Back to Basics

Living the Christian life is dependent on the basics. A disciple is a disciplined follower. The discipline is in the details. It is deliberate, intentional and purposeful. In the game of life, the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win. Each team member must master the fundamentals. The winning team depends on each individual to do his own job. According to 1 Corinthians 12:14-18, we are all on the same team as members of the body if Christ. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

The Lord’s army is a team. Each individual must be disciplined to become like Christ. The soldier’s commitment is to do exactly what his commander in chief says to do. Jesus said, “by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, that you love one another.” When we identify with Jesus Christ, Our purpose is to align our hearts with his heart… To delight ourselves in the Lord to will and to do of his good pleasure.

When we’re living by faith, the world will say that we’re impractical and illogical. The world’s way is diametrically opposed to the Word’s way. According to Psalm 1, Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree that is planted by the rivers of waters, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

A winning team needs a plan. However the best plan is his plan and not our own plan. To conform to the will of the Lord, we must surrender our pride in order to follow our commander in chief. Psalm 31:15-17 says, My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake. We do not know the end from the beginning but he does. Our job is not to question the destination but rather to walk with him one step at a time. But what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.

The first and great commandment is to have no other gods between my face and God’s face. God is looking for faithfulness and commitment from those who profess to follow Christ. We’ve been called to sacrifice, surrender, bow down and submit our hearts under the mighty hand of our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ himself is our commander in Chief.

Men of God sometimes need to be “humiliated” in order to learn the meaning of “humility.” The antidote to pride is to give up the right to our own selves. We must discipline ourselves to find out whether or not we’re committed. Commitment means a promise to do, give, and to be loyal… Resolute, and not turning back. It means to want another’s will instead of my own despite danger and hardship.

In the book of Acts, Paul left Ephesus and headed toward Jerusalem where the Christians were being persecuted. Paul also had his heart set to go to Rome. On his journey, he stopped 40 miles north of Ephesus and wrote to the elders in Ephesus, “I preached the word boldly to you both in your houses and in large public gatherings. I preached that men should repent and to come to faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.” Paul felt compelled to go to Jerusalem even though the elders tried to persuade him not to go. Paul said, “I’m aware that sufferings await me in Jerusalem, however I count my life not dear to me. Rather I count it joy to suffer for the Lord. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” He said, “my only aim is to complete the task that God has given me… To testify with my life on behalf of my Lord Jesus Christ.” Like Saint Francis said, “preach the gospel… When necessary, use words.”

The life’s goal of a man of God is that others may love Jesus Christ more because they spent time in His presence. As John the Baptist said, “I’m not the bridegroom. I’m just here to introduce the bridegroom Jesus Christ to his bride, the church. I must decrease that he may increase.”

The Apostle Paul’s goal was to know Christ and to make him known. His commitment, duty and assignment was to live to the glory of his Lord and savior Jesus Christ. As soldiers of the cross, our commitment is to stay at our post until our commander releases us to a new assignment. Our calling is our commitment to Jesus Christ to lift up the gospel of Jesus Christ. We’ve been called to our place in the wall to stand in the gap to assure God’s protection and blessing.

According to John, These things I have written unto you so that ye may know that ye have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The joy of the Lord is our strength. What is our commitment? Let us then hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Love, honor, respect and reverence God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

According to the Westminster Confession, the chief aim of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Glory means weighty… it describes something of significance that has “gravitas.” Glory means consequential. A glorious man has substance. He is substantial, and he matters. Because we have been created in Christ Jesus, we are weighty in God’s eyes. However, in the eyes of the world we are inconsequential because the world cannot perceive the things of the spirit. When our prayers take the form of petition, we acknowledge that God is the source of our significance and glory. Prayer also tells us about the origin of our own heart. Prayer is the involuntary reflex of the human soul. Communion and communication with God is hard wired into our earthen vessel. Even those who are unbelievers pray when confronted by death. There are no atheists in foxholes. When his death was near, even Mark Twain, an avowed non-Christian said, “I prayed like never before.” When we stand at the threshold of death and glimpse our own mortality, these are “come to Jesus moments.”

In Luke 11:5, after Jesus had taught his disciples the “Lord’s prayer,” he gave them an illustration about the benefits of persistent prayer. Jesus said, “when a friend who comes to you at midnight, knocks on your door, and says “I have a guest and have no bread to serve him,” will you say to him, “Go away, don’t bother me. It’s too late and my wife and children are already in bed.” However, because of your neighbor’s persistent knocking, won’t you simply get up and give him what he needs?

Luke’s story about a cranky neighbor is an illustration of asking and receiving. In Jesus’ culture, neighborliness and hospitality were in vogue. The culture placed a high value on hospitality and considered it an honor to host a sojourner who needed a place to stay for the night. They believed that taking care of strangers was “entertaining angels unawares.” The host was obligated to fix a hot meal for the stranger. A stranger arriving at a house was considered the guest of the entire community. However, this host wasn’t prepared to feed his honored guest resulting in a shameful situation and a bad reflection on the neighborhood. A similar situation is when my wife says “I have nothing to wear.” She literally means “I have nothing to wear that will uphold the honor of my family.” When the host knocked on his neighbor’s door a literal translation of his request was, “I have nothing to uphold the honor of the community.” The neighbor’s first reaction was, “get lost, my kids are already asleep and in bed. I can’t get up and help you.” In Jesus’ day, this was not the appropriate response and was unthinkable. Jesus said, the solution to the problem is to keep on asking. The parable is a contrast between a cranky neighbor and a loving God who is eager to meet his children’s needs. The key is persistence. If you have the persistence to keep on asking a cranky neighbor, he will accommodate your request. Likewise, keep on asking a benevolent and loving God. Ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.

The story in Mark continues, “Which of you fathers, if one of your children asks for a fish, will instead give him a snake that looks like a fish?” Children trust their fathers to make decisions that are good for them. A child has the persistent audacity to keep on asking his father for what he wants. If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your own children, how much more will a loving heavenly father give good gifts to his children who ask him? We who are fathers know the joy of giving good gifts to our own children. Take that feeling and multiply it ten times infinity and you’ll approach the joy that God feels to give good gifts to his children.

Abraham had the audacity to ask God to save the city of Sodom and Gomorrah and to spare the city for the sake of only five righteous souls. He kept on asking because he knew the heart of his God. Like Abraham approaching a loving God, I once was a stranger, but now I am a son. This is the essence of God’s “adoption.” Adoption is a legal term that means that we have access to intimacy and freedom from guilt before our holy father. An adopted son has legal standing before his father to ask for his needs to be supplied.

According to James Packer, when God’s children pray, he always give them what’s best for them in the long term, even though it may not be what the son asks for at the moment. Children don’t know what they really need. Like the stone mason who was asked what he was doing, we need to understand our upward calling. The stone mason pointed to the cathedral’s spire and said, “I’m chiseling this stone down here so that I can set it up there in the spire to glorify God.”
Our job when we pray is to sort through the chaff of our life. God will open our eyes so that we can see to appreciate the harvest that God has set in our lives not only in the here and now but also in the hereafter. Prayer is persistence… we need to keep on repeating the word of God in our lives to understand what really matters and to walk humbly with our Father one day at a time.

On the night before Jesus was crucified, the disciples were arguing who would be the greatest. In the upper room, they walked past the foot washing basin and took their places at the table. Jesus Christ with a heart of love and humility gladly took the role of the lowliest household servant and washed the disciples’ feet. This was an example to the disciples that he who is greatest shall be servant of all.

How can we be sure that God will answer our prayer? After supper, Jesus took Peter, James and John to the garden of Gethsemane to watch and pray. Jesus prayed to his father, “if there be any other way, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” The cup signified the wrath of God… the righteous sentence of death for the sin and iniquity of fallen man. Prayer is not aligning God’s will with my will. Rather it is aligning my will with God’s will. How did Jesus align his heart with his Father’s will? The scripture does not reveal the answer in Matthew 22. However, the Word of God is its own best commentary. The answer is in Hebrews 12:2: Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. On the cross, Jesus Christ satisfied and balanced the scale of God’s righteous judgment for all of our transgressions. God revealed to Jesus those of us who would be made righteous by the shedding of his innocent blood. Therefore he endured the pain and suffering of a shameful death because of his joyous expectation of your salvation and mine. As a result of his answered prayer, Jesus Christ voluntarily drank the cup of death as full payment for our sin and iniquity… for he who knew no sin was made sin for us that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

When is Enough, Enough?

To get to the heart of a man, you need to ask the right questions. Do you read your bible enough? Do you go to church enough? Do you give enough? Do you love your wife enough? How do you know when enough is enough? An honest man will conclude that in my own power, I can never do enough to please God and to keep his commandments. As pride-filled men, we don’t want to be ministered to. We don’t want to be helped because the culture has taught us that we should be self-sufficient.

According to Ephesians 2:8, For by grace are we saved by grace, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. The righteous (those who have been saved through faith) are righteous because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. For he who knew no sin was made the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

The scripture relates a story of a king who invited many of his subjects to come to a wedding feast. One of the invited guests came to the feast, but didn’t wear the white robe that the king had provided for the occasion. Likewise, when we try to approach God’s presence in the robes of our own flesh, and by our own accomplishments and pride, the Lord will say, “depart from me, I never knew thee.” To understand what it means to be a “man of God” we must forsake our pride and, as the scripture says, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” After we have been born again, God has given us his righteous robes to come boldly into the presence of our heavenly father. As Isaiah said, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” We need to acknowledge that we are righteous, not in our own flesh, but only by his grace.

When we attempt to work our way to heaven, we’re riddled with guilt and shame. In the filthy robes of my own flesh, I cannot approach the throne of grace. When we condemn ourselves, we believe the devil’s lie instead of the truth of the Word of God. Repentance is to turn from our sin nature and unto the righteous nature of God in Christ in us. Prayer is the means by which God will break the power of our carnal sinful nature.

According to the gospel of Luke, Jesus said that there are three things that a man needs to do in order to be his disciple. First, Jesus said, “unless a man forsakes all worldly things: his family… his wife and children, his house and his possessions, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” You can’t say “I love you Lord,” until you make him the first priority in your life. When we love him above all, our other relationships will be blessed. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these (other things) will be added unto you.

The second thing he said was, “you must take up your cross and follow me.” This does not refer to the physical cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Rather it is the cross of our identity with Christ. As Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.” For unto those who do not believe, the preaching of the cross is the stench of death unto death, but to those of us who have been born again, it is the sweet smelling fragrance of life unto life.

The third thing to be a true disciple is that we must give up everything in service to him. Only then will we understand what it means to become the “righteousness of God in him.” Only then will we understand that Christ is our sufficiency. All he asks is a surrendered heart. This is what it means to make Jesus Lord of my life. For in him we live and move and have our being. Without Jesus Christ, there is never enough. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God’s promise that God himself is our provision and that he will provide.

When is enough, enough? Is it the world and everything in it? For what doth it profit you if you gain the whole world but lose your soul? My sufficiency is only in him. What needeth thee? All I need is thee. You can have all this world… just give me Jesus.

May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Worthy of Praise and Prayer

As men of God, we need to be engaged, not just involved. When we’re engaged, we can see things from God’s eternal perspective. Prayer engages our lives and aligns our heart with God’s heart. Prayer changes our perspective so that we can see God working in our life to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Jerry Leachman, Pete’s close friend was chaplain for the Washington Redskins for over 13 years. He’s also in charge of an influential prayer breakfast in Washington, DC. Recently Jerry was asked to speak at every school in the Ivy League about his perspective on faith, character and values. According to Proverbs 18:16, A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men. Jerry’s prayer life is an example of the Apostle Paul’s exhortation in 1 Timothy 3:1-3: I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men, For kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.

Jerry observes that on the day of Pentecost, the miracle of Acts Chapter 2, was not that the apostles spoke in unknown languages, but that those in the audience received the Pentecostal “gift of hearing.” For even though the apostles were “uneducated and ignorant men” who did not know other languages, each person heard from the apostles in his own language the wonderful works of God. This should be our prayer: “God grant us the Pentecostal gift of hearing… that we may hear and understand the message of Jesus Christ and that we may know him and the power of the resurrection.”

Revelation 5 describes the scroll that was sealed with seven seals. An angel crying with a loud voice said, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” No one could open the scroll. According to Roman law, only the heir could open the will, the scroll of the title to God’s creation. According to verse 5, see the Lion of the tribe of Judah who is able to open the scroll of the seven seals. And behold, I saw a lamb (as in Isaiah 53), encircled with the seven spirits of God. The twenty four elders fell down before the lamb. They held golden bowls of incense of the prayers of the saints. They sang a new song, “you purchased men for God, making them servants and priests for God to serve men upon the earth.” Then I heard the voice of many angels, ten thousands of ten thousands encircling the throne declaring “worthy is the lamb to receive power and glory.” And every creature was saying, “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” Then the elders fell on the ground and worshiped him.

God said that we were bought with a price. Upon the new birth, we changed teams. We became a new creation. According to 1 Corinthians Chapter 6, by his own power God raised Jesus from the dead and he will also raise us up who have been born of his spirit. He who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in the spirit. Therefore flee from sexual immorality. Since we are joined together in the body of Christ, we should not join ourselves with the “harlots” and harlotry of this world. All sins other than fornication and adultery are committed outside of a man’s body. Know ye not that ye are the temple of the holy spirit? Ye were bought with a price; therefore honor God with your bodies.

What’s the difference between a Christian and a disciple? A disciple is disciplined to follow in his master’s footsteps and to act according to his master’s commands. The world’s political class reflects the popular culture of the times… they do not influence the culture. Nehemiah said that worldly leadership is a reflection of the culture. Are we as men of God salt and light, or do we reflect the values of the world? God judges all cultures by their sexual sins. See the book by Richard Simmons III “Love at First Sight.” According to Simmons, sexual “hook ups” are the expected norm for young men and women in our culture. They learn to treat each other as objects to gratify their own selfish pleasures. The hook up culture says that you can’t allow your emotions to enter into a hook up or you’ll pay a heavy emotional price. The biblical standard is that “the act of marriage” is the consummation of the intimate union and ultimate expression of love between a man and a woman in holy matrimony. So shall the two be made one flesh. This concept is contrary to the popular culture’s notion that sexual hook ups should have no sense of emotion, intimacy, or beauty.

Pornography has had a major impact on the culture and has indoctrinated many young women into the belief that hook-ups are the norm for sexual intimacy. Young men exposed to pornography get to the point that they become impotent and cannot become aroused by a real woman. In our culture, there is no sexual behavior that is considered immoral. According to Dennis Prager, if the Christians go down, our culture goes down. Sexually active teenage girls are three times more likely to be depressed and three times more likely to commit suicide than those who are not sexually active.

Repentance is turning from the world and unto God. When we confess our sins, they no more have power over us. For if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Our righteousness is not in our own flesh, but only in Christ. For he who knew no sin became the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we made the righteousness of God in him. According to James 5, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The only solution to the problem is prayer. Jesus prioritized prayer among almost everything else. The disciples’ request to their Lord was, “teach us to pray.” Jesus said my house should be a house of prayer. He didn’t say my house should be called a house of fellowship, service, praise, or discipleship. He prioritized his house as a house of prayer. Elijah, a man of passions like ours prayed. When he prayed according to God’s revelation, the rains stopped for three years.

The miracle of Dunkirk is a story of God’s intervention because of prayer. The Nazi’s could have annihilated the British troops at Dunkirk. Churchill called all England to pray. The miracle was that Hitler called his troops to stand down for three days. If Hitler had attacked, this would have turned the balance of power in World War II in favor of the Nazis. However, God’s intervention because of prayer gave the allied forces time to evacuate their troops.

The Lord exhorts us to be men of prayer. He has called us to intervene in prayer for those to whom we minister. As long as we can pray, we can have a supernatural impact in the spiritual battle. As Paul said, pray for us, that the word of God may have free course and be glorified in us as it is in you. Prayer is giving your heart to God. Talk to God. Lead with prayer. Make it one of the most important things in your life. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord.

May God richly bless you.
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

God always honors faith but he never honors fear. Although there will always be wars and rumors of wars and unexpected events in this life, Jesus said, “Fear not, for I have overcome the world.” According to the Word of God, tribulation works patience and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad by the holy spirit which is given to us. Cataclysmic events are often our “come to Jesus moments.” We have to be brought to our knees to acknowledge that we cannot help ourselves. On our knees, we have no control over our own situation.

The story of Johnny Bash is a story of turning to God for deliverance in the midst of the storms of life. Johnny was a successful young man in the eyes of the world. He was an athlete who had a thriving business. While on vacation on the Colorado River, he dived from the boat into the river. The river was shallow and in that catastrophic moment, Johnny became a quadriplegic. These are the times that try men’s souls. The trials of life challenge us not only when we ourselves have been broken and in need of help, but also when God calls each of us out of our comfort zones to minister to those among us who have been broken. As Jesus said, “In that ye have done it unto the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

John White, a minister and evangelist with “Firefighters for Christ,” is another believer who has recently been brought to his knees. John reminds us that God is in the business of healing relationships. He and his wife Jane have been married for many years. As a fire fighter, John spent years training and drilling how to react and rescue others in the “line of fire.” He disciplined himself so that in the midst of a crisis situation, his actions to save others would kick in automatically. However, John like most men, had never been trained how to react as a husband. John knew that his wife was a godly woman who loved him despite his faults and failures. After twelve years of marriage, John finally read this command to husbands In Ephesians: “husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church.” John made two vows to God… the first was to love God above all. The second was to love his wife Jane as Christ loved the church. Learning how Christ loved the church is a lifelong lesson. John often asked his wife, “What can I change to love you more?” As a godly woman Jane always answered from a heart of unconditional love, “not a thing.”

Last month Jane was having stomach pains. About the same time, John hurt his wrist and his wife made an appointment and insisted that he go to the doctor. Jane told the doctor that John would have surgery to repair his wrist instead of an injection that may or may not alleviate the pain. The next week John returned the favor by taking his wife to the hospital to have her checked for her stomach pains. After the examination, Jane’s ER doctor and an oncologist came to the waiting room and reported that Jane had a large mass on her pancreas that had spread to her stomach. A few days later the doctor reported that Jane also had a large mass on her spine and that the cancer had spread to her vital organs. The oncologist kept mentioning God during the report. John asked the doctor if he were a Christian and the oncologist answered, “yes.” The doctor’s prognosis was that Jane only had about two weeks left to live and there was nothing medically that they could do for her. Her life was completely in God’s hands.

With only two weeks left, there is no time to start loving your wife as Christ loved the church. Jane told John a long time ago, that if he died before her, she didn’t know if she could make it through life. At that time John prayed, “Lord, please take my wife before me.” He wanted to spare his wife the pain of seeing her beloved husband suffer before dying. John reminds us that we must take the time now to love our wives as Christ loved the church. The context of this commandment is Ephesians 5:21: “Husbands and wives submit yourselves one to another out of reverence for Christ.” God’s command to men continues in verse 25: “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church.” A similar passage in Colossians 3 says, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also ye have been called in one body, and be ye thankful. And whatsoever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God and the Father through him.”

John once asked Jane, “have you ever met someone you didn’t pray for?” Her answer was, “I can’t think of anyone.” Before today’s meeting, Jane said, “Tell the men that they need Jesus, not just in times of disaster, but that they need Jesus today.” Today is the acceptable day of the Lord. How do you accept the Lord Jesus? According to Romans 10: 9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe with thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Today is our moment of destiny… now is our “come to Jesus moment.” Now is the day of salvation. Before we can minister to others, we must first allow God to minister to us through the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. For he who knew no sin was made the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

Only when we allow God to love us by accepting his gift of salvation through Christ, can we in turn love our wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. Now is the acceptable day of the Lord… today is our “come to Jesus moment.” As God reveals to us how Christ loved the church, we can love our wives with this same love.

May God richly bless you.
Your brother in Christ,

Michael

Faith or Fear Part 2

Thank you Lord for allowing us to meet as a band of brothers, as like minded men who link together within the body of Christ to influence our surroundings not with our righteousness but with your righteousness. Thank you Lord for reminding us that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much and for your blessed assurance that there is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear.

Words reveal the heart of a man. It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles a man but that which comes out. Jesus taught a parable about a master who gave his servants talents to manage. To one he gave five talents, to another he gave two, and to the third he gave one talent. The servants to whom he gave five and two talents both doubled their talents by the time their master returned. The master praised each of them, “well done thou good and faithful servant. Thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things, enter thou into the joy of the lord.” The one who received one talent buried his talent and gave it back to the master when he returned. He said to his master, “I knew that you were a hard taskmaster, reaping what you have not sown and gathering where you have not planted. So in fear I buried your talent and have returned back to you that which is yours. This servant made a fear based decision instead of a faith based decision. The master said to him, “you wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gathered where I have not planted. You should at least have put the talent in the bank so that it would earn interest. Therefore, take the one talent that you buried in fear and give it to the faithful servant who has ten.” The lord has given each of us resources to allow the master to bless us back abundantly when we invest wisely and in faith according to his purposes. That which is done in believing faith reaps rewards in eternity. Fear based decisions result in weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The only way to experience the love of God is to allow God to break you so that you can be reconciled back to him. We must first experience a Gethsemane in order to experience the hope of the resurrection. Many years ago, when Pete was in the father’s waiting room, and the doctors told him that his baby might not live, God asked Pete, “no matter what happens to your wife and your baby, will you still love me, praise me, and serve me?” These are the times that try men’s soul. In the midst of adversity, will you be a man of faith or fear? When the doctor came back into the waiting room and said, “I’m sorry, we lost the baby,” this cataclysmic event forced Pete to seek comfort in the Lord. The next few weeks as Pete sought the Lord in faith were the times of the greatest spiritual comfort in his life.

According to Phillipians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.” My strength is not by my own power but only by the power of God’s mighty hand. It’s easy to speak and think things that are theologically correct until the crisis comes. We have no control in the midst of the storm. Isaiah 41 says, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold the with the right hand of my righteousness.” To be a man of faith, we must die to ourselves in order to live for him. Our security is not in the things of this world… our government, our job, our paycheck, our family, or our accomplishments. The secret of Gethsemane, was the conclusion of Jesus’ prayer: “If it be thy will let this cup pass from me… nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” Prayer is not aligning God’s will with my will, but rather, aligning my will with God’s will. The conclusion to your prayer will determine whether you will be a man of fear or a man of faith through believing according to his will.

Often we ask God to work a miracle and to deliver us immediately from the crisis of the hour. However, God often says wait. For tribulation worketh patience and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy spirit which is given to us.

Until we put our hearts on the altar of God, we will never hear “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” It’s not the amount of faith that you have, rather it’s the quality of your faith. What’s important is the object of your faith, Jesus Christ. Not in my own strength but in his strength alone… I must decrease that he may increase.

Luke 18 begins with Jesus’ parable about a judge who feared neither God nor man. A woman who was consistent in her request continuously petitioned the judge to settle her dispute with her adversary. Because of her persistence, the unrighteous judge granted her request. Likewise when the son of man comes will he find persistent faith upon this earth? When the crisis comes, God expects his men to be the reliable ones who endure faithfully to the end. God has plans for our suffering so that we will be the faithful ones who prove his power in the time of trial and tribulation. The Apostle Paul even though he was in jail said “I press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Are you a man of faith or fear? Jeremiah was called the “weeping prophet” because he warned Israel that because they failed to make faith based decisions, Israel would be taken captive by Babylon. In the midst of his lamentations, Jeremiah wrote by God’s inspiration, “Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father… there is no shadow of turning with thee. Morning by morning new mercies I see. Thou changest not thy compassions they fail not, great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me.

May God richly bless you,
Your brother in Christ,

Michael

Faith or Fear

We men struggle with living out what we say we believe, especially in a crisis. In the normal course of life, we have our theology in order. However, in the midst of a trial, when the pain is acute and we’re confronted with situations that try men’s souls, the trauma of life leaves men suffering from anxiety and from post traumatic stress disorder. How do you become a man of faith instead of a man of fear?

God never honors fear. He always honors faith. The most frequent commandment of God is, “fear not.” The thing that impressed Jesus most was the Roman centurion’s believing faith. He said, “Lord, just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Jesus said, “I have not found such faith, no not in Israel.” Faith based decisions are doing what God has commanded. The number one command is, “Fear not.”

How do we turn from fear to faith? Men often listen to the devil’s accusations. Satan is the “deceiver” and the Devil is the “accuser.” His barrage of lies and deceit says, “you’re not good enough, you don’t measure up, you’re a sinner, and you are not deserving of God’s mercy and grace.” He reminds us that we constantly miss the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus and that in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.

The key to turning from fear to faith is to turn from the devil’s lies unto the truth of the Word of God. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Philipians 4 says, “Don’t be anxious for anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Anxiousness and fear is a choice. To turn away from anxiousness, we must turn our hearts toward God in prayer and thankfulness. When God called Moses with a voice from the burning bush to deliver the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt, Moses said, “Who, Me? They won’t believe me and that the Lord has sent me. And even if they did believe, I can’t speak in public.” One of the greatest fears of most people is speaking in public. The Lord said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid for I am with you. It’s not by your might or your spirit or your intellect or eloquence of speech. It’s only in my power”, says the Lord. God says, “I am with you, I’ve got this… I will give you my words to say.”

Is God bigger than your problem du jour? Is God all powerful and all knowing? Is God really able to deliver? Is the Lord always faithful to deliver? When the crisis comes and courage is required, God expects his men to be the reliable ones who have built their lives upon the solid rock, not on the shifting sands of fear and anxiety. In the times of crisis and in the heat of the spiritual battle, when we come to the limits of our own understanding and our own weakness… turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, for the Lord thy God is with you… surely he will uphold you with the power of his mighty right hand.

Are your decisions based on faith or fear? What is the root cause of your problem? Fear based decisions are always the root cause. You never solve a problem by focusing on the problem. Problems are solved by focusing on the solution to the problem. The solution to the problem is faith in the Lord and in his Word. Shall I lift up mine eyes unto the hills? From whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and earth. Therefore, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.

How do you know if you’re making a fear based or a faith based decision? Make the decision that requires the greatest amount of faith in God. The challenge is whether or not I really believe that God says that he is able to deliver, that God is at work within me to will and too do of his good pleasure. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said, “even if God allows us to burn in the fiery furnace, we will not disobey God by bowing down to your idol.” For the Lord says I will uphold thee. I will deliver thee with the power of my mighty right hand.

Allow God to prove his power in my weakness. Faith says, “I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me.” We’re not sufficient to meet the crisis… our sufficiency is only in him. Therefore, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

May God richly bless you,
Your brother in Christ,

Michael