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Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Hebrews 11:32-35a “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again:”

Hebrews 11:35b-38 “and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”

The Hall of Fame of Faith is a compelling section of scripture. From the beginning of the chapter, it is clear that God’s priority is the faithfulness of His people. By faith, God is able to bring about His perfect plan.

Importantly, though, it becomes clear at the breakpoint of verse 35 that faithfulness doesn’t necessarily result in temporal success. Sometimes faith allows believers to subdue kingdoms, work righteousness, obtain promises, stop the mouths of lions, quench the violence of fire, escape the edge of the sword, be made strong, wax valiant in fight, turn to flight the armies of the aliens, and receive dead raised to life again. Yet, in other cases faith results in torture, mocking, scourging, imprisonment, stoning, dismemberment, temptation, murder, poverty, affliction, torment, and disorientation.

God focuses on our faithfulness. That is what is in our control.

The results are fully left up to Him and they are completely His business.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO FULLY FOCUS ON FAITH, THROUGH TRUST LEAVING THE RESULTS UP TO OUR ALL-KNOWING GOD. The Lord is focused on faith, without which it is impossible to please Him.

Genesis 50:18-21 “And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.”

Genesis 45:4-8 “And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye solid into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharoah, and the lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”

Romans 8:28 “And ye know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to purpose.”

In today’s bombastic society, when we are wronged we are spring loaded to double down and fight back. Even Christians do so, ditching our discipline, tarnishing our testimonies, and forgetting our faith. In our passion for immediate justice, our perspectives are clouded and our characters are muddied. Joseph gives us a grace-filled model that exemplifies wisdom and exudes grace.

Joseph knew that God either allowed for his betrayal and used it for the greater good, or that God had actually orchestrated the entire act of treachery by his brothers to save them and many others.

While I frankly find it difficult to fathom his measured response, I am astounded by it and convicted by it. It provides a template for Christians today and throughout time.

No matter what happens to us, God is in control. Even when we are betrayed, He can use it for the greater good. In fact, He may have orchestrated it all along to save those around us and many others.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO RESPOND TO BETRAYAL AND TREACHERY WITH GRACE, WISDOM, DISCIPLINE AND FAITH. May we all respond right as God works all things together for good.

Exodus 20:1-2 “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

John 14:23-24 “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.”

During a business trip a few years ago, I was running late to get back to the airport for my return flight. I intended to change in the airport and was still wearing my military flight suit as I raced to the airport. My rush was slowed by police lights in the rearview mirror.

As it turned out, the policeman was a huge aviation fan. We chatted for several minutes about flying and military aircraft as my timeline shrunk to make my flight. I figured it was well worth it to avoid the otherwise substantial bill of a large speeding ticket, and the conversation was enjoyable. He walked back to his police car to quickly run my license, and came back with it … and a large ticket. Though I had errored in speeding, what happened to the rapport we had built and the time I didn’t have that I had invested in our conversation?!?!

Standards! And the policeman was rightfully enforcing them!

Before the Lord delivered the Ten Commandments, his precursory statements made clear his authority: “I am the LORD thy God,” He said. And as icing on the cake, He explained that He had provided the way for His people out of captivity.

He is unchanging and His position is immutable. For us and for all of humanity, He has provided the way out of captivity by grace through faith in Jesus. But when we sin, what happens to the rapport we have built and the time we have invested in our relationship?

Standards! And He rightfully enforces them!

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WILL STRIVE TO UPHOLD GOD’S UNCHANGING STANDARDS AS A KEY COMPONENT OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. If we love Him, we will abide by His Standards!

Proverbs 4:14-16 “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.”

James 4:3 “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

Galatians 1:10 “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”

I vividly remember an urban legend that I heard during my college days, and still don’t know if it’s real. It happened across the country from where I went to college, and it still captures my imagination and curiosity.

California Institute of Technology, known commonly as Cal Tech, is known for its rigorous studies and brilliant students. Yet sometimes their brilliance and creativity manifest themselves in mischievous ways.

Every year, the freshman class picks a unique location to take a group picture. In one given year, they decided to use a busy Los Angeles highway as their backdrop – during rush hour. The entire class, plus a photographer, climbed into an armada of cars and merged onto the highway. Converging on one another, they drove in a formation that spanned the entire road and slowly came to a complete stop. Quickly, they piled out of their cars, gathered with the empty road at their backs, and snapped a photo to remember.  I could only imagine the anger of the thousands of drivers who were blocked and delayed because of this prank. Frankly, I’m surprised no one got shot in the standstill as a thoroughfare that was carefully designed for progress became a monument of immobility.

This scenario is a powerful metaphor for the clogging impact of a Christian life that allows mischief to creep in. Sometimes the blockage comes in the form of errant associations, misshaped motivations, or improper priorities. Regardless of the source, it can delay our Christian growth and can cause our impact to come to a standstill.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO ROOT OUT ANY ELEMENT OF OUR LIVES THAT HINDERS OUR GROWTH AND DETERS OUR PROGRESS. Never allow misguided associations, motivations, or priorities to block lives that have been carefully designed for progress, instead turning them into monuments of immobility.

(Guest contributor – Lt Col (ret) Pete Wenell)

I Samuel 14:6 … 12-13 “And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few … And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the Lord hath delivered them into the hand of Israel. And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him.

I Samuel 17:37 … 48-49 “David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee … And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.”

I Samuel 18:1 “And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

Acts 4:32 “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.”

In the same way that battle unites people who have served together, zealous and whole-hearted service to the Lord provides a deep and rich fellowship that is unique. There is a great sense of unity and a deep trust that comes from joint and exceptional service in the ultimate battle for peoples’ souls and in wrestling our society back to its Christ centered foundation.

Prince Jonathan was first in his zeal for the Lord, routing a Philistine garrison. David followed shortly thereafter with his defeat of Goliath. This mutual fervency for the Lord and trust in the Lord which resulted in stunning victories was what bound Jonathan and David together. Their friendship was unbreakable. Jonathan knew that David had been anointed king, which otherwise would be his position. He did not know for sure it would mean his death, but he knew that it was a possibility.  His love for the Lord and his kindred spirit with David prevailed and the two shared one of the greatest examples of friendship and brotherhood in history.

Similarly, there is a comradery among Christians today, especially for those who serve on the front lines. That’s what is evident weekly in the National Prayer Meeting at the Supreme Court (https://prayatlunch.us/standing-in-the-gap/), and elsewhere as Christians engage with our needful society. There is a shared fervor for the Lord and a mutual bond of being part of key spiritual victories that are generated by faithful service. Participants cannot help but hold each other in high esteem and will be forever bound by the experience.

AMERICAN CHRISTIANS, HASTEN TO THE BATTLE. ASK GOD WHERE HE WOULD HAVE YOU SERVE WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS IN BATTLES THAT MATTER. PRAY FERVENTLY THAT MORE CHRISTIANS WOULD ENGAGE AND THAT GOD WOULD SEND REVIVAL TO OUR COUNTRY.

God is calling us individually and corporately to join the battle. And He has special joy for us in the fellowship of those with whom we serve together.

ADMIN: I will not be posting a PLUS blog next weekend, and will be back to regular posting on the 15^th of March. Please keep faithfully praying for our nation and our leaders.