Christian Growth

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Second Peter 3:17-18 says, “ Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”

     We often hear about the speeches that leaders give which are sometimes called the “state of the  union.”  It is a pep talk on all the things we are doing at that moment.  Usually, the state of the union is not the desired end of things.  We have certain utopian ideas of what we want to be in the end but just give the current condition.  I do a lot of things in life that I wish I was doing  better at such as playing the karimba or the alto recorder or even my saxophone.  I have a long way to go in any of those instruments , but day by day, some get a little better now and then.

     The Christian life is no different.  We have the desire to be perfect or complete and have everything down pat, but it is a long process.  Our standing with God is perfect due to the shed blood for the payment of our sins by the Lord Jesus Christ.  The stark contrast comes when we realize the fact that we are not complete at this moment, in this earthly body on earth.  That should not stop us from trying to get it right by applying God’s Word to our lives on a daily basis.  There are some things in life that seem to plague each and every person.  They won’t always be the same things for every person.  One of my areas of concern is the matter of patience.  I tend to be impatient with people especially when they don’t follow through with what the promised to do.  We all know the Scriptures that say that tribulation works patience.  When you want to pray for patience, then you are going to get tribulation as it is the means by which you can practice your patience.  It  goes on and on in my life.  The more I long to be patient, the more I find people not showing up for even the smallest of things, such as my twice a week shower.  It is scheduled for Tuesday and Friday at 9:30 but almost never takes place at that time and sometimes I just struggle in my small bathroom with a bathtub in it, to get in and do the shower myself rather than waiting for the nurse's aid to do it for me.  Yesterday, Kroger sent my food order with six half gallons of milk that was not ordered.  There goes the patience again as I try to explain on the phone that I Didn't order any milk at all.  Nevertheless, the above passage exhorts us to grow and that we should accomplish each and every day of our lives.  Praise God for His patience with us.

Renovation of the Mind

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Romans 12:1-2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

     Most of us will evaluate our lives and say that we are constantly thinking about one thing or another.  When I wake up, certain thoughts come to mind and the day begins with good thoughts, and sometimes bad thoughts.  For the past couple of weeks, I have been plagued with some rather bad thoughts.  Oh, I am not going to do something  weird, it is just that certain events unfolded that have left me with confusion, distrust, amazement and just a tad bit of anger.  One of my nurses once told me, “Jus take it to the cross and leave it there.”  It was sound advice, and I do that, but it still plagues my mind as the pictures keep coming over and over.  That is why the above passage is so important to me at this time.

     The phrase that speaks to me today is, “...be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…”  Mind renewal is certainly important for every believer and I would say that it is important for this old man at this time also.  We are all in the process of transformation and it is sometimes called “Christian growth” or even “sanctification.”  We have the fact stated here that our minds should be renovated, or remodeled, or simply renewed to something different from what it was before we came to Christ, or even perhaps from yesterday.  There are times in my life when I wish I had the power of Elijah to call down fire upon those who dare to mess with me.  Now, that’s not very loving is it?  Paul reminds us here that we should have mind renewal and in Philippians 4, tells us how to do it.  Have we forgotten what it says it 4:8?    Itg says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”  Hmmm.  I don’t see any fire in that verse.  I guess my other nurse was right when she said, “You sure are gullible.”  I thought  that some comments were actually a prayer request only to find out that they were not any where close to that.    So, how do I proceed?  My mind renewal begins by thinking about the things mentioned in Philippians 4:8  It seems to me to take a long time to get bad memories out of the filing system of the brain.  Sometimes the pictures return in the most inopportune time and you know that Satan is bringing them back to make you stop growing adn to make you suffer.  Praise God today on the fact that we do have the whole counsel of His Word to make it through every situation in our lives.

Paul's Commands are God's Commands

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Ephesians 4:30-32 says, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

     There was a time in my life when I had a “to do” list.  It was a simple list of the things I would like to have accomplished on any given day.  I used to carry around a small calendar called a “Day Timer.”  Each year I would purchase the fillers necessary for my calendar.  Now, my “to do” list is mostly doctor’s appointments or nurses that come to me to change the bandages.  The rest of my life is not connected to anything special and the things that I do get involved in are such a habit that I don’t need to write them down.

     God has given us a “to do” list especially in the Book of Ephesians.  There are around thirty nine different “imperatives” or commands  that Paul gives to us in order to live the Christian life.  They are not options to think about or meaningless sayings, but actually commands that we are to obey.  Of course, not every word of Paul is an imperative and so they are equally important for the life of the believer.  To walk the worthy walk right tat the beginning of the chapter was not an imperative but certainly important to the believer and so there is much to apply from Ephesians into our lives on a daily basis.  I am always reminded about the works of the Holy Spirit the moment that we are saved.  I call it the RIBS.  We are regenerated, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we are baptized into the body of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit, all in the twinkling of an eye.  Wherever we go and whatever we do, God is with us in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  He is present in all of the “to dos” that we have in our lives plus all of the things we did not count on.  The above passage begins with the exhortation not to grieve the Holy Spirit and it is so easy to do by not keeping the Word that He wrote.  Second Peter 1:21 says, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”  The top thing on your list of discipleship “to do” is do not grieve the Holy Spirit and you can accomplish that by being obedient to the Word of God.  It sounds simple, but is not easy to accomplish.  If you are prone to losing your temper, being dishonest at things, telling lies, or plotting evil against someone, you will be in deep trouble.  Our lives would be more like they are supposed to be if we followed the “one another” commands in the Scriptures.  Praise God for His instructions to us in His Word.  May we always follow them.

Complete

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Second Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 

     I was talking to our daughter as we were driving along to the Veteran’s Hospital the other day about when you stop getting tempted to do anything.  She replied, “When you are dead.”  She’s right.  No matter how many years you have in your life, you can still be tempted while  you are alive.  When you stop being tempted, you are dead.  I am 84 years old and still being tempted in one thing or another.

     The above passage is used a lot as it speaks about the inspiration of the Scriptures and how they are “God breathed.”  It  is the only time that the word is used in the New Testament and we find the four different ways that the Word of God is used in the life of every believer.  TheWord of God is good for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness.  The word ford perfect is also used only one time in the New Testament and it is here obviously.  It has the meaning of being “complete.”  When we look at the above four ways, we see that the life of the believer is forever filled with the accomplishment of getting the Word of God into the life of the believer, not only in knowledge, but also in practice.  The end result would be perfection, if we were ever to finish it while on earth in our present bodies but there would always be something new to learn about God and then to apply it into our lives.  There are many courses available in bookstores today about how to study God’s Word.  One of the more popular courses deals with observation, what does it say, interpretation, what does it mean, and application, how do I apply it to my life or what does it mean to me.  We are good at observation and all of the rules for finding out what it is saying and the background and meaning of the words and we are pretty good at interpretation.  The problem comes in the final area where we begin, or should begin to apply it to our lives.  I have taught the book of Ephesians a number of times and often declare that one could spend their whole life in the book just dealing with the thirty-nine imperatives in the last three chapters or even the five walks that are mentioned, or the putting on of the armor for the spiritual warfare in which we are all involved.  This would mean a lifetime of being kind to one another and to always have an attitude of forgiveness.  This is only one book and there are another 65 books in which God is speaking to us with lessons for our lives.  Bible study is a lifetime work and is not just to be done a couple of hours a day.  Once you learn what it is saying, then you have to put it into your life.  Praise God today for His Word and the fact that it will make you complete,...one day!

Pretenders

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Romans 8:28 says, “ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

     As a kid, I would like to pretend certain things.  I had an imaginary horse, an imaginary airplane and an imaginary car.  I could go anywhere with all of my imaginary devices.  I could zoom around the back yard, flying low over the corn fields and just generally had a lot of fun.  It is easy to pretend and sometimes it carries on into one's adult life. We can go on pretending that we are something that we are really not and we can get away with it for a time, but then there will come that time when the truth will be made visible and it is called judgment.

     The above passage is a famous one that believers often use when they just can’t figure out what God is doing in their lives.  We often can’t see why certain things keep happening to us and often wonder what God is trying to say to us.  When we can’t see what’s to be the lesson or how it is going to work out, we just quote the above passage and wait and see how it is going to turn out.  We are confident that it will turn out for the best because it says so right in the beginning of the passage.  All things work together for good.  We love that part of the passage because that means that even the bad stuff is going to end up being good in some way or another.  There is, however, a conditional clause that follows where it says, “...them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”   Right  in the beginning is t hat phrase “who love God.”  This is where we determine who is real and who is a pretender.  There are a lot of “pretenders” in the church.  I was one for thirteen years.  I went to church faithfully, knew the right words to say at the right  time, could sing the songs, teach the classes and everything looked good from the outside.  But, I was a pretender.  Had I died during that time in my life, I would have been sent to hell and there would be no pretending there.  If everything that happens in  your life is going to turn out for the good, then you had better be sure that you love God with all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength. Then, you will be sure that everything will work out for the good no matter how bad it gets and no matter how much it hurts.  You will end up on the plus side for God and t hat is the best place to be.  When life is over, you won’t be going to an imaginary heaven or an imaginary hell.  They are real destinies.  Praise God for His wonderful plan of salvation through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Testimony

 Greetings to  you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Acts 4:18-20 says, “And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.  But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.   For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard”

     You can’t argue against a good testimony.  I once knew a thirteen piece show band that played a set of music on the pier at Antofagasta Bay, Chile, for 8 people.  I know it took place because I was there, playing tenor saxophone after having only 3 hours of sleep after playing for a week in Chuquicamata, Chile at the Anaconda Copper Mines.  I was there and I saw and heard what went on during that time.

     Probably everyone has a personal testimony of something that  took place in their lifetime that only they could tell.  It is a personal experience.  In acts chapter four, we find Peter and John being called before a group of religious looking and sounding people in Jerusalem who were getting concerned about the large number of converts that were coming about after Peter’s messages, like three thousand one time and then five thousand and t hen the quit counting and just  said it was a large number.  The latter part of verse twenty says, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”  The religious people couldn’t say anything against  them, because they knew about the empty tomb.  The Lord Jesus Christ had just spent  forty days walking around Jerusalem and the countryside and they could not argue against the testimony of Peter and John.  Every believer has a  testimony of what the Lord Jesus Christ means to them and how they came to know Him as their personal Lord and Savior.  When you really have your “Damascus Road experience” no one can question anything about it as it is your “personal”  testimony and it  is unique to you.  Peter and John were even threatened to not say anything more, but of course, we know they did and they sid a lot more for a long time.  John wrote the gospel of John, three epistles and the book of Revelation and of course Peter wrote his two epistles.  John, again in his firs t epistle begins in verse three with “That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you….”  Again, you can’t argue against those first  few words.  It was another testimony.  What is God doing in your life today, this past week, or month, or even year?  How is He working in your life?  What  amazing things have you seen that perhaps few others have seen? Praise God today for how He is indeed working in all of our lives and may we be ready always to an answer to those who ask, “Why are you so happy all the time?”

Little White Lies

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

     A lie is a lie no matter how you try to dress it up.  I was guilty of one recently and thought I was doing the right thing by doing so, but it still bothered me to the point that I had to make it right even though I knew the person I told the like to knew that I was lying in the first place.  I thought the ramifications of the truth would cause a person to be fired, and it would have, so I lied in order to save them that problem.  As it turns out, I was also being lied to by the individual concerned so the whole basis for my decision was based on more lies. After an event recently, I spent a lot of time discussing it with people and found out much of the truth of the matter which was hard to take in some ways, as I must be one of the most gullible people around.  I once heard that if the saying, “liar, liar, pants on fire” were ever true congress would go up in flames and probably half or more of the world right along with it.  I have also heard of something called “white” lies, which are not supposed to be as severe  but then again, a lie is a lie no matter what color you try to make it.

     What is the truth?  Thy word is truth.  I have had people say to me, “scouts honor” indicating what they are saying is true, of course if they never were a scout, what does that even mean. Others will say it is the “gospel truth.”  In reality, they don’t have a clue what the gospel really is.  So, when it comes right  down to it, the only thing we can trust completely is the Word of God.  That is why I chose Psalm 119 today as its 176 verses speak of God’s Word and its importance in the lives of God’s people and all but 5 of those verses have a name for God’s Word in it, such as word, or commandment, or statute, or way, or precept and the lsit goes on.  The above verse has two important analogies for the Word as it serves as a lamp for the feet and a light for the path.  It is good for close up encounters and for the long haul down an unknown highway.  The Word of God can do that and it does for those who take the time to read it and then to apply it to their lives.  We often are guilty of looking at a passage of Scripture and saying, “That is good.  I should start implementing that in my life, maybe some time soon,” but  it never get s done.  Oh, it gets underlined in our Bibles, but not underlined in our lives.  I fear that we are all guilty of that even  when we know better.  Praise God today for His Word.  May we  begin to apply it  today.

Try the Spirits

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     First  John 4:1-3 says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”

     It ‘s sometimes interesting to notice how things you don’t like end up being in something else and you don’t even notice it.  Take for instance, anchovies.  I don’t like the little fish on my pizza and don't like them on a sandwich or any other way.  When  you look at the ingredients of one of my favorite sauces, Worcestershire sauce, you find t hat anchovies are one of the ingredients.  If you can dress it up with enough cheese, it will taste good.

     It is equally interesting how some things have crept into our society as being good but apparently few people know what they are dealing with.  I find a lot of advertisements for “yoga” these days even from the Veterans Administration  to help reduce the pain that many Veterans are suffering.  While there are many different types of yoga which originated in India, there is the popular one that is used here in Western culture.  One source says of it,’ “The term "yoga" in the Western world often denotes a modern form of Hatha yoga and a posture-based physical fitness, stress-relief and relaxation technique,  consisting largely of the asanas; this differs from traditional yoga, which focuses on meditation and release from worldly attachments. It was introduced by gurus from India after the success of Swami Vivekananda's adaptation of yoga without asanas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Vivekananda introduced the Yoga Sutras to the West, and they became prominent after the 20th-century success of hatha yoga.  If you are promoting religions of India, then yoga is for you but it is not for me.  The asanas are the different postures that are used in yoga and have their roots again in Eastern religion.  The passage for today exhorts t he believer to be aware of the spirits that are in the world today and to be about as far from them as they possibly can be.  Any spirit that is running around lose needs to be compared to the Word of God in order for its true identity to be determined.  The key is in the confession that the Lord Jesus Christ is the jSon of God.  If they can’t say that, then avoid any association with it. While Mormonism is trying to gain respectability in the world, their belief in Christ is, “Mormons see Jesus as someone who worked His way up to godhood. In fact, to Mormons, Jesus is merely one in purpose with God the Father.”  This is far from the teaching of John 1:1.  We can praise God for His Holy Word and our need to stand firm on it rather then the teachings of the world no matter how religious they sound.         

Divine Appointments

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     John 17:1 says, “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:”

     Many of us here in America and I assume in other parts of the world, are plagued with appointments.  You sometimes get the little business size card with your next appointment on it for the dentist, the eye doctor, the cardiologist, the primary care physician, and whatever else type of doctor you are seeing plust appointments for various businesses throughout your wee, month and even year.  Then there are those “appointments t hat are verbal, such as, I’ll be there in 30 minutes or an hour or at such and such a time.  Every Tuesday and Friday, I have a 9:30 appointment for a shower only to find that I rarely have it at that time due to one thing or another.  In my case now, it really doesn’t make a whole lot of difference.  What else do I have to do other than my topical wound therapy t hat takes 90 minutes, make my meals, practice my saxophone, prepare for Sunday’s message and write a daily devotion?  I guess i do have a busy schedule even at 84 years of age.   We also find that there are those that continually miss the appointment which is aggravating to say the least.

     The Lord Jesus Christ had an appointment.  We often find references where in the beginning of the gospels, Jesus would say, “Mine hour is not yet come.” such as with the wedding feast in John two. There was no rushing it by saying, “Well, let's get to Jerusalem and get this over with.”  Every moment  and every detail was exactly according to prophecy and would not be rushed nor delayed.  The triumphal entry into Jerusalem can be calculated to the very day as Sir Robert Anderson did in his book, “The Coming Prince.”  When we look at the beginning of the “Lord’s Prayer” as seen in John 17, we see the phrase, “...the hour is come;...”  It  was not a minute early nor a minute late.  It  was righ t on time.  I firmly believe that there are no accidents with the Lord even in the area of time.  We arrive and depart  at certain times and all of those are in God’s plan for our lives.  I was traveling down a road in Roanoke one day when a traffic light stopped me which was a “trip” light only there was no car on that road and I waited and wondered, “What or who tripped the light?”  The light  went through it s cycle and I went on my way, perhaps I had missed being at a certain point at a certain time to my advantage but I never knew about it or saw it because God had delayed my progress for one minute.    You may have a divine appointment today.  In fact, most of us do. Take advantage of each appointment that god has in store for you today.  Praise God today for His working in our lives.

Departure

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Matthew 7:21-23 says, “ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

     The dementia wing in which we live now, has 12 rooms and we are in number twelve.  Most of two occupants, some just a single and two empty rooms.  Recently, two more passed into eternity.  As I preached yesterday to the group, most of them were from my wing with a couple from the other wing which houses those who do not have any form of dementia.  As I was leaving my room yesterday to head to the service, I stopped and prayed over the occupant of one of those rooms and this morning, she was gone forever from our presence.  You can almost hear the “clicker” as two people die every second in the world today.  When you read an obituary, it will often tell something about the individual and some will say they went to be with the Lord or they got their angel winds or some other sentimental thought as they went to the big garden club in the sky and they are looking down and smiling at us from up above.

     They might be nice thoughts for those of us down here on earth, but often they are frar from the truth of the matter.  Earthly platitudes mean very little when it comes to death.  It is a final thing and no second recourse is available.  One’s destination will already have been made by their decision here on earth.  There will be many Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Catholics and all other kinds of religions that will hear those three words, “Depart from me.”  We may try to plead our case but it will be in vain as the judgment is pronounced.  We might be able to fool the person sitting next to you in church or your spouse, or your deacon or even your pastor.  One pastor of a prominent church in Dallas, Texas once made the statement that about three out of five were actually saved while 40 percent were not saved although they were members and heard the gospel message three times a week.  We can do a large amount of “wonderful works” and miss the whole point of salvation.   Apparently, we don’t think God is serious about His simple requirement for salvation, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”  What will it be for your neighbor or your coworker or your classmates?  Will they have heard the gospel message?  Praise God for His calling, but the final call is coming!

Cafeteria Christianity

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.   For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

     There is a restaurant in many places called “Golden Corral.”  There are perhaps a hundred different things to choose from as you take your plate and begin to pile it high with chicken, pork, beef, seafood, four different kinds of potatoes, and quite and assortment of other prepared vegetables.  I doubt that I ever came even close to picking something from every choice.  I pick and choose what  I want.  You can eat  all you want until you are finally stuffed.  There are also plenty of desserts to choose from and a salad bar that is a meal in itself.

     While we are free to pick and choose what we are going to eat at such a place, it may have become a trend in our brand of Christianity.  People often “pick and choose” what they will do or not do in regards to the Bible.  While it is true that we are not perfect nor are we even close to it, we should be trying to do those things that the Bible teaches us to do.  I have frequently made mention of the thirty-nine different imperative commands in the last three chapters of the Book of Ephesians.  The word structure is such as to indicate that these are not choices on the cafeteria line where you can pick and choose what you want to eat.  No, these are commands that every believer is to obey.  They are what forms the Christian life.  I think that we come to the conclusion that they are all good and important in our lives and someday, we will get around to implementing them in our daily life, only it never happens.  They become only a text that is underlined, or has a star next to it, indicating that it is important.  The above text reminds us from the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, that we are to ome to Him to find rest.  We are exhorted to join Him in the yoke.  Usually a yoke has a space for two animals such as oxen to keep them going in the same direction.  In this example, you join with the Lord Jesus Christ in the yoke and then find that your burden is light and that you find rest in Him.    We are to come to Him, to take on His yoke, and to learn of Him.  We learn of Him through the reading and implementation of the word of God in our lives.  The next time you go to a super “choice” restaurant, remember the Word of God and how you need to do all that is written in it and not just what appeals to you at the moment.  Praise God for all of His Word, even the hard to do parts!

Having a World View

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Matthew 9:35-37 says,”And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” 

     There are those times when I begin to feel alone and isolated because of my living conditions and my not being able to walk with the foot problems.  Oh, I do get outside now and then with the power chair but just travel around the building, sit in the sun and basically that’s it until I go back inside.  My attitude has become  just a tad self centered as I think of some of the people of both the old and new testaments.  Jeremiah was in a cistern, Joseph ended up in prison  for a spell, Paul spent a lot of time in jails and prisons during his lifetime.  My view of life has become too self centered.  

     The above passage is a common one that many people know and we use the term, “white unto harvest” quite a lot especially during mission conferences.  The world is always white unto harvest as people die at the rate of almost two people per second.  That means in one minute, sixty people go into eternity, many without Christ.  Being self centered and thinking our own problems as if they are the center of the universe is far from where our minds should be.  Christ gave them the picture that they should have.  The harvest is ready.  When you look at your crops as a farmer and see that they are ready to be picked and put in the storage spaces, you don’t wait for another month to begin harvesting.  The analogy is further explained in John 4:35 and following verses.  Christ and the apostles were in samaria at the time and we know that Philip went there and many were turning to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Wherever upi turn, whether in this country or any other country in the world, the field is white unto harvest.  There is no time to sit around and be consumed with our own problems for many of them are so petty and have very little impact on the condition of the world.  I sometime complain when I have no towels in my bathroom.  Elizabeth Elliot once commented that she had no bathroom.  She ahd no floors or no walls in the place where they were living in Ecuador.  She said th at you should be happy when you swept the floor or clean the toilets, because many people don’t have that at all.  Our problems are often due to the fac that we seem to feel that we deserve soft towels, or perfect room temperature, or a freshly vacuum floor.  At least, we have  a floor.  Praise God for the fact that He gives us a “World View” and not just a “selfie.”

 

The Lurking Evil

 Greetings to  you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Matthew 5:21-22 says, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” 

     There used to be an old radio show that began, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?  The Shadow knows.”  I used to listen to it every sunday afternoon as we heard the exploits of the crime fighting, Shadow, Lamont Cranston.  Jeremiah also speaks about the heart and its deceitfulness as we recently mentioned.  The old radio shows made your imagination form pictures of what was going  on including the squeaking door of “Intersanctum.”  Who does know the evil that works in the hearts of men?  God knows.

     Two great sins are mentioned in this chapter, anger and adultery.  Both of them can be committed in the mind without ever doing the act itself.  A person can appear to be totally righteous and still be guilty of the two sins that are mentioned in this chapter.  In the 70’s, I used to walk from 2000 “L” street to my bus stop on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.  It took me past the White House twice a day and in the summer, the sidewalk was filled with young ladies wearing the famous mini skirts.  I soon learned that it was a very good time to review all of my Bible verses as I walked the path to the bus stop.  It did a lot to keep my attention off of the scenery and on the Word of God.  I wasn’t being self righteous in doing so, it just became necessary to look the other way and to occupy my mind with the Scriptures.  I would like to say that was my only problem, but of course, it wasn’t.  The idea of disliking a person for one reasons or another was also present and still is.  Certain people that are on the staff in my present location, also aggravate me and so I have to watch that I don’t have anger in my heart towards them and to stop wishing that God would send down fire and brimstone and consume them.  In this case, I use prayer to combat ill feelings toward another person.  I would not like to see one person, no matter how bad they have been towards me, to ever go into hell.  I pray for them that they would eventually get saved and to know the joy of eternal life.  I pray for their leadership skills and their families and the things going on in their lives that I don’t know about, but that every person is probably facing in today’s culture.  As one pastor once said, “It is hard to stay mad at someone for whom you are praying.”  Praise God today that He can perform mind renewal even in us.

Edifying your Neighbor

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Romans 15:1-4 says, “ We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.   For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

     I recall several years ago writing about cat and dog theology.  You can find some interesting examples between the two types of animals.  A cat is a joy sucker and a dog is a joy giver.  No matter what you do to a dog, it will wag its tail just because you are there.  A cat on the other hand, will turn and walk away without paying any attention to you.  Now, i do like cats and have had four of them and when they wanted to be held, I could but more than once I got the straight leg pushing against me as the cat wanted down right at that moment.  People are like that.  Some are joy suckers and some are joy givers.

     While personalities are certainly different with everyone, we are still exhorted to please our neighbors for their good to edification.  That applies no matter how old you are or where you live.  There are going to be th ose times when you may want to say or do something that would be just a tad hurtful towards an acquaintance, maybe even a so-called friend or just a new neighbor.  That is when we need to ask ourselves if what we are thinking is indeed going to edify our neighbor or is it meant to tear them down a notch.  I often need to stop and think before I put my mouth in motion.  I recently made a casual statement to my 33 year old nurse that she would soon be able to get a senior discount at McDonalds.  That was definitely the wrong thing to say and her expression and words after that were strong indicators that  what I had said was definitely not edifying at all.  No matter what I said after that, I couldn’t get out of it or justify in any way my comment.  If we don’t know t he things that are edifying and those which are not, just look at the Old Testament.  The final verse of today’s passage refers to the writings of the Old Testament and that they were written or our learning.  Adam Clarke says if this verse, “This refers not only to the quotation from the 69th Psalm, but to all the Old Testament scriptures; for it can be to no other scriptures that the apostle alludes. And, from what he says here of them, we learn that God had not intended them merely for those generations in which they were first delivered, but for the instruction of all the succeeding generations of mankind.”  That means us.  Praise God today for His perfect teachings through His Word to us, the Bible.

Mercy and Grace

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Titus 2:11-13 says,”For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,   Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;   Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

     I have had occasion recently to be reading the book of Ezekiel which has a lot of condemnation and judgments towards Israel and Judah  and what they had been doing for the previous several hundred years.  It is not a pretty picture to say the least.  In reading that particular portion of Scripture, it just gave evidence of how God worked back in those days and how they are to be an example to us today.  One of the recurring condemnations is the profaning of the Sabbath.  God was very strict about that and the fact that they ended up in captivity for seventy years is further evidence of the importance of the Sabbath wherever it is mentioned in the scriptures.

     It is true that trying to live by the law was an impossible thing to do.  The law pointed out that we needed to have a Savior because we could not do it.  Even the first commandments, to love the Lord our God with all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength was impossible to do.  As much as I try and think about it, i fall so short Gd could and should blow me out of the water and it would be just.  God is showing us mercy by not unloading all of the things of Ezekiel on to the church today.  We have become interested in entertaining by our fancy praise bands, and solosist and where you have to spend a half hour getting ready to hear the message.  We sit in padded pews with the air conditioning on in the summer and the heat in the winter so the temperature is just right to please the majority of the people.  Pastors are to only speak for a short time so people won’t be late for dinner.  The above passage also relates a great truth to us in th appearing of “grace.’  “Grace” is receiving that which we do not deserve and when compared to mercy is almost the opposite.  One, mercy, is holding back what we deserve, and “grace” is giving us that which we do not deserve.    When Achan disobeyed God and took the gold, silver and the fancy garment, God burned him up on the spot and everyone associated with him.  How far are we willing to go to follow after Godliness and denying worldliness?  If we are truthful, we don’t want to go to any extremes lest we be thought of as a religious fanatic.  I can praise God today that we, or I, are not living during the Old Testament times.  Those times should be an example to us of how severe the judgment of God really is and to take steps in our lives to follow more closely to His ways than the ways of the world.

Temptations

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Ephesians 4:17-18 says, “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:” 

     As a kid, I watched the “Little Rascals” a lot and so one time tried one of their stunts, of jumping off the garage room with an umbrella.  Of course, it didn’t work, except I broke the umbrella.  I did a lot of stupid things while growing up, some of which could have caused a lot of harm had t hey gone wrong, like trying to see how fast the 55 Pontiac Chieftan would go late at  night.  Bunker Hill was with me watching the speedometer and I watched the road, putting the V8 to the floor. I finally released it when we got up to 115 mph.  As I lay in bed that night, I could hear the Pontiac’s engine cracking as it  cooled off for several minutes.  I figured that temptations were common in my youth and  that when you get as old as I am now, t hey diminish.  Well, that isn’t entirely true and you all know it.

     Recently, I preached on the above passage of Scripture and spoke how it was the only “negative” walk. Don’t walk like the Gentiles walk.  I know all of those things  that are mentioned in this passage. Even at 84, I have succumbed to some temptations and have ended up sinning, plain and simple.  The three avenues ae still active today as they were in the Garden of Eden, and I knew it and I still know it and yet got caught up and fell victim to the pride of life and probably the other two, the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh.  They are all still active.  It is as though Satan found them successful in the Garden of Eden, so just kept using them.  I am reminded about Jeremiah’s statement that the heart is desperately wicked and I can’t  say that my heart is blind as in the passage above, but it does have some temptations now and then.  In  speaking  about this with my daughter recently, she reminded me that temptations are never gone unless you are dead.  We are all an open target until that time regardless of how old or how young we are.  I had a friend who was kind of a daredevil in school and he lost  in a race with the New York Central train and died shortly after high school graduation.  If we know the avenues of temptation, then we should be able to avoid even getting close to one of them.  Even if I was blind and had lost all other senses, I would still have the mind to contend with;  all of the pictures that have been embedded there for 84 years of life.  Some memories you would like to forget but cannot.  Praise God that He still provides the way of escape from all of our temptations.

Creation

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Colossians 1:13-17 says, “ Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:   And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

     I have this app on my phone where I can speak to people from all over the world who are having trouble with one thing or another.  Sometimes, it is not a happy place, but a lot of people need help.  One of my more recent contacts is a person who is a nurse.  She has had long term covid and as such was willing to talk to anyone regardless of age, so I replied with my usual age and the fact that I was a retired pastor.  She immediately disclosed that she was an atheist.  It didn’t matter with me, so we have been texting back and forth and perhaps she like C.S. Lewis, will change her mind.

     It would seem that believing in God would be far easier than being an atheist.  As Mark Lowry says, “It takes a lot of faith to be an atheist.”  Order in the universe has to ultimately come back to “first cause.”  That is going to be God and there is no getting around it.  The lengthy passage above reminds us just Who was doing the creating in the first place.  Once we determine that “His dear Son” is the Lord Jesus Christ, then you just need to follow the rest of the pronouns down through the passage and see how and why the universe was created.  “All things were created by Him, and for Him.”  An atheist has to assume that one can take the mechanism of a watch completely apart, every screw spring, hands, dial, jewels and put them in a bag and that if you shook them long enough they would eventually randomly come back together with the right time on the face of the watch. Professor Bishop would do that each first day of the new school year at Washington Bible College.  Not one screw ever found its way into any hole on the watch yet so called educated people believe in the fact that a gaseous belch in the universe started life and formed all the planets and stars in one great burp.  Now, which view takes more faith to believe?  Colossians 1 details what was taking place in Genesis one.   So, for the believer it is simple to state that in the beginning, God…”  We need to praise Him for the act of creation and the plan of salvation as it winds its way through the Bible.

Preaching the Cross

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     First Corinthians 1:17-18 says, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 

     Here at the assisted living facility, everyone has some little item hanging on their door.  They make the rooms a little more different. Some have little sayings, wreaths of various types, pictures and such.  I chose to get a cross and to hang it on our door.  About a week ago, it was missing and I found it down the hall on another person’s door.  Then, yesterday, it was missing again and Diane found it on the floor across the hall.  It jus didn’t fall off the door, it was deliberately taken off the door and thrown on the floor.  That one disturbed me a little but it is the thought of the world system.  A lot of people take offense at the cross as they don’t understand its importance.     

     From the passage above, we see Paul’s mission in life.  He was to peach the gospel as we have it defined in First Corinthians 15:3-4.  It was not to be done with a lot of fancy words so that people didn’t understand but to tell it as it was, plain and simple.  To the atheist or the unbeliever, the preaching of the cross is foolishness but to the believer itg is the very power of God.  Why?  Because on the cross at calvary, The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins.  Prophecies were fulfilled, the sacrificial system of the Jews came to a culmination.  There are three factors in the gospel, the death, the burial and the resurrection.  All three are necessary.  If Christ did not die, then the resurrection was false, but He did die and when He was buried, He was dead.  The thrusting of the spear in His side proved that point.  They did not have to break His legs as they did with the two thieves, as Christ was already dead.  When he uttered those words, “It is Finished” the payment was done. Every sin was paid for, past, present and future.  For Christ, time stood still as every sin was under the blood of Christ.  The world system, however, still pursues after the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.  That is all they live for, to eat, drink and be merry.  They do not know about the fact that judgment is coming and they laugh and scorn the message of the cross.  We have mentioned recently about immortality that awaits the believer in Christ.  That is the power of God as a result of the resurrection that took place after the death and burial.  We can faithfully praise God today for His power in the resurrection and we will keep on preaching the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Going Up?

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     First Corinthians 15:53-54 says, “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

     I was coming out of the shower recently, getting dressed and going over to my power chair when I noticed a pain developing in the lower part of my neck and radiating upward, slowly.  I took a nitroglycerin tablet and sat in the chair for a moment and the pain went away.   I reported it to my home health nurse the next day as an, “Oh, by the way”comment.  She immediately began calling the VA and leaving messages with my primary care provider and my cardiologist.  She said, “Just doing my job.”  The next day, I got a call from my cardiologist who knew what the problem was, as I have an artery blocked in my heart, but I had refused trying a stent or another heart surgery. Again, the option was put before me as if I wanted it, I could have it done.  With the condition of my heart and my age and probably some other factors, I decided to stay on the course that I chose a year ago.  If God wants me to come home, He will do it when He is good and ready anyway, so I will just continue preaching and witnessing whenever I can until that time.

     The above passage is near the end of one of the most exciting chapters in the New Testament.  The whole chapter speaks about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ  and the empty tomb and what it means to us as believers in Him.  Our bodies are corrupt and someday we will put on incorruption.  It won’t wear out and it will be perfect in every way.  I really can’t imagine my body being incorrupt.  I have cuts, bruises , swelling, leaking, runny nose and eyes, coughing, sputtering, falling hair, too much ear wax, cracked nails, aches and pains from arthritis, bloated stomach, and the list can go on and on naming every bodily function and condition of this worn out, corrupt body.  Well, there will be that day when it will be incorrupt and all of the above problems will be erased and replaced by perfect skin, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, lungs, heart, feet, legs, hips, spines, skull etc.  The next phrase says it will be immortal.  Who doesn’t dream of being immortal?  Mortality will put on immortality.  Indeed, death will be swallowed up in victory.  Ir is beyond comprehension what our existence will be like with an immortal body, a celestial body in heaven with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  No more need for the sun or the moon as Jesus Himself will be all the light that is needed.  In conclusion, my recourse in my little life is to let God have His way and the sooner I have immortality with Him, the better.  In the meantime, however, I will continue to serve Him.  Praise God for His ultimate plan for eternity.

A Sweet Smelling Savor

 Greetings to  you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, 

     Ephesians 5:2 says, “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”

     There are a number of fragrances that I can recall that bring back certain memories wich were always good ones.  I used to plow fields in the fall and it was cooler and when I turned the tractor into the wind, the mixture of the plowed ground and the exhaust pipe was a very pleasing aroma. Don’t ask me why as it was probably hazardous to my health, but to me, it was pleasant and I would hunker down on the tractor as it was cold and enjoy the warmth and aroma of the engine mixed with the plowed earth.  Another aroma that brought back memories was the cheap perfume that a lot of the girls used called, “Blue Waltz.”  I think it was more vanilla than anything else.  

     Even God has things that are of a pleasant aroma.  One of the primary or best was the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary for our sins.  The above passage refers to it as a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor..  You don’t want to offer something that is spoiled or rotten to God.  It has to be perfect and the best.  The exhortation in the passage admonishes us to “walk in love.”  If we have a hard time trying to define that walk, then look to the example that Christ  loved us and has given Himself as that offering and sacrifice.  Soldiers fight and die for their countries as many have done in the many wars of the United States of America.  Their deaths were brought about because they loved their country so much that they were willing to sacrifice their own lives for it and for their fellow soldiers around them.  It  is also true today that many believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have given their lives for their faith.  Their faith is so important to them that they willingly die for the Lord rather than to reject him.  Foxes Book of Martyrs is a listing of the deaths of many of those early martyr who were cruelly put to death.  However, we can also recall that in 1995, more believers died for their faith than the entire listing of deaths in Foxes Book of Martyrs.  It is still going on even today where believers are put to death. Reports have come in how in Viet Nam, Vietnamese Christinas were being gunned down as they sang “It is Well With My Soul” as they were running across an open field.  It is sometimes difficult to realize that such a death could be of s sweet smelling savor, but they are.  It  is also interesting to notice t hat the word “witness” in Acts 1:8 is the root word for “martyr.”  It behooves us then, to walk in love even as Christ loved us.  Praise God for His precious promises.

The Latch Hook Project

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Philippians 4:6-7 says, “ Be anxious for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

     Back in 1975 I did a latch hook craft.  It was the praying hands picture and had about 1005 pieces of yarn.  When I started it, I wondered why I had chosen such a boring thing to do.  It was the same thing over and over and over.  I t was then that I thought about the idea, since it was about the praying hands, I would say a short prayer for every piece of yarn that went into the project.  I prayed for the lost that I knew, I prayed for the people of the church, I prayed for he pastor and his wife, I prayed for family members, I prayed for missionaries, and when I got to the point of not being able to come up with any moe names, I started over.  So, the latch hook of the praying hands took on a different importance to me and I have been carrying it around since that time.  It now hangs on our wall here at Noble Senior Living as a reminder to prayer without ceasing and to pray for everything.

     I used to think of my prayer list which was small, and basically it is still small and can be carried around in a notebook in my shirt pocket.  Here at Noble, I write down the names of every staff person and go through the list of praying for them every day along with the residents that I know by name, especially those here in the dementia wing.  I also pray for missionaries, and those that I know of with the VA and other friends who have prayer requests.  Paul exhorts to pray for everything and that we should not be anxious for anything but that we should bring all things to God in prayer.  When you run out of things to pray for, then offer praise to God.  In fact, you should begin your prayer session with confession of any known or unknown sin.  God usually reveals that to us all.  Then “adoration” to God for Who He is and what He is doing in the world and in our lives and then comes thanksgiving where we tell God what we are thankful for.  Finally, we pray for others that have needs in their lives.  Who among us is not needy in some way or another?  The next verse reminds us that we will then have the peace of God in our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. What a blessing that is.  The praying hands latch hook has no power in it, but it does serve as a reminder to me to pray first in all matters.  Praise God today that His line of communication is always open.

Blooming on the Trash Heap

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Genesis 45:7 says, “ And God sent me before you that you might remain in the earth and that you might be given life by great liberty.”

     I like to grow flowers, or at least I did when I had ground in which to plant them.  One of my favorites was the iris.  We had them in Indiana and the choice of colors seems to unending.  I had a lot of yellow iris plants after thinning them out,  far too many to plant, so one small rhizome was thrown on the trash pile amidst the garbage and lawn cuttings.  It was forgotten and presumed dead.  However, one day several months later I went out to the trash and there on the top of the lawn clippings was the bloom of a yellow irfis.  It had indeed bloomed where it was planted.  It should have died and was expected to do wo, however, the flower had another plan in mind and was beautiful.  I transplanted it to a good spot in my flower bed.

     We all know, perhaps, the story of Joseph and how he was sold into slavery and ended up being a trusted official of Potipher.  As things turned out, Potipher’s wife also had her eye on young Joseph and tried to seduce him.  She kept his coat and of course as the narrative goes on, Joseph ended up in prison for something he didn’t do.  He would not have been noticed had he stayed in the employment of Potipher, but God was working out a plan that involved the nation of Israel.  God revealed enough of Joseph’s dreams to make him noticed by Pharaoh himself.  Long story short, what man had devised to kill Joseph, God used to save the nation of Israel.  Indeed, Joseph bloomed where he was planted.  If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and you are in a place where you feel you have been wrongly placed, know this.  God doesn’t make mistakes.  God does not put you whee you think you are on the trash heap of life.  God has placed you there to do a work, in other words, to bloom where you have been planted.  It  may be to do some mighty work, or it may be to introduce one person to the gospel message of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It  was a shoe salesman that introduced Dwight L. Moody to Christ .  It was Philip the evangelist that left a thriving ministry in Samaria to go down to Gaza to meet just one man, the Ethiopian Eunuch, to tell him of Christ.  He preached unto him, Jesus.  I resented being where I am for the first couple of months, but now I can say that God meant it for good as the witness is going out here every chance I get.  It may be for just one soul, or it may be for two, I don’t know, but God knows and all I need to do is to bloom where God has placed me.  Praise God for His working in our lives.  Now, bloom as much as you can.

Spiritual Battle

 reetings to  you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Ephesians 6:11-12 says, “ Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” 

     Yesterday was Monday after having preached on Sunday.  Maybe I said something that the demons didn’t like because I felt a lot of fighting going on within me yesterday.  The message was a simple message of salvation because at my age, my last message could be any day now.  I had preached on Philip in Acts 8 and the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch and how he was reading from Isaiah, chapter 53 and how Philip preached unto him, Jesus.  So, the message itself was simply about Jesus and how He can be our Savior.  We had taken a detour from Ephesians and just spent more time on the gospel message.

     Yesterday’s spiritual fighting brought into remembrance, however, another passage from Ephesians, the one listed above where Paul describes in clear detail the necessary pieces of the Christian armor.  He also mentions that we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.  If you could hit one with a fly swatter or throw something at them, it might seem more advantageous, but it is not a physical fight but a spiritual one.  The hordes of Satan’s army are continually doing whatever they can to stop the gospel message and they can use all sorts of devices and methods to thwart the message of the gospel.   C. S. Lewis in the Screwtape letters gives such a fictitious example of how it is to be played out in the life of a new believer.  Why, they might just go to church with you and be sitting right on the edge of the pew in front of you keeping your attention to the texting on your phone, or the disturbance at the other end of the pew.  The word, “wiles” is one that denotes “methods” that Satan uses in his deliberate disturbing of the gospel.  Paul however, goes on to describe all of the spiritual pieces of the armor with the only offensive piece being thing the “sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.”  Thayer defines this sword as, “small sword, as distinguished from a large sword.”  It is small, as the fight is close as Paul writes, we “wrestle.”  There would be no space for a large broadsword, so the smaller one is the weapon of choice.  Paul also defines it as the Word of God.  It speaks even of Jesus in the wilderness when he used the Word of God in the defense of Satan’s temptations.  We should be doing the exact same thing. When you were saved, perhaps they failed to mention, “Oh by the way, you are now in a spiritual warfare.  Dress accordingly.”  Praise God for the armor that He has supplied for the fight in which we are all involved.