the food or packaging. That means that I cannot partake either as I might transmit the disease to her if I become infected by it. My daughter-in-law now has the same restriction, so my guess is that many have ceased supporting the "dine out" industry and could financially collapse many restaurants and their workers. And who knows how long after this Flu season is over, that people won't trust them since they've gotten used to no going out? What is safe? Sound irrational? The fear of this virus has crashed the Stock Market. Grocery Outlets and Drug Stores are sold out of stock. The Airline & Cruise Ship industry are at a near stand-still and may experience the same issue after the epidemic has ended because with all this phobic fear, who will come back and keep them in the air or afloat! 

This consumer-driven society depends upon people buying things. Taking their hard-earned dollars and purchasing goods & services that keeps the economy going. When people lose their ability to earn an income or when people spend only on bare necessities, the system goes sideways quickly. There has been talk about the potential 20-30% loss that churches across America will potentially take in giving because of this epidemic and the fear caused by it. How will the house of God be impacted in their ability to minister to others? This drives fear of struggle, disability and survival.

Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Sure, we need to be safe and take precautions. But the fear, actual and imagined, in the mind, must be addressed. And addressed again because the media is fueling the fears, isolation and chatter is spreading the panic, routine life has crumbled and dreams are now nightmares. This bug gets to a relatively small percentage of the population (due to get spread-prevention efforts) but the fear of this bug and its peripheral affect on everyone is infecting the entire population psychologically in a negative way. Bad news is the only news they hear and it’s getting into people’s heads. It's gone beyond a healthy fear and respect.

Psalm 16:2 O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.”

The psychological warfare is as great or greater than the germ warfare going on here. Hearts are losing hope, minds are losing stability, souls are shaken with the constant doom and gloom with little light. It's almost insanity. It should and is bringing people to their knees in various degrees. They need a Savior from this phobia. Who or what will they turn to? 

Deuteronomy 20:3-4 “Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”

Secular society offers distractions of self-medicating drugs and alcohol to take the edge off. Pornography and casual sex would take their minds off the terror out there. Running up and maxing out the credit cards with frivolous on-line purchases would make folks feel better for the moment. But these are fleeing and damaging, don't address the issue and never satisfy the soul. I pray that the unchurched and the churches both realize that their Maker is their Savior. This fallen world offers as many fears as it does temporal pleasures. But only Jesus Christ provides permanent solutions to their fears and is the true answer to life stability in both certain and uncertain times. Turn to the Prince of Peace.

In Christ, Brian

Monday, March 23, 2020

Christian Psychology 101



Galatians 5:22-25 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

Being uncertain times or trying times, my pastor Obie’s concern for loss of the Great Omission in our society becomes painfully evident and the necessity for discipleship ministry merges crystal clear. In reading Dallas Willard’s book on the making Disciples of Jesus Christ, the elements and attitudes of the disciple are laid out and explained within the context of spirituality and holiness for our understanding and applicable knowledge.

Ephesians 5:8-11 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”

Willard explains that the fruit of the Spirit simply is the inner character of Jesus himself. It is “Christ formed in us” It is “fruit” because like the fruit of trees or vines, it is an outgrowth of what we have become, not the result of a special effort to bear fruit. And we have become “fruitful” in this way because we have received the presence of Christ’s Spirit and now that indwelling Spirit, interacting with us, fills us with godly love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. You can not buy this fruit, earn it, or hold it. To be possessed of the fruit of the Spirit is to have rich resources for sustaining and enhancing a faith-full life and for growth in all dimensions of inward and outward grace.

The human being is not an instinctual animal that naturally develops what is required for its existence. It must be taught, and primary to what is taught (and caught) are the inner conditions of life (thoughts, emotions, intentions, etc.) that make social existence possible and enable the individual to hope for a life that is good. The Christian gladly respects what is good wherever it is found. If we cannot afford to be generous, we possess little. The Way of Christ does not dodge or deny facts, but just the opposite: it appeals to facts and urges everyone to do the same.

The soul is the spiritual, rational and immortal substance in man, mind, will and emotion which distinguishes him from brutes or beast; that part of man which enables him to think and reason, and which renders him a subject of moral government of good and bad or right and wrong. The immortality of the soul is a fundamental article of the Christian system. Such is the nature of the human soul that it must have a God, an object of supreme affection. Willard states that it is natural that we should turn to psychology to understand the soul and try to meet its needs, for psychology is the study of the soul. From the Greek word “Psuche” meaning: breath of life; the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing as that in which there is life. A living being, A living soul. Indeed, the soul. The seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions: (our heart and soul). Psychology is called to the depths of the human being by the very subject of its inquiry – the realities of the soul.  The spiritual life of the human being, even at its most elevated and ecstatic, is a psychological reality, though it is not only that.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”

Secular psychological teachings (the study of the mind) and practices that simply omit the realities of spiritual formation, or else substitute for them, leave processes that do not do justice to life in the Kingdom of God. The transformation of the inner self into Christ-likeness cannot be achieved by anything other than the life of God in the soul, and anything short of this, however good and proper it may be in its place, will not be enough to meet the deepest needs of the human heart or satisfy the mind, the will and the emotions of the soul. It will leave life adrift.  

Blessings in Christ, Brian

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Walk by Faith


2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

One commentary that I read that although this verse appears in parentheses in the King James Bible, it is a most important concept in Scripture and is the summary of an extensive passage that precedes it. Beginning with 2 Corinthians 4:8, Paul continually contrasts the seen and the unseen, finishing up with the admonition to “walk by faith.”

2 Corinthians 4:8-5:17 “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you.”

The Apostle Paul’s message reminds me  of Psalm 23:4 where the Psalmist explains, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Life in the jungle is no bowl full of cherries; it’s a fallen in sin world, but the Lord Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus Christ is life.

2 Corinthians 4:13-18  And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present
us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

The “born again” Christian by faith receives the regeneration of the spirit that dies in sin and a new heart that can spiritually discerned, that which is revealed by the indwelling Holy Spirit, while gratefully standing on the promises of God’s grace, the reality of the family of God, and the eternal perspective of heaven. Problems can be big, but God is bigger.

2 Corinthians 5:1-8 “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.


Walk by faith,
In Christ, Brian

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Christian Spirituality

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 Romans 8:5-7 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.”

Our associate pastor Obie stated that biblical illiteracy is one of the great deficiencies in the Christian church today. Definition of biblical terms is a key to understanding the truth otherwise terms are redefined to mean something other than their original intent. But, what is causing this decline in our Christian nation?

The late Christian writer Dallas Willard in his book, the Great Omission, points to the lack of the Christian church fulfilling the Great Commission commanded by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Amen. What is true spirituality in (that essence distinct from matter; immateriality; Our intellectual nature; as the spirituality of the soul; That spiritual nature; the quality which respects the spirit or affections of the heart only, and the essence of true religion; as the spirituality of Gods law. Yes, those spiritual exercises and holy affections in a time when many spiritualities abound?

Willard states that, in the Christian context, we are “spiritual” to the extent that our lives draw their direction and strength from Jesus Christ, our living Lord, through the Holy Spirit, established by God in His kingdom, which is itself a spiritual realm. The word “spiritual is defined as: 1. Consisting of spirit; not material; incorporeal; as the soul of man is spiritual. 2. Mental; intellectual; 3. Not gross; refined from external things; not sensual; 4. Not lay or temporal; relating to sacred things; ecclesiastical; 5. Pertaining to spirit or to the affections; pure; holy. 6. Pertaining to the renewed nature of man; as spiritual life. 7. Not fleshly; not material; 8. Pertaining to divine things. Spirit is unbodily personal power. It is power that functions independently of bodily and natural forces. It takes the form of ideas, attitudes, emotions, judgments, decisions, and actions. Therefore, it is personal. The human being has a spirit and is basically a spiritual being.

Spirit is the soul of man; the intelligent, immaterial and immortal part of human beings. The spiritual, rational and immortal substance in man, which distinguishes him from brutes; that part of man which enables him to think and reason, and which renders him a subject of moral government. Spirit is a substance in which thinking, knowing, doubting, and a power of moving do subsist. The spirit shall return to God that gave it. The immortality of the soul is a fundamental article of the Christian system. Such is the nature of the human soul that it must have a God, an object of supreme affection. God is Spirit.

Willard explains that, to the extent that the actual life of a human being is dependent upon his or her interaction with God, that human being is a spiritual person. Spirituality is the quality of life that marks such a person. In contrast, One is carnal or fleshly to the extent that this quality of life is lacking and one is operating on merely human or natural resources. Today, spiritualities involve nothing more than an external form of “doing religion” or even a mere lifestyle. In the larger cultural context, the various spiritualities all represent attempts to achieve identity and power in a world where lack of a sense of self and feelings of insignificance and powerlessness crush the human soul and spirit. All spiritualities are more or less exclusive of all the rest. All insist that there is  right and wrong way to go about their own version of spiritual living.

1 Corinthians 2:12-15 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.”

Yet, the exclusiveness of Christian spirituality and spiritual formation lies simply in the life if is and brings. The Christian need only follow and learn from Jesus Christ fully. The aim of spiritual formation is obedience to Christ from inner conformity to Christ. Such conformity will be sharply exclusive because of its degree of genuine love and effectual caring for all without discrimination. It is not an ethical or political stance that just anyone can accept or reject at will. One must have the resources for it, and, to say the least, they are widely available. They are right there at the foot of the cross.



Friday, March 20, 2020

Only in Christ Jesus – Part 2

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Continuing from yesterday’s post, Pastor McGee states that it doesn’t mean there is no difference in sinners. There is a lot of difference in sinners – some are worse than others, and God recognizes that. But McGee has found that when flying at 30,000 feet over rugged terrain that when I look down from that elevation, I can’t tell the height of the hills. In fact, when I get up that high, you can’t tell a mountain from a molehill. They all look the same when yiu get up there. When Gold looks down at you, my friend, though you may think you are head and shoulders above somebody else, you are on the same level. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Pastor McGee has an old illustration about the game of “jumping to Catalina”, an island located off the coast of Southern California, about 25 miles directly across from Sant Monica Pier on the coast. Every one runs and jumps off the end of the end of the pier to see who can jump to Catalina. There have been some mighty good jumps, but up to the present, nobody has made it. No matter how far you jump, you won’t make it. All far short of Catalina. All fall short of the glory of God too. Although some are not as grat sinners as others, none has measured up to His standards. For that reason, you and I today need His redemption.

John 1:1-5, 9-14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

A poem by an unknown Author says: “Your heart resolutions must wholly be waived. Your highest ambitions be crossed. You never need think you will ever be saved, till first you’ve learned you are lost.” I learned the eternal life reality that you must know that you are lost before you can be saved. If today I had wisdom, patience, meekness, strength, obedience, compassion, courage, and endurance, I would still need redemption through Christ’s blood – the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. My friend, you and I need the blood of Christ for our salvation – there is no other hope for us at all! That cross is the way God has saved individuals from the beginning, down to the very present hour. This is the gospel  of Jesus Christ, and it is through the gospel that God works to take His people from death to life.There is no Plan “B”.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Dr. McGee proclaims that the sins that were previously committed are not your past sins but sins committed before Christ’s death on the cross. God has always had only one way of saving sinners, and that is through the cross of Jesus Christ. Everyone God ever saved in the Old Testament HE saved on credit. He did not save them because they brought and sacrificed lambs, bulls and goats without blemish. The blood of lambs, bulls and goats could not take away sin, but instead they pointed to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. When Christ died on the cross, that was the payment that made it possible for God to redeem those who had lived by faith in the past. And by faith today, you and I look back to Him for our salvation.

Praise be to God and to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Only in Christ Jesus - Part 1


Romans 3:20-26 “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a
propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

I read this month’s message by the late Pastor J. Vernon McGee that shines the gospel light on the question of how sinful humanity can stand before a just and holy God? We can’t. But, in Jesus Christ, because of His grace, because of the cross, we stand. He wrote that the Apostle Paul, in the Bible passage above, brings us to this great subject of how God saves sinners today: Salvation.

Ephesians 2:1-9 “You He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”.

Pastor McGee explains that mankind is helpless and hopeless, paralyzed and unable to save themselves; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But God has provided a righteousness that enables us to stand before God. God provides this righteousness not by our working or paying for it, but God gives it to us as a gift. We can receive it only by faith. A gift not accepted and opened is not received if left wrapped and sitting there. Rach out by faith and open the gift. This is the only way in the world you can get saved today, because salvation from sin is a gift. You can’t work for a gift, you can’t pay for a gift, you can’t promise God anything. If you are going to receive His gift, you must reach out your hand in faith and receive what God has to offer. There is no exception in the human family, nobody is perfect, we are all sinners.

John 3:14-18 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Let's continue Dr. McGee's critical to life message in the next post.
In Christ, Brian

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Faith Or Fear – Part 2


Continuing Michael's message, he writes: Hebrews chapter 11 is known as the “Hall of Faith”. In this chapter, Enoch was taken up to see God.  He was a man of faith. James said, “Faith without works is dead. Show me your works and I’ll show you the fruit of your faith.” Faith is evidenced by the results when we love, praise, serve and honor the Lord.  
People fear what they cannot control. Through trials, God will teach us that He is In control … that He is sovereign over all. Does God do everything with our best interest in mind?  Do all things really work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. “Trust in the Lord. Don’t lean to your own understanding. Do not take matters into your own hand. The Lord asks: “When have I promised and not kept my word? I will make your paths straight. Will you not then trust me in this present crisis as you have trusted me before.  I deepen you in the furnace of affliction.” What seems to be a wind of destruction is a trial so that you can rest in my love. Through the pain and affliction, I will show you that my love is certain and unshakable.
Through the trial and discipline you will learn, like as a Father cherishes his children, so the Lord has mercy on them that fear him. Rest assured that I have you in my own intensive care. Through the pain of loss, draw on the resources of my grace. If I’ve allowed your heart to break, heaven rejoices when you proceed through the trial with a singing spirit. If you abide in me and my word abides in you, ask whatsoever you will and it shall be given to you. Therefore, be as a beacon light to reflect the glory of the Lord. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.”  For we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that he excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.
The testing of our faith works patience.  According to James 1:2-4, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations;  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”  Verse 12 says, “Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
As Cory Ten Boom said, “We will never know that God is all we need until he’s all we have.”  Through trial God will comfort us as He transforms us according to purpose to which He has called each of us to be holy and without blame before Him in love. Through the testing of our faith we will understand that our purpose is that we should live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ, Michael



Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Faith Or Fear – Part 1

Golden Silence Photograph

This week, Michael writes that living life is a series of choices. These choices are either fear-based or faith-based. God never honors fear. He always honors faith. According to Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen.” Faith is the blessed assurance in the object of faith. According to Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path.”
The Apostle Thomas learned this lesson after the resurrection. Jesus had appeared to the other disciples and they said to him, “we’ve seen the risen Christ.”  Thomas replied, “I won’t believe until I put my finger in his nail prints and feel the wound in his side.” Eight days later, Jesus appeared to the twelve and said to Thomas, “Reach for my hand and examine the nail prints.  Put your hand in my side and be not unbelieving (without faith) but believe.” Then Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said, “You believed because you saw me.  Blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe.”
Without God, men and women put their faith in their own abilities and their own performance. They live for their own accomplishments and the praise of others. However, according to Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.  Not of works lest any man should boast.” The devil’s ploy is to distract our attention away from trusting in the Lord. The most frequent command in the Bible is, “Fear not.”  According to Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” To resolve a crisis of fear, we must pray as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “not my will but thine be done.”  

Former Florida State University football coach Bobby Bowden said that he and his family had attended an old fashioned Revival. The evangelist had a 2” x 4” plank on the stage, pointed to Bobby and said, “would you walk across this board?” Bowden answered, “of course”. The evangelist then said, “If I took this plank and placed it to between the Twin Towers, would you walk across it?”  Bobby replied, “Of course not.” Then the evangelist said, “If I dangled your child over the edge of the tower, and said, I’ll drop your child if you don’t walk across, then would you walk the plank?”  Bowden thought for a moment and said, “Which child?”  Joking aside, the evangelist’s point was: Do we value life on earth more than we value life in heaven? What does it take to conquer fear and walk by faith? A wise man once said, “People fear death like children fear the dark.”   
Let's continue Michael's message on "Faith or Fear" in the next post.
In Christ, Brian

Monday, March 16, 2020

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Phobia



2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

According to the Internet, the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a global health emergency. In humans,
corona viruses cause respiratory tract infections that are typically mild, such as the common cold, though rarer forms such as SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 can be lethal. The virus first emerged in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019. As of today, March 15, 2020, over 169,000 cases of the disease have been reported in over 140 countries and territories. More than 6,500 people have died and over 76,000 have recovered. This is a serious situation and must be treated with a healthy respect and precautionary measures for prevention and retention of wide-spread infestation. But, a morbid fear, extreme anxiety disorder, irrational panic and socially chaotic behavior is not one of them. I’ve witnessed the “panic shopping” taking place today and it is alarming.

A pathological fear of catching any germs and infection is called “germ phobia”. This is a kind of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The word phobia comes from the Greek: φόβος (phóbos), meaning "aversion", "fear" or "morbid fear". The regular system for naming specific phobias to use prefix based on a Greek word for the object of the fear, plus the suffix -phobia. Phobia, an extreme, irrational fear of a specific object or situation. A phobia is classified as a type of anxiety disorder, a continual and non-sensical fear of a particular scenario, item, or act, that is consequently either strenuously abstained from or endured with characterized distress.

Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Organized preventative practices, such as cancelling of large gatherings of people and events, closing of venues, and public places, temporary termination of sports and cruise lines have been implemented, and even moving church services to online and live-stream broadcasting to create distancing between people and minimized direct contact to mitigate and elongate the disease’s impact on populace. Our church closed their campus doors this morning and presented a special online Sunday Church Service with Pastor Kyle and Pastor Obie @ https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-goodsearch-goodsearch_yhs&hsimp=yhs-goodsearch_yhs&hspart=goodsearch&gdpr=0&p=youtube+Special+Online+Service%3A+3+Things+I+Learned+From+Being+Quarantined#id=1&vid=c959e5de0052ab7b9a757d8ca64ba567&action=click. Click this link and hear how Pastor Obie survived and overcame the contraction of "active" tuberculosis while in the mission field and the spiritual lessons learned through the experience. You will be blessed by his message.

1 John 4:14-19 “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.”

Fear not, our Lord God, the Maker of the Cosmos and everything that lives and has breath, has the power in His loving and merciful hand, and is in complete control, so you may have peace in the storm. Keep clam and trust God.

In Christ, Brian

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Leaning on the Lord - Part 2

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Isaiah 41:10-13 “‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ “Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish. “You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent. “For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’”

Pastor Kyle continues his message by stating that if you ever hear something that is antithetical to God’s Holy Word, then it is not from God, but from your own desires. What does it mean to stop doing things on our own and start leaning on God? Instead of trying to make things happen by ourselves, we have to let go of our hand of power and put it into the outstretched hand of God, taking His right hand of power. God promises to hold us up when we lean on Him
 
John 18:1 “When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples.”

Before enduring the Cross of Salvation, Jesus (1) loved on His disciples, teaching them to transition from leaning on His physical presence to leaning on the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence in them. It was to their and our benefit for Jesus to died for the sins of the world and ascends to Heaven to intercede for us at the right hand of the Father. Sorrow will turn to joy. Jesus came to live in the power and the strength of the Spirit of God incarnate. We do not need to lean on mankind’s affirmation. Our heavenly Father’s love is more than enough for us. Looking for encouragement from someone else before we encourage some other person is unrealistic requirement that is counter-productive kingdom purposes. Flip it. You show the love and encouragement like the Lord shows you and see God strengthen you in the process. (2) Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane to connect with His Father in Heaven in this familiar place of prayer.

Jesus was not a victim f the Cross, but actively was in control of the entire narrative from start to finish, using His passion for our good and God’s glory. Live more in God’s strength every day. Metaphorically speaking, God’s power begins in a garden; a place to charge and recharge our spiritual batteries and be filled with the Spirit of God. Whew we go when we need and desire some time each day to feel the Father’s love fill our heart. Once inside, sit in silence for a while and lean on the our Father, who is in Heaven. Total silence before God, acknowledging His presence is powerful. Psalm 46:10 tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God.” It is refreshing for our tried and weary soul. Something is going to dawn when we sit silently in the presence of Almighty God. Sitting in silence, without distraction, builds up our hope and recognizes God’s holiness, while teaching our soul to seek the Lord.

Matthew 6:9-13 “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
  
Secondly, follow the Lord’s model prayer, re-positioning the heart with the purposes of the Kingdom of God. We acknowledge God; our Maker and heavenly Father. We desire His will and way; not the purposes of our little personal kingdom. Not as I will, but as Thy will. We must abandon our desired outcome and pray with open hands for the desires of the Lord. When our desires are aligned with the desires of Heaven, then the outcome is going to be better than anything we could ever imagine by the One who works evil for good. Pray for His divine provision and protection, delivering us from fleshly temptations of an earthly and emotional mind and will. Pray that the Lord help us with our accountability to Him. Pray forgiveness of our many sins and a heart that forgives those who sin against us.

We have the truth, but do we have the devoted faith to pray to the living God. May God be the One that we put our hope in and the One that we go to. In God We Trust.

In Christ, Brian