Walking With Jesus

God’s Commands

“You are My friends if you do what I command.” (John 15:14 NLT)

My wife and I have two dogs – a full-blooded Pug and a “Heinz 57” rescue. Zoe, our Pug, is very “food-oriented.” What does that mean? It means she lives to eat. She’ll do most anything I ask as long as I give her a treat. Whoever said “dogs love unconditionally” never owned a Pug. She loves food and getting her belly rubbed. My wife and I come in somewhere below that.

Scout, on the other hand, is very compliant and will do most anything we ask him to do whether we give him a treat or not. He’s easily frightened and can be very needy when he’s afraid, but all in all he’s a very good dog.

What does any of this have to do with God’s commands? Nothing, I just like to talk about my dogs – no, I’m just kidding. Quite a lot actually.

As Christ followers we can be very bull-headed (like Zoe) or very compliant like Scout. We can “love” Jesus for what He’s done and is doing for us, or we can love Him because of who He is and because we depend on Him for our sustenance.

In a recent Turning Point devotional Dr. David Jeremiah wrote: “Dog trainers can teach their animals scores of tricks and commands, but most trainers say three commands are important enough to become lifesavers. The first is ‘Down, Stay.’ If a dog is running toward the road, for example, his life may depend on his instant obedience. The second vital command is ‘Drop It.’ Dogs put their teeth into all kinds of things. One of the greatest hazards for dogs in America is swallowing human prescription medication. A dog that understands ‘Drop It’ may live longer for it. The third command is ‘Come!’ A dog that runs away from its owner won’t last long.”

See any parallels? There’s a very good reason most “pet-friendly” places require that pets be on leashes. Because, like humans, dogs are very likely to chase after things that appeal to them. There’s also a very good reason Jesus connected “remaining in His love” with “obeying His commandments.” (John 15:9-10)

Most of us humans tend to want our own way. Whether our “trigger” is food, money, sex, or _______________, we want what we want, when we want it. It takes time for God to “break” us and “train” us to be sensitive to His voice and submissive to His commands. But, like dogs, we must be willing to be “taught.”

Our tendency is to chase after whatever Satan dangles in front of us, because, unfortunately, he knows what we like. God doesn’t tempt us with evil, He trains us with love, eventually, helping us to desire Him more than other things. If we can learn “Down, Stay” it can literally save our lives. “Drop it,” while hard at times, can prevent a lot of heartache and suffering. And “Come” can be, over time, the most satisfying command to obey.

God’s desire in “commanding” us, is to fill us with joy. The longer I walk with the Lord, the more satisfying our relationship becomes. The closer I draw to Him, the closer I want to be; the quieter His voice, the more attentive I want to be; the more obedient I am, the more submissive to His authority I want to be. Why?

Because His love is worth it. I understand I can’t earn or deserve His love. It’s not that my obedience “earns” anything. My obedience gives visibility to the fact I already have and enjoy the riches of His leadership in my life.

I’m beginning to finally understand what Jesus meant when He said: “Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)

Blessings, Ed 😊

Keeping Our Focus on Jesus

“And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1b-2a NLT)

Endurance demands training and training demands discipline, neither of which the average professing believer in America has or even desires. How do I know that? The main way is through conversations with those who claim they want to be Christ’s “disciple,” but take very little incentive and have virtually no follow through. Part of the problem stems from their lack of focus.

What do you think of when you read that word “focus?” It literally means “adjustment (as of eyes or eyeglasses) that gives clear vision.” Think of the chair in the Eye Doctor’s office and his questions: “Which is clearer position A or B,” etc.

But keeping focus doesn’t necessarily mean focusing on only one thing. Part of the training I received as a School Bus Driver demanded that we move our attention every three seconds. Windshield, side mirrors, inside mirror, back to windshield, etc. Why? It keeps us alert and sensitive to what’s going on around us. What generally happens if you try to focus on one object too long? At best it gets blurred, and, at worst, we go to sleep.

How does this apply to following Jesus? Don’t we just do what He says to do? For the most part, yes. But how do we know what He wants us to do? The primary ways are through reading and studying the Bible, and through prayer, both of which require discipline and focus.

Some people are very disciplined and can learn new things easily and quickly; however, most Americans have very little discipline. They’re like a stick floating down a river or stream. G.K. Chesterton made an interesting observation. He said: “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.”

Which are you? Living or dead? If you’re reading this you may assume that you’re alive, but a pulse does not an alive person make! There are millions, likely billions of people with a pulse walking planet earth who are dead in their trespasses and sin, many professing faith in the living God. Profession is easy, following Jesus and keeping your focus on Him, not so much.

Keeping our focus on Jesus requires a willingness to die to our old self – the self who loves “stuff;” the self who loves having it’s own way; the self that doesn’t take orders from anyone, etc. It requires repentance. What’s that?

Repentance is a Biblical term that means “a change of mind,” but it’s much more comprehensive than that. It’s a military term and can be illustrated by an “about face.” A soldier is marching in one direction, but upon command, spins and begins walking in the opposite direction. It’s a change of direction brought about by a realignment of our heart and mind with the will of God.

It’s a submission to the authority of God, given visibility by the new direction of our life. We’re no longer tyrannized by the things of the world but driven by our faith in and love for Jesus. Giving expression to our love for Jesus governs every avenue of our lives and motivates every new discipline required to carry out His will.

Pleasing God must override our desire to please ourselves. Discipline and focus grow out of obedience, which is a decision, that once made, will be reinforced, and enabled by the Holy Spirit. But it requires our willingness to submit to the Spirit’s leadership.

Keeping our focus on Jesus is the adventure of a lifetime and is well worth the effort.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Perfection

“But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48 NLT)

The only two people I’ve ever known who are perfect are Jesus and my wife. Jesus is God, so that explains why He’s perfect in every way. My wife is perfect to me because she was God’s choice for me, and He never makes a mistake. I’ve always known God was perfect. My wife’s perfection was a mystery for a while, but in this season of our lives, has become crystal clear.

Of course, perfect can be thought of in many ways. We think of clothing that is a perfect match. Or furniture that fits perfectly in a room. Or someone may get a perfect score on an exam or in a game. But when it comes to human beings, perfection is something that has escaped us all.

Yet, even though none of us are perfect in the same sense as Jesus – flawless, sinless, completely holy, and above reproach in every detail of His life – because of the grace and mercy of God, we can still be perfect in the sense of forgiven and made completely useful in the carrying out of His eternal purposes.

In the above verse, perhaps the best definition of “perfect” would be “complete, whole, mature,” all of which we can be through Christ our Lord. Another way “perfect” can be seen is “wanting nothing necessary to completeness.” As it relates to our relationship with Jesus, He is all we will ever need to be all He desires us to be.

While those of us who are in Christ are “perfect,” as we’re viewed through His royal robe of righteousness, gratefully, literal perfection is not God’s demand. What He does require is faithfulness. Hebrews 11:6 says: “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”

So, if you’re interested in pleasing God, which I am, you’ll want to know what “faith” is. Again, the author of the Hebrew letter explains in 11:1: “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” The whole of Hebrews 11 gives vivid illustration to what faith looks like, through examples of many “heroes” of faith.

But what about me and you? What does faith look like for us? The author anticipated our question, so in chapter 12 he writes: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

What might that look like? “We do this be keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” How does He do that? The writer continues by talking about the discipline of the Lord. What does that mean? It essentially means we might fool everyone else with our pious opinion of ourselves, but if our eyes aren’t on Jesus, the Lord’s going to call us on it.

Keeping our eyes on Jesus speaks to attitude and attention. Attitude because we have to realize that without Jesus, we’re incapable of exercising faith that will please God. If we wrongly believe we can please God without keeping our focus on Jesus, we’re only fooling ourselves. Then attention because whatever holds our attention gives direction to our life.

We’ll look at this more closely in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Is Your Choice?

“If by continuing to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose. I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing; but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive. I am sure of this, and so I know that I will stay. I will stay on with you all, to add to your progress and joy in the faith.” (Philippians 1:22-25 GNT)

Have you ever been in someone’s physical presence, but your mind was a million miles away? Perhaps you’ve heard the expression – “90% of life is showing up.” That’s the burden sometimes, isn’t it?

Having read Viktor Frankl’s book many years ago, it caught my attention when I read in a recent Rick Warren devotional: “I’ll never forget reading Viktor Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning. Frankl was a Jewish psychiatrist who was taken to one of the death camps in Nazi Germany. All of his family and friends were gassed and murdered. He writes in his book about one day when he stood in front of the Gestapo, stark naked. They’d taken away the prisoners’ clothes and even Frankl’s wedding ring. As he stood there with nothing at all, he suddenly realized there was one thing the Nazis could not take away from him: his choice in how he would respond. You cannot totally control what other people do to you. You cannot control what other people do around you. But you can control how you respond. Choose to serve others, even when you are hurting. Choose to forgive. Choose to focus on God’s promises and not your circumstances. Those are the kind of choices that lead to greater faith. Then, your faith will produce greater joy.”

We can allow our imagination to run wild, surmising what we might do or how we might respond if we were in a situation like Frankl’s, but for all intent and purpose, it’s a waste of time. The real issue is – how will we respond today to the circumstances in which we find ourselves? How will we respond to our family, our co-workers, our friends, our enemies today! What will be our choice in how we respond to THEIR treatment of us?

They may love you or stab you in the back. You can’t control what anyone does to you, but you can control what you allow the Spirit to do through you!

Think of Jesus standing before the soldiers who would soon nail Him to a tree – silent! When the soldiers hit Him with their fists, spit on Him, formed a crown of thorns and put it on His head. When they took His clothes, mocked Him, ripped the skin from His holy body with a lead tipped whip, then nailed Him to a cross! It breaks my heart that He had to go through all of that for me . . . and you!

Knowing all He did for us, what’s our choice as it relates to Him?

As I’m nearing 75, my heart and mind tend to lean towards Paul’s desire to go be with Jesus, but the Spirit’s pull to continue to speak life and hope into people’s lives cements my feet to planet earth until such a time as the Lord comes or calls me home. My choice, in life and in death is Jesus.

In the face of all Jesus did to make it possible for me to know and love Him, He’s mine and I am His. I have little insight into what the future holds, only that Jesus is coming soon. I have no expectation that the world will improve, but like Viktor Frankl, I have a choice. We have a choice!

We can mutter and complain about the way things are, driving people away from us and the Jesus we claim to know and love. Or we can place our lives securely into the capable hands of our Savior and simply and faithfully walk in His steps. It may lead to suffering and heartache, as it did for Jesus, but wherever it leads, may our course never change and may our voices never falter as to our dying breath we lift praise, adoration, and honor to our living King.

That’s my choice! How about you?

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Is Your Clever Disguise?

“So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20a NLT)

Ron Hutchcraft wrote in a recent devotional: “The pastor of a mega church in America was meeting one of the ladies in his church one time and he said, ‘What do you do?’ and she said, ‘Well, Pastor, I’m a disciple of Jesus Christ cleverly disguised as a machine operator.’ I love that! She said, “this is just my clever disguise, because who does a lost machine operator most likely to listen to? Another machine operator!” So, what’s your clever disguise? Your job? Your school activities? Your community position? What you do for fun, for recreation?

Far too often we think of our walk with Jesus as “personal,” but that can easily translate into nobody else’s business. If we’re not very careful, it becomes only what we are and do on Sunday. While I agree that knowing Jesus is very personal, it was never intended to be private. As a Christ-follower, we’re not containers in which the Holy Spirit is stored, we’re designed by God to be conduits through whom His Spirit can flow.

Photo by Christina Morillo on Pexels.com

How did you learn about Jesus? For me it was through another person. At that time, I was a student, so God used another student to speak with me about Jesus. It may sound strange, but when I was pastoring, I rarely told people that I was a pastor, unless they specifically asked. You know why? Because usually the first question they would ask was: “Oh, what church do you pastor?” And that became the theme of our conversation.

Being a follower of Jesus is far more about relationship than religion; it’s far more about personal transformation than indoctrination into a series of beliefs. My belief system has been developed through study and seeking to listen to the Holy Spirit regarding what is true, based on the authority of God’s written Word, not necessarily what the church I pastored, or attend is teaching. And I’m still learning. I’m a work in progress.

God has cleverly disguised you as whomever you are and whatever areas or arenas in which you find yourself. While you aren’t what you do, if you’re a follower of Jesus, He will speak in and through you by the quality of your work ethic, your attitude towards authority, your willingness to be flexible in how you interrelate with others, and to a very large degree, through your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22).

The language of God’s Ambassadors is “Jesus,” whether or not we ever mention His holy Name. If you’re a different person at work on Monday than you are in church on Sunday, there’s a problem. We have to ask ourselves – “who’s rubbing off on whom? Am I becoming more like my co-workers, people at the gym, at the coffee shop, where I hang out, etc. or are they becoming more like me?” Are they beginning to reflect my values or am I reflecting theirs?

And yes, of course, there’s got to be balance. You can’t shove Jesus down someone’s throat. You can be so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good. Jesus is my life, but I have to be under His control, being sensitive to the people and places I am, taking my cues from the Holy Spirit, not from the people with whom I’m working, playing, visiting, etc.

We need to be careful about our language, humor, and attitudes regardless of our surroundings. To use language at work, home, or anyplace else that we wouldn’t use when speaking with someone at church should raise a huge red flag. To treat our spouses and kids differently at home than when we’re at church or around other “church” people should sound the proverbial alarm in our heart and mind.

An ambassador is a representative of their country of origin and should live in a way that would honor and accurately represent their country in whichever country they’re assigned. We’re ambassadors of the King of kings and Lord of lords. To act, speak, or live in a way that clouds or distorts who Jesus is or what His desires are for the person with whom we’re speaking, is a violation of a sacred trust God has given us as His child.

Our “clever disguise” is supposed to help us in better representing Jesus, not hiding from our responsibility to share His life and love with those in our spheres of influence who so desperately need Him.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Why Are You Afraid?

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28 NLT)

According to Pastor Rick Warren: “Fear is humanity’s most common problem.” While people fear different things, fear is common to virtually every human being in varying degrees.

While doing research I was surprised to see one study that ranked “Social Phobia” as the number one fear. What’s that? It’s fear of being in social situations, including, but certainly not limited to, public speaking. Another site listed “loneliness” as number one.

It caused me to wonder how many of these common fears were exacerbated by the confinement brought about by the Covid virus? I read recently that many young people are continuing to wear masks as a means of protecting themselves, not just from the virus, but socially. They can continue to hid behind their mask.

It reminded me of my “Prom” picture when I was in high school. It never failed. When I had a date and wanted to look my best, zits would appear on my face. What looked to others like a few small red spots, looked like a crop of tomatoes to me. But that’s part of the problem, isn’t it? We magnify our fears in our own mind. We do that with death.

It’s not just death that frightens people, it’s the act of dying. I have little fear of death. In my mind, the sooner I can be with Jesus, the better. What bothers me is the bridge to death. How long will it be? But when we think that way, we miss the point.

Jesus didn’t suffer and die simply to give us life after death. He died to give us life that begins the moment we accept His invitation to follow Him and join in His activity on this planet. The same Holy Spirit that becomes our moment-by-moment guide in this life, is the same Holy Spirit who will be with us every second leading up to our departure into the next life.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15: “Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”

What’s the greatest threat of fear? It’s the control of our mind. For example, if I fear public speaking, do I have to be in front of a crowd in order to be afraid? If I fear heights or spiders or germs, do I have to be in the presence of those things in order to be afraid? No! Why not? Because the fear is in my mind, not my presence!

So, what’s the greatest antidote to fear? Change the way you think! But how?

You can only focus on one thing at a time, so, choose carefully what you allow in your mind. Paul writes in Philippians 4:8: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” But don’t stop there. Verse 9 says: “Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

What you think about comes about. If you bridle your thoughts, you give direction to your life. Our goal is to be so busy carrying out the will of God in our life, we won’t have any time to be afraid of anything, except our reverence for and devotion to, our heavenly Father.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What’s So Special About Jesus’ Resurrection?

“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” (Romans 8:11 NLT)

Jesus wasn’t the only person in Scripture to come back from the grave, so what’s so special about His resurrection?

In Acts 26:8 Paul is giving his defense for being arrested for being a Jesus follower. He stands before King Agrippa, his sister Bernice, military officers, and prominent men of the city when he says: “Why does it seem incredible to any of you that God can raise the dead?”

In John 5, early in His ministry, Jesus called God His Father, which His audience accurately understood that He was making Himself equal with God. Then in verses 28-29 He said: “Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.”

Why is that significant? Because Jesus was revealing what would be happening in the three days He was in the grave. He wasn’t just lying around waiting for Sunday, His Spirit never died. He was visiting Sheol, the place of the dead, as David prophesied in Psalm 16:10, while at the same time declaring Jesus’ resurrection. David wrote: “For You will not leave my soul among the dead or allow Your Holy One to rot in the grave.”

A Piercing Light “Used by permission, © Ray Majoran, GlimpseOfInfinity.com”

Ray Comfort in his book Faith Is For Weak People (page 70) wrote in reference to Jesus’ resurrection: “It was incredible, marvelous, and unique because of what it signified. It was more than a demonstration of the miraculous power of God; it was a confirmation of the approval of God. It was a statement that the redemption of lost sinners was indeed ‘finished’ (John 19:30), as Jesus said it was when He was still on the cross. His resurrection permanently turned on the light in the darkness, and the darkness fled at the speed of light.”

Unlike any person who ever lived or will live, Jesus died and rose again NEVER TO DIE AGAIN! Every other person who was brought back to life only lived to die again – UNTIL JESUS! Why is that such good news? Because death no longer holds any fear for those who are in Christ Jesus. Jesus’ resurrection led the way for every person who has placed their faith in Him, though their body will die, their spirit, the essence of who they are, will never die, but be united with Him forever.

Listen to the beautiful words of Charles Spurgeon speaking of Christ’s resurrection: “But it was more than a miracle of power, for all the attributes of God united their glory in the resurrection of Christ. God’s love came there, and opened those closed eyes; His delight *bejewelled those deadly wounds; His wisdom set in motion that pierced heart. Divine justice claimed His loosing from the grave, and mercy smiled as she lit up His face with an immortal smile. There and then did Jehovah make all His glory to pass before us, and He proclaimed the name of the Lord. If you ask where God’s glory most is seen, I will not point to creation, nor to providence, but to the raising of Jesus from the dead.”

Listen child of God! Death has lost its grip on you! Rejoice in God your Savior! Let the words of the author of Hebrews reverberate in your spirit when he wrote: “Because God’s children are human beings – made of flesh and blood – the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.”

HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOR!

Blessings, Ed 😊

*“bejewelled” means “to cover or decorate with or as with jewels” (Websters)

Rescue Us From the Evil One

“Our Father in heaven, may Your name be kept holy. May Your Kingdom come soon. May Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:9-13 NLT)

In yesterday’s post we looked at the role of demons – who they are and what their purpose is. Today, I want us to look at our God given strategy for defense against the forces of evil.

It would be Satan’s plan for us to cower in fear at the thought of him or his evil companions. We’re tempted to allow fear to cause us to see a demon behind every act of evil and waiting behind every tree to jump out and attack us. God’s perfect love casts out fear. Does that mean we should never be afraid?

There are times fear is a normal and acceptable response. If you see a tornado coming, fear should cause you to seek shelter. If you’re walking in the forest and come upon a poisonous snake or grizzly bear, keep your wits, but fear is an expected response.

However, we need not fear Satan or his demons if we’re cleansed by the precious blood of our Savior and filled with His Holy Spirit. To walk with Jesus is to walk in full confidence that He is ALWAYS with us; therefore, we have no need to fear evil. Does that mean we’ll never face circumstances that Satan has engineered?

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

What about the people who are worshipping when a gunman opens fire? Is God not with them? Of course, He is, but who do you think is Satan’s primary target? Certainly, he wants to deceive everyone he can who is not a believer, but he’s also focused on oppressing or hindering any child of God he can.

That’s why Jesus taught us to pray: “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” Who do you think is doing the tempting? God will test us to build our faith, but He will never tempt us to do evil. Only Satan and his demons tempt us to do things that are contrary to God’s will.

Paul told us in Ephesians 6:11: “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” He outlines what that armor is in later verses but listen to what he writes about our enemy: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

A couple quick takeaways. First, under most circumstances your spouse is not your enemy. Your child is not the enemy. Your boss/coworker/employee(s) is not your enemy. That crazy reckless driver is not your enemy.

Second, your real enemy is “unseen, evil, authoritative, powerful,” in short, you can’t stand up to them alone! You are no match for Satan or his emissaries. He will defeat you every time. However, we have an “Advocate!” One who pleads our case with the Father. One who will take our side and stand strong in our defense. He is the Holy Spirit who, like the other members of the triune Godhead, has NEVER lost a battle. He is our Overcomer!

You need not fear in any situation as long as you’re trusting God to rescue you from the evil one. The minute you get cocky, believing you can handle Satan on your own, get ready to be defeated. Our only hope is Jesus. But HE IS A SURE HOPE! TRUST HIM!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Who or What Are Demons?

“Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.” (Matthew 10:1 NLT)

While this isn’t a common theme from many pulpits in America, the Lord has prompted me to address the subject of demons for a few reasons. But first, let me lay some groundwork. If you read the King James Version of the Bible, you will not find the term “demon.” The KJV prefers “unclean spirit” or “evil spirit.”

Unlike our all-powerful, omnipresent God, Satan is not omnipresent, nor is he all-powerful, which means he can only be in one place at a time, and he cannot make you do anything you’re not willing to do. However, he has millions of evil spirits or demons who do his devilish bidding. These are created beings who were cast out of heaven with Satan when he rebelled against God. They know their eternal home is in hell and their goal is to deceive as many humans as possible, and take them to hell with them.

Like Satan, they have no authority except that given to them by humans. They tremble at the name of Jesus and cannot possess a child of God. They can intimidate and oppress a believer, but they can never occupy a heart that’s filled with God’s Spirit.

Unlike Jesus, Satan will seek to send his demons into anyone who will believe his lies. Jesus is a gentleman and will not send His Spirit into anyone who is not willing to receive His invitation. He will not force Himself upon anyone who is resistant to His holy presence. Jesus is incapable of telling anything but the truth, Satan, on the other hand, is incapable of telling anything but lies, and will force himself, through his demons, upon anyone unprotected by God’s Spirit.

As Jesus is the embodiment of perfection, goodness, mercy, kindness, and love, Satan is full of evil, wickedness, debauchery, and the opposite of everything God is and does. Demons are no respecter of persons and will attack and possess anyone who doesn’t overtly resist them. They don’t care about age, race, gender, national origin, social or socio-economic status, religious or atheist. The only thing they want is power and control, resulting in forcing people to say, think, and do wicked and evil things.

Why is any of this important in 2022? Because I’m convinced that many of the evil things that are happening in our world today, including wars, famine, oppression, trafficking, slavery, mass shootings, and on and on, at their root is demonic activity.

We often ask when horrible things happen: “Who in their right mind would do such a thing?” Exactly! Even family and marital issues can result from demonic influence and interference. “But how?” you may ask. When we open ourselves to the occult, witches, palm readers, “spiritual” advisers, psychics, those who claim to communicate with the dead, etc. we open ourselves to demonic influence and possession.

There are those who seek to communicate with the spirits of people who have died through séance. And people are amazed by the information these mediums can give them. Pretty convincing, huh? Until you realize that God isn’t the only one who knows your family history. Satan isn’t all knowing, but he can learn a lot from a mind that is open to him, and he’s been around for generations.

One more observation. People who think that “believing in Jesus” is enough to get them to heaven need to read the verses throughout Jesus’ ministry when the demons would cry out to Him, referring to Him as the “Holy One of God.” Or James 2:19-20 when James writes: “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?”

Demons are alive and well and as Satan’s angels are wreaking havoc in our world. We’ll look at this more closely in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed

Who Does the Dishes?

“Jesus replied, ‘You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.’” (John 13:7 NLT)

When I was first married, I was 21 and my bride was 19. I remember well my new wife’s first attempt at cooking dinner. She knew I liked macaroni and cheese, but when I entered the door to our little three-room apartment, I was literally gagging at the smell. But, as any loving husband would do, I tried it. It was awful.

In the kindest way I could I tried to explain to her that something must have gone really wrong and since the smell was horrible, amidst her tears, I set the macaroni and cheese on our little porch. I glanced out a few minutes later to see the local stray dog sniffing it, then turning and walking away. “Thank You, Lord!” The dog helped support my opinion, and our first crisis was averted.

Marriage is a partnership between two very imperfect people. Yet, God designed marriage to be, at least on some levels, the training ground for having a meaningful and purposeful walk with Him. How so? Jesus said in Matthew 20:28: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

How do we follow Jesus’ good example?

When we come to Jesus, as when we begin our life as a husband or wife, most of how we see and interpret what to do in those relationships is by hindsight. In marriage we mostly rely on what our parents did. Did dad take care of the car, fix the washing machine, hang the pictures, take out the trash, etc. Did mom cook, clean, sew, take primary care of the kids, etc. – the list will vary according to the routine of your parents.

But largely, what’s modeled by our parents becomes our expectation. The plot thickens because many newly weds today both have jobs, which complicates the roles they must assume. What’s my point?

When we begin our walk with Jesus, as we begin our new role as husband or wife, what if we focused more on what needs to be done and less on who should do it?

My goal in this season of my life is to serve my wife, family, and others as a means of serving and honoring my Savior. What does that mean? If dishes need to be washed, I’ll wash them. If I can help with cleaning, I’ll help. I’m good at warming things in the microwave and I make a killer peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but beyond that, I’m pretty useless in the kitchen.

My wife is excellent in the kitchen but because of her arthritic hands, she needs my help with some things. We share roles based on our strengths, personal preferences and what needs to be done. Now we’re striving to out serve one another.

Isn’t that the attitude we should have when serving our Savior? Remember, to serve others IS to serve Him; to put others first – beginning with our spouses and family – IS to put the Lord first. I’ve not always been a good husband, but by God’s grace, I’m getting better. I’ve not always been a good example as a follower of Jesus, but by His grace, I’m improving.

So, who does the dishes? Whoever gets to them first!

Blessings, Ed 😊