Irrefutable Evidence

"'no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,' declares the Lord." ~ Isaiah 54:17 NIV

Reading this scripture reminds me of a courtroom. It uses words like prevail, refute, accuse, and vindication. God seems to be saying that He will defend us the way a lawyer might do in court.

So, what's the best way to prove a case in court?

Well, typically, it's to show irrefutable evidence to support your claim or defense. The other side can accuse you of all the things in the world but if you have irrefutable evidence, case closed.

When we are God's child, we don't have to argue our case. Our case argues for us. Through the cross, God has presented irrefutable evidence of His love for us, irrefutable evidence of His power over sin, and irrefutable evidence that we no longer have to suffer the fate that was once ours.

It's not up to us to refute accusations. God said we are vindicated through Him. We just have to keep living our lives and God will fight our battles (2 Chronicles 20:15).

God bless,

J.W.

Why Bad Things Happen To Good People (Part 7)

We are in a battle - a battle between two kingdoms: 1) the Kingdom of God and 2) the kingdom of evil. Earth is the battlefield and the goal of each kingdom is to take territory.

Don't believe me? Look at the creation story in Genesis.

1. Adam: God, the King of Heaven, colonizes the earth by reproducing His image on earth in the form of the first man (Adam) (Genesis 1:26-27). He then tells man to have dominion, and multiply on the earth (Genesis 1:28). In other words, He directs man to colonize the earth.
2. Sin: The enemy then comes and attacks the colony by introducing the virus of sin into the earth (Genesis 3:13-14). Sin not only turns people away from the Kingdom of God, it kills God's colonizers (Genesis 3:19). 
3. Second Adam: God then fights back. Instead of simply reproducing a carbon copy of Himself (Adam), God sends the original, Himself, in the form of Jesus (the second Adam) (Romans 5:12-15). 
4. Death of Sin: God sends Jesus to become the virus of sin itself (2 Corinthians 5:21). Thus, by dying on the cross, God kills the virus, and frees His colonizers from its bondage (Romans 6:23). 
5. New Creation: God then resumes the process of reproducing Himself on earth by sending the Holy Spirit to live on the inside of us (John 14:15-17). That is why Jesus says it is good that I go that the Holy Spirit might dwell within you (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit is now the way that God reproduces Himself on the earth (2 Corinthians 5:20). God then tells His colonizers that, with the power of the Holy Spirit, we are to go out and make new disciples (take more territory) and colonize the earth once again (Matthew 28:19). 

Make no mistake. We are in a battle for territory. The King of Heaven and the king of hell are seeking to colonize the earth.

Which side are you on?

God bless,
J.W.

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People (Part 5)

Why do bad things happen to good people?

I found myself asking that question a couple of weeks ago when the violence in Charlottesville took place.

After all the emotions and confusion, the anger and fear, disappointment and hurt, the frustration and just being plain fed up, ultimately, I landed on Ephesians 6:12:

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

Make no mistake, racism is wrong and should be confronted. But, at the same time, we must also remember that what happened in Charlottesville, and what’s happening all over our country, is much bigger than racism, white supremacy, and hatred.

Ultimately, we are in a battle between good and evil. Satan has his soldiers. God has his. Events like Charlottesville just make me want to become a better soldier for Him.

So, why do bad things happen to good people?

Ephesians 6:12 has your answer. We're in a battle. We need to start acting like it.

God bless,
J.W.

Stumbling Blocks

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy..." ~ John 10:10

The Bible uses very aggressive language when it talks about the enemy's mission. See John 10:10 above - steal, kill, destroy. But it's important that we know that while the enemy's goals are aggressive, often times, his tactics are not. The Bible tells us to stand against the devil's "schemes" (Ephesians 6:11) -
schemes invoking thoughts of subtlety, deception, and discreteness.

In Matthew 16:23, Jesus describes Satan as a stumbling block. Think about that. A stumble doesn't completely knock you out or even take you off your feet. It certainly doesn't steal, kill, or destroy you. But it does slow your progress and distract you. It may even cause embarrassment, humiliation, and shame. More importantly, it knocks you off balance, making you susceptible to even stronger attacks.

So often, as Christians, we only recognize the enemy's "steal, kill, and destroy" attacks. But we must remember that, more often than not, he simply tries to get us to stumble first.

So watch out for those stumbling blocks!

God bless,
J.W.

P.S. If you like this post, please feel free to share it with friends and family. I'll be writing more soon.

The Assignment Bureau (Part 5)

Satan is a master of distraction.

He distracted Adam and Eve with a serpent (Genesis 3:1-6).

He distracted Abraham and Sarah with Hagar (Genesis 16:1-4).

He distracted Samson with Delilah (Judges 16).

He distracted David with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11).

He tried to distract Jesus with bread (Matthew 4:1-3).

The enemy knows that he can't stop God's assignment for us. But he can distract us enough so that we become an obstacle to achieving our assignment.

The question is, are you able to distinguish between your assignment and a distraction?

More to come tomorrow.

God bless,
J.W.

No Fear

"Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." ~ Revelation 2:20

As Christians, fear is our biggest enemy. It’s Satan’s way of stopping us from achieving the great things God has called us to do. For some of us, that means touching millions of lives. For others, that means touching just one life.

Either way, don’t let fear stagnate you! People’s lives are dependent on it. There is a crown of life waiting for you on the other side. But you have to press through the fear and the test.

God bless,
J.W.

Love The Way You Lie

"When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." ~ John 8:44

In the garden of Eden, Satan provoked Adam and Eve to sin, not by telling an outright lie, but rather by deceiving them through truth. He told Eve that if she were to eat the forbidden fruit, she would "be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). That was true.

What he didn't tell Eve was that she was already like God (Genesis 1:26), but that eating the fruit would make her less like God. In fact, it would kill her and her entire family (Genesis 2:17).

As you go through your daily trials, don't expect Satan to tell you outright lies. No. Deception is best executed when disguised as truth.

God bless,
J.W.

More Than Conquerors

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 8:37-39

Make no mistake - Satan is real.

The Bible urges us to "be self-controlled and alert" because "your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour" (1 Peter 5:8) It also says, however, that we are MORE than conquerors in Christ.

So, while you stay alert to the devil's schemes, know that no weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17) as long as God is on your side.

God bless,
J.W.

Satan's Plan

For those of you who watch a little too much reality TV, or just TV in general, this video is for you.

Satan's Plan

It'll change your life.

God bless,
J.W.

Life on the Edge

"Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him." ~ Matthew 14:29-31

As Christians, we often talk about life through the eyes of Peter, who was able to walk on water through his faith in God. In many ways, Peter lived life on the edge, totally relying about the strength and power of Jesus to guide Him.

But if truth be told, every single one of us live life on the edge. The question is, who's out on the edge with you? Is it God who has promised to catch you when you fall? Or is it Satan who will let you drop every single time?

Whose edge are you on?

God bless,
J.W.

Jesus Walks (Part VI)

It is often said that between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Jesus went to Hell and “snatched the keys of the bottomless pit” from Satan – meaning that sin no longer holds power over us.

No matter what you’ve done or how many times you’ve messed up, Jesus’ love for you can overcome it all.

All you have to do is accept the gift He has freely given you.

Will you accept it today?

God bless,
J.W.

“I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” ~ Revelation 1:18

Sneak Attack

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’" ~ Matthew 4:1-3

When did Satan tempt Jesus?

When He was about to enter a new season in His life and ministry.

When God blesses and elevates you, expect attack.

It’s Satan’s M.O.

God bless,
J.W.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaLzDhOuzGY