Guard your Ground - Part 2

Before I get into the heart of my subject about guarding your ground, I wanted to share this brief story from the Old Testament regarding one of King David's "mighty men" from 2 Samuel 23:11-12.

Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel's troops fled from them. But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory.

I love that. Here you have Shammah who, rather than fleeing like everyone else in his army, stood his ground alone and through the power of God single-handedly defeated an army of Philistines...in order to defend a bean field. I heard a preacher once jokingly say that if you let the devil take your pintos and cheese, next thing you know he'll get into your guacamole. And if you let him take your guacamole, then next he'll eat your tortilla chips. In other words, if you give Satan an inch, he will take a mile. Paul in Ephesians admonishes us to not give any place to the devil.

I left off talking about how one of the enemies strategies to steal the word out of your life is persecutions and afflictions. Let's look at Mark 4 again.

Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

I think we've seen people like this, or have experienced this ourselves. The minister comes along and tells us we're redeemed from sin, sickness or poverty and teaches how to appropriate what Christ has done in our lives. Naturally, we get excited about it. But then we get a bad report from the doctor or more unexpected bills come in, and rather than maintaining our stance we simply just quit. Or maybe some well meaning family member or coworker begins to speak negatively about us for the stance of faith we have taken, rather than staying on fire for God, we back down because we don't want to be perceived as a nut. The Bible describes this type of person in Proverbs 24:10-

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.

A body builder isn't using his muscles when he's standing around, it is when he is resisting large amounts of weight. We're not proved by how you act when times are good, it's in the time of test and trials is when you really see what you are made of! And it is in those times you need to being even more vigilant. The Apostle James gives us a what muscle we should be flexing in the face of tribulations and tests:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

We are to use our "joy muscle" when trials come. Notice that the "rocky ground" are people who have received the word of God with joy, but when troubles came, they quickly lost that joy they had. Now if troubles were joy, you wouldn't have to count it joy. I am no talking about counting the trouble itself as joy, but rather the opportunity to prove God's word still works! The reward after the trial is what you need to be focused in on, not on the current discomfort circumstances are causing you. This is what Christ did, leaving us an example to follow:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Jesus endured because of the joy set before him. He knew if he endured, he would have finished his course: That God would not leave his soul in hell. That he would be crowned the King of kings and Lord of lords by the Father. And there are rewards set before us, if we like Jesus, refuse to quit regardless of the circumstances. Jesus himself promised us several amazing rewards for overcoming:

• "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." (Rev 2:7)
• "He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." (Rev 2:11)
• "To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." (Rev. 2:17)
• "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations
  'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'— just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star." (Rev 2:27-28)
• "He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels." (Rev. 3:5)
• "Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name." (Rev. 3:12)
  
• "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." (Rev. 3:21)
  

Those are some awesome rewards! People who cave in and get displeased with God when things get hard are not eternally focused. They are too busy being focused on the here and now and on their own problems to realize there is a huge benefit to being an overcomer. 1 Timothy 4:8 says:

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

So we also so that there is also a reward in this life, praise God. If we continue to seek first the kingdom of God, God will take care all that concerns us in this life. So what do we do in the midst of trials and tribulations?

1. Remember that Paul told us it's only a momentary and light affliction and doesn't deserve to be compared to the glory to be revealed in us (Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians. 4:17)
2. Pray and continue to trust God. (Philippians 4:6-7, James 5:13, Hebrews 10:35-36) If it's an area that he has promised freedom in (e.g. sickness or financial lack), then don't be moved away from it.
   
3. Praise God in the midst of it.
   

When Paul and Silas were imprisoned, they prayed and sang praises to God. They were right in the middle of the will of God, yet they were thrown in prison for the testimony of Christ. Rather than getting down and complaining, they worshiped God and God shook that prison and set Paul and Silas free! They counted it all joy, and God delivered them!

Finally, let's check out Colossians 2:6-7

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

It appears to me that those who are rooted and built up in him are the ones abounding in thanksgiving. Paul in the Book of Ephesians also tells us to be continually filled with the Spirit by ..."Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" I think if anyone stayed rooted and grounded, it was Paul. Despite all the tests and trials he went through, he was able to say he finished his course. If you want to Paul's results, you'll have to do what he did. And one of those things is to praise God in the midst of trials and tribulations. That is a huge way to not lose the joy, and to stay rooted and grounded.

You may not feel like you have much to praise him about considering your natural circumstances, but we all can praise God for redemption, from now and forever. And as you fill your mouth with thanksgiving and praise, you'll find the Holy Spirit will strengthen you with might in your inner man. Rather than trials knocking you down, you'll be knocking them down!

Guard your Ground - Part 1

Mark 4 is one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible. It's just so chock full of revelation, and so I'm thinking this will be a series of posts on this subject. It's commonly known as the parable of the sower, which is odd because it strikes me that it's so much more about the different types of soil or ground than it is about the sower. That's not too minimize the importance of the sower, it's just that what the sower gives out is always the same-seed. The seed will reproduce what it's designed to produce, it's a matter of it being planted in the right soil.

13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

One thing I notice is the sower seems to have utter disregard on where he plants the seed, he's just out there scattering. You would think he'd be trying to find the best and most fertile soil to plant his seeds in and ignore the rest, but apparently God isn't like that. For one, He's not going to run out of seed anytime soon, and for another thing he wants everyone to have an opportunity to receive what He's giving. He's only the sower, not the groundskeeper. That would be our job. Proverbs 4:23 says:

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.

When God put Adam in the garden, he charged Adam with the duty to tend the ground and keep it. Even so we are to tend to our heart with all diligence. I like how the Amplified Bible well...amplifies this verse.

Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.

All vigilance...above all that you guard. That's our responsibility, and it's a responsibility we're to put above everything else. Whenever we look into our lives and see a lack of results, it's because we've fallen asleep on the job. It means we haven't guarded our hearts as we ought. Sometimes it can seem innocent enough, but how costly it can become. It's cost many a their marriages, many a relationship, many a ministry, others their health, others their good name.

So how are we to guard our hearts with all vigilance? The word vigilant is defined as being alertly watchful especially to avoid danger. So we can't be watchful for something we're ignorant of happening. We have to know what to be on guard against in order to guard against it, right? To use as an illustration, think about the way airlines flights have changed since 9/11. Things that you used to get by with on a plane are not acceptable anymore, because we've become more aware of little, subtle things that can be possibly used as devices that threaten our safety (almost to the point of extreme paranoia, but that is a rant for somewhere else.) Security is scrutinizes everything these days. Thank God they do. Even so we should scrutinize the condition of our heart, and not allow just anything to come in, even little things that seem harmless.

This all sounds a bit like 1 Peter 5:8, doesn't it? -

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Jesus explains what different things we are to stay on guard against. Read verses 16-19 again and you'll see several things. They are-

• offense that comes as a result of persecution and trouble
  
• cares of this world
• deceitfulness of riches
• desires for other things

At first blush, it would look like the persecutions and afflictions would be the first thing that are the enemies device, and that's not to say that they aren't. They are! The devil will send circumstances and hurtful people your way, but the Word stays the same in every circumstance. But the main thing is that he's just trying to pressure you to let go of the Word and then getting miffed at someone else about it. It is your responsibility to guard your heart against Satan's devices and not be such shallow dirt!

So one of the biggest things we are to guard against is becoming offended when persecution and afflictions come our way. That's just my intro into the subject, I'll talk about how to keep offense free when troubles come our way in part 2.

Sounds crunchy. An introduction

I started this blog because at my local church (which I'm incredibly thankful for) I'm taking this extra course on Monday nights called "The Timothy Project". It's a class for those who feel they may be called to the full-time ministry. I won't get into why exactly I feel called on this post right now, that's another story for perhaps another time.

Anyway, my pastor says we should be practicing our preaching and teaching gift, even if it means preaching to yourself. Since I have no congregation, I figure this could be a nice little outlet to share what I feel God is stirring in me at the moment. I believe it was the late, great Kenneth E. Hagin who said that when he was young, for practice he would preach to the lettuce heads when no one was around. He went on to say that at times he felt like he was still preaching to the lettuce heads!

So whether or not anyone reads this or not, it's a good opportunity for me to be a do what the Apostle Paul told his son in the faith when he wrote:

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

If you are out there and are blessed, feel free to say so. If no one's out there, hey...it'll benefit someone down the road as I grow more proficient in sharing the word.