THE EXPECTATION OF FREEDOM

Over the ages of mankind there have been fights, battles and wars.  Each side in every skirmish had its reasons to go against the other side.  Each felt its own reasons were the more valiant and righteous ones and quite often one of the reasons was the concept of “freedom”.  I am sure each had its military leaders giving rally cries to their troupes to encourage and inflame them to give all they had to obtain the victory.  I think the best address I ever read was the order to implement “Operation Overlord” given by General Dwight D Eisenhower to start the Normandy invasion.  This invasion, coined as “D Day”, was a major force in turning the tide of World War II but when General Eisenhower gave the order no one knew that outcome.  General Eisenhower did.  You can hear the confidence in his words and he ended his the order with an appeal to the One Who could make the difference:

SUPREME HEADQUARTERS

ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

 

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

SIGNED: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Order of the Day

June 6, 1944

Fellow believers in Jesus, soldiers of the Cross:  today we face a vast force.  Our task is not an easy one.  Our enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle hardened.  He fights savagely.  It is the time of wars and rumors of wars; the time of earthquakes, famines, and great pestilences in diverse places; the time where believers are falling and being led away from the Truth.  Lawlessness and iniquity have increased.  Yet we have an encouraging word from our Supreme Commander.  We know His word is Truth and always comes to pass.  He has said that in the culmination of these days His sign will appear in the sky and He will send his angels to gather us from one end of the earth to the other.  Until that day He calls for us to give strict attention, be cautious and actively expect Him (Matthew 24).

The forces that stormed the beaches of Normandy did not know the final outcome of the war, but we know our final outcome.  It is ordained and in the hands of our Heavenly Father who loves us so dearly He would do anything to gain and keep us.  And He did, by allowing His ONLY Son to die in our place so that we could live forever with Him.

I do not know about you but this Independence Day I will be celebrating two kinds of independence:  the freedom gained by the spent lives of many American soldiers, and the freedom gained by the cost of my God pouring out His own life for me.  How about you?

DO YOU WANT TO SEE GOD?

HEAVENLY FATHER, OPEN OUR EYES!  OPEN OUR EARS!  GIVE US EYES TO SEE AND EARS TO HEAR RIGHT NOW!  WE ASK THIS IN JESUS’ NAME AND ALL THAT NAME REPRESENTS, AMEN (SO BE IT).

1. Why do you come to church every Sunday?
2. How important is God to you?
3. Are you serious about being a believer?
4. If you are not really serious about this whole “Christianity thing” then you are not going to like what I share with you today.

 DO YOU WANT TO SEE GOD?

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 KJV

Could it be that simple?  Yes!  It breaks down to this:

1. The pure in heart will see God.
2. Those with impure hearts will not.

 What does it mean to be pure?

The Greek word in this verse for “pure” is katharos and it signifies that which is clean, or free from contaminating substance.  So it follows that a “pure” heart is one free of wrong or polluted “motives”

The Pharisees pushed outward purity.  They focused on what it meant to be righteous in front of others but inside they were full of impurities.  They had impure hearts; they looked good on the outside but were full of sin on the inside.

“Everyone who commits sin breaks God’s law, for that is what sin is, by definition—a breaking of God’s law. You know, moreover, that Christ became man for the purpose of removing sin, and he himself was quite free from sin. The man who lives “in Christ” does not habitually sin. The regular sinner has never seen or known him.   You, my children, are younger than I am, and I don’t want you to be taken in by any clever talk just here. The man who lives a consistently good life is a good man, as surely as God is good. But the man whose life is habitually sinful is spiritually a son of the devil, for the devil is behind all sin, as he always has been. Now the Son of God came to earth with the express purpose of liquidating the devil’s activities. The man who is really God’s son does not practice sin, for God’s nature is in him, for good, and such a heredity is incapable of sin.  Here we have a clear indication as to who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil. The man who does not lead a good life is no son of God…” 1 John 3:4-10 JB Phillips Translation

1. Like the Pharisees we are infected with sin.
2. We do not have the ability to make ourselves clean so no one, I REPEAT NO ONE, can free themselves from the bonds of sin.
3. Only Christ can free us from our bondage.
4. We are made clean by His sacrifice enabling our impure hearts to be made pure.  (Col. 1:19-22; 1 John 2:1-2)

However, staying pure is not so easy.  Sin is ready to tempt you away from God’s righteousness.  But God has given you the ability and strength to abstain from sin.  (1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 10:5)

Also James 4:8-10 in the Amplified Bible tells us:

“Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].   [As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins].  Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].”

This purity God gives is so powerful and once your heart has tasted it than you will desire more.  You will want to fill your life, words, and heart with this purity!

 “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.  Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.” – 1 John 3:1-3 New Living Translation

“Happy are the utterly sincere, for they will see God!” – Matthew 5:8 JB Phillips Translation

What does it mean to see God?

We know that every man, woman and child will see God on the Judgment Day (Eccl. 11:9; Rom. 14:10-12) so what does it really mean when Jesus said that the pure in heart will “see” God?

The Greek word for “see” in this verse is horao and can be taken literally and figuratively.  We shall all literally “see” God at the Judgment, but only the pure in heart will “see” God figuratively (perceive, recognize, and experience Him) in their daily lives.

Have you perceived him?

When you got up this morning did you recognize His touch?

During worship this week at church did You experience His glory with all parts of your being?

Do you know Him like that?

He longs to place His purity in your heart right now.

Reach out and take it and know the exquisite hunger for God it creates in your life.

"Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as your vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you"  -Jeremiah 13-14a AMP

HEDGING YOUR BETS and COVERING ALL YOUR BASES

The phrase 'Hedging one's bets' was coined late in the 17th century.  It referred to the laying off of a bet by taking out smaller bets with other lenders.  The purpose of this was to avoid being unable to pay out on the original larger bet.  The verb 'to hedge' derives from the noun hedge, i.e. a fence made from a row of bushes or trees.  These hedges were normally made from the spiny Hawthorn, which makes an impenetrable hedge when laid.  To hedge a piece of land was to limit it in terms of size and that this gave rise to the 'secure, limited risk' meaning.  Hedge funds, much in the news nowadays, take their name from their method of limiting, i.e. hedging, their risk.

The phrase ‘Covering all the bases’ means to deal with every part of a situation or activity and has its origin in the game of baseball.  In every baseball situation, a defensive player is assigned to "cover" (i.e., be available to make a play by being near) a "base," one of four positions, arranged in a diamond shape, which an offensive player attempts to circumnavigate, counterclockwise. It is a fundamental error to be in the wrong place ... so, by extension, "cover your bases" means to make preparations thoroughly.

Taken together, they sound like wise and logical things to do but should we be relying on wise and logical things?

“That is why I told you that you will die in (under the curse of) your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He [Whom I claim to be—if you do not adhere to, trust in, and rely on Me], you will die in your sins”.  John 8:24 AMP

“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.”  Proverbs 3:5 AMP

A man named Micah (not the prophet) decided it was time to cover all his bases.  It seemed as if every neighbor had a different god to believe in.  He decided (much like the Greeks in Paul the Apostle’s time who worshiped many gods and erected an altar to the unknown god – Acts 17:23) to set up images of a number of gods in his house.  It appears that he wanted to make sure he was thoroughly prepared to not offend any god by worshiping them all.  He was covering all his bases.  Then a man came to his town that was from a priestly line of a god he had no image for.  He talked this man into becoming a personal priest for him by offering him room and board plus a yearly salary.  This man agreed to do so.  Micah then said, “Now I know that the Lord will favor me, since I have this man to be my priest” (Judges 17).   By this last action Micah hedged his bets on not offending any of the gods.  In man’s eyes these would be wise and logical things to do, but we know from the books of Judges that when men did what was right in their own eyes they forsook God, turned to man-made images, and did evil in the sight of God. 

Brothers and Sisters, it is time for us to quit hedging our bets and covering all our bases.  That is God’s job!  He created us, and just like our earthly fathers He guides us, protects us, and wraps us in His love.  Motivated by that love He watches over us making sure we are secure and safe in His hands.  He wants us to rely on Him and rely on Him alone!   

“Jesus said to her, Did I not tell you and promise you that if you would believe and rely on Me, you would see the glory of God”?  John 11:40 AMP

“And this is His order (His command, His injunction): that we should believe in (put our faith and trust in and adhere to and rely on) the name of His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and that we should love one another, just as He has commanded us.”  1 John 3:23 AMP

Join me today in letting go of our own way of doing things, by our own efforts, and crying out to Him that we choose to rely completely on Him.  Imagine what our Mighty God will do in such yielded hearts!

“I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!”  Psalm 91:2 AMP

“He called out, Lord, I believe! [I rely on, I trust, I cleave to You!] And he worshiped Him.”  John 9:38 AMP

POTENTIAL

The birth of a child is a marvelous thing.  Maybe you have children of your own and you have experienced this marvel first-hand.  It could be you have never had children of your own but you were close enough to see the births of nieces, nephews, or a best friend’s child.  Everyone has been touched by the marvel of this new-life in some relation or another.

Have you ever observed how a pregnant woman is treated?  Her friends oh and ah over every little progression of her pregnancy and when she is out in public people open doors for her.  She is asked when the due date is and people marvel over the idea that a little human is growing inside her.  On the day of the child’s birth there are more ohs and ahs; the birth of a child is a marvelous thing.

According to the United States Census Bureau, for 2010 there was an estimated 361,481 babies born each day all over the world. This means that (if the statistics remain the same for 2013) for every minute there are 251 babies born worldwide and consequently 15,062 births in an hour (http://www.numberof.net/number-of-babies-born-in-a-day/).  These numbers seem staggering to contemplate.    Just think about it:  in the last sixty seconds at least 250 babies were born.  Each of those babies has the potential to grow up into a productive member of society.

Consider another type of baby:  Approximately 10,000 people become Christians every day (http://www.chacha.com/question/how-many-people-become-christians-each-year) so that means about seven people become Christians every minute, seven out of 250.  Now I am not that good of a mathematician but I believe that works out to just .02% of the new people coming into the world being also born into God’s Kingdom.  Ouch!

“Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.”  -John 3:3 AMP

Are you wondering (like I am) that if current believers need to get as excited about spiritual pregnancies as they are of physical ones we might just see that percentage grow?  Just think about it.  When you go to the store every person you see has the potential to leave the 250 and increase the seven.  If only 18 people become believers in the next 60 seconds than in that minute the percentage increased to 10%.  Does that still seem a daunting number to you?  How about this:  If your witness to your neighbor brings him to the Lord then in that minute that percentage just jumped to .03.  How about if five people in your church each lead someone to Christ?  Just for fun shall we say it all happened in the same minute as yours?  The percentage would jump to .05%.  Let us say that five people in each church in your city…well, you get the idea.

Let it suffice to say that we need to get excited about increasing God’s Kingdom.  There is a lot of potential out there up for grabs (so-to-speak).  The next time you go to work, go shopping, or any public arena take a moment and look around you at all the people.  Each is a potential babe in Christ.  All they need is for you to reach out them, one by one, and incubate them (nurture, protect, and develop by feeding them the Truth) until they are ready to be born.  “You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God.”  -1 Peter 1:23 AMP

Are you now seeing all the potential spiritual pregnancies I am?

WATCH OUT FOR SNARES

A snare is a trap or a lure.  Often they are set so well by the hunter that the prey is not aware even aware of them until they are tightly caught.  In the days spring-loaded metal traps with teeth were used many hikers found themselves caught in them with resulting torn skin and broken ankles unless they kept diligently alert watching for them so they could be avoided.  Today our enemy, satan, uses many kinds of snares to entrap us and we will get caught up in them unless we are watchful.

“And Gideon made an ephod [a sacred, high priest’s garment] of it, and put it in his city of Ophrah, and all Israel paid homage to it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.”  (Judges 8:27 AMP)

Why is it we (mankind) end up doing the wrong things right after great victories?  Have you ever noticed this tendency?  In Judges 7-8 we see God giving the Midianites into the hands of Gideon and 300 men of Israel.  Then the Israelites in turn asked Gideon and his sons to rule over them.  Gideon strongly declined telling them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you” (Judges 8:23).  At this point Gideon was still in the will and obedience of the Lord, but then he made a request of them,   “Every man of you give me the earrings of his spoil…” (Judges 8:24) and when they did Gideon made the ephod.  An ephod was a sacred high priest’s garment (Judges 8:27; Exodus 29:5).  Now, what was Gideon a man from the tribe of Manasseh doing with a garment meant for someone from the tribe of Levi?  Gideon took the ephod and set it up in his hometown where Israel came and worshiped it instead of God (Judges 8:27).

Gideon is not the only one who grew away from God after a victory.  It only took three days after the great victory of the parting of the Red Sea that the Israelites began to complain and murmur (Exodus 15:22-24).  Again and again God provided for and did miracles on Israel’s behalf throughout their 40 year journey to the promised land, but again and again the complained and murmured (Exodus 15 through Deuteronomy 34).  Consider the victory of the Israelites at Jericho compared with their defeat at Ai (Joshua 6 & 7).  Throughout the period of Israel’s judges God would deliver them but it would not take long before they were …”doing what was right in their own eyes” (1^st & 2^nd Judges).  I could go on pointing out our tendency to stray when things have gone well for us, but I think you get the idea.

When things are plentiful, good and going easy we can get caught letting our guard down:  “Let their own table [with all its abundance and luxury] become a snare to them; and when they are secure in peace [or at their sacrificial feasts, let it become] a trap to them” (Ps. 69:22 AMP).  But it is especially at these times we need to press in closer and lean on the Lord:  “…whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high” (Ps. 29:25b AMP) and “The wicked is [dangerously] snared by the transgression of his lips, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall come out of trouble” (Prov. 12:13 AMP)

The uncompromisingly righteous shall come out of trouble!  So how can we escape the snares set for us in this life?  We absolutely MUST lean on, trust in, and put our total confidence in the Lord.  How do we know if we are doing that?  We need to examine our lives and see if we are showing the fruit of the servants of the Lord.  If we are then not only will we be delivered but God can use us to deliver others being snared:

“But refuse (shut your mind against, have nothing to do with) trifling (ill-informed, unedifying, stupid) controversies over ignorant questionings, for you know that they foster strife and breed quarrels.   And the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome (fighting and contending). Instead, he must be kindly to everyone and mild-tempered [preserving the bond of peace]; he must be a skilled and suitable teacher, patient and forbearing and willing to suffer wrong.   He must correct his opponents with courtesy and gentleness, in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and come to know the Truth [that they will perceive and recognize and become accurately acquainted with and acknowledge it], And that they may come to their senses [and] escape out of the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him, [henceforth] to do His [God’s] will.”  - 2 Tim. 2:23-26 AMP