Walking With Jesus

Inoculation or Transformation? (Part 2)

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.” (Ephesians 1:3-5 NLT)

Another misleading piece of the “inoculation” process is believing it’s all and only up to us. We’re “in” because we’ve been baptized, we attend a gathering, we give money, we serve, we’re a good person or any version of that, but they’re all wrong.

We’re only “in” God’s family through adoption and that adoption only comes through our union with Christ Jesus. It’s not enough to say a prayer, it’s only enough when we give our life in total commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. What does that mean? It essentially means no longer living for ourselves, but for Him. What might that look like?

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It looks a lot like what the disciples in the Gospels did – we follow Him! But how? By daily making Him our priority. Peter reminded the Lord of their sacrifice in Mark 10:28 when he said to Jesus: “We’ve given up everything to follow you.” And Jesus responded: “Yes, and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for My sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property – along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.”

Just to be clear, Jesus is not asking us to forsake our parents, family members, or to forsake our spouse and children, He’s saying they must take a lower priority in our thinking and living. Ideally, my sense is, He’s calling us to choose Him over spouses and children in the first place – to never marry. That’s what Paul advocates for in some of his writings, to remain single and essentially be “married” to Christ and His Church.

What’s my point? “Marriage” to Jesus is full, undivided commitment. He’s to be first in priority, first in obedience, first in preference, first in thought, first in sacrifice. But what if I come to Him later in life and I’m already married or have kids, a job, and a thousand other things pulling on me? He’s still our first priority in preparing our heart and mind to face each new day.

Every morning, I ask Him to enable me to love my wife and children, even though they’re grown, as He would if He were their husband and father. He’s not asking us to abandon them, but love them like He would. Ironically, that’s how a lot of Pastors lose their way. They think the church is their “bride,” not Jesus, and they sacrifice their marriage to serve the church. I learned the hard way that’s never what He desires.

That’s one of the reasons ministry is so hard, balancing what is the Lord’s time, family time, and my time. Here’s the truth – it’s ALL the Lord’s time, but the closer we walk with Him, the more discerning He enables us to be, helping us choose well when and how to invest our time most wisely. That’s basically what transformation looks like – balancing our lives to exalt Him in and through every avenue of our life.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Inoculation or Transformation?

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2 NLT)

When I think of inoculation I typically think of babies and young children who get inoculated for different childhood diseases or old people who need their shots to help prevent the flu, shingles, and other things old people get. Perhaps one day they’ll have a vaccination for Alzheimer’s, who knows?

Vaccinations are mostly well and good, but where the inoculation mentality fails is in our relationship with Jesus. Too many Christian groups who began with a heart for God and good intentions have watered down their “dosage” of Christian teaching to little more than “sermonettes” and pleasantries. Being a Christ follower has devolved into being a good church person, which can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people, depending on their “inoculation.”

If I’ve been taught being baptized as a child is all I need to go to heaven, it will likely skew what I believe to be my adult responsibilities as a Jesus follower. If getting to heaven is my goal and I believe I’ve met the entry requirements, I’m good to go. My attitude becomes: “I don’t need that adult discipleship, I was inoculated as a child!” “I read Bible stories as a child, I’m good. I know about the Bible.” “I went (or was forced) to attend church as a child, it’s not really my thing now.”

Truth be told most of what we “learn” as a child and/or new believer is the indoctrination of the particular group who has “recruited” us. Many, if not most churches today, at least in America, are looking to fill a seat in a building, not get people into heaven. We sing our songs and preach our sermons while people within walking distance of our church never hear the Gospel. What’s wrong with that picture?

Transformation of life and character only come through a personal relationship with Jesus. No amount of indoctrination into a certain “brand” of Christianity can prepare us for heaven, only Jesus can do that. He said in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” Guess where the Father’s throne room is? Certainly not on earth. The Prophet Isaiah wrote in the early verses of chapter 6: “It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the Temple.” He goes on in verse three to refer to God this way: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with His glory!”

Who on earth do you believe will ever be given access to enter His holy presence? Someone baptized as a child? A good person? Someone who read Bible stories as a child but lives like the devil? According to the only One who knows for sure, the Lord Jesus, no one will ever enter the Holy Father’s presence except He be escorted by His Holy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you been inoculated into believing your way of understanding life or even the “Christian” way is going to get you to heaven? Unless “your” way includes complete surrender and devotion to the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Lord Jesus Himself, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Please go to Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, click on The Bridge to God and let Ron Hutchcraft walk you through how to meet the Lord and know you’re forgiven and ready for heaven. You can even have a live chat with someone if you have questions or concerns.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😃

Be Not Deceived

“Don’t be misled – you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let us not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (Galatians 6:7-9 NLT)

Sin loses its grip when we learn to love Jesus more than we love our sin. I’m old, but I’m not blind, there are still women I find attractive; however, because of my love for Jesus and my devotion to my wife, I never look twice. Pondering leads to lust and lust leads in all kinds of sinful directions.

We must not deceive ourselves into believing “it doesn’t matter where I get my appetite as long as I eat at home!” You must not believe for a second that your spouse isn’t aware that your mind is not on them, whatever you’re doing. Sin flows from the heart and mind, and certainly involves the body, but to believe we can sin in our thoughts and not violate God’s law is to misunderstand the God who sees, hears, and understands everything, even our thoughts.

J.C. Ryle gives us insight when he writes: “Young men, be not deceived. Think not you can, at will, serve lusts and pleasures in your beginning, and then go and serve God with ease at your latter end.” The more we cloud our mind with evil, regardless of our age, the more clouded our judgment when it comes to sin. Things we know intellectually are completely wrong, seem oh so right when our emotions take over.

Why are we so quick to believe the lies of Satan? Could it be because we starve our mind of God’s Words found in the Bible. Remember what Jesus did when Satan confronted Him with temptation? With every threat Jesus countered with the words of Scripture. Are we to do any less? But we can’t bring to remembrance what isn’t stored in our memory.

To me it’s very simple? Who do you love most? Jesus? Your spouse? Yourself? Who you love will lead your heart and where your heart goes, so goes your thoughts. And where your thoughts go, so goes your life. Satan’s primary tool of deception is our mind. If he can get us to believe wrong thoughts, it’s a very short step to wrong actions.

God’s heart is for us to follow Him closely, that’s why He lives in us as His child. He guides and guards our thoughts, but He will not force us to think in line with His ways, we must want that for ourselves. But what does it look like to think God’s thoughts? It looks much like what He’s recorded in His Word, the Bible.

Saturate your mind with His words of Scripture. Don’t just read them, meditate on them, memorize them, talk to others about them, make them a part of your daily life. Post a verse on your mirror to memorize and guide you through your day. Post a verse(s) on your frig to remind you to cherish God’s Word in your heart and to feed your soul on His holy words.

Deception is Satan’s plan and our only defense is God’s Words empowered by God’s Spirit released in and through our heart and mind. “Don’t be misled – you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” What are you planting in your heart and mind?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Cowards

“But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars – their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8 NLT)

Cowards aren’t cowards because they have fear, they’re cowards because they let their fear prevent them from doing what they know they should do. In my mind it’s not fear that keeps us from sharing our faith, it’s cowardice; it’s thinking more of our own feelings and possible backlash from people with whom we might share, than of their eternal damnation.

People who die without Jesus are doomed to an eternity of separation from Him and all that is good, right, and holy. But the thought of my loved ones and those about whom I care deeply, missing heaven terrifies me. It’s a small thing to risk ridicule, rejection, or even persecution if I can influence even one person to change their mind about Jesus and miss hell.

Someone took the risk and made the effort to share Jesus with me, the least I can do is do the same for someone I know or meet. What if we were as quick to share the good news of forgiveness and new life in Jesus as we are a morsel of gossip? Josh Surratt made the observation: “Leaders tell the truth to people. Cowards tell the truth to other people about other people.”

The irony, of course, is, too often what people tell other people ISN’T the truth! They’re simply perpetrating lies to make themselves feel better about themselves. Why not share the truth that Jesus is Lord, has died in our place to purchase for us a place in heaven, where we can go if we’ll yield our life and allegiance to Him by faith.

Sometimes I’ll tell a lost loved one or friend: “I can’t stand the thought of being in heaven without you!” Strangely, a lot of people are surprised I would say that because they have this misunderstanding that everyone goes to heaven, or, at least, all the “good” people, which, of course, they are. Satan has filled people’s minds with all kinds of lies that sound plausible, but are damning lies.

Perhaps a simple question can lead to helping someone have a better understanding of what the Bible teaches about heaven. A question like: “What do you believe about heaven?” Or “As you understand it, who gets to go to heaven?” Jesus is clear that no one goes to heaven except by faith in Him. In John 14:6 He says: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.”

Being religious, a good person, going to church, or anything else will never take the place of a personal love relationship with the One who laid down His life in our place. Each of us must make the personal decision to open our heart and mind to the Lord by faith, asking for forgiveness and determining to walk in the power of the Spirit who will take up residence in our heart when we open our life to Him.

If you’ve never done that, please go to The Bridge to God and let Ron Hutchcraft guide you in how to give your life to the Lord Jesus. You will never regret opening your life to the Lord of life. Knowing my heart belongs to Jesus and my home in heaven is awaiting my arrival gives me peace to know that whatever I face here on earth, it’s only temporary, and because of Him, very manageable.

Don’t be a coward! Open your heart to Jesus today! And if you know Him, share Him with someone today!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Quiet Faithfulness

“Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NLT)

We live in a noisy world. There is no limit to the distractions we encounter regardless of what we’re doing. Then, on those rare occasions when it’s quiet, we tend to want to go to sleep! Of course, quietness involves more than the absence of noise, it also includes those private things we do for the Lord that no one knows about but Him.

No one sees us when we’re praying, reading God’s Word, writing notes of encouragement, making calls to those who may otherwise be forgotten, or being engaged in other ways that honor the Lord and bless others, but those things never escape the Lord’s notice. Another avenue of the quiet faithfulness of God is not only what He does through us, but what He’s doing in us.

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Every second we devote to listening attentively to the Lord’s voice and basking in His holy presence is opportunity for Him to do something helpful in drawing us to Himself and growing us to become more like Him. The Lord will never do anything through us He hasn’t first established in us. He can’t give us instructions until He has our attention and it’s hard to hear His still, small voice in the midst of confusion, turmoil, and noise.

Ray Majoran prays: “As we follow Your way, teach us to value the quiet faithfulness that honors You, even when no one sees the effort but You. Lead us in the small steps of obedience that shape our future, and give us grace to do the work You have called us to do, trusting that You are faithful and will complete Your work within us (1 Thessalonians 5:24) (See Reflecting Christ – 11-20-25)

The truth is the Lord can’t complete what we haven’t allowed Him to begin. Faith begins as a seed that grows as we prioritize our walk with the Lord and allow Him time and opportunity to nurture our faith and help it grow. He is always faithful to do what He promises, but we must intentionally work at learning what it means to be faithful to and for Him.

Quiet faithfulness begins in our heart with a desire to know Him, long for His presence, nurture His closeness, and treasure our time with Him. Yes, of course, He never leaves us, but we are so easily distracted and drawn away from Him. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to set aside specific time when you can find a quiet place to get alone with the Lord.

Devote specific time to read His Word, speak with Him in prayer, contemplate your day’s activities in light of your mission for the Lord. Ask questions like: “Lord, how would you have me invest my time today? Who would you have me reach out to for You? Who can I encourage, bless with a note or call? Is there someone at work, school, or where I volunteer who needs a smile and a word of encouragement? Whatever You have for me, please prepare my heart and mind and enable me to be attentive to Your leading.”

Solitude doesn’t have to be strange, but can be the best part of our day. The chorus of Johnson Oatman’s beautiful hymn reminds us: “Alone with God, the world forbidden, Alone with God, O blest retreat! Alone with God, and in Him hidden, to hold with Him communion sweet.”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Politics of Heaven

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him; God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:5, 10 NLT)

According to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary “politics” is “the art or science of government: as a: the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy. And b: the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government.”

The major problem with governments in our world today is their focus on themselves as opposed to being focused on those over whom they’ve been given authority. Government is a means to a very selfish end in most cases, even, perhaps especially in the United States of America. We’ve either forgotten why government exists or we’ve purposely redirected our efforts to please and honor ourselves as politicians.

Proverbs 29:2 reminds us: “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.” Paul reminded Timothy, and us, in 1 Timothy 2:1-5: “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them, intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Christ Jesus.”

A common understanding of the purpose of government in society is to maintain order, protect individual rights, provide public services, and promote the general welfare of its citizens. Perhaps Abraham Lincoln said it best in his Gettysburg Address when he spoke of “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.” But how does that translate for us from day to day?

Juan Sanchez reminds us: “We are to display the politics of heaven on Earth,” but what does that mean? How do we do that without becoming some kind of radical nutjob? Think about the government of heaven. Who’s in charge? Whose interests does our King hold most dear? Who does He select to govern others?

The Lord God Almighty, Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of the universe is the embodiment of all Truth, Justice, mercy, kindness, goodness, and every other attribute that preserves human dignity and protects the rights He Himself has given us. He rules in heaven and establishes leaders of His own choosing to rule over us when we’re there.

Of course, we don’t know with certainty how all of that will look, but because of who will be in charge, we can know that it will be done fairly and in a manner that will result in our best interests being addressed. So, how might that look on earth now as we seek to honor, obey, and represent our King well?

Doesn’t it mean ordering our lives based on the truth of God’s Word? Following His Commandments to love Him with our whole heart, mind, soul, and body and others as ourselves? Putting the needs of others ahead of our own and never pushing our personal agendas on someone else?

Might that be the most effective way to see His holy will accomplished on earth as it is in heaven?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Nothing Compares

“All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all.” (Acts 4:32-33 NLT)

The closer we get to Christ the less we tend to hold on to what we think is ours, at least materially. The more my love for and devotion to the Savior grows, the less I need materially. Please don’t misunderstand, I’m very grateful for shelter, food, a comfortable bed, dependable transportation, clothes, and other material things that make my life so satisfying. But even as I type that list, I realize that a very large percentage of the earth’s population doesn’t enjoy those luxuries.

Ideally, if there was ever a group on earth that should never experience want, it’s the Church, the Body of Christ, not simply because we’re God’s children, but because we’re family and we have each other’s back. That’s one of the reasons God’s design doesn’t include “Lone Ranger” believers. God’s call is always to enter into community, but more specifically, the Community of Christ through fellowship with a local body of believers.

Early in my ministry I read a book by Reuben Welch entitled “We Really Do Need Each Other,” which changed the trajectory of my ministry. It opened my eyes to see my need of other believers, not simply to guide me in my walk with the Lord, but that we might be partners in addressing needs that were too big for any one person or even one group of persons to meet on their own.

But even beyond that, the greatest draw to me to the Body of Christ, the Church, is the fellowship I enjoy with likeminded believers. No, of course, we may not agree on every point of doctrine or how they should be applied in our daily lives, but we agree that Jesus is Lord and should be followed, revered, and given rulership over our lives, lives that belong to Him.

When Jesus is Lord and we are living in His eternal fellowship, growing daily in our love for Him and for each other, there is no greater comradery, friendship, or fellowship on earth. Dr. Eric Mason wrote: “When the church is being the church there is no community that can compare to the church.” It’s sad that we, as Christians, have given the Church such a bad reputation over the years, but, by God’s grace and under His guidance, many cities are seeing a significant turnaround in their churches.

Sadly, part of the problem is the leadership, most notably the Pastors, if their focus is more on their denominational preferences and loyalties than they are on Biblical directives. The Bible’s message is the unity of God’s people with their focus on Him, not their distinctives. We can walk in unity and still not agree on every detail of doctrine and church polity as long as Jesus is our focal point and accomplishing His mission is our goal.

The point is, nothing compares with the fellowship of God’s people when we’re united in our love for Jesus and the accomplishment of His eternal purposes. A large part of those purposes is the salvation of our lost loved ones and friends, but another vital aspect of our love for others is having an eye for those in need.

With whom can you partner in your church to help someone in need. Maybe they need money, but more than money many may need someone to do yardwork, housework, childcare, help with shopping, or taking them to medical appointments. Whatever it is, the Lord will give you insight into who you can help and how if you’ll ask Him. When we’re invested in helping others is when nothing compares to the fellowship of God’s family.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Point of Grace

“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.” (Romans 6:20-22 NLT)

Grace is the free, unmerited favor of God afforded those who love God and are called to fulfill His eternal purposes. Paul explains earlier in chapter 6:14: “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.” As David Wells explains: “Without the holiness of God, sin has no meaning and grace has no point.”

Holiness, purity, God’s set apart purposes for us that can’t be accomplished without the Spirit’s empowerment are the context of grace. We can’t accomplish the plans of God for our life without the grace of God sustaining, strengthening, and enabling us to walk in constant dependence upon the Lord. God’s grace opens our eyes to our need of Him, then seeks to keep them open in our ever-growing need of Him as we make our way along the paths of obedience to His holy directives.

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If you think about it, grace would have no place if it weren’t for the Lord. Grace took on a whole new dimension of meaning and significance once Jesus entered the picture, sacrificed His life, and opened the door of opportunity for us to know Him and have eternal hope in and through Him. Grace sustains us, motivates us, enables us to find strength, guidance and giftedness to continue our journey with purpose.

Each day when we open our eyes and see the light of a new day, if we’re in tune with the Spirit, we’ll breathe a “Thank You, Lord!” for the grace of a new day. God’s gifts to His children, while broad in scope, also have very limited and personal application. Yes, of course, the gift of a new day is offered to everyone, but not everyone will be tuned to recognize Who the Author of that new day is.

The gift of recognition is a grace-gift preserved for those who are looking for and expecting the Lord to show up and present Himself in bold and apparent ways. Too often even His children fail to see Him as He seeks to make Himself known in unfamiliar territory. Accidents, illnesses, tragedies, losses, and other circumstances that tend to cloud His presence can prevent us from sensing and knowing the Lord is with us, but grace, like the opening of the blinds on a sunny day, can allow the floodlight of the Lord’s comforting, healing presence to shine upon us, strengthening, informing, and assuring us in ways that no human voice can.

Grace is the overflow of the holiness of our loving Father who, while unseen by the human eye, can easily be detected by the eye of one’s heart who is tuned to His Spirit’s still, small voice. The point of grace is to reveal God’s holiness and to give His children confidence that there’s never a single second of our day that we’re beyond His care.

May you sense the Lord’s unfailing grace in every circumstance of your life as you grow in holiness and intimacy with your Savior.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The gospel of Satan

“Next the devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ‘I will give it all to You,’ he said, ‘if You will kneel down and worship me.’” (Matthew 4:8-9 NLT)

Satan’s strategy is simple and very straightforward – he will give us what we want, he just won’t tell us what it’s going to cost us.

Jesus understood, as we must, that to accept his “gifts” is to accept his terms – to worship him! What does it mean to “worship” Satan? While there are those who actually worship and pay homage to Satan, most of those who are not walking with the Lord are “worshipping” Satan by ignoring Jesus. There’s a sense in which to not intentionally and purposefully give our allegiance to Jesus and worship Him is to open our lives to the influence and infiltration of Satan and his devilish influences.

Too many, even professing believers in Jesus, want to walk with one foot in the world and one foot in following Jesus. The only problem with that is it never works. Jesus clearly said in Mark 8:34-38: “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways (the ways of the world), take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life (the things of this world), you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.”

Jesus goes on to make very clear that there’s nothing that Satan can offer, though he offer us, as he did Jesus, the whole world, nothing is worth more than our soul, our security in Jesus. Arthur Pink gives us insight when he writes: “The gospel of Satan aims to make this world such a comfortable and congenial habitat that Christ’s absence from it will not be felt and God will not be needed.”

Most lost people never give Jesus a thought because they have no felt need they perceive He can meet. Why is that? Largely because they’ve never had a meaningful relationship with anyone who loves Jesus and if they have, it’s had little, if any, impact on them. When the world is meeting all my needs, of what use do I have of Jesus.

When the world and the things of this world are my whole frame of reference; when I have no apparent need of anything beyond this world, I have no desire to change or make any decisions that would upset my perceived security. Like in the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16, he had no need of God until his “secure” life on earth ended. Then he had a very vivid awakening, but it was too late.

It’s interesting that even in hell his first thought was himself: “Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.” But over time his thoughts shifted: “Then the rich man said, ‘Please Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.”

Just as heaven is God’s plan for Jesus followers, hell is God’s plan for Satan and his followers. If we allow him, Satan will lull us to spiritual sleep as surely as he did the rich man in the Bible, resulting in our eternal punishment, the loss of our soul. We must be about our Father’s business of warning anyone who will allow us of what’s coming for those who ignore the claims of Christ.

We must not allow the gospel of Satan to prevail in the hearts and minds of those we know and love. As often as the Spirit prompts us, we must not only live Jesus before them but speak His eternal truth. Their eternal life may well depend on our witness to them.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Failures

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” (Psalm 37:23-24 NLT)

Often our sense is that failures are fatal, and sometimes they are on some levels, but they’re never final for a child of God. My life and ministry looked a lot different after the failure of my marriage, but it became apparent over time the Lord may have altered my path, but He didn’t end my journey.

We tend to place too much emphasis on our inability to overcome defeat and failure and far too little on the power of God to work through the circumstances of our lives, not only to His glory and honor, but to our good. My relationship with the Lord has deepened and my ministry opportunities have broadened exponentially since my failure.

Yes, of course, the path has looked quite different and some of the experiences I’ve had I would never have chosen for myself. And sometimes the healing journey can be painful, humbling, but will pay rich dividends if we trust the Lord and stay the course. Dave Harvey nails it when he wrote: “Our failures are never big enough to interrupt God’s plans for us.”

The key is never running away from the Lord. While our tendency may be, as it was for me, to hide from the Lord in shame, disgust with ourselves, and an unwillingness to see any hope for our future, gratefully, God never sees it that way. In God’s way of thinking failure is just one step closer to success, if we’re willing to trust Him and allow Him to walk with us through the healing process.

Failure isn’t final unless we allow it to be. We must understand that the Lord saw this failure before He ever chose us. Like King David, He was chosen even though the Lord knew he would fall and fail miserably. But God wasn’t finished with David and He isn’t finished with me or you. Some of David’s most helpful and meaningful Psalms, like the one above, was written under the inspiration of the Spirit even in light of his failure.

Perhaps you’re in the midst of a crippling failure right now or know someone who is. The outcome is directly linked to where we are with the Lord. Failure as a child of God gives us a resource of strength, encouragement and an unfolding path to recovery through our relationship with the Lord, while those without a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus have no such resource.

Of course, the Lord is available and is always open to anyone who will repent, turn from their sin, shame, and cycle of failure and turn to Him for forgiveness, wholeness, and a new life led and governed by the Holy Spirit. If you’ve never opened your life to the Lord, please visit Ron Hutchcraft’s The Bridge to God by clicking on the highlighted link.

It may seem to us that our failures re-route, derail, or delay God’s plans in our lives, but the truth is, they’re all part of His plan. Having known before the beginning of time that we’d fail, He worked it all out exactly as He’d planned, knitting our failure as part of the threads He’s using to create the tapestry of our lives.

Failure is never final when we give it to the Lord. He will always use every detail of our life for our good and His glory if we’ll leave the choice to Him.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊