The Way of the Lord

 The Way of the Lord

July 17, 2026

Isaiah 30:15a (NKJV) 

For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shallbe saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” …

Isaiah 30:21 (NKJV) 

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,”Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.

How do you know the way of the Lord? Many ask the question but few listen to the answer. The prophet says that the way of the Lord is to rest in Him. To have a quiet confidence in Him and to listen to His still, small voice from behind you that tells when to go left of right. We want a dramatic answer and a plan laid out beforehand, but that is not the way of the Lord. The way of faith is to walk in confidence, being sensitive to His voice,  but not always knowing which way to go until it is time to turn. As the old saying goes goes, “The Lord is always on time, but not on your time!” Sometimes he gives a word which gives us a long range goal or vision. There are many examples of that in the book of Isaiah, but He usually holds the specifics until just the time that they are needed. It is one of the mystery of faith that we are to walk according to His word, even when we don’t know the specific steps until it is time to turn to the right or to the left. 

So commit to walk by faith and listen for His voice. His voice is sure, but it not loud so you need to quiet your soul, rest in Him, and just step out. The voices of the world are loud and incessant, so you need to block those out and listen for His voice. “Quietness and confidence shall be your strength,”

Opposition

 Opposition

April 9, 2026

Luke 8:11-15

11 “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. 12 Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart,so that they will not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

This week, we have been considering the word about being dedicated to the Lord. In the parable of the sower, Jesus teaches that opposition comes after the teaching of the Word. The devil is not happy to have us follow the Lord wholeheartedly, so will make every effort to dissuade and distract us. This can come as outright opposition or more subtlety as distractions and worries of life. What is there in you life that keeps you from following the Lord wholeheartedly? 

For those of us who are getting on in life, a common distraction is health. As our bodies slow down, we tend to worry. We get distracted by our aches and pains and forget that we still can serve the Lord. Perhaps we look to our doctors too much and stop trusting in the Lord to sustain and heal us. Or maybe we worry about the world situation instead of praying for our leaders. But whatever the devil brings across your path, know that the Lord has a plan and a purpose for your life and regardless of what difficulties may try to hinder you, it is you duty and privilege to serve the Lord. So hold fast and bear fruit with perseverance. One day the Lord will return, or we will go to be with Him, and all of our troubles will be over. But for today, decide who you will serve and do not get distracted. 

Thorns

 Thorns

April 8, 2026

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 - A Thorn in the Flesh

7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan totorment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

When it comes to dedicating our whole lives to the Lord, we have to consider both our strengths and our weaknesses. When young people are starting out to become disciples, they need to discover their gifts and talents to discern the type of work they need to do for the Lord. When we get older that is less of a concern, but our weaknesses become more apparent.When  we are young, we can usually get by with youthful enthusiasm and bluster, but as we age we lose some of that energy and have to rely on the Lord more, just out of necessity. 

Some of our thorns may also be exposed as we lose our emotional filters that keep us from saying everything that is on our minds. When we get to be a crotchety old man, it takes too much energy to restrain ourselves and we just say whatever comes to mind! Everyone has ‘that uncle” that you resist inviting to Thanksgiving dinner because you are afraid of what he might say. It is the true saints of God that become sweeter and more compassionate when they age. I remember my mother-in-law who gradually lost her mind to dementia, but never failed to be polite and concerned about other people as long as she was still able to talk.

So the question is, can you say, like Paul, that the power of Christ dwells in you? Is His power perfected in your weakness? Can we agree with Paul that we are content with our weaknesses? That is the acid test of our faith, that we can rely on the Lord more and more our weaknesses and infirmities are exposed. Growing old and continuing to walk in the Holy Spirit is not for the faint of heart! Most of us will never encounter the type of insults, distresses and persecutions that Paul experienced, but nevertheless, we need to be able to say that we are content with our weakness for when we are weak we are strong in the Lord.

Search Me

 Search Me

April 2,  2026

Psalms 139:23-24

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me,

And lead me in the everlasting way.

We’ve been talking about trust, love and not worrying, so then the next step is a checkup. Medicare mandates that we go to the doctor once a year, even if we feel ok, just to get a checkup to make sure everything is working fine. If that is reasonable to do for the body, then surely you should do a checkup of your spirit at least once a year. Nowadays, the doctors have all sorts of instruments and scanners to examine every part of your body from the inside out. How much more effective then is a scan by the Holy Spirit who created your body, soul and spirit.  

When He examines your heart He can look deep, even to those things that we have hidden from ourselves. But fear not, the Holy Spirit is also gentle and will only reveal those things to us that are ready to be healed. We just need to be willing to let Him examine our heart and clean out the anxious thoughts and hurtful ways. Then we can walk in the Spirit and be guided into the everlasting way. It’s like taking a bath in a cleansing stream to wash away all those things that hinder us from walking with the Lord. So invite the Lord to search you and examine your heart.

God is at Work

 God is at Work

March 24, 2026

Philippians 2:13

13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure

Do you ever look at all that is going on around you and wonder whether God is at work or not? The world can get crazy and sometimes it’s hard to cope. It was no different in the first century. The Apostle Paul goes on to say how we should act in difficult times.

Philippians 2:14-16

14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

“Without grumbling or disputing”, now there is the rub!  We love to grumble and complain about all the injustice that we perceive in our world. “It’s not fair!” Is a common refrain, and advertising is always promising something better because “you deserve it”. But the Word says that this is a “crooked and perverse generation”, and 2000 years has not improved on that assessment. 

So how do we act? Paul says to recognize that God is at work and that his will for us is good. Walking is such a way as to demonstrate His love and faithfulness will show His light to the world. So hold fast to the word of life and do all to the glory of God for He is at work in you.

Walk by the Spirit

 Walk by the Spirit

March 20, 2026

Romans 8:4-5

4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Joshua 5:13-15

13 Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” 14 He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” 15 The captain of the LORD’S host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

My daily reading plan has me in Joshua. There are many examples there of walking in the Spirit but it starts in chapter 5 where Joshua encounters a man. Joshua didn’t know what to make of this so he asked him “Are you with us of for our adversaries?” But the reply was quite clear, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD.” Joshua did the wise thing and bowed down and accepted instruction from the Lord. This is the first principle of walking in the Spirit, that is to hear the voice of the Lord and commit to obey everything that He says.

The first two battles that Joshua faced as they entered the land illustrated the wisdom of following the Lord’s commands and the folly of following your own vision. In the first battle, the Lord gives Joshua a plan for conquering Jericho which is vary unusual, but they follow the plan exactly and the city walk fell on the seventh day when they marched, shouted and blew the trumpets. It was a clear and miraculous victory.

The second battle didn’t go as well. When they approached the city of AI, the spys said that the city appeared to them to be small and weak, so they should only send a small army against it. This plan, derived what what they could see with their own eyes, was disastrous. They didn’t inquire of the Lord and more seriously, they didn’t purge the sin from their midst and they were soundly defeated. However, when Joshua inquired of the Lord, he was given a plan to expose the one who had been disobedient and given a new plan to take the city.

The captain of the Lord’s host has the plan for victory, but we must commit to listen and obey to execute that plan and see the victory. How often do we follow our own vision and do what seems right, but it ends in disaster? Walking in the Spirit means listening to the voice of the Lord and stepping out to do all that He commands us to do. That is the way to victory.

Acting vs Walking

 Acting vs Walking

Sept 18, 2025

Ephesians 3:14-19

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell inyour hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

What does it mean to be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit? Let us listen to what Watchman Nee has to say about the difference between acting like a Christian and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Too many of us are caught acting as Christians. The life of many Christians today is largely a pretense. They live a “spiritual” life, talk a “spiritual” language, adopt “spiritual” attitudes, but they are doing the whole thing themselves. It is the effort involved that should reveal tothem that something is wrong. They force themselves to refrain from doing this, from saying that, from eating the other—and how hard they find it all! …

“Our life is the life of Christ, mediated in us by the indwelling Holy Spirit Himself, and the law of that life is spontaneous. The moment we see that fact, we shall end our struggling and cast away our pretense. Nothing is so hurtful to the life of a Christian as acting; nothing so blessedas when our outward efforts cease and our attitudes become natural—when our words, our prayers, our very life all become a spontaneous and unforced expression of the life within. Have we discovered how good the Lord is? Then in us He is as good as that! Is His power great? Then in us it is no less great! Praise God, His life is as mighty as ever, and in the lives of those who dare to believe the Word of God, the divine life will be manifest in a power not one whit less mighty than was manifest of old.”

Sit, Walk, Stand,  by Watchman Nee, pp. 18-19

When we look at the life of someone like Charlie Kirk, we can see this difference illustrated. When someone is acting like a Christian, eventually his true nature will leek through. Even a good actor has “out takes” that they have to cut from the movie to create the illusion that he is acting perfectly. But when someone is kind and open to discussion, day in and day out, even in the face of a hostile crowd, you can see the power of the Holy Spirit at work. The Spirit is able to do through us what we are unable to do ourselves. So let us be like Charlie, that is to be like Jesus, and let the power of the Holy Spirit work through us to love our neighbors even when they are being mean and hateful.

Christian Family

 Christian Family

August 27, 2025

The teaching on Christian family in Ephesians 5 and 6 have cause quite a bit of controversy in recent years. Part of the problem is when the verses are taken out of context and interpreted as rules to obey rather that fruit to grow. A man who is fully committed to Christ and is full of the love of the Lord, will grow to love his wife. A man who totally comprehends the love of Christ for the church, and thus for himself, will desire to express that same love to his wife. Likewise, his wife will recognize the love of Jesus in her husband and grow to respect and submit to him as she loves and submits to the Lord Jesus. Mutual submission is not a burden but is an act of love when both husband and wife know who they are in the Lord and are obediently walking in the Spirit. In such a marriage, the children will learn to honor their parents as they are taught to love the Lord. The problem comes when we put it all backwards and insist that the women submit to the man before he fully submits to the Lord and before he totally comprehends the love of Christ. Without being full of the Spirit such love and submission is impossible and is burdensome if you try. So the rule is to first love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and then love one another as Christ loves you.

Ephesians 5:22-33

Marriage Like Christ and the Church

22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body. 31 FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

Ephesians 6:1-4

Family Relationships

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Imitators of God

Be Imitators of God

August 26, 2025

Ephesians 5:1-2 - Be Imitators of God

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 andwalk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Ephesians 5 is full of practical advice on how to live as a Christian. But how do we interpret such guidelines without reverting to the law and living in legalism ? We need to remember the lessons of Ephesians 1 thru 4 about sitting with Christ in heavenly places and walking in the Spirit. We imitate God,  not be striving to obey a list of rules,  but by keeping our eyes on Jesus. If we go where He goes and walk where He walks, we will be imitating or following Him. When we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, we will walk as children of the light.

Ephesians 5:6-13

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of thesethings the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

Another point in this passage that is very important in these days is verse 6; “Let no one deceive you with empty words”. Our world today is full of empty words. We are immersed in a world of radio, TV and internet which bombards us continually with empty words. How are we to discern right and wrong and avoid being deceived in such a world?  The only way is to walk in the Spirit and allow Him to guide our thoughts. The Spirit of the Lord knows truth and will tell us the truth if we listen to His voice. He often speaks with a still small voice, so is easily drowned out by the noise of the world if don’t listen carefully. So be wise and spend quiet time where you can hear the voice of the Spirit and so not be deceived by the words of darkness. Then we need to speak out and expose the works of darkness. It is time for these evil deeds to be exposed. We are beginning to see some of this happening in current affairs so we need to pray that more will be exposed and speak out for the truth whenever we have occasion. 

Ephesians 5:15-17

15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but aswise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

So as Paul says, the days are evil so we need to be careful how we walk and be wise. By walking in the will of the Lord we demonstrate light and truth to the world. They may not appreciate being exposed to the light, but if enough people come to the light the kingdom of God will grow and flourish in the earth, as it is in heaven .

Walk part 6. Run till the End

 Walk- 6, Run

August 23, 2025

Hebrews 12:1-3

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easilyentangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

2 Timothy 4:6-7

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finishedthe race, I have kept the faith.

We’ve been talking all week about walking. And when you talk about walking, oftentimes you talk about beginning to walk. Your first steps are important and memorable. But in the scriptural context, walking is more about the long term. Going from learning to walk to running, and then running with endurance. I’m no expert on running. I’ve often said that if you see me running, look behind to see who is chasing me! But in the scriptural sense, running is not so much about speed as it is about endurance. The important thing is not to use a lot of effort to run impressively fast, but to continually be filled with the Spirit so that you can face every trial, confront every temptation without stumbling, and finish the race with faith. I’ve been at this walk for a pretty long time. There have been many occasions for stumbling, but the Lord has sustained me and in all my struggles, I have never fallen away from the Lord. I have fallen through a roof, but the angels helped me so that I didn’t break my neck! Most of the saints in the Bible stumbled on occasion. Moses had his Egyptian murder and King David had his Bathsheba, but in the end, they finished the race. Paul testifies to Timothy the same. He endured many trials, but in the end, he fought the good fight and finished the race. I can only pray that I will be able to say the same thing.

So walk in a manner worthy of your calling, endure every trial, and run the race till the end. In this race, it’s not who finishes first, but who finishes with faith in the Lord. The Holy Spirit gives the power to endure, so lean into Him and let Him lead you and guide you and give your the power to walk, and then run, and then to finish the race to the glory of God.

Walk- Part 5

 Walk- 5

August 22, 2025

Today’s blog comes from Watchman Nee, Sit, Walk, Stand, where he talks about the power to walk in the Christian way.

“We are faced with a challenge. Matthew 5 sets a standard that we may well feel is impossibly high, and Paul in this section of Ephesians endorses it. The trouble is that we just do not find in ourselves by nature the means to attain to that standard—to walk “as becometh saints” (Eph. 5:3). Where then lies the answer to our problem of God’s exacting demands? The secret is, in the words of Paul, “the power that worketh in us” (3:20). In a parallel passage (Col. 1:29) he says: “I labor also, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.” We are back again in the first section of Ephesians. What is the secret strength of the Christian life? From where does it derive its power? Let me give you the answer in a sentence: The Christian’s secret is his rest in Christ. His power derives from his God-given position. All who sit can walk, for in the thought of God, the one follows the other spontaneously. We sit forever with Christ that we may walk continuously before men. Forsake for a moment our place of rest in Him, and immediately we are tripped, and our testimony in the world is marred. But abide in Christ, and our position there ensures the power to walk worthy of Him here.“ …

“But until we are willing for God to work it in, it is useless for us to try to work it out. Often we try to be meek and gentle without knowing what it means to let God work in us the meekness and gentleness of Christ. We try to show love, and, finding we have none, we ask the Lord for love. Then we are surprised that He does not seem to give it to us.”…

“God has given us Christ. There is nothing now for us to receive outside of Him. The Holy Spirit has been sent to produce what is of Christ in us; not to produce anything that is apart from or outside of Him. We are “strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; . . . to know the love of Christ” (Eph. 3:16). What we show forth outwardly is what God has first put within.“

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Biblical References:

Matthew 5:1-12 NASB

The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes

1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Ephesians 5:1-3

Be Imitators of God

1 Thereforebe imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

3 Butimmorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;

Ephesians 3:16-19

16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 sothatChrist may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:20-21

20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be theglory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Colossians 1:28-29

28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.