If I Had Known I'd Be Alive! - That Ol' Bible

The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God. - 1 Chronicles 13:10

I have always been a reader. I truly enjoyed it as a child. Today, as an adult I can't imagine electing not to read.

The world changes quickly. Innovation and the joining of technologies happens daily. Yet I often hear from business associates how much they dislike reading. I also hear it and even more often from Christians and even those who are in positions of leadership.

True pillars of the faith exist who do not have a habit, a discipline, of reading the Bible. You might be one of those. One such Christian friend and business associate told me that he found it a difficult discipline to master. My response was, "Jim, if you do not get into the Bible; if you do not read from it and yes, do it daily, you cannot know how it is that God will speak into and provide guidance to your life specifically."

My worldview, no, LIFEview on the subject of the Holy Bible has less to do with issues like infallibility and inerrancy and much more on the premise that its constant and continual message is this, God's written Word, as provided in the Bible, is life to our souls. It provides knowledge that leads to life."

The prophet Hosea tells us, My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as My priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. - Hosea 4:6. God has given us His Word that has specific foundational principles. You can't know them unless you read about them. Understanding God's heart, His desire for mankind, the fulness of the message of Jesus Christ must be understood if we expect our Heavenly Father's personal, intimate blessing.

King David forgot to follow what we perceive as a law. But something more than God saying, "I said so!" was at work when God instructed David to allow no one to touch the Ark of the Covenant. "...But they must not touch the holy things or they will die..." - Numbers 4:15.

You might recall the story. When they were transporting the ark, one of the men, Uzzah, seemingly in an innocent manner reached to steady the ark but was immediately stricken dead when his hands touched the ark of God.

This has led to speculation. Did David know this law or did he simply forget? Well, the answer was that David knew it because God had told David directly. Had David failed to instruct Uzzah about this command and thus not take care of one who was put under Davids' care? If Uzzah was aware did he really believe it was a specific instruction from God?

Regardless of the implications we know that David thought it was okay to carry the ark the way Uzzah did. And, because of David's lack of truly "hearing" God a man lost his life for his presumption.

Too many of us take the Bible lightly.

We believe we can violate His Word without consequence. Or, perhaps that its directive instruction is not true or relevant to us or to the time in which we live. But the Bible itself says that the Lord stands by (He is at the ready) to uphold His Word.

The Bible can be life, or it can bring death. When God provides instructions, we need to follow them. The Word of God leads to the personal instruction and direction of God for each of us. Knowing this about God brings reverence for our Heavenly Father. David was afraid of God that day and asked, 'How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?' - 1 Chronicles 13:12

We must all have a fearful respect when, like David, God speaks to us to speak through us. For truly, it is life or death.

Do you take God's Word seriously? Is it life or death for you? Does it even register in your heart to devour it daily and discover how the Holy Spirit will use it to revolutionize your life? Do you feed upon His Word daily so that you might know Him and know His instruction and intimate communication to you?

It is my prayer that you understand God's written word as given in the Bible and that it does what it says it will do…give you abundant life in your daily walk…

 I remain...
 InHISgrip,
    ~J~

What Steals Your Personal Peace of Mind (& Heart & Soul)

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me - Psalm 23:4a KJV

Today I counted...

I counted how many times some small thing stole my peace of mind away from me. I enumerated each time something in the world around me caused me to lose my grip on this fact:

God is on His throne which is in my heart and yet as close as He is I lost touch with Him and made this earthly minutiae, this temporary interruption, this less than significant obstruction greater than He and bigger than what He had given me to do.

In the battles we face in every day life most of us need to confess, right now, that those battles are over next to nothing. It's not monsters that sidetrack us from following hard after God and enjoying, praising, loving and worshipping Him in our everyday life. We are thrown off course by small things. We might even be embarrassed if our friends and family knew just how easily tiny things keep us from enjoying our God and living our faith. Moreover it is self defeating. Why? Because what we tend to forget (or perhaps never even knew) was that our peace is actually a weapon.

Daily life creates many opportunities to rob us of our peace. Cash flow concerns, deadlines, relationships, something not where it belongs, someone doing what we believe they should not - all have been designed by a very creative enemy of your soul to drape stress on us like a heavy wet blanket. The Biblical axiom we must embrace is this: Our confidence in the God of peace declares that you are not falling for the lies of the devil. He cannot take from you what God has given you. You can hand it over however and often we give up this eternally valuable gift for NOTHING!!!


All of us desire more control. The way we gain it is to lose ourselves in God's rulership in our life. We gain spiritual authority in a similar manner. You see the first step toward having spiritual authority over the adversary is having peace in spite of our circumstances. When Jesus confronted the devil, He did not confront satan with His emotions or in fear. Knowing that the devil was a liar, He simply refused to be influenced by any voice other than His Heavenly Father's. Jesus' peace overwhelmed satan; His authority then shattered the lie, which sent demons fleeing.

There is a place of walking with God where you simply fear no evil. David faced a lion, a bear, and a giant. In this Psalm he stood in the "shadow of death" itself, yet he "feared no evil." David's trust was in the Lord. He said, "...for Thou art with me." Because God is with you, every adversity and adversary, both real and imagined that we face will fold before you in victory as you maintain your faith in God!

In this Psalm David continued, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" (Ps. 23:5a). The promise is this, as you live in God's rule, in the Kingdom, with a grateful and remembering heart, the battle we are in will soon become a meal for us; an experience that will nourish and build us up spiritually and emotionally.

Only true peace, God's peace will quell our fleshly reactions in battle. The source of God's peace is God Himself. God is the Gospel...HE is the good news and HE is the peace. If anger, bitterness, frustration or fear has been knocking at your door, begin to face them with God's peace. It is God's secret weapon to destroy the hinderances of our life.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Of Brooks & Battles

And David came to the two hundred men who were left behind, that they should not follow after David, and he had caused them to remain by the brook of Besor. And they came forth to meet David, and to meet his people with him. And David drew near to the people, and they asked him how he did it. Then every ill-disposed and bad man of the soldiers who had gone with David, answered and said, Because they did not pursue together with us, we will not give them of the spoils which we have recovered, only let each one lead away with him his wife and his children, and let them return. And David said, You shall not do so, after the Lord has delivered the enemy to us, and guarded us, and the Lord has delivered into our hands the troop that came against you.
And who will hearken to these your words? For they are not inferior to us; for according to the portion of him that went down to the battle, so shall be the portion of him that abides with the baggage; they shall share alike. And it came to pass from that day forward, that it became an ordinance and a custom in Israel until this day.- I Samuel 30:21-26


Today, as I came down for coffee, I was greeted with a reading from Max Lucado's Book, "Facing Your Giants." It's been laying around and I've skimmed it previously a bit. It is essentially a study of life-lessons from the life of David.

I recommend you get to know David. His life, love, passions, and weaknesses will give you hope. The way God deals with Him will encourage your Christian faith.

I was reminded that somehow, in all my years, yea decades of Bible reading I had missed this story or the point of it.

As the story goes, David and his men had just returned from battle, only to find that their village had been destroyed, and their families had been taken captive by an enemy army. David's troops were devastated, worn out, and angry. After no little bit of anger and finger-pointing at David they set off to rescue their families and recapture their belongings.

In their pursuit of the enemy band, David and his army came to a brook, called Besor. They rested a while, got some water, and then David gave the command to get back on the trail, but 200 of the soldiers decided this was as far as they'd go. They could go no further. A none too happy army moved on and left them behind.

The author asks, “How tired does a person have to be to abandon the hunt for his own family?”

Later in the chapter Lucado goes on, “The church has its quorum of such folks. Good people. Godly people. Only hours or years ago they marched with deep resolve. But now fatigue consumes them. They’re exhausted. So beat-up and worn down that they can’t summon the strength to save their own flesh and blood. Old age has sucked their oxygen. Or maybe it was a deflating string of defeat. Divorce can leave you at the brook. Addiction can as well. Whatever the reason, the church has its share of people who just sit and rest.” And yes, some have always rested...

I remember the last time I was at Brook Besor. I can still taste the water. I was overwhelmed by Satan’s attacks on every area of my life. I couldn’t fight anymore. I was at the end of my rope. I remember yelling at God, “You promised me that you would never give me more than I can handle, but you did! I can’t take it! I can’t go on like this! If you want me to keep going, you are going to have to do something about it, because I can’t fight anymore!”

He did. He knew...

While I was waiting at the brook, too tired to fight, God did what David and his men did in this story: He fought the battle for me! Within weeks, things had changed. Through little effort of my own, some of the problems simply worked themselves out. Others became more manageable, and I was able to gain perspective on how to better handle each situation. I'm regaining my strength and "mostly" back on my feet, and life is good once again. Well, it's better. And yes, my brook experience is proximate...it's recent.

Just as David and his army continued on in their pursuit, rescuing their families and recapturing their belongings (and making sure that those resting at the brook got their share, even when the the more "fair" and/or greedy of the army wanted to exclude them), Jesus fights our battles, and wins the victory for us! He does more than that though. He gives us more than we deserve.

Two thoughts struck me as I read I Samuel's 29 and 30 (Yes, go on, read the two chapters...it will help God give you a personal perspective on this and you do need it...)

1. Thank you Lord for being my Warrior - for coming to my defense against all of my enemies

2. Thank you for helping me understand that as a leader I need to recognize and show grace and mercy to all your saints both those who enjoin the battle and those who are now at the Brook.

We need a living soul to show us grace and love when we just aren't feeling it inside...ya know?

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

You Guys Need a Pitcher I AM A PITCHER! - Filling A Need & A Calling

As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and all your father's family? - 1 Samuel 9:20

Last week I told you about my days as a neighborhood ball player. I talked about being chosen. I also talked about the importance to understand and know our calling. For me, the days of my being picked 3rd or 4th or even 6th ended when I learned to pitch AND field my position superbly as a pitcher. You see, when you are playing 2 or 3 man baseball teams you have to be able to field your position and usually one or two others in order to be a winning team. In two and 3 man baseball the pitcher was also (at least) the first baseman and often the shortstop as well. The day I began working out my pitching skills for sandlot baseball was the day my value went up. I had a calling. I knew what I could do.

What I didn't know was later, how that ability to handle multiple tasks at once would prepare me for my life and my calling in Christ Jesus.

Back to the Bible

The scene is this, Saul and his servant were out seeking his father's lost donkeys. (NOTE: This was not just a story but also symbolic of the waywardness of the nation of Israel at that time). While this was happening the people of Israel had just asked the prophet Samuel to have a king rule over them. This was not God's first plan. If God can be disheartened (hmmm...) that was what happened. God was disappointed in His people for not just allowing Him to rule them directly yet God granted Israel their request.

Ok, back to Saul. Saul and his servant heard of a man of God named Samuel. "Perhaps this man of God can tell us where to find our donkeys," said the servant. Now, here is this huge, major issue occurring that affects all of Israel but check out the servant and his thinking. Isn't that just like us? We seek God to solve the issues related to material life most proximate to us. And, oddly enough, in this case, Saul was about to receive the greatest opportunity of his lifetime. He was about to be crowned as king of Israel! His life would never be the same. Was he aware of this? As my beautiful and amazing daughter would say, "not so much." What was he concerned about? His donkeys. We don't have to be worried about the material things of life if we are about the things He's called us to do.

God called Saul to be the next king. God created purpose. Saul was given purpose; it was in order to free the people from the Philistines. So, into this scenario God sent a messenger, the prophet Samuel, to inform Saul of his new career. Samuel also had to ease Saul's mind about his donkeys.

Now, just so you know, donkeys often represent commerce in the Bible. They were the primary means of transporting goods; therefore, in essence, what was Samuel saying to Saul? He was saying, "You don't need to worry about your business if you respond to the call of God on your life. All the material things will take care of themselves."

Jesus said the same thing to the disciples years later. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well - Mt. 6:33

When God calls us, it often involves making major adjustments in our lives. Saul went from one kind of business to another. He went from working for his father to being a king. What changes is God calling you to make today in order to join Him in His work and how will he use the subtlety of your past calling(s) to fill your current position? He will you know...just listen and expect your Heavenly Father to tell your spirit what to do and where to go next.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Becoming A Draft Day Favorite

...Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel... - Zechariah 4:10

When I was a boy growing up in Calumet City, IL it may take a bit of work but we could nearly always put together a game of pick-up baseball (3 player teams and even two player teams worked.) basketball and even football. On the "big teams" days when we could get 3 or more per team, two captains would alternate making the best choices among the neighborhood gang to make up the two teams. In baseball I was a lock for one of the top two first picks. It took awhile for me to be selected in the top 5 in basketball though (and the loss of about 20 lbs.)

What I do remember was how good it felt to be valued by others for what they perceived I could contribute. Conversely, it was a feet-shuffling, uncomfortable feeling when I was "down the line" and not chosen in one of those prime spots. For some of the neighborhood kids, on really big days it was possible to not be chosen at all.

Such was the case for Zerubbabel. He was a man chosen by God to rebuild the temple. God saw something in Zerubbabel that He could use for His purposes. The people also recognized that Zerubbabel was a man in whom they could place their faith. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people - Haggai 1:14a.

If you are part of the remnant of those on this earth who name the name of Jesus Christ, God is calling you out. Believe it or not, right where you stand, right now, YOU are being selected. You are first! It isn't tomorrow. It isn't when you get it all together. He wants you now. You have a place in His work. You are a valuable, eternal asset immediately. I want to make a couple of points about this calling to you.

1. Do not let the business of your current work sidetrack you from the importance of God's agenda for you. I hope you can recall the day Jesus Christ and your life in Him became apparent to you. If you have to think about it I suggest you write it down so that the next time it isn't so hard. Remember, from that day on God's call on your life and the eternal work of the Kingdom of God and your place in it took preeminence. If this is the first time you have gotten that memo then think of it as you just got it in the mail, in your locker, to your E-Mail account and delivered in person by the King of the Universe personally!

2. Remember that your leadership in your home is an important part of that calling. Your personal selection to God's team means you must take your position and have yourself equipped to do the work. You will put on love, grace, peace, mercy, godly knowledge and a desire to ensure that everyone who comes into your territory, every ball shagged in your part of the field is done so cleanly and every opportunity to shoot or hit is done so to make sure you optimize the opportunity. Be prepared.

3. Preparation means you do things to make sure you are ready for the game. You have already been chosen. Make sure you can perform. For the Kingdom of God team it means you pray enough (which is constantly be in a state of prayer - I Thessalonians 5:17), read God's word so you know the plays (2 Timothy 2:15), talk team strategy with the rest of the players on your side regularly (Hebrews 10:25), wear the team uniform which is the armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17).

Hear me my friends and family, Satan's strategy is to keep us distracted with the urgency of the moment versus the importance of eternity. He wants us to stand out in right field and gaze at the ant hill instead of keep our head in the game!

Ask God what your priorities should be today. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Make His priorities your priorities. Serve your head coach, Jesus Christ, with fervor, fire, determination and power. It is the calling of your team to take the championship but we have got to be prepared!

I remain...

InHISGrip,
~J~

Gettin' The Dough To Show!

A Lesson on Receiving What is Rightfully Yours

"But the Danites had difficulty taking possession of their territory, so they went up and attacked Leshem, took it, put it to the sword and occupied it..." - Joshua 19:47

As I read part of my devotional this morning a question cropped up in my mind. It was something like, "Lord, it seems that my inheritance is either slimming down from overuse or I don't have a clue what it is and it hasn't showed up yet. Which is it Lord?"

I'm sure you guessed it.

The Lord brought back to remembrance a verse, "Eye has not seen , nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." - I Corinthians 2:9

Thank You Jesus...I have NOT received it...not all of it...not yet!

However, we can also glean this, our physical and godly inheritance and our forever eternal inheritance, in the mind of God are on a continuum. But we have to see with our spiritual eyes in order to embrace it and understand it.

Moreover, a bigger question might be this, what is the spiritual inheritance God has reserved for you? And is this gift received the way you do a Christmas present? What ever possessed us to think that?

Check this out. When God told the Israelites they were going to receive the Promised Land, it was not given to them on a silver platter. In fact, they would encounter 39 battles in taking the land God promised to them. It took a joint effort between God and the Israelites to engage and battle the enemy that maintained control of the land.

Here is what I came away with today as I read this first, God has given you and me an inheritance that has physical components and spiritual pieces. We need to understand how they connect.

Second, this bequest on God's part is given to family members. Israel was to receive it because they were God's kids. Are you one of His? Have you made certain of your relationship to God? Do you know Him as Lord of your life? It is those who are who get the goods!

Third, God's family is in a battle. In order to obtain the prize we must participate in the family trade and business which is confronting the enemy of God wherever he, it, they rear their ugly heads. The battles we fight are first fought in our hearts (Satan wants to control that so the rest of the territory you've been given is his without a fight). This is a spiritual battle to determine if God's Kingdom extends into your heart. Remember, the Kingdom of God is anywhere and everywhere that God is ruler. So is Jesus your Saviour and is He your King?

Fourth, a dear friend and mentor once counseled me after watching my life over a period and said, "John, part of your inheritance in the faith is relationships. Because it lies in relationships, that is the place the enemy has attacked you most." He then further taught me, "The enemy always attacks us at the gate through which we are to receive our inheritance. You must walk in faithfulness and obedience to His righteousness in how you deal with relationships." These were words of wisdom. I just recently found the piece of paper on which they were written. I have been up and down in this battle. But I tell you these words will now, again, as they were supposed to, guide my path. I can tell you he Lord has proven these words to be true in the past. My success in life and in Christ are somehow attached to these words.

Fifth and finally I realized that our inheritance in Christ Jesus is different from one another. Part of that is our physical state. It includes our work, family and our ability to create wealth and distribute as well as many other things that happen here and now. It extends into eternity if I read the prophecies right. So the question becomes what is the spiritual inheritance He has reserved for you? And more importantly since we want to receive all that God has for us, what areas of your inheritance must you take possession of in an act of faith and physical action?

The enemy of your soul does not want you to take possession of what is yours. Part of this participation means you put on the whole armor of God and realize the battle is primarily spiritual. Put on your armor (Ephesians 6:11-18) and begin walking in obedience into the areas God has called you to possess. With me today let us take hold of what is our and possess our possessions! I remain...

InHISgrip,

~J~

When Planting the Tree Yields Little Fruit

You have planted much, but have harvested little.... - Haggai 1:6

This last week we studied the famous section from the New Testament Book of Galatians: the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law - Galatians 5:22,23.

Have you ever been on the front end of a new project or some new endeavor? Have you worked and worked only to realize what seems to be little or even nothing for your efforts? Such was the case for the believers who joined in with Haggai during his time. In this instance, God eventually spoke through the prophet Haggai to inform the people why their efforts were not yielding the desired result.

There was a specific reason this was happening.

You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the Lord Almighty. "Because of My house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands - Haggai 1:9-11

God had finally had enough. His priorities were not His people's priorities. As valuable as they may have been to their group, they weren't shared by their maker. So, He withheld in order to get their attention. Zerubbabel was governor of Judah at the time. He was a godly man who sought to do God's will. He listened as the prophet gave these words; then he responded.

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord - Haggai 1:12

Our God is proactive. He is a God that will stir up the spirit of one man to initiate needed change. He will do it even if it is just one life affected. He certainly will do it to an entire people whom He has called. In this case Zerubbabel was that man. Scriptures say, The Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel - Haggai 1:14

I believe that God is stirring up the spirit of a remnant of believers throughout the world today. These ones are getting a fresh vision. They are seeing what God envisions for His people to accomplish and they are seeing what breaks God's heart. But more than this they're responding.

Has God placed the spirit of Zerubbabel in you? Are you one who will make a difference for the Kingdom, or are you concerned about building bigger and better barns and gathering more stuff? The Lord is calling forth His people in these days to make a difference. Ask Him what He wants to do through you. Should you need help in figuring it out give me a shout. My vision is to help others find out that sweet spot where God gets you right where He wants you...to use you mightily! I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~