Month: August 2021

Ephesians 4:27 “Neither give place to the devil.”

Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

I Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

The documentary “Free Solo” follows the amazing quest of rock climber Alex Honnold to climb El Capitan – the tallest granite rock face on the planet.  Climbing a 3000-foot cliff is an amazing accomplishment, but Alex strove to do something completely unprecedented.  He attempted to climb it without a partner, without ropes, and without any safely equipment.  He was truly alone on that massive shear edifice with only his hands, his feet, his skill, his endurance, and his courage.

The fact that he attempted such a thing is in itself amazing.  The fact that he accomplished rock climbing glory during the four-hour ascent is absolutely stunning.  After all, doing so required flawless execution of an extremely difficult task over the span of hours, where the penalty of the slightest imperfection or distraction would be death.  Watching the documentary made my hands sweaty, and I knew the outcome and wasn’t the one out there on the rock face a thousand feet in the air. 

It was especially captivating to watch Alex create opportunities for leverage on a granite cliff that looked smooth, flat, and shear.  Even though they were tiny, Alex used the smallest cracks, fissures, undulations, and imperfections in which to place his fingers and his toes.  As a result, he was able to scale a seemingly unscalable rock formation.

Our adversary, the devil, is looking to scale our lives.  Though we may believe our lives are like smooth, flat, and shear granite monoliths that give no place to the devil, we will be surprised and dismayed by the ability of our adversary to utilize the smallest cracks, fissures, undulations and imperfections as leverage against us.

No matter where we are on our Christian journey, we must be sober; we must be vigilant.  We must be cognizant that we are wrestling against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places.  We must be sensitive to the powerful truth that the slightest imperfection or distraction can bring about destruction and death.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO GUARD AGAINST ANY TEMPTATION TO GIVE ANY PLACE TO THE DEVIL IN OUR LIVES.  We must protect against all attempts to gain even the smallest bit of leverage against us.

Philippians 3:20-21 “For our conversion is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”

Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth”

Luke 2:7 “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Luke 9:57-58 “And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”

As many people did during these last few weeks, you likely followed the Olympics to some extent.  These games are designed to provide a mix of athleticism, friendly competition, and patriotism, and often capture the world’s attention.  A fan typically cheers for the members of the team that represents their nation.  But, during the last two Olympics games, a new team of athletes was formed that represents no country, but in some way, represents all of humanity.

The Refuge Olympic Team was formed before the 2016 games in Rio.  Through support from a variety of nations, these athletes have been given scholarships and sponsorship to compete even though they have been forcibly displaced from their homeland and have no official citizenship.  The 29 athletes of this team who competed in the Olympics in Tokyo were displaced from 11 countries, reminding us of the 82 million members of humanity who have been similarly displaced from their homeland and forced into lives wandering through strange lands and foreign locales while longing for the security of a long-lost home.  Though these remarkable athletes have won no medals during their two Olympic appearances, their stories are compelling and their courage is remarkable.  Their bravery and resilience have represented all of us brilliantly.

In many ways, Christians often feel like refugees, displaced from our homeland in heaven.  We feel like we live wandering through strange lands and foreign locales while longing for the security of a long-lost home.  Yet, we do have a secure and permanent home and a King who has faced His own displacement.  There was no room for Him in the inn.  He had nowhere to lay His head.  Yet, His bravery and resilience represented all of us perfectly and brilliantly. 

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD FIRMLY REMEMBER THE JOURNEY OF OUR SAVIOUR AS WE LIVE AS REFUGEES ON THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN.  As we set our affection on things above, may our bravery and resilience represent the cause of Christ brilliantly.