Confident

 Confident

July 29, 2025

Philippians 1:6

6For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Are you confident that you will complete a perfect work? You are probably like me and have doubts, since there are so many things that can waylay you before the end. But note, Paul didn’t say that he was confident in the people of Philippi, but he was confident in God, that He would complete the good work. So our confidence isn’t in ourselves, for we are very fallible, but our confidence is in God. Where we are apt to fail, He is capable of success. Where we are prone to giving up, He can sustain us till the end. I’m grateful that we don’t have to rely on our own abilities to succeed for He is our strength and song and also our salvation.

Exodus 15:2

2 “ The LORD is my strength and song,

And He has become my salvation;

This is my God, and I will praise Him;

My father’s God, and I will extol Him.

Far Above all Rule…

 Far above all Rule…

July 28, 2025

Ephesians 1:20-21

20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far aboveall rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

A good place to start the week is acknowledging the position of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 1 that Christ is seated in heavenly places and has been given authority to rule over every power in the earth today. Over governments, over kingdoms, over parliaments and congresses and even over tyrants and dictators. As Psalm 2 says, they can rant and rage for a time, but ultimate authority rests in heaven. The early American fathers understood this. There was even a flag called “An Appeal to Heaven”, that was flown as a prayer and a defiant statement to King George to remind him that there was an ultimate authority over the King of England. Yes, we see evil and tyranny in the world today, but we need to remember that we belong to a kingdom that is far above these earthly kingdoms, and that one day righteousness will prevail. When we take our rightful place in God’s kingdom, we can take authority over disease and oppression. So don’t give up and don’t give in. Live today as a King’s kid, an ambassador of the King of Kings. Live in the victory that He has won, not only in this age, but also in the age to come.

Chosen

 Chosen

July 26, 2025

Ephesians 1:3-5

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

1 Peter 2:9-10

9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaimthe excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

What does it mean to be chosen? To be a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation? In the gospel of John, Jesus told is disciples that he had chosen them.

John 15:16

16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whateveryou ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

Without getting into the endless debate between free will and predestination, what does it mean that He chose us? In our family it has a special meaning. Our children are both adopted. They are chosen. When we went through the adoption ceremony at the courthouse for one of them, the judge explained that adopted children are more your own than natural children. Since you chose them and adopted them, legally they are more part of your family that natural children. You can disown a natural son or daughter if they disappoint you, but an adopted child cannot be so easily dismissed. Since they chosen, they are legally forever a part of your family. 

Thus it is in God’s family. It says in Ephesians that He predestined us to adoption as sons. So he chose us, and made us part of the family of God even before we were born. There is a mystery there that we can’t really understand with our natural mind. But however it works in time and space, we have been grafted in to the Kingdom of God. Sons of Abraham, not by birth but by adoption. Legally heirs to the kingdom even more than the natural sons of Abraham. As Peter says, we have received mercy.  I Don’t understand it, but I know that it is true that we are chosen, adopted and loved by the Father, and made a part of His eternal kingdom. All we can do is to be thankful and act like a royal priesthood and a holy nation. He is our Father, and we are His children, and we bless HIs holy name for the privilege to be called sons.

How Blessed

 How Blessed is the Man…

July 24

Psalms 1:1-6 (NASB95) 

1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.

This morning, an old friend of mine posted a life verse. I don’t know that I have a single life verse. The whole book of Psalms is pretty much my guiding part of scripture, and Psalm 1 is a good introduction to the Psalms. “How blessed is the man…” My life does reflect this verse. I have been blessed as I study and meditate on the word of the Lord and I have prospered like the tree by the stream of water. The Lord is Good and His mercies are everlasting. Great is His faithfulness!

Of course, then the capstone to the Psalms is Psalm 150, the great hallelujah. When you have done all and been all that you can be, all that is left for the blessed man is to praise the Lord. When all is said and done, the only thing that matters is praising the Lord. We were created to worship the Lord, and the ultimate blessing is to be able to join that great choir in heaven and sing praises to the Lord for all eternity. Hallelujah!

Psalms 150:1-6 (NASB95) 

1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. 

2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him accordingto His excellent greatness. 

3 Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre. 

4 Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe. 

5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals. 

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!

Blessed

 Blessed

July 22, 2025

Ephesians 1:3-6 (NASB95)

 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestinedus to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

The word this morning is blessed. No matter what appears to be the situation around you, remember that you are blessed. And not just a small pleasing, but you are blessed with every spiritual blessing In heavenly places in Christ. You are chosen, adopted, empowered to do His will. You are blessed. So bless the Lord this morning. You are beloved of the Father, and you are blessed.

Righteousness and Truth

 Righteousness and Truth

July 16, 2025

Proverbs 16:12-13 (NASB95) 

12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, For a throne is established on righteousness. 13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And he who speaks right is loved.

“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

― George Orwell

We have been talking about interceding for the nation; praying for the world condition. Now it certainly seems that there are plenty of wicked acts by those in power to pray about. But how do we pray? Proverbs 16:13 says that a king delights in righteous lips, but our experience tells us that Orwell is more applicable in these days as telling the truth is often punished. A wicked king doesn’t want to be told the truth. Look what they did to Jeremiah. He told the truth to the king and got thrown into a pit! Still, we need to speak the truth in love and pray for righteousness to shine in the centers of power in our nation. We need to pray that those who are truly righteous will stand up and speak the truth. As Orwell said, this is a time of deceit, so telling the truth is often unpopular. Indeed, there is so much deceit around now, fake news if you will, that it is often difficult to discern the truth. Nations are at war, but which side, if any, is in the right? Some evil treatment of children has been exposed, but what is the whole truth, and who is really involved? Furthermore, if the list of all those involved was released, what would happen? Would they be punished individually, or would the nation as a whole suffer judgement? There are many unanswered questions in the current situation, and it is unclear even how we should pray. The only thing we are left with is to seek the Lord for His wisdom and knowledge, and pray according the the Spirit of revelation. We have seen the Lord act in the affairs of our nation in our history, so we pray that He will be gracious and move once more to restore righteousness and truth to our nation.

Above all Power and Authority

 Above all Power and Authority

July 15, 2025

Ephesians 1:20-23 

He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power anddominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Psalms 2:1-4

1 Why are the nations in an uproar

And the peoples devising a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth take their stand

And the rulers take counsel together

Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us tear their fetters apart

And cast away their cords from us!”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,

The Lord scoffs at them.

When the church prays for the world situation, we need to remember that the church, as a body, represents Jesus, who is seated in heaven, far above all the powers, authorities, dominions and names that influence world affairs. As Psalm 2 says, The nations are in an uproar and plot evil plans against the Lord, but He has anointed His king, that is Jesus, who has all real authority, and sits in the heavens and laughs. When we look at the world situation through natural eyes, things look dire, but if we look at the world through God’s perspective, we have hope. We should come together and pray for the Lord’s plan to triumph over the evil schemes of the enemy. The devil’s plan is to separate us so we are hopeless and powerless, but when we come together in unity and pray, we can have great effect in the Land. Interceding for the nation against evil powers and authorities is not something to be taken lightly, but together as the body of Christ, we can pray for the worlds situation and tear away fetters and cast away cords. When we look at American history, we see many times when the Lord intervened and brought victory to a praying people in the face of almost certain defeat. So take heart, humble yourselves and pray, and the Lord will heal our land.

Wisdom and Revelation

 Wisdom and Revelation

July 14, 2025

Ephesians 1:15-23 (NASB95) 

15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you aspirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

In the Bible class I’m teaching, we have been studying intercessory prayer. This verse in Ephesians is particularly relevant to that topic as you can not effectively pray for someone else without a “ spirit of wisdom and revelation, in the knowledge of Him.” To pray for the will of the Lord to come into someone’s life, you need to have some idea of what that is. It’s hard enough to descend the will of God for your own life, but praying for someone else is more difficult. Thanks be to God that He is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named”. And has authorized us to use that power as well. But exercising that power takes wisdom. A person may appear ill, but what is the root cause of the sickness? They may seem depressed and oppressed, but what is the power that is disturbing them? Praying for these things takes wisdom. Fortunately, the Lord gives wisdom to those who ask (James 1:5) but you need to have the humility to ask. Therefore, humbly ask the Lord for wisdom and knowledge and pray that all things will be in subjection at His feet, including disease, oppression and infirmities.

Light and Darkness

 Light and Darkness

July 11, 2025

Genesis 1:1-5

GENESIS - The Creation

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 Godsaw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Isaiah 45:5-7

5 “I am the LORD, and there is no other;

Besides Me there is no God.

I will gird you, though you have not known Me;

6 That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun

That there is no one besides Me.

I am the LORD, and there is no other,

7 The One forming light and creating darkness,

Causing well-being and creating calamity;

I am the LORD who does all these.

Yesterday, we talked about light, but what about darkness? Did the Lord create darkness? Did He created evil? That is one of the perpetual questions that men ask when they encounter trouble. We have certainly seen lots of trouble this week with the flash floods in Texas that cause great death and destruction. So where does evil come from?

The answer to the first question, “Did God create darkness ?” Is found in Genesis 1. There we find that God said “Let there be light”; and there was light. So by His word He created light, but in the next verse, He “separated” light from darkness. He didn’t create the darkness, He simply created a separation. In modern astronomy, we know that earth’s light comes from the Sun, and we see that light in daytime. But at night, the Sun does not cease shining. Night is simply the shadow of the Sun. It is still sunlight on the other side of the world. Thus it is when we encounter times of darkness. It is not that God ceases to be God, but that His goodness is somehow blocked from us for a time. The work of the evil one is not to create evil, but to simply block the good for a time. All darkness is just the absence of light, and so evil is just the absence of good. There is always the reality of the Sun shining on the other side of the world so that the dawn will come in it’s proper time, and also the reality that God is good all the time, and that his goodness and mercy will be revealed  to us in due season. 

So why is there evil in the world? Why does death and destruction come to the innocent as well as the guilty? These are timeless questions, and no answer is going to comfort those who mourn for their lost little ones, but when we comfort them and reassure them that God is love, the light will eventually shine again in their hearts. “When will we see the goodness of the Lord?” They may ask. Again, there is not good answer to that questions, we can only assure them that the goodness of God is still shining, and in due season, the shadows will move away and we sill see His light. The psalmist puts it this way:

Psalms 30:5

5 For His anger is but for a moment,

His favor is for a lifetime;

Weeping may last for the night,

But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

So the bottom lines is this, don’t give the darkness too much credit. Hollywood has a whole genre of cinema, “Film Noir”, which glorifies darkness and evil that men do to one another. But we in the kingdom of God only glorify the light. When we encounter darkness, we need to shine the light. When we see people struggling in the shadows, we need to seek to remove the things obscuring the light so that they can see the glory of God. This involves spiritual warfare, but the final outcome is assured. As the Apostle John assures us, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.

John 1:1-5

1 Inthe beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Light

Light

July 10, 2025

Genesis 1:3-5

3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

John 1:4-5 NASB

4 InHim was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 1:5 AMP

5 TheLight shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].

John 8:12

12 ThenJesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Matthew 5:14-16

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

“Let there be light”. Light has been essential for life from the first day of creation. And in John 1, we see that Jesus is the light of men and in Him was life. Light and life. In Genesis 1 and in John 1 we also see the contrast between light and darkness. In scripture we see light and darkness compared, but an interesting facet from physics is that, while light has a physical substance. It is a photon. Darkness has no physical substance. It is simply the absence of light. In John 1 we also see that darkness can not comprehend the light. The word used here is very interesting. The amplified version expands on this to say that the darkness can not overpower, or appropriate or absorb the light and is unreceptive to it. In the vernacular, darkness “just doesn’t get it!”. Whereas light represents life, darkness is death. 

An interesting way to illustrate this is to do the experiment where you shine a bright light on a lit candle in a dark room. Pastor Don did this last night, and you can clearly see that the candle casts a shadow. It participates in the darkness by blocking the light and casting a shadow. But the flame casts no shadow. Light is completely incompatible with darkness, so it doesn’t participate in the darkness, even to the extent of casting a shadow! You can not dim the light. Once a photon has been created, it is going to go at the speed of light to it’s destination until it is blocked or absorbed. But whatever energy or wavelength it was created with remains with it as long as it lives. Darkness has no part in the light.

So then, what are we to make of the scriptures that say that Jesus is the light of the world, and furthermore, as tells us that we are the light of the world. Just as the Sun provides light to the earth, which enables life on our planet, Jesus is the Son that brings light into the life of men and enables them to live life in the Spirit. Then, when we participate in the light and life of Jesus, we also shine into a dark world. Matthew 5 tells us to let our light shine. Don’t hide it under a basket, but let your good works bring life and light to men and thus glorify the Father in heaven.

The subject of last night’s Bible study was how we can let our light shine in the world. The darker and more evil the world becomes, the more it needs the light. Even a small candle will light up a room if it otherwise in total darkness. That is more and more the condition of the world today, so our light is needed ever more. Even little kind deeds like holding the door for an older person shine light into the darkness. A smile can light up a face and cheer a heart. An encouraging word can bring light into a discouraged life. So every little expression of light can make a difference. So let your light shine and watch the darkness flee. The light shines in the darkness but the darkness can not comprehend it.