Walking With Jesus

Early Contributions of African Americans to Independence

*While I’ve been familiar with Debbie Wuthnow’s vital ministry as President of iVoterGuide, I just came across this article by her and thought it fitting as Americans to read as we focus on our Independence Day celebration. Blessings, Ed 😊

On June 19, 1865, news of the Union victory finally reached Galveston Bay. Freedom had arrived for 250,000 slaves in Texas!

As this milestone event has come to the forefront, I appreciate how remarkably it aligns with the timing of Independence Day. American ideals set the stage for our nation’s long-awaited abolition of slavery.

But no American milestone exceeds the importance of July 4. We love to draw inspiration from those who paved the way for freedom and examine how their stories line up with God’s design for human flourishing. Why? Because we want to continue their legacy as stewards of our national heritage for the sake of God’s glory. We also want to ensure that the next generation understands and appreciates the cost of the freedoms we enjoy. In the coming year, we’ll have even more opportunities for reflection and growth as we approach the 250th anniversary of America’s birth on July 4, 2026. I can hardly wait!

While many picture our founding fathers as predominantly white Europeans, there were also many African Americans who served the cause of freedom. These men not only played important roles in our nation’s birth, but they also led the way for racial equality.

Benjamin Banneker

Benjamin Banneker was born a freeman on November 9, 1731, to former slave Robert Bannaky and his wife, Mary. His grandmother was a white indentured servant from England who taught young Benjamin how to read. Largely self-educated, Banneker farmed the 100-acre family property outside Baltimore for most of his life, but he also became a preeminent mathematician and astronomer. Banneker’s industry and intellect earned the respect of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and other prominent figures of the Federalist Era.

We see Banneker’s most memorable act for freedom in a letter he wrote to Thomas Jefferson in 1791, urging the then Secretary of State to advocate for the freedom of slaves. Firmly, but respectfully, Banneker called out Jefferson for holding slaves himself and used the founder’s own words to make a case for racial equality—words you and I learned to recite as children: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal … ”

James Armistead Lafayette

Born into slavery around 1760, James Armistead persuaded his master to let him enlist in the Continental Army, serving under Marquis de Lafayette. He went on to infiltrate British intelligence by pretending to be a runaway slave. Because the Brits valued Armistead’s vast knowledge of the Virginia terrain, he became a double agent, managing to deceive his superiors, General Charles Cornwallis and infamous American turncoat, Benedict Arnold.

In 1781 Armistead provided pivotal information to help secure the major American victory at Yorktown that won the war. But despite his contributions, Armistead was forced to return to a life of slavery. In 1784 Lafayette advocated for Armistead’s freedom, and he finally became a free man in 1787. Out of respect and gratitude for Lafayette, Armistead added the Frenchman’s name to his own. Though born a slave, Armistead never stopped aspiring to freedom. He showed tremendous resourcefulness, courage, and persistence as he fought for America’s freedom, as well as his own personal freedom.

Jack “Prince” Sisson

Prince Sisson, who also entered the Revolutionary War as an enslaved man, is best known for his service in a risky mission to capture British General Richard Prescott. The Continental Army needed the high-ranking British prisoner to make an even exchange in the recovery of General Charles Henry Lee. According to reports, Prince Sisson used his stout frame—with his head as a battering ram—to force open the door to Gen. Prescott’s sleeping quarters. Because of the successful mission, the American general was rescued in the trade that took place nine months later on April 21, 1778. Sisson also fought at the battles of Rhode Island and Yorktown and was given his freedom at the end of the war.

Despite those days of rampant African oppression worldwide, these remarkable black Americans caught the vision of a nation aspiring to freedom for all. Using the resources and influence available to them, they fought for liberties not fully realized during their lifetime. We follow their example when we use our gifts (including our right to vote!) to fight for freedom and justice, though we may never see the fruits of our labor.

May our resolve be refreshed by Benjamin Banneker’s words to Thomas Jefferson: “I hope you cannot but acknowledge, that it is the indispensable duty of those who … profess the obligations of Christianity, to extend their power and influence to the relief of every part of the human race, from whatever burthen or oppression they may unjustly labour under …”

For our future,

Debbie

Debbie Wuthnow
President, iVoterGuide

When You Pray

“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6 NLT)

Our faith in Jesus, while very personal, should never be private. Prayer on the other hand, while it certainly can and should be shared with others, should be birthed in private. What does that mean? It means we grow in our understanding of what prayer is, why and how it works, and develop our love for and devotion to our heavenly Father when we commune with Him in private. It’s also where we develop our “ear” to hear His voice and understand His commands, not just generally, but specifically for us.

In the context of a recent conversation the Lord and I were having, He asked me to share the following with you. He has taught me a lot in and about prayer, so, today, I’d like to pass on some of what He’s shared with me.

Prayer is Private. That obviously doesn’t mean we only pray alone, what it means is the words and language of our prayers are God originated. We’re not simply reciting our own or someone else’s words, but relying on the Holy Spirit’s leadership to give us an ear to the Lord’s heart, enabling us to hear from Him what He would be pleased for us to speak with Him about, whether in public or private.
Pray out loud. Yes, even in private, pray out loud, but why? Primarily to help you keep your focus. I’ve learned even if I pray in a whisper, it enables me to keep better focus and stay on track with my pattern of prayerful thought. The greatest spiritual battlefield is our mind, so, Satan rarely works harder than when we’re in thoughtful, meaningful, Christ-focused prayer. Unbelief, illustrated by questions like – “Is God even listening? Can He, WILL He do what I’m asking?” These and a thousand other issues crowd our mind, so we need all the help we can get to keep our focus on the Lord.
Write your prayer list. At least initially and when someone gives you a new request, write them down. When I first got serious about prayer, I wrote everything down, even the countries of the world. I would prayer around the world every month. There are roughly 200 countries, so that’s about 7 a day. Today my primary focus is on countries that are suffering the greatest persecution. I pray for each country by name and if I know specific people in those countries, I pray for them by name. The more specific you can be, the more easily you’ll recognize answers.
Pray Categorically. That just means, stay on the same topic. For example, I begin my prayer time with personal worship, thanking the Lord for who He is, what He’s doing in my life, for His bountiful provision, for health, strength to carry out His will for this day. Whatever He lays on my heart to share with Him. Then I move to Family: my wife, children and their spouses and families, grandchild, nieces, nephews and their families. My extended family around the world, especially those who are without a saving-knowledge of the Lord. I pray the Lord will put someone in their lives who knows and loves Him and to whom my lost family member would relate and would listen.

Then I extend my “family” to my Spiritual family. That’s when I begin to pray especially for my brothers and sisters in other countries. Then I pray locally, beginning with my local church family. I pray specifically, by name for each of my Pastors and their family members, if I know their names. I pray for the leaders of our church and their families, each child, each teen, young adult, middle adult, and senior adult. Obviously, in a church of 5,000 people I don’t know everyone’s names, but I do pray by name for many with whom I serve and have or do share in groups. Then I close my time in prayer by praying for my neighbors, including the surrounding four neighborhoods. Again, I don’t know many of their names, but I do pray specifically for those who are lost and those who do know Him that they would live like it and share His love fruitfully and effectively.

I’m hopeful that’s helpful in guiding you, especially if prayer is a new adventure for you. I’m happy for you to reach out to me at walkingwithjesus@gmail.com. I also pray for YOU each day, thanking the Lord for allowing me the privilege of being a very small part of your life.

Blessings, Ed 😃

P. S. I typically spend an hour to an hour and a half in the morning, but pray throughout the day as the Lord prompts me. If prayer is new to you, begin with 15-20 minutes, then work in more time as you can.

Prayer must never be seen as an obligation, but a privilege. To that end our hearts will overflow with joy in Jesus.

Victory or Defeat?

“’Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?’ Abishai son of Zeruiah demanded. ‘Let me go over and cut off his head!’ ‘No!’ the king said. ‘Who asked your opinion, you sons of Zeruiah! If the Lord has told him to curse me, who are you to stop him?’” (2 Samuel 16:9-10 NLT)

Following King David’s son Absalom’s rebellion, David went into hiding. The above verses illustrate a couple of things. First, the deep resentment the relatives of David’s predecessor, King Saul, felt against David, but more importantly, the context in which David viewed his son’s rebellion and subsequent consequences.

David, with all his faults, was, after all, a man after God’s own heart. He wanted above all else to do what God wanted done, even if it cost him. What was an apparent defeat for David was now being seen in the context of what God was allowing, so, the issue wasn’t “should I have this man’s head cut off because he criticized and threw rocks at me?” but “I must see it as an opportunity to honor the Lord and wait patiently for His guidance?”

What’s our takeaway? Victory or defeat is relative to the context in which we view it. How so? We can have a major “mountain top” spiritual experience and conclude: “Wow! The Lord must really think I’m hot stuff!” when in reality He was testing us to see if we had the good sense to handle it with humility. Every experience we have is in some way a life lesson that will ultimately make us better or make us bitter; it will hone our skills in learning humility or rub our nose in our pride and self-confidence.

On the other hand, we may fall flat on our spiritual face and conclude: “I’m a loser! What kind of miserable failure am I to allow that to happen? The Lord will never forgive me for such a sin!” That’s not humility, that’s pride in disguise. That’s a blatant attempt to once again turn the focus of attention on us, rather than take the Lord at His Word, believe He sees and understands every detail of our lives and will forgive us, cleanse and restore us upon our humble confession.

Unfortunately, even as sincere, Spirit-filled, Jesus-seeking believers we can fail and fall, doing things we never dared dream we would. We can stay down, wallowing in self-pity and regret, or get up, dust ourselves off, own our sin, confess it and turn from it. We can, as David did, choose to see it as part of our spiritual growth process. The only sinless person who ever lived was nailed to a Cross where we deserved to be. But by God’s grace He took our place and every time we fall, He has made a way for us to be forgiven, learn from it and be better because of it.

Jerry Vines wrote: “A defeat that leaves you humble is better than a victory that leaves you proud.” David was better for having handled a very difficult situation with grace and mercy and the Lord rewarded him for it. Our posture of humility will be fueled by our patience under pressure. When the fires of opposition and turmoil are turned up, our focus must be kept on the Lord, made possible by continued prayer and humility before Him.

Perhaps this is no more powerfully illustrated than in family dynamics. As a spouse or parent, to be corrected or reminded of something we’ve said or done that turned out to be quite contrary to what we’d professed, is difficult, yet how we handle it has, literally, eternal implications. Some of the most meaningful times I’ve ever had with my wife or children were when I could admit I was wrong and sincerely apologize and seek their forgiveness. Often, I’ve seen the Lord turn a very negative family situation into a very healing and helpful time where He is honored and we as family members are blessed and drawn closer.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Lost But Looking Found

*This very frightening message from Ron Hutchcraft should raise our desire to allow the Spirit to search our hearts to verify what we say we believe is what we’re actually living. Blessings, Ed 😊

Occasionally I see this bumper sticker that says, “I brake for antique shops.” I’m not a bumper sticker guy, but I think we would have qualified for that over the years, depending on who was driving—my wife or me. If it was my wife, we were a lot more likely to break for an antique shop. But my wife was not so much into collecting old stuff, it was more about finding items that she had as a girl growing up on a farm that had very few modern conveniences. And she had an eye for what was real and what was just a reproduction: Depression Glass, pottery, butter churns, even old violins. Take the famous Stradivarius violin. We didn’t have one, there are relatively few originals. There are a lot of copies.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Lost But Looking Found.” Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s a copy in antiques and in people; especially people who claim that they belong to Jesus Christ.

Jesus described both the real ones and the copies in the story He told in Matthew 13, beginning in verse 24. It’s our word for today from the Word of God. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.” Jesus said the man’s servants wanted to go out and pull up the weeds, but he stopped them. “’No,’ He answered, ‘because while you are pulling out the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

When Jesus explained His parable later, He made clear that the wheat represents those who really do belong to Him, and the weeds; they represent those who look like they belong to Him, but they don’t. That’s a pretty sobering thought—sitting next to one another in church may be two people who are singing the same songs, believing the same beliefs, saying the same words, but one is headed for heaven and the other is headed for hell. And no one on earth can tell the difference. But on Judgment Day it will be very clear who was real and who was the look-alike. That’s why God says in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.”

For some of us church folks, the business of being a Christian is really more of a religion, or a performance, or maybe a belief, or a script where we’ve got all the right words. You can have all that and you can miss what this is all really about; a deep love personal relationship with Jesus Christ based on His dying for your sins. It is a relationship you can only begin one way. You begin it the day you tell Him you are putting your total trust in Him, consciously giving all of you to Him. With all your Christianity, it’s possible you’ve missed Christ, even though everyone around you thinks you know Him. That’s everyone except Jesus.

It’s very hard to admit that you’ve never really given yourself to Him, but it’s fatal not to. So would you let this be the day that you finally, consciously and clearly make Jesus Christ your personal Savior from your personal sin. Tell Him, “Jesus, I want to know you for real. I’m pinning all my hopes on You like a drowning person would grab a rescuer.”

Then go to our website and check that out. Because there you will find the information you need to secure your relationship with Christ and know for sure you’ve got this settled. Our website is ANewStory.com.

There’s all the difference in the world between someone who really belongs to Jesus and someone who just looks like they do. It’s actually the difference between heaven and hell.

Who Is God?

“My Father has entrusted everything to Me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” (Matthew 11:27 NLT)

God is everything He was revealed to be in and through the Person of His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. “Yeh, but what about all those wild and crazy things He did in the Old Testament? Flooding the whole earth and killing millions of people? Or wiping out entire people groups? What kind of loving God would do those kinds of things?“ The same God who will allow billions of people to choose hell when they have the clear choice of heaven.

Consider a few things about God. He’s loving, kind, good, gracious, all-knowing, all-caring, ever-present, omnipotent and omniscient. He knows everything there is to know about everything, including, but certainly not limited to, every person who has ever lived or ever will live. He knows our thoughts before we think them and the intent of every heart. No one has ever or ever will keep any secret from God. No one goes to hell who doesn’t deserve to be there. No one was killed in the Old Testament who didn’t deserve to die.

What’s my point? He flooded the earth because it was filled with wicked, evil people. The Bible says that Noah was “the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.” Yet, as it turned out, Noah’s family wasn’t so righteous, and after about 4,000 more years, God chose Abraham and began the building of His own people, the Jews.

Much of the Old Testament is the rise and fall of faithful and unfaithful Jewish leaders, following their 400 years of bondage to the Egyptians, leading up to the birth and ministry of Jesus. Many of the “battles” of the Old Testament, as I’ve shared before, are “pictures” of the spiritual battles we face with Satan today. The annihilation of people groups is a picture of our need to allow the Holy Spirit to “annihilate” the forces of evil that daily battle us for the “territory” of our heart.

If we think we can allow the presence of evil to cohabitate with God’s Spirit in our heart while seeking to live a holy life unto the Lord, we’re delusional. The people God desired in the Old and the New Testaments were and are people fully committed, fully devoted, and fully invested in living for and constantly pursuing the things of God.

“But I don’t want to do that!” That’s your choice and, unfortunately, it’s the choice the vast majority of human beings will make. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14: “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”

The miracle that Jesus accomplished on the Cross opens the narrow way to heaven that He’s inviting you to enter today. Why will you perish when there’s a clear and open way to escape the torments of an eternity in hell? “Yeh, if God is so loving why would He ever send someone to hell?” That’s the point! He doesn’t, we send ourselves by refusing the only way of escape. My sense is Noah’s ark could have been the size of 20 Titanic’s, had more people repented and chosen to follow the Lord as Noah begged them to do before the rain came.

The miracle isn’t that everyone is going to heaven, though Jesus made a way for everyone, the miracle is that you can, if you will. Will you? Will you be bold enough to admit you’re a sinner, unclean, unfit to be in the presence of a holy God? Will you confess your sin, your disobedience to the clear commands of God and invite the Lord Jesus to become your only Savior, Lord, and Guide for the rest of your life on earth? If you are, please tap on anewstory.com and allow Ron Hutchcraft to walk you through a brief explanation as to why you need to repent (turn from your selfish ways) and allow the Lord Jesus to forgive you and fill you with Himself. That’s the only pathway to knowing fully who God really is.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Desire

“Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.” (Romans 10:1 NLT)

The greatest danger with desire is it too often focuses on that which would bring pleasure to ourselves. Desire and pleasure aren’t inerrantly sinful but can very quickly become sinful if not kept in the bounds of the Spirit’s control. Notice Paul’s greatest desire, his deep longing wasn’t something for himself, but salvation for his lost brothers and sisters in the Jewish Faith.

What does that tell us? It tells us Jewish people are not saved by being Jewish, they’re only saved by faith in the living Christ, just like everyone else. Yes, of course, the Jews were favored in the Old Testament and declared as God’s Chosen people, but only because it would be into the Jewish heritage Jesus would be born. Once He was born the focus quickly shifted from Jews as a people or nation, to Jesus and the Kingdom of God. Does that mean God no longer loves or has a place for Jewish people? Of course not.

The Jews are the primary reason Jesus died, but their rejection of Him opened the door of opportunity for all of us who are non-Jewish to be included in His grace gift of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. Jesus, as He expressed in John 1:51, made it clear that He alone “is the stairway between heaven and earth.” Only those who by faith yield their life and allegiance to Him will walk that stairway and one day enter into His perfect heaven.

If your greatest desire isn’t to know, love, and serve the Lord Jesus, you need to pray for a realignment of your desires, because lustful, wrong, and inappropriate desires will never lead to where you ultimately want to be. It’s ironic in some ways that desire can be strong, but unidentified. It’s not uncommon for someone to express a strong desire for something but they can’t explain exactly what it is.

C. S. Lewis addressed this when he wrote: “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” It’s interesting to me that desire can be our strongest motivator to run from Jesus or to run to Him. Consider the story of the Prodigal son in Luke 15.

The son’s desire to leave home consumed him until he finally got what he thought he wanted, packed his bag and ran away to the far country. We’re not told how long his money lasted, but when it was gone, so was his desire to run. The Bible says in verse 17: “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!” Then came the climax of his heart’s desire: “I will go home to my father…”

Is that where you find yourself today? At the end of your resources? At the end of a long journey of running from the Lord? Your desire to be somebody, to make something of yourself, to prove your worth, to find your own way by following your heart has left you empty, cold, alone, and very lost.

I have some very good news for you: That’s exactly where you need to be to become all the Lord Jesus died to enable you to become. Like the runaway son in the story above, you can find the answer to every desire you’ll ever have in the Lord of Creation who died to allow you to have life as it was always meant to be. Just tap anewstory.com and learn how you can put your past behind you and begin a new life you never dared dream existed.

You may be tempted to believe it’s too late, but it’s not and I guarantee you on the authority of God’s holy Word, that when you yield your life and allegiance to Jesus, if you’ll allow Him, the Holy Spirit will move into your life and change you from the inside out in ways that refresh your life and make you glad to be alive. You just need to put your “yes” on the table and trust Him to become your heart’s greatest desire.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Myths of Christian History

By: John Stonestreet and Dr. Timothy D. Padgett

*As always, the Colson Center with John Stonestreet and Dr. Padgett are tapping the pulse of our culture and giving us helpful information to deal with the arguments against our faith. Blessings, Ed 😊

There are some claims about Christianity that continue to make their way into popular books, movies and TV, but are simply not true. For example, that the Gospels were written too long after Jesus. Or that early Christianity was progressive. Or that Christianity was spread by force. Or that the Church was anti-science and brought on the Dark Ages.

According to the Apostle Paul, Christians should be ready to speak truth at all times. The Apostle Peter exhorts believers to be ready with an answer when asked about the hope that should define our lives. Though the task of “defending the faith” may seem overwhelming, there have never been more resources available to Christians than right now. And, of course, Christ fulfilled his promise to give the Holy Spirit.

We have every good reason to trust the four Gospels as reliable sources of information about who Jesus was and what He taught. The scholarship on the Gospels is extensive. A great place to start are the books of J. Warner Wallace, especially Cold Case Christianity and Person of Interest. Also, Dethroning Jesus by Darrell Bock and Daniel Wallace refutes the revisionist view of Christ as only a political reformer or mystic.

Or consider the claim that early Christianity was basically a new-agey religion until a group of men changed it in a bid to establish their power. No. As Alister McGrath put it in his book, Heresy, the central tenets of the Christian faith were established from the beginning and not in dispute:

Christian writers were perfectly aware that the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth had transformed the human situation; their task was to explore patiently and thoroughly every conceivable way of making sense of this.

Also consider that the earliest documents from the apostles all warned against false doctrine. When false teachers did propose ideas outside of the faith, the Christian community rejected them based on “rules of faith” that formed the basis of the first creeds.

The idea that Christianity spread by force also doesn’t hold up. After all, for its first three centuries, it was illegal. When Christianity became more tolerated in the Roman Empire, the problem wasn’t conversions by sword but too many people joining up because it was the new, shiny religion. Besides, as Rodney Stark argued in The Triumph of Christianity, the Church spread widely in Asia, outside of any political protection, for centuries before Islam persecuted it into a tiny minority. Today, arguably the strongest parts of the Church are in places like Africa, South America, and East Asia; generations after colonialism came to its end.

Instead of being a culturally imperialist force, Christianity became the first truly global religion. Much of its success is its adaptability. Rather than imposing culture, like Islam does, Christianity was able to adapt to various customs and languages.

And the claim that Christianity caused the Dark Ages is a zombie idea that only lives with popular level skeptics. It is difficult to find a decent historian anymore who believes there was a Dark Ages. In reality, the “Dark Ages” was an innovation by Renaissance and Enlightenment scholars to elevate their own eras. Far from suppressing intellectual development, the Church was at the forefront of literacy, scholarship, and scientific innovation. Universities and hospitals were birthed from cathedrals and monasteries. And the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions wouldn’t exist without first the centuries of Christian meditation on the personal God who created an orderly universe.

While refuting these claims does not necessarily prove that Christianity is true, we should not allow these myths to stand unchallenged. Believers should speak of our Savior, the Bible, and our faith with the confidence of both objective truth and a changed life. And unbelievers should know what it is they are not believing in, rather than basing their unbelief in falsehoods.

Why We’re Blessed

“So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to His disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to distribute them.” (Mark 8:6-7 NLT)

The clear purpose of blessing is to multiply the fruit of that blessing to benefit others, but why is that necessary and so powerful? Why can’t we just bask in our blessings, but never share them? The power of blessing is only realized when it’s shared.

What if the disciples had only shared among themselves when they discovered the miracle of multiplication of the fish and bread by Jesus? Of course, Jesus wouldn’t have allowed it but think of the implications. Thousands of men, women, and children would have had to journey home hungry. For some, it may not have been a big deal, but some may have literally dropped over from hunger.

Warren Wiersbe summed it up this way when he wrote: “God doesn’t bless us just to make us happy; He blesses us to make us a blessing.” The miracle of the loaves and fishes wasn’t simply a means of gaining popularity or expanding Jesus’ ministry, it was to address felt needs in real people whose lives would have been touched for all eternity by the blessing of a meal. Blessings are to be avenues of opportunity for us to exalt Jesus and expand His eternal Kingdom and we can often do that in very simple ways.

John Calvin wrote: “The world was no doubt made, that it might be the theater of the divine glory.” Everything we see, taste, touch, or smell has divine implications. Everything around us shouts life or death, goodness or evil, heaven or hell. We are blessed to be an instrument of God’s eternal blessing to someone else. Kindness should beget kindness; love, love; blessing, blessing. A. W. Tozer wrote: “The Spirit-filled life is not a deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people.”

The Spirit of God is the Author of every work of God in and through us and must be the initiator of every blessing we receive and offer to others. Prayer is the doorway to being blessed and understanding why we are blessed. In the story above, need initiated prayer opened the door for unexpected and unprecedented miracles. No one had ever fed thousands of people with seven loaves and a few small fish, but Jesus did because He asked His Father to bless what they had.

Are you asking the Lord to bless what you have and multiply its usefulness to His glory? Or are you begging God to give you more so you can hoard it for yourself? We’re blessed to share with those the Lord has put in our spheres of influence, not to bolster our ego or increase our online presence, but to glorify the Lord who provided it in the first place.

As Jesus lovers and followers, it is our sacred duty to share what the Lord has shared with us, whether, material or spiritual. The principle that changed my life was when I learned I can’t outgive God. When I was able to change my attitude from “mine” to “His,” my world changed forever. Having never made very much money in my lifetime it was sometimes rare that I had anything to share with others, but then I realized that kindness is a great blessing to share and the Lord had given me an abundance of that.

The point is, in whatever way the Lord has blessed you, use that to be a blessing to someone else. Remember Jesus’ words in Luke 6:38: “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full – pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Waiting

“Crowds of sick people – blind, lame, or paralyzed – lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew He had been ill for a long time, He asked him, ‘Would you like to get well?’ ‘I can’t, sir,’ the sick man said.” (John 5:3-7a NLT)

We’re all waiting for something. What is it for you? A job? A new job? A relationship? A new relationship? To be healed? To find hope? To stop being afraid? To start a new life? To have your prayers answered? For someone you love to be healed, saved, or delivered from a negative circumstance? The list is long, but the Lord has given me insight into something I pray will be helpful.

Recently, I had a car to sell. I let my son know and he immediately said, “I have an employee who will want your car.” Problem solved! NOT! She had just bought a car! No problem, she had a friend who needed a car, who came to look at my car, loved it and wanted to buy it. Just one problem, my car was front wheel drive, and she needed a 4-wheel drive. No problem, she knew someone, who also didn’t work out.

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What I thought was going to take minutes turned into days, then into weeks. But why? My car was in perfect condition at a reasonable price. So, I decided to run an ad that got more than 250 views, but the only ones who responded were dealers who wanted it for nothing or scammers. Sad story, right?

Long story short(er), I put a sign on the window and within a few days I got a call from someone who bought the car for the asking price. Why? Because they were the person of God’s choosing. How do I know that? Because the sale of the car has led to a friendship and an opportunity for me to influence someone for the Lord I’d never had if I’d sold it through the original “hand’s-free” way. Here’s what the Lord said to me as I met this new person who was interested in my car: “It’s never been about the car; it’s always been about the person.”

What’s our takeaway? Let’s go back to the beginning – for what are you waiting? Whatever it is, it’s not about you or what you think you’re waiting for, it’s about your walk with the Lord and how He’s engineering circumstances in your life to help you see Him more clearly. HE’s the Author of whatever it is you need and no matter how hard you work to make it happen, He’ll just keep pushing it further away until you finally come to your senses and say: “Okay, Father, how would you be pleased for me to go about this … job hunt, dating relationship, healing, hope, fear, or whatever it is?”

The man in the story in the opening Scripture had been waiting for nearly forty years for something that would have never happened had he not met Jesus. And the saddest part of that story to me is that even after Jesus healed him, he still didn’t understand who he’d met! How like so many of us who find the answer to what we’re seeking in Jesus, only to be disappointed, dismayed, or feel disregarded.

“I thought it would be different! I thought it’d be easier somehow.” We find answers, but answers aren’t the issue. The Lord provides a new job, but we still don’t like it. Or a new relationship, but we find ourselves in the same rut. Or our friend is finally saved, but they’re just not taking off in their faith like we’d hoped. But why? Why? Why? Because “IT” or “THEY” were never the issue – Jesus IS! He’s ALWAYS THE ISSUE! Every circumstance in our life is designed to allow and enable us to see Him more clearly, love Him more dearly, and walk with Him more nearly.

Waiting is never about an answer; it’s about an opportunity to grow in our life in the Lord. Stop seeking an answer and invest your time in seeking the Answerer!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Doing the Impossible!

“As they approached, Jesus said, ‘Now here is a genuine son of Israel – a man of complete integrity.’ ‘How do you know about me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, ‘I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.’ Then Nathanael exclaimed, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God – the King of Israel!’ Jesus asked him, ‘Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.’ Then He said, ‘I tell you the truth, you will see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.’” (John 1:47-51 NLT)

The greatest miracle ever known to man is the new birth of a person whose sins have been forgiven and who has been given new life by the Spirit of God through Christ alone by faith alone. The reality is, without the Lord Jesus we are alive physically, but dead in our trespasses and sin. In other words, we are dead men walking! We’re alive physically, but dead spiritually. Why is that important?

Because at our core, we’re spiritual beings in a physical body. Our body will one day die and decay, going back to the dust from which it came, but our spirit, the essence of who we are, will live for all eternity… somewhere! And that “somewhere” on many levels defines why we have life in the first place.

Life in Christ Jesus opens for us the ability to do what otherwise would be humanly impossible. How so? Living above sin, doing life without yielding to the dictates of the flesh, is impossible without the empowering presence of God’s Spirit residing within us. How do I know that? Because 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.”

Those who open their hearts to the Lord, confessing their faith and trust in Him, will be filled by God’s Spirit who is the Author of miracles and the One who uses us as His vehicles for living miraculously. Frank Gaebelein understood this as reflected in what he wrote: “The more we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the more we shall glorify the Lord Jesus.”

Steven Furtick added another dimension to this idea when he wrote: “Accomplishing the impossible is all about seeing the invisible.” As the angel explained to the virgin Mary when she asked how she, a virgin could bear a child, he explained that it would happen by an act of God, then he told her about her relative Elizabeth, far beyond the age to bear a child, was now in her sixth month. Then he said: “For nothing is impossible for God.”

Impossible is not a term in God’s vocabulary, and it shouldn’t be in the vocabulary of any child of God. Being a child of God is impossible for man, but possible for God. Living a holy life is impossible for man but enabled by the Spirit of the living God. Fulfilling God’s eternal purposes on earth is impossible for man but is a daily reality for anyone filled and empowered by the Spirit of the only true and living God.

Helping someone open their heart, mind and life to the living God is humanly impossible without the underlying leadership of God’s Spirit, released in and through believing prayer. Anyone who doesn’t believe in the impossible isn’t a child of God, because children of God are living, breathing, walking, talking examples of what miracles really look like.

Are you living as an impossible person? Would you like to be? Please tap on anewstory.com and let Ron Hutchcraft walk you through a meaningful and informative explanation of how and why to give your life to the living God. It will be an impossible decision empowered by a loving God who makes all things possible to those who believe!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊