Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Apr 9th Check With God First

Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 4 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 17 – 18; Proverbs 9; Psalms 41 – 45)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 34:1 – 4

Read the “0409 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee. And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?” – (2 Samuel 7:3-5)

In 2 Samuel 7, David comes to the prophet Nathan, and informs him of his desire to build a permanent dwelling place for the ark of the covenant: he wanted to build the temple. You will recall that up until this time the corporate worship of God took place in a portable tabernacle that God had designed for them while they wandered the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. But now it was time to build a permanent structure in the capital city – Jerusalem. It was a good thing that David wanted to do, and it was also good that he went to inquire of the man of God before he did it. The problem here is not with David, but with the prophet Nathan. He gave David the green light to “do all that [was] in [David’s] heart”, before he checked with God. In other words, he spoke on behalf of God, but did not say what God wanted him to say. He spoke prematurely. As it turns out, God had other plans. He did not want David to build the temple. That job was going to go to David’s son, Solomon.

There is a great lesson to be learned here for us. Before we offer our advice on a matter, we ought to check with God first. How we go about doing that is a little bit different today than it was in David and Nathan’s day. In their time God would speak directly to the man of God. Today, however, we have to discern the will of God in the following way:

1  We first go to the Word of God – check to see what the Bible says about what you want to do. Just about every possible scenario is covered by Biblical principle. Let’s say for example that a young lady wanted to know if it was OK to get involved with a young man who is not a dedicated Christian. She could look into the Word and see that it says that she is not to be “unequally yoked” together with an unbeliever. She would also see that the Scripture says that she can not “walk together” with someone whom she is not in agreement with. And there are many other passages of Scripture, which would advise her against what she wants to do. The bottom line is that if the thing we want to do is in violation of sound Biblical principle, we should not do it.

2  We go to God in prayer. We ask God to reveal to us personally His will regarding the matter. I believe that if a person is really concerned about the will of God, He will direct them. When I was praying about where to serve God after Bible college, God revealed to me precisely that He wanted my family to serve Him here in Galloway, NJ.

3  We get advice. The Bible is clear that there is safety in a multitude of counselors. Find some people with godly wisdom that you can go to for counsel regarding your decision, and give them some time to pray first before they give you an answer.

Nathan should have put David on hold until he had a chance to find out what God wanted him to do.

Apr 8th And They Mourned, And Wept, And Fasted – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 15 – 16; Proverbs 8; Psalms 36 – 40

Read the “0408 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord. Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him: And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD’S anointed? And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD’S anointed.” (2Samuel 1:5-16)

Good morning. After reading this passage, I had to confess and ask forgiveness for the things I said against President Biden. After all, the Lord did put him in the office as the President of the United States: he was the Lord’s anointed. Look at Saul. Saul had started out good, but then got away from the Lord. When Saul died, he went to the same place Samuel – the man of God – went to…

“And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.” (1Samuel 28:8-19)

We are living in the age of grace, but the wages of sin is still death, even for the Christian. You are bought with a price, and ye are not your own. When you got saved, you received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus came to live inside of you, and He saved us forever. All our sins, past, present, and future are forgiven. That does not give us the right to sin, and to do whatever we want to do. We are told in God’s Word not to grieve the Holy Spirit (that’s by doing the things we should not) and not to quench the Holy Spirit (that’s by not doing the things we should). Obedience to God living in us is a much more rewarding life…

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22-26)

Maybe it’s time to look at that face in the mirror, and mourn, and weep, and fast.

Peace.

Apr 6th Payback or Pardon? by Sarah Camillo

Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 25 – 27 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers read – Matthew 11 – 12; Proverbs 6; Psalms 26 – 30)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32

Read the “0405 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.” – (1 Samuel 25:25-26)

“And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD’S anointed, and be guiltless? David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.” – (1 Samuel 26:9-10)

In this portion of scripture, we read about David’s interactions with Nabal and Abigail. Nabal was a very rich man but he was an ungenerous and unkind man. David and his men had been protecting Nabal’s flocks from the Philistines. At the right time, David kindly asked for compensation but Nabal reacted with a bad attitude! Basically saying, “Who does he think he is?” This made David angry and it wasn’t the way God would have wanted him to respond. In his anger,David intended to kill all the men of Nabal’s household. Nabal’s wife, Abigail, was told about the situation. We are told that she was not only beautiful woman but also a wise one. She gathered food, drink, and gifts and hurried to meet David. Abigail went in humility and took the blame for her husband’s actions and asked David for forgiveness. She, in her wisdom, asked David to think about how much worse the situation would be if he proceeded to kill all the men. Abigail’s request to David lifted David up instead of beating him down. David responded to Abigail in the right way, being wise enough himself to listen and consider her advice and then to praise her for her boldness. We learn later in the chapter that Nabal dies; God’s judgement. David left the revenge to God instead of taking revenge himself. God, at the right time, took care of the wrong that was done. 

Most of us are familiar with the story that is told in Chapter 26. David and his men sneak up on Saul’s camp. While Saul and Abner (Saul’s commander of his army)  are asleep David has the opportunity to kill them. David is encouraged by Abishai who was with him, to take Saul’s life. Saul’s spear was beside him, the same spear was thrown at David to try and kill him previously. (I Sam 18:10-11, 19:9-10) Using Saul’s own spear seemed like the perfect time for revenge giving Saul what he deserved! Instead, David took the spear and a jug of water that was there next to Saul, instead of killing him, to show he had the opportunity to do so. David did not feel that Saul was right in what he was doing but because Saul was God’s anointed. David knew that God was able to kill Saul at any time, for every breath we breathe is given by God.

In our human nature and in the culture we live in today, revenge runs rampant.  We must be careful in our thoughts and actions when we are hurt or treated unfairly by believers or non-believers. Always consider what God tells us in Romans 12:19 “…for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” God will do a much better job taking care of the situation then we ever could!

Apr 4th There’s No Sword Like That Sword by Dawson Parker

Today’s Passage –  1 Samuel 19 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 7 – 8; Proverbs 4; Psalms 16 – 20)

Read the “0404 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.” (1 Samuel 21:9)

I Samuel 21-23

I want to point out a few things that we should keep in the back of our minds as we go into reading this passage. Just a few chapters prior, David miraculously defeated Goliath and this caused all of Judah and Israel to love David and want him to be their new king. However, this made King Saul very jealous to the point that he wanted to kill David. It is important that we understand that David is on the flee from Saul and he is running for his life.

In I Samuel 21:1, we see that David comes to Ahimelech the priest and is going to get a few things that will aid in his journey as he flees this enemy that wants his life ruined even unto death. Although David has God on his side, David realizes that he needs a weapon. In verse 8, David asks Ahimelech if he has a spear or sword and in verse 9, we see that there was a sword wrapped up in a cloth. This is a great picture of preservation, in that God was keeping that sword perfect for the right time. David takes this sword and remembers the time he used it to cut off the head of Goliath… a time-tested sword that had already won some battles. David says, “There is none like that; give it me”, and takes this sword with him as he flees his enemy Saul. Out of all the things David could have taken with him, he wanted a weapon and he chose the sword.

We can learn a lot from this story and apply it in our lives in that we also have a real enemy, Satan, who is seeking to steal, kill and destroy our lives. We are on the flee every day from this enemy and we need to realize the importance of taking a sword with us. Ephesians 6:17 calls the word of God the sword of the Spirit; you see, God has provided us with the exact weapon we need, a preserved sword that is time tested and has won many battles, the King James Bible. 

I am so thankful for this application from this story and for God giving us his perfect Word. God’s Word is truly the difference maker in this life, but we need to make sure that we are using it as a weapon against our flesh, temptation and Satan. In order to use Gods Word as an efficient weapon, we must know how our weapon works inside and out. I think we can all improve in the area of reading our Bibles and being a diligent student of Gods Word. 

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Dawson and Lexi Parker

Apr 1st Vain Things – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 12 – 14 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mathew 1 – 2; Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1

Read the “0401 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.” (1Samuel 12:20-22)

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)

Good morning. In 1974/75 a group of people followed a man down to South America. Four years later, in 1978, almost 1000 died from either poison or gunshot (over 300 were children) in Jonestown, Guyana. If you look up Jonestown on Wikipedia, they have the final recording of Jim Jones’ speech he gave before the mass suicide.

Twenty-six years ago, on March 26, 1997, thirty-nine members of the Heaven’s Gate cult had committed mass suicide, believing their souls would be transported to a spaceship trailing the Hale-Bopp comet.

On September 11th, 2001, another group who were following another man, flew 2 airliners into the World Trade Center in New York. Thinking they were going to go to heaven and receive 70 virgins each. They have been living in a fireball, like the one that destroyed the plane, for almost 22 years now.

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” (Psalm 2:1)

Because they don’t have Jesus. Turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; and turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. It’s sad to say that many people do not read the Bible. The Bible will tell them…

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

Jesus said…

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39)

Jesus also said when Peter asked Him what shall this man do…

“Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.” (John 21:22)

If more people would follow Jesus, and what He says in His Word, there would be more peace in the world. If you know Jesus, that’s good.

“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19)

But, does Jesus know you?

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:21-23)

“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1John 5:9-13)

Peace.

Mar 25th His Soul Was Vexed Unto Death – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Judges 14 – 17 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – 2 John, 3 John, Jude; Proverbs 25; Psalms 121 – 125

Read the “0325 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web. And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.” (Judges 16:14-21)

Good morning. The devil will use whatever he can to destroy you. Here we find him using the whinny voice of Delilah…

“You don’t love me anymore… You won’t tell me what gives you your great strength… Three times you lied to me…” and on and on and on. No wonder Samson’s soul was vexed unto death. The devil broke him down till finally he told Delilah – cut my hair. And the Philistines did just that.

But notice the next verse…

“And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.” (Judges 16:20)

The LORD was departed from Samson and he did not know it. It was all in the Nazarite Vow…

“All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.” (Numbers 6:5)

The cutting of the hair marked the end of the vow. Samson was separated unto God for His use. When they shaved his head, the LORD departed from Samson. And Samson did not know that the LORD left him. Maybe it was because Samson had gotten too close to the world that he did not notice God had departed from him. The devil can use others to break down our defenses like he used Delilah. Most of the times we may not notice the constant hammering. We need to walk in God’s Word…

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” (James 4:7-8)

[JESUS SAID] “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40)

“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” (Psalm 119:165)

Maybe Samson should have replied to her constant nagging, “Sorry Babe, I love you, but there are some things between me and the LORD that I will not discuss with, or tell you. You are not my wife. I shouldn’t even be here. This isn’t right. I’m leaving. Goodbye.”

And he walks out the door to fight the Philistines some other way, God’s way, the right way. But he didn’t. Samson let Delilah get to him. He broke down and told her. He lost his strength. He lost his freedom. And he lost his eyes. When we take an alternate route other than the one God has provided for us to walk in; when we take our vows to God lightly, you can expect problems and troubles to arise. But God always provides a way out of the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into. It starts with prayer…

“But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us. And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars. And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.” (Judges 16:21-30)

Is your life getting in the way of you serving God? Why not receive the life that He has for you? His yoke is easy and His burdens lite.

Peace.

Mar 20th The “Vicious” Cycle of Judges

Today’s Passage – Judges 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Hebrews 10 – 13;  Proverbs 20; Psalms 96 – 100

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 34

Read the “0320 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage – “God Sent Them A Deliverer,” and “Hold the Line.“

“And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.” (Judges 2:18-19)

The Book of Judges covers the period of time from the death of Joshua to the beginning of the monarchy when King Saul was anointed. (Approximately from 1380 BC to 1050 BC) Joshua had driven out most of the inhabitants of the land, but there were still enemies within the borders of Israel that needed to be removed. Throughout judges, we see the victories and, unfortunately, the defeats of God’s people as they contend with these Canaanites and others.

During this period, Israel was ruled by judges. These judges were not necessarily sovereign rulers over the entire nation, but were mostly regional military and civil rulers and some of the dates of their leadership overlapped other judges.

The Book of Judges was probably written by Samuel, as is suggested by the Jewish Talmud. It had to be written after the coronation of King Saul as the Book claims four times that “there was no king in Israel.” (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25) Judges would have to have been written after there was a king, but records history from before there was a king. It also had to be written before 990 BC, when David drove out the Jebusites from Jerusalem:

“And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.” (Judges 1:21)

There were fifteen judges in all: thirteen mentioned in Judges, and then Eli and Samuel who are revealed in 1 Samuel. There is one female judge, named Deborah.

Throughout the Book of Judges we see a repeated cycle:

1. Israel in a right relationship with God receiving God’s blessing of provision and protection.
2. Israel moves away from God and begins to worship idols and fall into sin.
3. God drops the hedge of protection that was placed around them, and Israel’s enemies begin to conquer them.
4. Israel cries out to the Lord.
5. The Lord raises up a judge.
6. Israel is delivered.

We see the same thing happening in Christian’s lives today. Oftentimes people are saved out of very difficult circumstances. For a time, people are afterwards very contrite and zealous in their faithfulness to the Lord. However, often after experiencing the wonderful blessing of God, people will forget all about the God who blessed them. What a shame! Why can’t we learn to appreciate the Lord and remain devoted to Him as much during prosperity as we were during adversity.

America and the rest of the world are certainly experiencing adversity today. Let’s pray that this trial will cause us to cry out to the Lord as the Israelites did in days of old. But then let’s also pray that after deliverance comes, that we remain faithful.

Mar 18th All Came To Pass – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Joshua 19 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Philemon – Hebrews 4; Proverbs 18; Psalms 86 – 90

Read the “0318 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:43-45)

Good morning. I sometimes wonder if Israel fully understood that God had fulfilled His promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel had become a great nation. They finally had rest. They were in the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey. All came to pass. Off course the time would come when Israel would turn their back on God, and God would raise up nations to punish Israel. Eventually God would remove them from the promised land. In 70 A.D., the Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem, and the Jews were scattered throughout the world. In 1948, God restored the nation of Israel and started bringing His people back into the land.

America has found it’s way to a different situation. Psalm 9:17 says…

“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (Psalm 9:17)

Our nation has tried to blot out God. They have tried to get people to forget about God. The godless Liberals have been working hard. They had the Bible taken out of schools. They had the Ten Commandments taken out of government office buildings. They have legalized murder in the abortion industry. They made boys to think they should have been girls, and girls to think they should have been boys: teaching that God must have made a mistake. God doesn’t make mistakes. There was a time when Homosexuality was a crime. America has legalized what God calls an abomination…

“And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess. And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done. For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.” (1Kings 14:21-24)

There were good kings also…

“And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah. And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father. And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days.” (1Kings 15:9-15:14)

“Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places. And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he shewed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.” (1Kings 22:42-46)

Many times we think if we have a Christian president and vice-president that all will be well. The liberals want to renew their license to sin, and be able to freely do their abominations again. When we had the team of Trump/Pense, every time they tried to do something good for the country, the God rejecting Socialists would block it. We need to keep our leaders in prayer that they don’t fall into the hands of the devil. The Lord may give America more time, however, most scholars will tell you that America, in the end times, is not in the Bible. Everything revolves around God’s city and the nation of Israel. As a nation, and as individuals, we can turn our backs on God and Israel, or we can turn and fight for God and Israel.

“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (Psalm 9:17)

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2Chronicles 7:14)

“…all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:45)

Peace.

Mar 14th Leadership Lessons Learned by Joshua (by Kyle Bilby)

“And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.” (Joshua 9:14)

Today’s Passage – Joshua 8 – 9 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – 1 Timothy 1 – 3; Proverbs 14; Psalms 66 – 70)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8

Read the “0314 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Chapter 8 picks up where 7 left us. Israel just got defeated at Ai. Achan and his family were the root cause of this. They kept some of the “loot” from the victory at Jericho Which was forbidden by God after this specific battle (6:18). Achan and his whole family and possessions were destroyed and Israel repented. Note here that Joshua sees Gods will and wisdom (7:6-9).

Chapter 8 begins with God responding to the repentance for Achan’s family’s sin with an encouraging set of instructions for final Victory in Ai. Remember that it has always been God’s will for his people to destroy the inhabitants of the Promised Land and give his people possession of this land. God even tells them that all the spoils of the battle of AI can be all theirs. He gives Joshua the battle plan. This time Joshua and the people do exactly as God commands them. They draw out the soldiers from the town and sneak in behind, burn and destroy the city and the inhabitants. Complete victory in Ai. No doubt because they did exactly as God told them. 

Lessons Learned from Chapter Eight:

1. Follow the Lord’s Plan for our lives
2. Use all the resources God has given
3. Seek Gods will and his wisdom
4. Expect the outcome that God has promised (Good or Bad)

In chapter 9, the southern kings are starting to understand that God is on the side of the Israelites. They are seeing these great cities and strongholds fall to Israel and I’m sure they know that without God it wouldn’t have been possible. They decide to group together in a united front to oppose the Israelites, except for the Gibeonites. They devise a plane to trick the Israelites into signing a “peace treaty” with them to save them from destruction. They claimed to be a people from a far country, taking moldy bread, old wineskins, patched up sandals. They really went out of their way to put up this front, claiming they traveled so far their sandals were coming apart and their food had spoiled. It works. Israel agrees to this covenant, which was strictly forbidden. (Exodus 23:23-24) Israel was not suppose to make any covenants with any Canaanite tribes. The key verse for this chapter is 14. “And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the lord.” They use their own wisdom and fall for these lies that the Gibeonites had told them instead of seeking God’s wisdom. When Joshua finds out that they lied it was already too late. Israel holds to the oath and does not harm them when they come into their land. Even though the people complained to the rulers of Israel they knew that keeping an oath, even a bad oath was better than allowing one sin (wiping out the Gibeonites) to follow another sin (making the oath without seeking God). Joshua instead turns the Gibeonites into servants to the Lord as a punishment (9:21-27). The Gibeonites were not thrilled about becoming wood cutters and water carriers for Israel, but they knew that this was better than destruction. Like David would write in Psalm 84:10:

 “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” (Psalm 84:10)

In these passages  we see that it’s never too late to call sin … sin . Point it out. Get rid of it. Repent and seek God’s forgiveness. In the end you’re far ahead if you seek God’s wisdom in your everyday life. Pray about the all the “little” things. The Big ones will be automatic.

 The history of Israel’s experiences reflect the cyle of most christians:

-Obedience followed by victory

-victory followed by a blessing

-blessing followed by disobedience and pride

-disobedience followed by defeat

-defeat followed by judgement

-judgement followed by repentance

-repentance followed by obedience 

-obedience followed by victory

These chapters are a great example of:

The battle is always the Lord’s including the one you may be facing.

If you find yourself in sin, repent and lean on our Lord.

Do it His way and let Him handle it.

Seek Him in everything you do.  

Mar 11th Moses’ Epitaph – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 32 – 34 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Colossians 1 – 4; Proverbs 11; Psalms 51 – 55

Read the “0311 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.” (Deuteronomy 34:10-12)

Good morning. Inscribed here, by God, at the end of the book of Deuteronomy is Moses’ epitaph. An epitaph is an inscription, usually on a tombstone like: R.I.P., …He was a good father and husband, …a loving son or daughter; things like that. Supposedly, the epitaph on the grave of actor W. C. Fields reads: “All things considered, I’d rather be here than in Philidelphia.”

But Moses did not have a headstone for his epitaph, so the Lord put an epitaph here at the end of Deuteronomy. There are three characteristics we can glean about Moses from his epitaph.

1) Moses knew the LORD face to face: he had a personal relationship with the Loed Jesus Christ.

“And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face…” (Deuteronomy 34:10)

Moses met the Lord when he went to see the burning bush. And the Lord was with him all the way through his death and burial. Moses will not hear what many so-called “Christians” will hear…

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Jesus said…

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40)

The LORD knew Moses face to face, and He would never leave him nor forsake him. The second characteristic we can glean from Moses’ epitaph is that…

2) He did the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do.

Ephesians 2:10 tells us…

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Moses walked in the good works that God ordained for him to walk in. Moses had to show God’s strong and mighty hand before Egypt would let God’s people go. Moses had faith that God would resue them even when they had their backs to the Red Sea, and watched as the Egyptian chariots came closer to them. God stopped them with fire, and then parted the sea so Israel could escape. A mirical of faith…

“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 11:6)

An impossible situation at the Red Sea. An impossible situation getting water from a rock. An impossible situation that Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry land. An impossible situation that non of their clothes or sandles wore out while wondering through the wildernes for forty years.

“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Maqtthew 19:26)

We have good works that God has ordained for us to walk in. I wonder how many I missed because of a lack of faith… how about you?

The third characteristic we can glean from Moses’ epitaph is…

3) He was an example to his people.

“In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.” (Deuteronomy 34:11-12)

As the Bible said in Ephesians 2:10, that God ordained good works for us to walk in. Just like Jesus, we are to be an example to others…

“So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” (John 13:12-17)

The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy…

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2Timothy 3:14-17)

What kind of example do we put forth to the people God has given us. If you look at Moses, and this is a great example that he put forth, every time Israel sinned, Moses would be on his face begging God to forgive them. What kind of example do we put forth? Makes me wonder what my epitaph will say. How about you?

Peace.