Acceptance of God’s Sovereign Will

Acceptance of God’s Sovereign Will

“But now he is dead; why should I fast?  Can I bring him back again?  I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” (2 Samuel 12:23)

Have you ever prayed fervently for God to work a miracle in someone’s life, certain that He would answer and glorify Himself by healing them, only to have your prayer go seemingly unanswered?  Maybe you rallied prayer support from every prayer warrior that you knew and fasted repeatedly in an effort to receive favor from God in your situation.  You knew in your heart that God could do exceedingly and abundantly more than you were asking.  And yet the answer was “NO.”  How did you react?  

Were you angry with God, disappointed, or even grieved beyond words?  It’s relatively easy for us to quote Romans 8:28 and say, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” to a friend or loved one in pain.  But what will you way when God says, “NO”?

King David loved God and knew how to approach Him.  The psalms are filled with heartfelt dialog on behalf of himself and others.  And in this instance, the life of his own child was at stake.  David prayed with all that he could muster, to the point that his friends and advisors were visibly worried about the outcome.  And yet God said, “NO.”  Those around him feared his reaction, to the point that they were afraid to reveal the truth to him.  And yet David’s acceptance of God’s sovereign will was indicative of his love for Him and faith in His character.

How about you?  If it hasn’t yet occurred, there will more likely come a time in your life when God says “NO.”  How will you react?  Will you, like David, wash your face, comb your hair, and move on with life?  Or will you stomp your feet and complain about the unfairness of life?  What you do will tell you something about your own heart and how much you really trust the character and sovereignty of your Father in heaven. – Chaplain Jim Freed is the Director of Men’s Addiction Recovery Ministry at America’s Keswick

Team YOU: 2 Chronicles 30-31; Proverbs 8; John 18:1-18

Motivations: Every spending decision is a spiritual decision. J. C. Ryle

Practice to Remember: Level 1: Ephesians 6:18; Level 2: Ephesians 6:21-24

Powered Up:  Prayer is the Living Word in lips of faith. E.W. Kenyon

Absence of Reverence: The Consuming Fire

Exciting News: We are rolling out a brand new look  for our daily Freedom Fighter e-devotional. Watch for it next week!

Absence of Reverence: The Consuming Fire 

“Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.” Hebrews 12:3-6 (ESV) 

Yesterday I left off with reverence for YHVH not really setting in with the recently freed Israelites and their only example of a visual, relational god was what they labored to build for the Egyptians. Can you imagine bowing down and worshipping something that looks like one of those hybrids creatures that the T.V. show “Ancient Aliens” says were around in the distant past? Let alone being in bondage and forced to build one of those things with bricks that had no straw. That would deeply effect what was going to be used to fill the God-size hole in my heart of hearts. Hmmm…maybe it did at one time, once in a while I wonder if it still does.  

Anyhow…when we take a look at the 12^th chapter of Hebrews we can find ourselves taking a refreshing plunge into persevering faith as well as an Old Testament connection. Now of course we all say AMEN when the first two verses are recited anywhere along our walk, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” But it is as we continue on from there that we can connect with that moment on the mountain when Moses received The Law.  

It’s right there in verses 18-19 where we read, “For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them.” It is here that we are back at the mountain. The Israelites knew that Moses is up there but they grew weary of waiting for him to come down. They gather to Aaron and then comes the Golden Calf…but this isn’t going to be the case for the reader of Hebrews. On the contrary, we are going to be told that we have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem!! Truly we are being promised a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. 

Even though Jesus was there when Moses was there on Mount Sinai, the Israelites had no clue He was there. Moses was to take them to The Promisor before they were to enter the Promised Land and they made some different choices along the way. 

At this point in Hebrews Jesus has revealed Himself to all of us and he is the mediator of a new covenant. And this new covenant requires us to be a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to The Father because it is our reasonable act of worship. We are also warned not to refuse Him because this warning isn’t just coming to us on the earth; it is coming to us straight from heaven. We have to keep in mind that as the creation has gone along; The Father has revealed a little bit more to us at each step. We just have to be walking according to His will to see it. 

I believe that the writer of Hebrews is strongly recommending that we do not treat the presence of YHVH as common or familiar. That happened to the Israelites when they made that Golden Calf and got stuck wandering the wilderness for thirty eight years longer than originally planned. And for the record, I don’t think we should totally blame Aaron for the Golden Calf either, remember what YHVH told Samuel about Israel getting a king? What needed to be said to the nation of Israel, on the foot of that mountain, at that time was, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” They saw that cloud of smoke during the day but they really got to see that fire at night…wish we could, don’t you? – Chris Hughes is a contributor to our daily e-devotional blog. He is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

Team YOU: 2 Chronicles 28-29; Proverbs 7; John 17

Motivations: “It will require a determined heart and more than a little courage to wrench ourselves loose from the grip of our times and return to biblical ways. But it can be done. Every now and then in the past Christians have had to do it.”---A.W. Tozer

Practice to Remember: Level 1: Ephesians 6:18; Level 2: Ephesians 6:21-24

Powered Up:  Helplessness united with faith produces prayer. O. Hallesby

Rhythm of Grace

Rhythm of Grace 

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with Me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message) 

The family and I got to spend some of the recent Memorial Day weekend with our friends at Americas Keswick. It was a privilege to be able to applaud Bill and Jan Welte for their 15 years of dedicated service to Keswick and to rib Bill for some of the practical jokes he played on me while I had my stay at the Colony during the summer of 2003. 

I was doubly blessed to have met a man named Twan-Wo. What he had lacked in sight in one aspect he made up for in our conversations. But the crux of the blessing comes in that of a book I found in the thrift store. Its title is “The Godward Gaze” by Steve McVey and it only cost me about seventy five cents. Sorry Pastor McVey…I am sure someone actually paid the cover price. 

Anyway, while sitting on the porch of Victory Hall I begin to page through this book before I seriously take to reading it. I come to page nine and in bold lettering I read a sub-title called “The Rhythms of Grace”. Having read “Grace Walk” Pastor McVey now has my attention. He mentions finding the term in The Message and I make a mental note to myself that I need to get to my copy of it and see where I can find it. (side note here...I had to Google the term) It really could be what other writers have called spiritual disciplines and they are something we may not want to think we ought to do.  

Quite frankly I am not a fan of the word discipline because I see it as more of a rod coming at me rather than a practice of living. But as I read some of what Pastor McVey states in this part of what is actually the books introduction he encourages us to consider spiritual disciplines as gifts from God. He continues to say these rhythms of grace can draw us into a greater awareness of God’s love for us. I now begin to wonder what my view of God’s grace really is. I wonder if the way I conduct myself before I approach God’s word and His will for me is something I feel I want to do or I ought to do. 

Pastor McVey includes a very informative quote from Richard Foster, who ironically wrote this book titled “Celebration of Discipline” (Do we really celebrate discipline?) Foster warns of turning spiritual disciplines into laws and writes that law-bound disciplines breathe death. How many Bible studies have we been to when this absolute thought of practicing law-bound disciplines rears its ugly head? Foster goes on to say that we are not left to our own human devices, we have Jesus Christ to be our ever-present Teacher and Guide if we are willing to listen to the heavenly Monitor.  Even McVey says to look at this concept of spiritual disciplines through the lenses of grace and not of legalism. 

So after I found out where Peterson used the term “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace”, I could only hear it straight from the mouth of The Savior himself. Then I shared it with the FaceBook world and that’s where my other brother of thunder agreed that this has the tone of grace. I found it in Matthew where Jesus is encouraging us to take His yoke upon us and learn this walk from Him. I now understand why there will be a need for me to change my lenses when I continue on with my read into ‘The Godward Gaze” or whenever I do approach a spiritual discipline I need, not ought, to practice. I also think, nah, want to re-read “Grace Walk” because I really think I missed something. Just by re-reviewing the Matthew passage has made me want to re-review the word discipline…how about you? Does this sound like a rod coming at you or an easy yoke for you to wear? Chris Hughes graduated from the Colony of Mercy and is a faithful writer for our e-devotional.

Team YOU: 2 Chronicles 25-27; Proverbs 6; John 16

Motivations: If I am afraid to speak the truth, lest I lose affection, or lest the one concerned should say, "You do not understand," or because I fear to lose my reputation for kindness; if I put my own good name before the other's highest good, then I know nothing of Calvary love. Amy Carmichael

Practice to Remember: Level 1: Ephesians 6:18; Level 2: Ephesians 6:21-24

Powered Up:  Patience in prayer is nothing but faith spun out. Thomas Watson

Absence of Reverence

Absence of Reverence:

The Golden Calf 

“And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ ”  Exodus 32:7-8 (ESV) 

And then the El Shaddai said, ^“I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” Let me tell you something, The Book of Exodus is no joke and without all the cinema license involved, I can't help to see Moses looking and acting the way Charlton Heston portrayed him in the movie "The Ten Commandments." I guess this helps me see just how livid Moses gets when he sees the Golden Calf after he comes down from the mountain, especially after the Israelites were specifically told "do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold." Can you say, “Dummies!?”

In the Cecil B. Demille movie the Israelites are shown dancing and wrapping the statue with adornments while the rest of the idolaters stuff their faces with food and drink. Considering the source I am using to illustrate this we can get the picture on just how easy it becomes to worship the creation and not the Creator. These “stiff-necked people” needed something visual so it was easier to become relational. It was about as stupid as worshipping a block of wood (see Isaiah 44:9-20). What can an inanimate object do for you when life comes at you on life’s terms?

If you said “Nothing” well then let’s raise an AMEN but if you disagree and really believe a block of wood will be there to support you, just set it on fire and see how long it lasts. Or take your "golden calf" and set it ablaze. Just a thing you should you know here, when Moses did this he took the statue after it got its cooking, ground it up and made the Israelites drink it with their water. This is a far cry from what Moses did for the Israelites right after they crossed the Red Sea. The waters of Marah (Exodus 15:22-26) were bitter but the Lord gave Moses a log and their first test of yielded obedience. Guess they forgot that moment…hmmm. 

I think the part that really grabs at me is the part that Aaron plays in the making of the Golden Calf. I’ve heard discussions that Aaron went back to the camp, the Bible doesn’t say that but because it was written as “the people gathered themselves together to Aaron” I’ll just leave it at that. But there seems to be room to put some possibilities that he may have felt dealing with the mob. If we were to just leave this alone it would seem as if Aaron was quite willing to participate in the making of “gods of silver or gods of gold” but I really don’t think that this is the case. I think he had seen a vast amount of disillusioned people lost, in need of something and becoming violent. Maybe this is the side effect of one too many Manna-burgers… I can’t be sure about this but something went wrong. 

I believe the reverence for YHVH had a rough time setting in for these recently freed slaves of Pharaoh. So much time spent in Egypt being labored in the building of idols for the Egyptians, what else did those Israelites know? For the time being I would like to end my thought there but ponder this if you will. When the Israelites grew weary of waiting on Moses, they had Aaron forge them a god. That was not a good idea. When you grow weary waiting on Jesus, what is it that you have forged? Is that a good idea? I’ll be back to finish this thought tomorrow. – Chris Hughes blogs regularly for our Freedom Fighter e-devotional. He graduated from the Colony of Mercy and is involved in a local church in South Jersey

Team YOU: 2 Chronicles 23-24; Proverbs 5; John 15

Motivations: I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect has intended us to forego their use.

Galileo Galilei

Practice to Remember: Level 1: Ephesians 6:18; Level 2: Ephesians 6:21-24

Powered Up:  If you pray for bread and bring no basket to carry it, you prove the doubting spirit which may be the only hindrance to the gift you ask. D. L. Moody

Don't forget to dial into this month's Discovering Victory podcast with Dr. Richard Allen Farmer. You will be blessed as Dr. Farmer shares with you a message from the pulpit of America's Keswick.

Check out Discovering Victory Podcast. You'll be glad you did!

Hit Up's From Brooklyn

Be sure and check out the June Discovering Victory Podcast with Dr. Richard Allen Farmer. It will be a blessing to your heart and life. Share this link with a friend and get them to dial in!

Hit Up's From Brooklyn 

“And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” John 19:2-5 (ESV)

Every once in a while I get these devotional texts from some guy I know who hails that his roots are in Brooklyn. I’ll text back my "AMEN" to him but he doesn't seem to want to strike up any conversation with me. I guess that’s cool, it doesn't bother me too much but sometimes it would be nice to go over the points he makes in his texts and expand on them. So with that said, I am going to do something that I have done with some of my past Freedom Fighters...I'm gonna share someone else’s words, maybe expand a few of these thoughts and pepper this with a few comments of my own. He will remain nameless but I hope he is reading this.

He starts the devotional with…”If hard work is the formula for prosperity, then everyone who works hard should be prosperous. (my comment- Not that this was ever a promise, brother!) But this is certainly not the case. Many people who work very hard are still poor. I am not advocating laziness. What I am saying is that working hard by the sweat of your brow is not how God's prosperity comes. In fact, if you have to work overtime all the time and are stressed out, you are probably operating under the curse. (my comment-Kinda thought we were anyway, however if we are in need of finance and have prayed that God provide, overtime might be HIS provision, just sayin’)

What curse is that? It is this curse “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”(Genesis 3:19 ESV) And it refers to the stress, struggle and anxieties that come with working hard and yet producing little. (my comment-I hope this doesn't include Kingdom work?)  Now, work itself is not a curse since God gave Adam work before the fall---Adam was to tend to the Garden of Eden. It was only after he sinned that the land was cursed and it brought forth thorns, and man had to toil to eat of it, “cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.” (Genesis 3:17b-18 ESV)

But praise God, Jesus wore the thorns on His head to show you that He has borne this curse for you and redeemed you from it. (my comment-I can say AMEN to this point, can you?) He wore the crown of thorns so that you can work stress-free and yet have the results. (my comment-And have a right position with The Father.) You don't have to be worried and stressed out day and night like the people of the world just to get ahead in life. Your heavenly father can get you there without the worries and stress. (my comment- Never doubt this promise, brother! ^“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. -Matthew 6:31-33 ESV) 

Beloved, every curse that was supposed to fall on your head fell on Jesus' head, typified by the crown of thorns. He wore the crown of thorns for and took your curse so that you can wear the crown of glory and take His righteousness, and all the benefits of that righteousness! (my comment-All the more reason that the world needs Jesus Christ in their lives!! AMEN?) 

Today, don't labor and toil like the people of the world. Instead, expect to see the blessings of God come into your life without blood, sweat and tears because Jesus wore the crown of thorns for you!” (my comment-I hope you allow this to be a thought for this day. And a big THANX to some guy I know who hails that his roots are in Brooklyn.) – Chris Hughes is a regular Freedom Fighter contributor and a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

Team YOU: 2 Chronicles 21-22; Proverbs 4; John 14

Motivations: There is only one life that wins, and that is the life of Jesus Christ. Every man may have that life; every man may live that life---Charles Trumbull

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 1:6; Level 2: Philippians 1:1-11

Powered Up:  Patience in prayer is nothing but faith spun out. Thomas Watson

We’re Landing with the final three lessons:

We’re Landing  with the final three lessons:

I trust you have benefited from my lessons – I am still learning – and may add to the list at a future point – but here are the last three:

15. Don’t be afraid of an examined life. I don’t know about you – but I have this reoccurring dream that I am at the end of the semester in High School and there is a class that I didn’t attend all year, and know it doesn’t look like I am going to graduate. In my dream I am frantically running around trying to figure out how to fix this problem.

For many of us, that is how we have lived life. We have spent years trying to “fix” life rather than allow Christ to BE our life. We fear condemnation and judgment, while He longs for us to know that there is no condemnation for us who are IN CHRIST. (Romans 8:1).

Because we fear His condemnation and wrath – examination scares the snot out of us. Praise God that when He took our place on the Cross, He took the wrath that you and I should have received. What we got was the great exchange – He took my sin and He gave me HIS righteousness.

Having said that, it is good for us to keep short accounts. It is good to have people in our lives that will hold our feet to the fire so that we will not be a casualty. We need to pray that God will put into our life a Nathan that won’t be afraid to ask the hard questions. I know dozens of men who wished that they had done that. Today they might still be in ministry. Accountability and examination go hand in hand.

16. Purpose in your heart to finish well. I read a verse yesterday that I don’t think I ever saw before. Dumb thing to say because I am sure I have read it during my read through the Bible. I guess it just jumped off the page yesterday:

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me —the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. Acts 20:24

Wow. Isn’t that powerful? I want to burn that verse in the hard drive of my mind – I want to finish the race and complete the task that the Lord has given me to do! All of the previous lessons shared help me to get to this one! Is your desire to finish well?

17. Don’t sweat the small stuff. In light of eternity, does “it” really matter? Sometimes we just have to step back and ask ourselves “in light of eternity, does it really matter?” Some of the junk we get hung up on, that spins us out of control, that robs of our joy – is really just that – junk that we should just let go.

When my kids were young I would never let them drink out of my soda bottle. I hated “backwash!” Yuck! My grandkids have grabbed my heart. They all drink out of my soda bottle and backwash and they get away with it. It drives my KIDS crazy! “Dad, would have never let us do that!”

Yep! You’re right. I learned that it was just small stuff – I can be free to really enjoy life when I don’t let the small stuff rob me of today! Don’t let the junk eat your lunch. Ask yourself the question – “In light of eternity does  _______ really matter.

Thanks for letting me share these lessons. I have some cool devotionals from Chris Hughes for next week, and then I will give you some of the lessons you have sent to me. I love having you on this journey with me. Your feedback is important. So every once in a while, please throw me a bone! Have a great weekend. – Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: 2 Chronicles 15-16; Proverbs 1; John 12:27-50

Motivations: The true measure of spirituality is not how angry we become toward sinners, but how Christlike; our mission is not to see men destroyed, but redeemed.

Francis Frangipane

Practice to Remember: Level 1: Ephesians 6:18; Level 2: Ephesians 6:21-24

Powered Up:  Prayer projects faith on God, and God on the world. Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer moves God.—E. M. Bounds