The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

(2 Cor.10:4-5)

This is a key passage for those who engage in spiritual warfare and whether we know it or not, we are all engaged in battles with the spiritual realm. Paul’s declaration to the church at Corinth reveals that the primary battle fought against the enemy is waged first in the arena of our thought life. The battle is waged against thoughts and beliefs that are contrary to God’s truth. The fact that these thoughts are not just the rumblings of our own intellect or imaginations is suggested by the need for divine weapons to take them captive. A key thought is that these lies and misbeliefs can exist as strongholds.

Strongholds are fortifications in which the enemy hides and finds sanctuary. In this context, the implication is that the enemy (demonic forces) hides and finds sanctuary in our thought life when our thoughts are not aligned with God. There is a principle that we empower whatever we agree with. When we agree with the enemy in our thoughts and perspectives we give him a place in our lives and empower him. Our misaligned thoughts invite the enemy and once he has found a place with us, he works to reinforce the lies we already believe. Those lies become strongholds that eventually enslave us.

Mental strongholds or systems of false beliefs function in two ways. First of all, Satan labors to destroy our identity. His goal is to convince us that we are defective, insignificant, and unlovable. He fills us with insecurity and fear and convinces us that even God can’t love us. Without a sense of God’s love we feel orphaned and on our own. Our sense of defectiveness and insignificance drives us to medicate our fears and emptiness with whatever the world offers. Our drugs-of-choice (alcohol, sedatives, gambling, porn, food, recreation, etc.) become perpetual God-substitutes in our life.

The second function of strongholds for the enemy is to draw us out and away from the will of God. Scripture declares that God is our strength and our shield. He is our strong tower. But if we wander out of his will and stay there, we become vulnerable to the enemy. We become vulnerable in our thinking. Satan first draws us away from the person of God through our misbelief that he can’t or won’t love us and care for us. Then he draws us away from his will. Once we are living outside of God’s will, in part or in whole, the destructive consequences of our actions also begin to take their toll. Paul warned us that if we sow to the flesh we reap destruction (Gal.6:8). We also continue to empower the enemy as we agree with him. That is how people, including Christians, become demonized. The demonic establishes a hiding place in our thought life and in our imaginations that begins to take control of part of our thought life. That part begins to influence all of our emotions and decision-making. Over time, he will gradually take more control over our thoughts until he controls great sections of our lives.

We cannot afford to think or speak in ways that are misaligned with the Father. His word, his perspectives, and his promises are truth. Jesus said that you will know the truth and truth will set you free. It will also keep you from being enslaved in the first place. Most Christians pay attention to their behaviors but not to their thought life. And yet, Paul instructs us to take every thought captive to Jesus. Whenever you assert God’s truth and continually find something within you pushing back strongly against that truth while giving you fifty reasons why it isn’t true for you, a stronghold is indicated. The truth of God along with the divine weapons of prayer, authority, and deliverance are in order. When you have broken that stronghold, then keep every thought aligned with the Father’s by making quick course corrections as you find yourself wandering from his truth. Paul tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom.12:2). A renewed mind is one that is fully aligned with God’s truth.

As our mind comes into alignment with the Spirit of God who longs to lead us into all truth, we are transformed. When we are transformed, the enemy can find no place in us. Watch your thoughts today and be blessed in Him.

The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. (Matt.8:8-10)

Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was astonished at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. (Mark 6:4-6)

As far as I know, Jesus was only amazed or astonished twice in all of the gospel accounts. Both moments revolved around faith. In Matthew’s account, a Roman centurion, who believed in Jehovah, had asked Jesus to heal his servant. When Jesus showed his willingness to heal the servant, the centurion saw no need for Jesus to go to his house but believed that if Jesus would only say the word, his servant would be healed. Even Mary and Martha, at the death of Lazarus, believed that if Jesus had been present he could have saved their brother. This centurion would have said that Jesus could have commanded healing no matter where he was and it would be done.

Part of the story, is that Jesus was called to minister only to Israel. He typically bypassed non-Jews. It’s not that he didn’t care, but simply was called to announce the good news to God’s covenant people first. However, this Roman soldier caught the attention of the Jewish Messiah and by his faith, even amazed Jesus.

The basis of the centurion’s faith seems to be found in his understanding of authority. Roman armies thrived on clear and unyielding lines of authority. Any breach of orders or failure to carry them out often resulted in harsh physical punishment or death. This centurion was used to his orders being carried out without question and was also quick to obey any he received. He, apparently, had seen Jesus heal by command and so understood that Jesus walked in some kind of supernatural authority. The authority of a command does not depend on the proximity of the one giving it to the one receiving it. Even if a command were conveyed 500 miles before it was pronounced, it carried the same authority. The centurion had no sense that Jesus needed to stand over his servant to command healing; he simply had to command it. I wonder if we, as Americans, struggle with healing so much because we have such a tattered view of authority.

The second astonishing event recorded in scripture was in the Messiah’s own hometown. Jesus had returned to Nazareth where he grew up. Even though stories of his miracles all around Israel were being reported in Nazareth, the lack of faith there amazed him. We are told that Jesus could do very little there because of their immense lack of faith. Apparently, because Jesus grew up there, they could only see him as Mary’s boy and could not open their hearts to the possibility that he was the Chosen One of God.

But why could Jesus do only a few miracles there? He performed notable healings over people who didn’t even know who he was and had no expectation of healing. Two things are suggested. One is that a lack of expectation, because we don’t know who Jesus is, hinders the move of God less than a negative expectation because we believe we know who Jesus is. It is harder to minister healing to a Christian who believes that Jesus no longer heals than to someone who knows nothing about Jesus. No expectation is easier to overcome than a negative expectation.

A second explanation is that Jesus couldn’t because God wouldn’t. On several occasions Jesus stated that he only did what he saw the Father doing. Even his healing was directed by the Father for the Father’s purposes. Luke tells us, “One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick” (Luke 5:17). Luke makes a point that Jesus was healing that day because the power of the Lord was present for him to do so. In the same way that God empowers us for ministry, Jesus was also dependent on God’s power. Perhaps, in Nazareth, God was not present in power because those who should have had faith in the Son, chose not to believe. God expected the Jews to have faith because they were children of the covenant, the audience of prophets, and the keepers of God’s promises. When they had hardened their hearts with unbelief, God would not act. That same mindset of unbelief among the Jews drove the apostle Paul to turn his ministry toward the Gentiles rather than God’s covenant people.

The irony in these two accounts is that the Roman centurion, raised as a pagan in a vastly pagan culture, believed to an astonishing degree while the majority of God’s people who awaited the Messiah would not believe. This irony points out the danger of man’s religion that, over time, often defines God and what he will do in very narrow terms. Anything outside the box is rejected as deception. Remember that the Pharisees, when confronted with the undeniable miracles of Jesus, simply declared that he was performing miracles by the power of Satan. In one sense, it was religion that crucified Jesus. The Centurion, on the other hand, probably had no defined theology about Jesus but new miracles and authority when he saw them and sensed that Jesus was certainly more than a man. His lack of religious definition opened him up to the possibility of Jesus.

I am not saying that we should not study the word and develop convictions about our faith. Scripture often talks about sound doctrine. The key is to always study with a mind that keeps asking God for a fresh revelation of Jesus by the Spirit who “leads us into all truth.” Many religious leaders, study scripture in an effort to find more passages and arguments that “confirm” what they already believe rather than studying to see if what they already believe continues to line up with God’s word.

The first approach makes God’s word fit their theology while the second approach bends a person’s theology to fit God’s word. The first approach, which Jewish scholars took in the days of Jesus, stifles faith because it rejects moves of God that do not fit in the well-studied box of theologians. The second approach continues to open us up to a greater revelation of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit and increases faith because we carry the view that we don’t yet have all the revelation of God that we need. As we see new things, we certainly need to test the spirits, but with a heart that is open to the possibility that God is up to something we have never seen before.

I don’t know about you, but I would love to think that I somehow astonished Jesus by my faith rather than by my unbelief. Lets continue to ask for greater faith and be open to new moves of God in these last days. Jesus said that those who believe in Him would do even greater things than he did. I wonder what those things will look like? Blessing in Him today.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. (Eph.1:17-20).

I’m often drawn back to this passage in Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. Ephesus was a prominent Greek/Roman city known most for the Temple of Diana (Artemis to the Greeks), which was one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. It was over 60 feet tall and larger than a football field. For those raised in Ephesus, pagan worship and, especially, the worship of Diana would have been as natural as breathing air. The religion would also have been given credibility by the massive and impressive temple, the thousands of pilgrims who came to it each year, the temple priesthood, and all the religious industry surrounding the temple. In the face of that presence, Paul preached a crucified carpenter who claimed to be the Son of God and the Jewish Messiah.

How do you overcome the imprint of that pagan religion left on the hearts and minds of those who were raised in the city of Diana? Paul understood that the natural senses and the natural mind would always be drawn back to the material and familiar. Because of that, his constant prayer was for the Spirit of God to give the followers of Jesus wisdom and revelation. The wisdom he prayed for was not accessible through Greek philosophy or Roman universities. Those sources could provide a worldly wisdom but God offers a spiritual wisdom – a wisdom from above. James speaks of God’s wisdom when he says, “Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (Ja.3:15-17).

Worldly wisdom is everywhere. It is on display right now in the presidential race – slander, lies, dirty tricks, etc. – all strategies to win at any cost so that later you can “do good.” Wisdom from above gives us an understanding of how God operates and how things operate in the spiritual realm. That wisdom gives us an eternal view on which to base our decisions and engages the spiritual realm in what we do. That wisdom can only come from the Spirit of God.

Secondly, Paul prayed for revelation, which includes wisdom but also includes spiritual truth that the world does not possess or comprehend. Paul continued his prayer asking that God would enlighten the eyes of the hearts of the believers at Ephesus that they might know the hope, the riches of their inheritance, and the power of the kingdom of God.

When the heart knows something from God, it has come by revelation rather than intellectual instruction. God seems more concerned about our hearts than our minds. In numerous places he talks about giving us new hearts, replacing a heart of stone with a heart of flesh, or writing his laws on our hearts. If we get something in our hearts then our minds will quickly follow. However, we can hold some truth in our mind that our hearts will never receive without revelation. God writes his truth on our hearts by a revelation of his Spirit. It enables us to understand the depths of God’s word, to hear his voice, or to see visions or hints of spiritual realities through the eyes of our hearts. All believers come equipped with “eyes of the heart” to see spiritual realities but, apparently, God has to open our eyes to those things.

Elisha’s encounter with the armies of Aram is an example. “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike these people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked” (2 Kings 6:15-18).

Elisha had both wisdom and revelation and by the eyes of his heart could see into the spiritual realm. He understood how God worked (wisdom) and he knew the truth that God was with him and always made him a majority in any battle. By faith he saw into the spiritual realm to confirm what God was doing so he had no fear. His servant lacked all of that so was terrified until God opened the eyes of his heart. At that moment he knew the power being exercised on his behalf.

None of that come to believers automatically. It comes by the work of the Holy Spirit activated by prayer. Since Paul expressed that prayer consistently, it might be a good idea for us to do the same – for ourselves and for others. Undoubtedly, God is pleased to give us those things but there seems to be accumulating deposits or Paul would have prayed only once. Make it a part of your daily prayer. You can’t get too much and heaven has plenty. It will make all the difference. Blessings in Him…and may you be filled with his wisdom, revelation, and enlightenment today.

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.” Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. (Dan.1:8-15)

Many believers are forced to work or live in environments that are hostile to their faith. It may be a corporation that supports liberal causes, a university classroom with a professor who flaunts his atheism, or a government that declares sin to be a civil right and biblical values to be hate speech and bigotry. How do we navigate such environments? Many believers have decided that a little compromise is the way to survive and even have influence in those environments. The idea is that you must be part of the system to influence the system or you must be “accepted” by the culture to have any impact on the culture. Many have determined to be silent about their values while trying to keep from totally compromising those same values. As our culture become more and more anti-Christ, the question of how to live as a believer and still influence our environment becomes more and more relevant.

Daniel is a perfect example of a believer in that situation. In the first chapter of Daniel we are told that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem and the city eventually surrendered. Babylon used a deportation strategy in conquering other nations. The strategy was to take their best and brightest young people, who would eventually become leaders in that nation, to Babylon where they would be absorbed by the culture. In doing so, they got the services of these talented young men and robbed the defeated nation of future leaders who might foment rebellion. Daniel was one of those young men.

Within a short time, Daniel faced a dilemma which called on him to compromise his faith in the seemingly unimportant area of Jewish dietary restrictions. Daniel and other young men from Judah were placed in the charge of Ashpenaz, a chief court official, who was told to serve them the best foods from the king’s kitchen and train them for three years to see who would rise to the top. Having been ripped up from their homeland, these “top students” had landed on their feet. They were placed on an upward career path that promised much in a foreign land. All they had to do was to learn the language, adapt to the culture, and fit in while maintaining the well known Jewish role of over-achiever. In those potential positions of power, they might even wield some influence for their God among the pagans.

Daniel, however, chose the path of uncompromising faith. He respectfully asked Ashpenaz to allow him to eat according to his faith so that he would not be defiled by a Babylonian diet. There was considerable risk in the request. First of all, the request might be seen as an insult in which Daniel would be touting the superiority of his faith and culture over the faith and culture of Babylon who had, by the way, just soundly defeated the Jews. Secondly, the request might smack of ingratitude. Daniel had been given an unbelievable opportunity considering his situation. He could have just as easily been executed or enslaved in years of hard labor. If he didn’t like the program, there were plenty of others who would jump at the chance to take his place. Thirdly, his request placed his overseer in the difficult situation of violating the king’s orders. Making waves was not the way to ingratiate himself to his supervisor and was certainly not the way to the top.

However, Daniel asked to be allowed to serve the king while maintaining the tenants of his own faith. He was respectful and sensitive to the position in which he was placing his supervisor. He made a request and not a demand and suggested a trial period to evaluate the values he was espousing for the organization. He made no demands that others must do as did and no arrogance was found in him. The result was that God gave him favor in the sight of his supervisor and after a trial period, his supervisor found Daniel’s diet to be very beneficial to the program. In fact, his dietary restrictions were adopted into the program.

Daniel served pagan kings for decades while being uncompromising in his faith. He served without bitterness, without deceit, and with unsurpassed integrity. His ability to hear God in the interpretation of dreams saved himself, his friends, and a number of Babylonian career politicians who served as “wise men” or consultants to the king. His witness for his faith and his influence on unbelievers around him came from the excellence and integrity he brought to every job that was assigned to him. The quality of his character and his work ethic caused him to stand out as a light in the darkness. As he advanced, others were jealous and at times tried to have him removed from office and even executed, but his integrity had been such that no grounds for indictment could be found.

Eventually, even Nebuchadnezzar was forced to declare that Daniel’s God was superior to all of his gods. Years later, under King Darius, Daniel was delivered from an unjust sentence to be eaten by lions for praying to his God. After a night with the lions, Daniel walked out unscathed. As a result Darius declared, “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed…” (Dan.6:26). Undoubtedly, Daniel answered questions about his God when asked but let his life and his uncompromising faith became his daily testimony.

To live and serve in a hostile culture requires faith that God is with us in every situation, in every corporation, and every classroom. At times, we must believe that he will give us favor so that we can live for him without compromise and, at other times, we must believe that he will provide protection when Satan stirs up the culture against us. The key however, is our uncompromising faith, our character, and the excellence we bring to whatever we do. It is found in loving and serving even our enemies and respectfully living out our faith while accepting the risk of doing so. God shows up in big ways for the faithful not for the compromising.

Ultimately, we must desire the promotions of God over the promotions of men. We cannot serve two masters – the culture and gods of the world or the culture and the God of Heaven. If you find yourself in a hostile place today, spend some time with Daniel and his friends for wisdom and encouragement. Be blessed, humble, and uncompromising today in your service and your character. It is that lifestyle that allows others to see Jesus and that causes men to ask about Him.

On the eve of Israel taking possession of the promised land, twelve spies were sent into Canaan to gather intel on the enemy. When they returned, ten of the twelve brought the following report: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan. Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”     But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud (Num.13:27-14:1).

The fear of ten men kept an entire nation and an entire generation from entering the inheritance God had given to them. Surely, Pharaoh and the Egyptian machine of conquest and enslavement had seemed impossible to overcome, but God had brought them out with miraculous plagues. Immediately they had crossed the Red Sea on dry ground and seen the Egyptian army swept away by water. God had fed them and provided water in an impossible dessert. He had shaken Mount Sinai and given them the Commandments. Israel had done none of those things in their own strength. God had done it all. But, within a few weeks of the Red Sea crossing, no faith could be found in those ten men.

Check their focus. Their view was only on the natural and their assessment was based only on their own strength and resources. In their own strength, they could not overcome such an enemy with such great cities and, in their minds, God was never part of the equation. They acknowledged that God’s description of the land was accurate – a land flowing with milk and honey – but somehow, they did not envision him leading them to victories as he had done only weeks earlier.   In the mind of Caleb and Joshua, God was the primary part of the equation. The only other part was whether God delighted in them or not and that depended on their faithfulness.

I like what Graham Cooke has to say about the question of whether God will be with us or not. He says, “Joshua and Caleb manifested what God had put in them: courage and faith. They knew everything came down to one simple issue – “If the Lord delights in us.” That was the question they wrestled with. Is God pleased with us or not? If He is, nothing can stop us. I can answer that question for every believer. He is. God is very pleased with each and every one of us. Why? Because He only sees us in Jesus. He cannot see us separate from his Son. Why wouldn’t he be pleased with you?” (Graham Cooke, Manifesting Your Spirit, p.73; Brilliant Book House).

Of course, our flesh can come up with a dozen reasons that God would not be pleased with us and in that perspective our heart fails like the ten spies. We know our sins, our dark thoughts, and the weaknesses that we despise. We assume the Lord despises us because of those things and so we assume he will not go with us into battle. Whether we are battling enemies, poverty, disease, addictions, or loneliness, when we look at our condition and resources rather than the heart of God and his resources, fear will win the day.

John tells us “if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn.1:7). Walking in the light does not mean sinlessness because in his letter, John is clear that we all sin. The idea is that as long as our face is turned toward God and we are moving in his direction – regardless of how slow the progress – then we are still in fellowship and the blood of Jesus covers our sin.

In the temple, the ark of covenant was the centerpiece of all things. It contained the Testimony or the Law of God, a golden pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod that had bloomed confirming his priesthood. On the top of the ark were two golden cherubim surrounding the mercy seat, which represented the throne of God. Cherubim are fierce angels that are equivalent to the palace guard. Their job is to keep any enemy and any offense from the presence of the King. As they stretched out their wings over the ark, it was as if they gazed upon the Law inside of the ark so that anyone who had violated the law would be condemned and kept from God’s presence. On the Day of Atonement, however, the high priest carried sacrificial blood into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled it on the ark. The symbolism, which pointed to Jesus, was that The Law was covered by the blood and it’s condemnation silenced. The cherubim could not see The Law for the blood. Any man represented by the blood could then continue in fellowship with the Lord.

As long as any believer still has his face or his heart pointed toward God, the blood keeps him in a state of perpetual purity. Therefore, God only sees the righteousness of Jesus when he looks at his children and, therefore, delights he in us. Because he delights in us, he is with us and will give us the victory. Like the ten spies, condemning, unbelieving, and critical voices can drown out our faith. Under the influence of those voices, we focus on ourselves and not the Lord and, by doing so, fail to enter his promises for us. He doesn’t keep us out; we simply won’t go in. The giants that we imagine and fear when we assess our own strength are like grasshoppers in the eyes of our Father – bugs to be stepped on.

As believers, we need to be aware of the voices we listen to. Fear and unbelief can be contagious. Find a few who are full of faith and focused on the Lord. They are the exceptions, so spend time with the exceptions not the crowd. Make sure you speak in faith and anticipation because of who God is, not because of who you are – except for who you are in Christ.

If the flesh does not agree with your declarations of faith and the goodness of God, don’t feel like a hypocrite. Paul himself experienced the conflict between his natural man and his spiritual man (Rom.7). Be led by your spiritual man and don’t count the natural man as who you are. Choose to focus on the character and capacity of God and you will not fall short of his promises. Faith is a gift and we need to guard it. We must watch our own words, our own reports and be aware of those being spoken around us. Seek out environments of faith and expectation, not doubt and unbelief. “For without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb.11:6).

Some of us relish the idea of being “different” or unique – the one standing out in the crowd. Others of us like to blend in and avoid being a center of attention. But the truth is that if you are a follower of Jesus, you are already different from all other people groups on the globe. You are set apart and unique and you need to not only get comfortable with the idea but also celebrate it.

God expressed his intent for a such a relationship when he spoke to Israel, saying, “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.            But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Deut. 7:6-8).

God declared this over Israel after he had delivered them from Egypt, but they experienced their position with God while in Egypt. After Moses had returned to Egypt to demand the release of God’s people, Pharaoh refused to let the Hebrews go. In response to Pharaoh’s refusal, God released ten plagues on the nation. It seems that the Hebrews experienced the first three just as the Egyptians did – the Nile was turned to blood, frogs infested the land, and gnats filled the air. The next scheduled plague was flies. However, God announced to Pharaoh, “On that day, I will deal differently with the land of Goshen (a province of Egypt, explanation added), where my people live. No swarms of flies will be there so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people” (Ex.8:22-23). The remainder of the plagues devastated the Egyptians but not God’s people. Even when darkness covered the land, there was light in Goshen. When the final plague took the firstborn of every person and animal, the Hebrews and their livestock were spared.

Later, in the days of Ezekiel when Israel had rebelled against the Lord for years, a subgroup within the larger population was set aside as unique to the Lord. “Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, ‘Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.’     As I listened, he said to the others, ‘Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark’” (Ezek. 9:3-6). In this context, God was forced to judge Israel for it’s rebellion, but even in the midst of this judgment, God marked those who had been faithful so that his judgment did not touch them. In the same vein, in the Book of Revelation during the great tribulation, God told his angels, “Do not harm the land or sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of God” (Rev.7:3). Two chapters later, God spoke to scorpions that had been released for judgment and said, “not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their forehead” (Rev. 9:4).

God marks his people and treats them differently from all other people on the earth because he has chosen them. The apostle Paul continued the theme of being set apart from all creation by God when he says of Christ followers, “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Cor. 1:21-22). Paul says in another place, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Eph.1:13-14). Peter put it this way. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pet.2:9).

As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are different. You walk around with the presence of God (the Holy Spirit) within you. You have been born again and made into a new creation. You are primarily a spiritual person rather than a physical or natural person. You are loved, chosen, marked, and elevated above all creation. You are so honored in Christ that Paul even says that you will judge angels (1 Cor. 6:3). You are a royal priest – anointed with the Spirit to offer praise, prayers and service to the King of the universe. Only priests minister in the presence of God. No one else has that kind of access. In the spiritual realm you are clearly marked as one belonging to God. His judgment will not touch you and you will be treated differently – as sons and daughters of the King.

You are different. You are chosen. You should at all times anticipate blessing and favor. You should not be proud but confident and thankful. You should expect significant spiritual assignments that mirror your significance as God’s anointed representative on the earth. One of Satan’s primary strategies is to deny who you are in Christ so that you might deny who you are in Christ. If you deny your identity, you will not live up to the privilege you have in Jesus. You will not walk in your inheritance and you will not fulfill your destiny. It is imperative that you know who you are; accept that you are different; and live up to that difference. With every thought, say what God says about you, call the devil a liar, and be blessed today in your difference.

In America today, any number of individuals who identify themselves as Christians are not affiliated with any local church. Their typical response to questions about their non-affiliation is simply that you can be a Christian without going to church or having any real connection to a local church. Some are part of the “electronic church” who watch their favorite evangelist on Sunday mornings or early weekdays and, perhaps, send in a donation from time to time. Others have been “wounded” by the actions of some in a church and so stay away from all churches. A third group has been disappointed in churches and felt that the churches they were involved in were missing the mark and were not spiritual enough. Those individuals tend to reject the organized American church as being unbiblical in some way and have settled into small house churches or family churches. They may visit local churches from tome to time to connect with people they know but still hold some disdain for the church. My question is, “Are these believers hearing from God in their rejection of church involvement?” I’m not using “church” here in the sense of the universal body of Christ, but rather of local congregations made up of segments of the body of Christ.

This discussion came up in my men’s group this morning so I reflected on it during the day. I think it may be an important question because so many believers feel no need for involvement in a church or, in fact, oppose involvement in anything that looks like a traditional church. I know I risk alienating some folks who fall into these categories (some of which are long time friends), but I want to share my thoughts on that.

First of all local, organized churches were God’s idea. The church at Jerusalem was by all definitions a mega-church the day the doors opened. Three thousand members became part of the church after Peter’s opening sermon and then grew exponentially from there. Churches were also identified and establishes in cities all over the Mediterranean – Ephesus, Corinth, Rome, Sardis, Laodecia, Antioch, etc. These churches had apostolic oversight, elders, deacons, evangelists, prophets and so forth. History, as well as the New Testament, tells us that they typically came together in one place on Sundays for communion, preaching, prophecy, revelation, and mutual encouragement and met in homes at other times. They had organized benevolence programs (Acts 6) and sent out and supported missionaries. They gave to the poor. They had conferences (Acts 15) and emphasized four things: the apostle’s teachings, communion, fellowship, and prayer (Acts 2:42). In other words, what those churches did under the direct oversight of the apostles was not so different from what most churches do today. My point is that God ordained local, organized churches.

The next question might be, “Okay, but can’t I just stay home and believe in God and Jesus and live a good life?” If you are asking whether or not you will go to hell if you don’t attend church regularly, I would say not because you didn’t attend church. If you are asking whether it is okay in the sight of God to stay home and be a spiritual “Lone Ranger,” I would definitely say “No!” The writer of Hebrews said, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb.11:25).

In addition to that admonition, in the New Testament there are a number of passages often referred to as the “one another passages.” They command things such as love one another, encourage one another, serve one another, pray for one another, teach one another, accept one another, admonish one another, and forgive one another. If we are not in fellowship with other believers and intentionally doing life together, those verses have little meaning. John tells us, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 Jn. 4:20). If you love someone you do not break off fellowship with them or abandon them by choosing to disconnect from God’s church. Some may respond that even though they don’t go to church they still have Christian friends that they love. Jesus said that even unbelievers love those who love them. Loving the unlovable is a mark of the true body of Christ. You definitely get that opportunity in churches, but not so much when you pick and choose those with whom you fellowship.

Thirdly, Lone Rangers and small house churches that reject organized churches rarely grow or turn the world upside down. They violate the “body principle” of First Corinthians. In chapter 12, Paul likens the church to a human body in which God has created different parts with different functions – each contributing to the welfare of the other parts. In chapters 12 and 14 he discusses spiritual gifts distributed by the Holy Spirit. He says that the Spirit gives different gifts to different people but all are to be exercised for building up the body of Christ and one another. God has created his church to be interdependent on one another – not self-sufficient. There is a synergism when the body with all its parts and gifts operate together. Individual believers or a few meeting in a house loose that synergism and rob God of a great deal of fruit that could have been born if they were working in tandem with large numbers of believers.

Finally, many will argue that they are not involved in a church because today’s churches have so many problems and are often “unspiritual.” Are you kidding me?! No one can top the church at Corinth for problems and a lack of spirituality. Leaf through Paul’s first letter. He calls them carnal not spiritual. He deals with divisions in the church, cliques based on spiritual pride, tolerating open immorality, lawsuits among believers, unhealthy marriages, issues with idolatry, abuse of the Lord’s supper, the misuse of spiritual gifts, disorderly worship and a total misunderstanding of the resurrection and end times. Yet he calls them the church of God at Corinth and those sanctified to be holy. This messy congregation was still part of the bride of Christ and loved by God. Nowhere does Paul suggest that the truly spiritual or wounded should jump ship and leave the church to create a their own personal church or watch church on television. God’s church has never been perfect. His will is for his people to stay, forgive if needed, continue to love God by loving his people, and be part of the solution rather than running away.

On top of that, as believers, we are in a war. Soldiers separated from the main body while in enemy territory are a great risk. If they have left the ranks on their own, they are no longer under authority so they have little or none of their own with which to face the devil.

I am not saying that once you are part of a congregation you should never leave. Sometimes God is calling you to another part of the body. There are congregations that are toxic. The message is not to give up on church in general or to isolate yourself from other believers. The message is not to give up on God’s ordained plan for the body of Christ simply because it is imperfect. God ordained marriage. We don’t give up on the institution simply because marriages are imperfect. If you have gone from church to church to church and find all of them intolerable then, perhaps, you have developed a spiritual cynicism that keeps you from seeing the good in any church. You may want to pray about that. God wants every believer connected in meaningful ways to many other believers for their own sake and for the sake of the kingdom. It’s not okay to be disconnected so if you have been out for a while, you may want to reconnect. Ask God to lead you.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)

Okay, let’s be honest. Don’t you just hate the verses above? Be joyful about all the trials you face in life! Be excited about being in a crisis that drags on so long that endurance becomes an issue! Let endurance have its perfect result! My natural man doesn’t want any part of that. I just want God to deliver me from every trial as soon as my first prayer hits the outskirts of heaven. In fact, why won’t God just keep trials from coming in the first place? A little speed bump once in a while would be okay but no storm tossed oceans please!

And yet the storms come anyway. Jesus told us so. “In this world you will have trouble” (Jn.16:33). The problem is that when we signed on to be a follower of Jesus, we were usually not told the whole story by well-meaning evangelists. Our introduction to following Jesus went sort of like old navy recruiting posters that declare, “Join the navy and see the world!” The background on the poster always had palm trees and sandy beaches or other exotic destinations like Tokyo. The impression was that a young man would sign up, do a little basic training and spend the rest of his tour in Hawaii or Tahiti or some pleasant, peaceful, exotic location. However, after signing up, he found himself in forty-foot seas in the frigid northern Atlantic, dodging missiles in the South China Sea, or sweating his way through the Panama Canal.

The fact is that those who follow Jesus are in a war against the world and the devil. Trouble is sure to come. We will experience protracted trials that tax us. There will be seasons of peace and blessing but those seasons will be punctuated by seasons of crisis. Most believers push back against that reality.

Graham Cooke puts it this way. Many Christians cannot tell the difference between warfare, adversity, the work of the cross and training for reigning. They don’t persist; they crumble. An instant society depletes our strength. People are in huge amounts of debt, because they cannot wait; they have not patience to save money, then purchase. They mortgage their future to buy trinkets and then declare that God is providing, which may be true. I mean, MasterCard sounds spiritual. A Visa gives you permission to enter, I suppose. Servicing the debt denies us true flexibility to serve the Lord…To say “yes” to Jesus we must say “no” to something else…

To be a world-class musician, athlete, or actor, it means we have to know what our distractions are going to be and plan to overcome them. We have to affirm the need for personal discipline and develop a desire for it. We have to endure hardness, learn to persist when people around us want to give up, and cultivate perseverance as a way of life. Ordinary people call it obsession because it suits their own purposes. It’s passion – an intense enthusiasm for something and it requires disciplined pursuit, a focus of attention that mediocre people never attain” (Graham Cooke, Coming into Alignment, p. 77-78, Brilliant Book House).

Whether we hate what James said about endurance or embrace it depends on our perspective of the Christian life. If our desire is to live in as much comfort as possible while coasting across the finish line then we avoid hardship at every turn and either despise the storms or puzzle about them. If, however, we reject spiritual mediocrity and desire to be great men and women spiritually, then we see storms as an opportunity to sharpen our skills, grow in strength, learn valuable lessons for the next storm, and to be heroic in the face of forty-foot seas.

Two teams face off for the super-bowl today. Both teams faced weeks of pre-season workouts, hours in the weight room, thousands of wind sprints, nagging injuries, a few hard losses, and criticism and stupid questions from the press. They didn’t laugh through all of that but they appreciate the values of hardship because it has made them hard for today’s game. Those hardships that lead to victory today make the victory even more valuable. Enduring the process has made them fitter, wiser, more talented, and hungrier for the win.

James’ little paragraph at the beginning of this blog is all about that. It’s not that we look for trials. We don’t have to; they are looking for us. But when they come, we see beyond the hardship and recognize the value of enduring, refusing to quit, and refusing to doubt. In the end we are stronger, wiser, more skilled in spiritual warfare, and hungrier for the win. That is when endurance has had its perfect work. Remember that in your trials because endurance will make champions of us all.

We are so much more beautiful than we know, and more powerful than we realize. Often when we are solely preoccupied with the present, we can lose sight of where we are going and who we are becoming. We get caught up with negatives, burdened by our sense of lack. At this point we need someone to tell us who we are in Christ. We need people to remind us of our true identity. We need our companions to speak into our future destiny. Someone needs to see the treasure and not just the earthen vessel. (Graham Cooke, Coming Into Alignment, p. 21. Brilliant Book House)

I like the way Cooke said that.  One phrase says that we need our companions to speak into our future destiny. That is another way of saying that we need to speak life over others. In the Kingdom, our “future destiny” is not so much about what we are going to do, but about who we are going to become. I’m more and more convinced that our sense of who we are in connection with whom God is, is everything.

Most of us, as believers, have a high view of God. We see him as majestic, powerful, able to do the impossible, eternal, loving, and good. However, we still tend to maintain a low view of ourselves coupled with the idea that we must constantly perform for our Heavenly Father in order to have his approval and in order for him to respond to our prayers. When our prayers aren’t answered immediately, our natural man wants to believe it is because we don’t “make the cut” with God and so we miss his favor.

That view of God’s love, favor, and who we are misses the gospel completely. Jesus died for our sins and God credited us with his righteousness. That is one, brief accurate expression of the gospel. We are always loved by God, who is always willing to act in our best interest, because we are always righteous in Christ. David had a prophetic handle on that truth we he said, “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does will never count against him” (Ps.32:1-2).

Because we are in Christ, God does not count our sin or our weaknesses against us. The sin that separates a man from God has been dealt with at the cross. God does not ignore our sins because he wants us to mature and become like Jesus, but he does not count them against us and hold a grudge because we stumbled. Paul tells us that “God calls things that are not as though they were” (Rom.4:17). God always has a future view so he sees you as the finished product of his grace rather than as the struggling person you may be today.

God wants us to do the same for ourselves and for others. I might not yet have great faith, but a prophet will address me as a man of faith because that is who I am in the eyes of God who sees me in the future. He is making me into that, so that is who I am to him. When that is spoken over me, my identity is shaped by that declaration or descriptor. Not only that, but it puts something into play in the spiritual realm to help make that a reality. When I say what God says about myself or others, then it is his word being declared and his word always fulfills his purpose.

When I can begin to see myself as God sees me, then my faith can rise because I know he loves me, esteems me, and has a great destiny for me. I will have assurance that he will answer my prayers, provide for my needs, and protect me from the enemy because he delights in me. Will he discipline me at times? Yes, because he loves me and is shaping me into my destiny. But you are always so welcome in the throne room of your Father who is eager to do good for you and he wants you to know that. Today, speak well of yourself because your heavenly Father does and be a source of blessing to those around you by the words you speak over them.

Have you ever been hurt by a church, or more accurately, someone within your church? Many believers stay away from organized churches because they were once wounded by some leader in a church or some “charter member” who had been there since the first brick was carted onto the property. When that happens, many individuals feel wronged by the entire church or by God himself.

A number of years ago, I tried to share my faith with a man that I worked with. I knew he did not go to church so I was trying to turn every conversation into a discussion about the Lord. One day he simply told me that he was not interested in anything having to do with church. He went on to tell me that at one time he and his wife had both been very involved in a church and had served in numerous ministries. But one day he had come home unexpectedly and found his wife in bed with his best friend who also was very involved in his church. He felt betrayed by God who had “let that happen” and by church people who apparently were all hypocrites. He had generalized the offense from two people failing God, to God himself and the entire world-wide church. He had never been back to any church. I have met numerous people in my lifetime who have done the same thing when they were wounded or disappointed by something that occurred in their church.

We should not be surprised because Satan does his best work within the church. Scripture warns us of that reality over and over. On numerous occasions, Jesus spoke of the religious leaders of the Jews as children of Satan and sons of hell. These men thought that they were incredibly spiritual and pleasing to God and yet they were deceived. That deception caused many to stay away from embracing God. Jesus declared, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are” (Mt.23:13-15). Satan had taken what was holy and over a period of years had perverted the heart of Judaism, turning it into rules made by men rather than a guidebook for building a relationship with God. Their hypocritical way of life and burdensome rules kept people away from the Lord.

Paul encountered the same demonic tactics. Writing to the church at Corinth about men who were trying to undermine his ministry there, he wrote, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Cor. 11:13-15).

Jude was forced to write about the same phenomenon. He said, “ I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 3-4). In addition, Paul warned Timothy by saying, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Tim.4:1-2).

We need to understand that Satan has an active ministry within the church. Where else would he direct his best efforts? The church is God’s only instrument for distributing his grace to a lost world so why would he not infiltrate the church in order to destroy it?

Toward the end of World War ll, it was discovered that Germany had built cities just like cities in America and had trained German spies to blend in with American culture, speak perfect English, discuss baseball, be well versed in American history, dress like Americans and order food that Americans liked. The plan was to infiltrate the American army and America itself with perfect replicas of the average American whose plan was to confuse and destroy Germany’s enemy. Satan does the same in the Lord’s church.

John spoke of such men when he said, “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (1 Jn.2:18-19). Those men had been part of the church, had fellowshipped with the saints, and probably led ministries but John declared they were not members of Christ but rather those who were controlled by the spirit of Anti-Christ.

We will inevitably be wounded, betrayed, or offended by people in the church. Some are simply broken people, immature in Christ (even long time attenders can remain spiritual children). These individuals have been victimized by Satan. They carry deep wounds and fulfill the adage that “hurting people hurt other people.” Others are unknowingly under the strong influence of Satan and believe they are serving God while all the time they are doing Satan’s work. Still others apparently arrive with clear and willful agendas to damage the church.

So, what are our takeaways? First of all, don’t be surprised when some people in the church fail you or act badly. We are all still in process and will fall short of the glory of God in our bad moments. Some are plants of the enemy so don’t ascribe their behavior to the whole family of God or God himself. Choose not to be easily offended and do not generalize the failure of a few to represent the many. Secondly, don’t let Satan win. Make biblical responses to bad actors applying grace and forgiveness as needed. For those serving Satan without repentance, the leaders of the church must discipline them and escort them to the door.

We must remember that we are in a war and that war is sometimes fought within the confines of the church – especially when we have been infiltrated by enemy agents. Now, please don’t accuse everyone with whom you have differences or who had been rude to you of being pawns of Satan and anti-Christs. Mostly, we will encounter broken people whose pain spills over onto others. But remember, that even within the walls of God’s church our struggle is not against flesh and blood. Don’t be surprised by it and do reject the body of Christ because of it. In the end, those who stick will win and a generous application of grace and love towards those who have wronged us neutralizes the venom from the serpent. Be blessed today in Him.