Replacement Soldiers

You therefore must endure hardship
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself
with the affairs of this life,
that he may please him who enlisted him
as a soldier. 2 Titus 2:4-5

This world is not always a comfortable place to be. That is because we are strangers here. We are not citizens. And we are not here permanently. But there is more to the discomfort we experience, because we also are not guests. We are instead soldiers in a spiritual war. And we are a special kind of soldier.

The spiritual war has been going on for a long time, since the very beginning as recounted in Genesis. So we aren’t the first to be called to fight; we are the latest in a long line. When a nation goes to war, the first soldiers are those who have been soldiers for a while. They are trained and ready. Their equipment has been tested. Their supplies are in place. If the battle continues, more soldiers are deployed. Eventually the well-trained and fully equipped soldiers are all fighting. What happens, if still more soldiers are needed? The reservists are called up, and the nation asks for more citizens to enlist. These replacements do not have time for the training given to the soldiers who were called first.

We are the replacements. We go into the fight and learn about the battle as we fight. But God has not sent us out unequipped. He has given us tools and strength and power to withstand the evil in the world. He has sent His spirit to give us guidance. We are fully equipped to stand firm in the spiritual battle.

Be strong with the Lord's mighty power.
Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm
against all strategies and tricks of the Devil.
For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood,
but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world,
against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world,
and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil,
so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Eph. 6:10-13

Dear God, Don't Change!

God is not a man, that he should lie;
neither the son of man, that he should repent:
hath he said, and shall he not do it?
or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Num 23.19

…. the goodness of God endureth continually. Ps 52.1

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good?

none is good, save one, that is, God. Luke 18.19

For I am the LORD, I change not;

therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Mal 3.6

I sometimes think that every time we speak of God, we should start with these verses. We need to be reminded of the constant goodness of God. Even a good man can do bad things. But God cannot be less than a perfect God, and that means that He has to be good always. Do you want to trust a god who may not be good? Do you want to rely on a god that will let you down? You might as well rely on winning the lottery or discovering that you really do have a rich uncle. God has to be reliable, otherwise our faith is worthless.

God keeps reminding us that He is reliable. He is always good. So if someone teaches you that God can do something evil, that teaching is wrong.

The verse from Malachi says that God does not change. That is essential to us, because if God can change, he might change and do something evil. God does not change, but circumstances change. We do not live under the same set of “rules” that people did in the Old Testament, but God is the same, and He has not changed. Unlike men, when God institutes a new set of “rules”, He always tells us. God sent Jesus to bring in the new “rules” and He sent the Apostles to give us more guidance about His new covenant.

Untrackable

...to me -- the less than the least of all the saints -- was given this grace, among the nations to proclaim good news -- the untraceable riches of the Christ. Eph 3.8

The good news proclaimed by Paul is the good news of Christ. It is God's grace to make available the riches of His promises to the Gentiles. Before this, the Jews alone were the Chosen of God. But this untrackable, unsearchable news is that salvation would be available to everyone. The news is untrackable because it was hidden in the old testament - it could not be searched out.

Warning Danger!

Holy Ground Outreach is passing on a message from Marietjie Chase. We believe that this is an important message, and that it speaks to today's circumstances and dangers.


Dearly Beloved,
If I knew that there was a deadly virus in a certain kind of canned tuna, would you get offended if I send you an e-mail warning you of the possible danger in it??? Would you understand that I love you and do not want you to get sick or even die. Would you at least consider avoiding the tuna for a while or investigate for yourself to see if my warning could be substantiated? Please, listen to me then because my warning is about something more sinister and serious than a can of tuna.
"In the last days" says the book of Joel and quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost, "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh." It continue to speak of dreams and vision and other signs. Jesus did signs, wonders and miracles. The Bible is stuffed with examples of supernatural experiences and we are living in a time where all these things are happening again.
So what's the danger??? We are not the only ones knowing about the supernatural. Wherever there is the true, there is the counterfeit. There are such a things as false signs wonders, dreams and visions. Lets have some discernment. And since discernment partly comes by experience, please listen to those who have been going at this for a while.
Please search the scriptures. Please do not be deceived. There are so many strange and seemingly purposeless things being chased by people in the church at this time. Could we please not park our brains. Keep the focus on Jesus and Him crucified. The true Spirit of God does not mind to be tried and tested. As a matter of fact we are told to try the spirits.
Come on dear, precious saints, let's not be blind, ignorant and arrogant. The price is to high. At least use some caution. Yellow light! Yellow light!
With love and prayer
Marietjie




Please also see these:
AFCI webpage

Ambassadors for Christ Intl.

Cookies Anyone?

God makes a lot of promises in His Word, but nowhere does He promise us happiness. He does offer joy, but joy is always a result of our relationship with Him. Joy can exist in the midst of great trouble. God’s greatness does not depend on our emotions. His power is undiminished even if we ignore Him. His authority is unchanged even if we don’t believe in Him. His love is steady even if we don’t return His love. He is not dependent on our love, our prayers, our belief or our knowledge of Him.

God was God before there were people or an earth for us to live on. He will be God no matter how we treat Him. So our love, prayer, belief and knowledge of Him benefit only us, not God. The feelings of love and closeness to Him are an extra blessing He grants us. Think of Noah, the only man on earth to still believe and follow God. How discouraged he must have been, all those years building the ark during a time when no rain fell and those around him mocked and scorned his work.

At God's direction Elijah hid from King Ahab. His time away from people must have been a time of closeness with God, with God’s faithfulness manifested twice a day, when the ravens brought him food. But how lonely he must have been, to awaken every morning knowing that he would not hear a human voice or feel the touch of another’s hand.

If you go to God only in the good times, or because you experience a good feeling, you go to Him for the wrong reasons. If you go to God only in the bad times, when you need help or are in crises, you go to Him for the wrong reasons. We should go to God not because we want or need something, but because He is God. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and He is our Father who loves us. We should simply desire to be near Him. In the process, we’ll end up being blessed.

We have two dogs. One is silly and foolish, but if you call her, she comes. She will sit next to someone who is tired or upset. The other dog is sly and wayward. If you call him, he ignores you, or walks back slowly. But if you say “Want a cookie?” he runs right in. He doesn’t really want to behave or to be close to his people. He doesn’t want to please and he doesn’t feel more than a selfish love. He loves what we offer: a cookie. So if we go to God only to get something, we treat Him like the cookie-god.

Journey

And the man wondering at her held his peace,
to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. Gen 24.21

What is the purpose of a journey? The quick and easy answer is, “to get from one place to another”. In a simple, physical journey, the process and the destination are obvious. You get in the car (bicycle, airplane, train) and go to your destination. But there are other kinds of journeys. There is the journey from childhood to maturity. There is the journey from foolishness to wisdom. There is the journey to spiritual closeness with God.

And what do these journeys have in common?

• They take time
• They take effort
• You do not end in the same place you started
• A journey often involves hardship or unexpected experiences
• You cannot unlearn your experience
• Journeys can result in a positive or negative end point
• You often gain completely unexpected insights
• When you arrive, the journey is over
• If you do not make the effort to begin and direct the journey, you will be carried to destinations you do not desire
• Trust in the Lord is essential if the destination is to be positive

Think of all the journeys in the Bible. A few of the most well-known:

• The journey of 40 years in the wilderness
• The journey of Abraham in looking for a place to settle
• The journey of Paul to spread the Gospel

All these journeys involved a time in the wayside, a time of hardship because the comforts of home were left behind. They all had a purpose, but the purpose is God’s, not the purpose of the people who made the journey. This is because the journey was directed by God and empowered by their trust in God. And the destination, while unexpected at the beginning, resulted in more bounty than expected. Those who made the journey experienced unexpected events, and learned and grew because of these events. Just like these people who successfully completed their journeys, we should trust in God to guide our steps; but it is up to us to begin the journey while trusting God.

And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey,
save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse. Mark 6.8

Deborah the Prophetess

And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment…. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. Judg 4.4-5, 8

We know what Deborah did, but not who she really was. We don’t know what she looked like or what her personality was like. At the time she judged Israel, the country was under attack. A Canaanite King, Jaban, sent his army under the command of Sisera, to conquer the land. Barak was the General in charge of the Israelite army, the most experienced military man Israel had. But when Deborah tells him to attack Sisera’s army, Barak will not go unless Deborah goes also.

So what do we know about Deborah? She was married and had judged Israel for some time. Deborah was not a young, inexperienced woman. She was used to hearing the disputes of the people of Israel, and listening to God as she decided between them. She was married, and her husband must have been a man of great strength and understanding. She probably had children, and maybe grandchildren. She had a few grey hairs, a few wrinkles, a few extra pounds. I like to think that she was the type of person who liked to knit.

But she was a Prophetess for God. The people of Israel had great respect for her as the foremost spiritual leader in the land. She heard from God, and spoke His words to the people. She was held in such great respect that Barak, the General of the Army, would not go to war unless she came with him. And she did go with him, many miles, probably on foot, into the hills around Mt. Tabor. The journey cannot have been easy for her. But she was obedient to the direction from God. The power and accuracy given to her in the knowledge of God had nothing to do with what she looked like, but everything to do with her humbleness to God’s leading and her willingness to be obedient to God.

God's Words

Thy Word is a Light unto my feet
and a light unto my path. Ps 119.105

Why is this verse so important? Why is it one of the basic truths we come back to again and again? Simply because “the Word” are the Words God has given to us; they are His communication with each of us. And how else do we know God? Anything a man thinks about God is like the ant who tells his friend what people are like. Only God himself can tell us what He thinks, what He has done and what He has provided to us.

God Himself emphasizes the importance of scripture. He tells us that His Word
“never came by the will of man,
but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” I Peter 1.21
We are instructed to hold “forth the word of life” Phil 2.16
It is through the Word that we have “the word of truth, the gospel of salvation” Eph 1.13 It is truly “the word of truth”. II Tim 2.15
And God’s Word is powerful. It is
“quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged 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”. Heb 4.12

The longest Psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible is #119. Every verse mentions God’s Word, sometimes calling it a statute, law, commandment, testimony, precept or judgment. Every verse underlines how wonderful God’s ways are and how completely He has provided for us.

God reassures us through His Word.
Because of it, we know that God does not change. "For I am the LORD, I change not;
therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." Mal 3.6
We know that He is faithful to His promises.
“…what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” Ro 4.21

It is only through knowledge of scripture that we can remain stable in our understanding of God and His ways. It is like a gyroscope to keep us balanced; like a compass to point us in the right direction.

Move On

Build ye houses, and dwell in them;
and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters...
And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it:
for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. Jer 29:5-7

What odd advice this is. These are the instructions God give to His people when they are about to go into captivity in Babylon. Jerusalem has been destroyed, and those people who are not captured will die of disease or famine. And God tells the remainder of the people to just go on with their lives!

And yet, what good advice this is. The captives have no choice about where they will live. They cannot go back to their old lives. Instead, they must go on; they must build new lives; they must plant, and grow crops and eat the harvest in a new land. They must raise families in a new place, different from where the parents grew up.

But the most extraordinary part of this advice is for the Israelites to seek the peace of the city and to pray for it. The city is the dwelling of their captors; the city of Babylon. They will live among their conquerors, and still they should pray for these people. But this is necessary if they are truly to build new lives. They cannot spend their energy seeking revenge or expecting a quick return to Jerusalem. So if they are to prosper, they must settle down and make new lives. They must move on to their new lives and seek peace.

Although these instructions are given to a nation just destroyed in war, it is applicable to our lives. Lives do not remain static, and when our lives do change, we must move on. In response to disappointment, loss, or sorrow, we must build new lives. We must plant where we are, and grow and harvest, not where we wish we were, but where we actually are. We cannot delay in building families because we are looking back to an old life. And wherever we are, we must seek the peace of that place. If we do this, we too will have peace. We too, must move on.

The Will to Win

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness from on high. Eph 6.12

We are in a battle. And this battle is just a small part of the war. We will see only a small part of the entire struggle between God’s people on the earth now and the forces of spiritual wickedness that are loose in the world. But we are part of that struggle. We are warriors in the war against spiritual wickedness from on high. The wickedness is “from on high” because the source of this wickedness is of heavenly origin or nature.

How can this be? It is because the source of the wickedness is the fallen angels led by Lucifer, the Angel of Light (…for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light… II Chr 11.14). Each one of us is a soldier in this war. We are in a battle, whether or not we believe it. We are in a war, whether or not we choose to fight. Is it any wonder that we feel assaulted? Is it any wonder that we feel besieged by the evil that surrounds us?

So what happens when an army has soldiers who will not fight? What happens when an army has soldiers who do not even think they are at war? Can that army be effective? Can that army win? We must have the willingness to resist evil, to pick up the weapons God has given us. Without the willingness to use what God has given us, we will be overtaken individually by the deceptions of our adversary.

…take unto you the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day… Eph 6.13

Seasons and Times

To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecc 3.1

In this verse, these two words are used together. They appear to have the same meaning, but if they do, why use both words? Because both are used, they must have different meanings. A “season” is a set time, an appointed time. A “time” is a fit or a proper time.

We know that events have seasons. Spring follows winter, adolescence follows childhood, and knowledge follows study. Some seasons follow a cycle and repeat, like the seasons of the year or the days of the week. Other seasons follow a growth pattern: birth, childhood, adulthood, age, death. Seasons are set in time because there is a proper length for each event. Seeds take a certain number of days to germinate. Winter comes to an end when spring warms the weather.

But a “time” refers to an event that lasts the correct amount of time, where one event replaces the previous one at the proper time. If you are a farmer, it is important that spring replaces winter at the proper time, and that summer has the proper amount of rain and sun. A child should grow into adulthood neither too soon nor too late. If the growth season is improper for the crops or for the child, the maturity of the product will be stunted or damaged.

The verses that follow the one above all use “time” but not “season”, because there is a proper time for all these events, not just a season when they occur. There is a proper time for birth, death, planting, harvesting, weeping, mourning, laughter, dance.

Trust in him at all times;
ye people, pour out your heart before him:
God is a refuge for us. Ps 62.8

The Other Twin

The Bible uses something called “types” to teach us. Adam is a “type” for Jesus. Jesus is referred to as “the last Adam”. This is because there is something about Adam, and his relationship to Jesus, that can teach us about what Jesus accomplished. The 40 years that the Hebrews wandered in the wilderness and the deliverance into the Promised Land is a “type” for our individual search for God, and the deliverance fulfilled in the promise of the Christ. There are a multitude of types.

When we are without God, our nature is called “natural man”. After we obtain salvation, we receive the Spirit of God within, called “the new birth”. From this point on, the old man (natural man) struggles with the new man (godly man). When we obey God, the new man walks “by the spirit”. When we do things our own way, the old man walks “by the flesh”.

Jacob is a type for salvation through the belief in Christ. (see the posts “Names, part I” and Names, part II” on Dec 10 and Dec 17). Jacob had a twin, Esau. Esau is a “type” for the natural man, the way of the flesh or the world.

Esau was born first, just as we are born into the world without the spirit of God.
And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. Gen 25.25

Jacob was born second, just as we are reborn when we accept Christ.
And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob. Gen 25.26

The Christian encounters the struggle between God’s way and his own way; the struggle between the spirit and the flesh.
And the children struggled together within her… Gen 25.22

The name “Jacob” means “supplanter” because the walk by the spirit should replace the walk by the flesh.

But the natural man, the man without God despises the things of God. They are valueless to him.
And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? …Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright. Gen 25.32, 34

But in the end, when Christ returns, we shall be changed, our corrupt natural bodies changed into the incorruptible, and we will then be with Christ. The old man shall be no more.
And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken. Obad 1.18

God never hated the man, Esau. But when we follow the flesh, we walk away from God. God is telling us that He hates everything that takes us away from Him. God loves the relationship with His people. He loves to be close to us. He loves all of us.
I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Mal 1.2-3

God has provided us a path away from the corruption of the world; a way to be reborn into the hope of salvation and everlasting life. It is through the resurrection of Christ that we can be reborn into the blessings of God. When Christ is Lord in our lives, we walk according to the spirit. God’s promise was always a promise of blessing and life.

New Mercies Every Morning

It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning:
great is thy faithfulness. Lam 3.22-23

These two verses are so peaceful, so trusting of God. It seems that the writer must be experiencing the mercies of God, new ones appearing every day. But they are from a prayer in the middle in the book of Lamentations. The writer of Lamentations is probably Jeremiah, and it is written just after the destruction of Jerusalem and the conquest of the Kingdom of Judah by Babylon. It is truly a dark and discouraging time. Lamentations is a funeral dirge for the destruction.

Jeremiah’s sorrow is particularly deep. He spent over 40 years calling the people back to God, pleading with then to change so that this destruction could be avoided. He has watched this misery approaching, knowing that it could be avoided, but the people will not return to God. Now he sees the result – a destroyed city, the Temple looted, most of the people taken captive, and the remainder left to disease and starvation.

Jeremiah reflects on the destruction of the city and his despair is bottomless. The only hope he has, the only thing he can look forward to, is the renewed mercies of God. Jeremiah knows that God is always faithful and compassionate. Even in the darkest times, God has a way for his people to go, and in the end will be a blessing. For the people of Jerusalem, the promise God gave them was He would restore the Temple and the people would return to the city. But because they had disobeyed for so long, it would take 70 years of captivity before this would happen. Jeremiah found this hope in the mercy of God to be the surest relief for his sorrow. His prayer is a reminder of the blessings of God, even at the darkest time.

Consistently Persistent

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.
For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea
driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive
any thing of the Lord. James 1.6-7

One of our instructions for prayer is that we should pray with consistency – that’s the “nothing wavering” part of the verse. Most obviously, you shouldn’t pray to have something one day, and then pray not to have it the next. But very few of us are so mixed up that we pray for opposites.

So where does “nothing wavering” lead us? This gets a little trickier. It’s easier to be eager for something one day, and not so eager the next. If you pray for something today, and pray every day for a month, and you don’t get it, what will you do? Give up? Keep praying? Pray but only a little?

God never promised to answer all prayers immediately. Some prayers cannot be answered immediately. If you pray for greater wisdom, God will give it to you, but becoming wise takes time. If you give up on this kind of prayer after a short time, you will never see the result you desire. Effective prayer is consistently persistent. It persists over time, and is consistent regardless of circumstance.

Round the world

…in that night there shall be two in one bed;

the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

Two women shall be grinding together;

the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Two men shall be in the field;

the one shall be taken, and the other left. Luke 17:34-36

When Jesus was teaching his disciples about the future, he described the day he would return as the triumphant Christ. Jesus taught that it is impossible to know the day or time of the return. But he did say that at the time of the return, some people would be “taken” and some “left”. We know that those of us who have believed will be taken to be with Christ. Others will be left on earth.

But what more can we learn from this description? Jesus described people doing three things: asleep in bed, grinding, and in the fields. Sleep is for the nighttime. Grinding is done first thing in the morning. The women go up on the rooftops when it is cool, and grind enough for the day’s meals. Field work is for the middle of the day, after breakfast is eaten. So how can the return of Christ take place at night, at dawn, and at noon? Only if the world is round.

As far as the east is from the west,

so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Ps 103.12