Author: John Page 1 of 162

I Peter 5:8-11 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

As a young fighter pilot at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom, in addition to being an F-15E Strike Eagle combat pilot I was the squadron’s Chief Snacko. It sounds like a glorious position for a new officer until you realize that Chief Snacko meant that I was the snack bar officer. Yes, I was responsible for ensuring that the squadron was well-stocked with coffee, snacks, and SWAG – stickers, t-shirts, hats, posters, and lithographs. I was also responsible for selling our goods at local airshows to raise money for our morale fund.

A neighboring base had a big airshow during that time, and we were excited to sell our wares. A local contractor who made the majority of our SWAG offered to help set up on the Thursday before the weekend-long event. Our assigned table was in a large hangar, but towards the back and we were worried about the lack of foot traffic that would hinder our sales.

Unbeknownst to anyone in the squadron, the contractor hatched a plan on his own. At the end of the setup day, he hid in the hangar and was locked inside for the night. During that time, he moved our table to a prime location at the front of the venue. When the hangar was opened the next morning, we discovered our new prime position, and we made a mint that weekend because of his unseen jockeying for advantage.

There is ongoing, unseen spiritual jockeying all around us. As a result, we must be sober, vigilant, and resistant in the faith. We must put on the whole armour of God while clinging to His grace and aligned with His providential positioning. It is the only way to avoid being devoured by our adversary.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO ASTUTELY UNDERSTAND THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE RAGING ALL AROUND US WHILE WISELY EMBRACING GOD’S WEAPONRY. In the midst of spiritual jockeying, we can either prevail or be consumed depending on our alignment with God’s positioning.

II Kings 12:1-2 “In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

II Kings 12:3 But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.”

II Corinthians 7:1 “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Jehoash was one of the righteous kings who did that which was right in the sight of the LORD. Yet, there remains an asterisk in his life, in his leadership, and in his legacy. It is described in II Kings 12:3. He was faithful, But …

There is a leadership axiom related to such things: You endorse what you tolerate. Thus, while he was a model of righteousness in many ways, Jehoash’s unwillingness to confront sin in this area yielded an endorsement of a deviation from God’s word and God’s will. It is a monument of stain to an otherwise commendable life.

All Christians must consider this cautionary tale. Though our lives may be mostly characterized by righteousness, what are the areas that would warrant an asterick? In the story of our lives, our leadership, and our legacy, where would it be written: He was faithful, But …

Never forget that important leadership axiom: You endorse what you tolerate. Where is our toleration yielding endorsement of a deviation from God’s word and God’s will? May we root out those areas that would create a monument of stain to an otherwise commendable life.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO REFUSE TO TOLERATE ANYTHING IN OUR LIVES THAT DEVIATES FROM GOD’S WORD AND GOD’S WILL. May we eliminate the possibly of any asterisks in our lives.

ADMIN: I won’t be publishing a PLUS blog next weekend, but please keep praying faithfully for widespread revival in the United States of America!

I Kings 3:9-13 “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon has asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but has asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, either after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.”

James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

Human behavior experts estimate that the average human makes 35,000 decisions a day. Many of them are small, but some of them are substantial. And even the small ones, taken together, create the basis for character that inform everything about our lives.

It is why we need wisdom. It is why we need an understanding heart. It is why we need to be able to properly discern between good and bad. It is why we need to be able to judge. It is why we need understanding.

And God is pleased when we ask for these things. He offers them freely and liberally. They are far more important than wealth, or victory, or longevity. In fact, wisdom, discernment, understanding, and judgment are the foundation for these more temporal benefits.

35,000 decisions!

Just the daunting nature of such scope and scale of decision making should drive us to our knees. It should force us to understand our desperate need for the Lord’s guidance that should start with beginning our days in prayer and in the scriptures. Everything else flows from the foundation we create.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TURN TO GOD FOR WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING, AND DISCERNMENT. We need God for every decision we make – the small ones and the big ones.

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”

Ephesians 5:15-16 “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

John 4:34-38 “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”

John 9:4 “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

In March, a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai, China had to divert for a unique reason – the pilot had forgotten his passport. They were two hours into their journey across the Pacific Ocean when the pilot realized that he needed to turn around because he didn’t have what he needed to arrive at his destination.

The 257 passengers were delayed significantly because of this embarrassing oversight, and the aircraft had to dump over 100,000 pounds of fuel in the air to decrease the returning aircraft to a safe landing weight. Somehow a process had not been established by United Airlines to adequately remind their crew members to avoid this costly mistake.

There are several people all around us who aren’t ready for their destination once they head off into eternity. Yet unlike this United Airlines flight, once they depart, there is no turning around to retrieve what they had forgotten. In this case, though, it is more than an embarrassing oversight. It is a tragic mistake with eternal consequences.

For those of us that have our eternal passports already stamped through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we must diligently remind others of this important truth through our words and through our actions. It makes all the difference between whether humanity makes it to their preferred destination or whether they are diverted elsewhere.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO REDEEM THE TIME AND DILIGENTLY SHARE THE TRUTHS OF THE GOSPEL WITH THOSE ALL AROUND US. There is a moment where it is too late to possess a passport, received by faith through grace, that gets us to the right destination.

Ruth 2:11-12 “And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”

Ruth 4:14-17 “And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.”

Psalm 25:1-2 “Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.”

Through her loyalty to her mother-in-law after her husband’s death, Ruth returned to Naomi’s ancestorial home of Bethlehem to care for her, leaving her own home in Moab. Through it all, this foreigner learned to trust in the Lord. As a result of this trust and even though she was not a Jew, Ruth became the great grandmother of David and forever enjoys a place in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Her faithfulness stands as a testimony to all of us today as the Lord orchestrated a miraculous outcome through her trusting spirit.

It doesn’t matter who are you are, where you came from, or the pathway of your lineage. It doesn’t matter the losses that you’ve faced or the challenges that have humbled you. Your trust in God can engraft you into God’s family and your faithfulness can stand as a testimony for the generations who follow. The Lord can orchestrate a miraculous outcome through your trusting spirit.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TRUST IN THE LORD AND ALLOW HIM TO WORK THROUGH OUR FAITHFULNESS. Miraculous outcomes can stem from trusting spirits.

ADMIN: This is the 800^th PLUS post, and I look forward to seeing how the Lord will use the 100s that will follow it through His miraculous outcomes.