12.26.09

The Day After Christmas

Posted in Uncategorized at 3:45 pm by Admin

Ah, the day after the big holiday. The kids  can now play with their toys. The adults can sit around or play with the kids. The shopping and feast preparation stresses are done. In many ways my family enjoys this day after peace more than the event filled Christmas day itself.

This calm reminds me that the acknowledgement and retelling of the Christmas story are important, but what about life after? Has the Christmas event, and the Easter event, really made a difference? That depends on us. Have we received God’s gift of love? Have we in turn given him the gift of our hearts. The newborn king is now the Kings of Kings. Are we submitted to Him? Does he have our loyalty and obedience? The gospel is good news to those we receive it. The Kingdom of God is here and is coming. The Kingdom of God is near yet delayed. For those surrendered to the King he is truly the Prince of Peace. I pray that you know him and that this season after Christmas is rich with His presence.

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12.21.09

Fourth Sunday of Advent 2009

Posted in Uncategorized at 8:42 am by Admin

I love this season! We had the annual Christmas pageant yesterday at church. It was fun to see my grandkids, all 4 of them, and so many other members of the church family work together to retell the story of Jesus’ birth. I love how the youngest generation is learning the story. God is good and His Kingdom continues to advance. Herod, Rome, the Jewish leaders in the 1st century, even satan himself cannot prevail. Merry Christmas and maranatha!

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05.08.08

40 days of faith, week 6 day 4

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:56 am by Admin

The topic today is authority versus power. Gary Best reminds us that Jesus’ mind-boggling authority flowed out of his relationship with God the Father. So, for us today the invitation to draw near to God includes the invitation to walk through this day with all the authority of heaven behind us. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you,” James 4:8. I love the scripture that’s highlighted in the devotional for today. From Luke 10:21-24 we read, “ At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.  “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then when they were alone, he turned to the disciples and said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen. 24 I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.” Together on the journey,Craig

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05.07.08

40 days of faith, week 6 day 3

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:55 am by Admin

The difference between authority and power is the topic today. I was reminded of an old illustration. A policeman carries a gun with the permission of the municipality for whom he works. The gun represents power. His badge and the rest of the uniform represent the authority granted him to carry and use that gun when necessary. Seeing the whole package, uniform, badge and gun causes most of us to take notice. If we’re told to pull over while we’re driving we do it. The size and physical strength of the officer don’t matter. The authority represented in the badge, together with fear of the power in the gun, cause most citizens to do what they’re told by a policeman. Let’s look again at the great commission. “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” Matthew 18-20. Then from 2 Cor. 5:20 we read “So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Today you, we, have the authority of the great God of the universe behind us. We are sent as His ambassadors to advance His kingdom. Together on the journey,Craig

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05.06.08

40 days of faith, week 6 day 2

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:56 am by Admin

The reading for today is really one of those “where the rubber meets the road” messages. Gary does a good job describing the tension of the already of the kingdom with the not yet. The call is for us to persevere. I am reminded of Ron’s word for us on Sunday. He said that the keys to persevering are to 1) embrace weakness, 2 Cor. 12:7, 2) focus on truth through Bible reading and prayer, 2 Tim. 3:16-17; John 5:19, and 3) engage, i.e. pray for people, participate in the kingdom. Today I want to encourage you to stay engaged. Remember, “Jesus wasn’t just committed to a short-term win; he was dedicated to them (his followers) ultimately winning the war against Satan.”  Together on the journey,Craig

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05.05.08

40 days of faith, week 6 day 1

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:54 am by Admin

I would like to quote from page 213 of Naturally Supernatural. “Satan’s domination is not so secure or extensive that your situation is hopeless. In fact, the kingdom is already upon all and our salvation is at hand! Every time we cast out a demon or pray for physical sickness or injury, we are making this statement of faith: Though in some ways it is delayed, the rule of God has come and will come and the gates of hell will not be able to prevent its fulfillment. Every time a body is healed, every time a life is freed, the spell of Satan’s despair is weakened, the crack in the door to his dungeon is widened and light streams in. When we pray, we are reaching for the kingdom and proclaiming that it is within reach. If I don’t see it today, I may tomorrow or the following day. If I cannot pray from faith, I pray from hope. When I am relatively hopeless, I pray out of principle – the strong man has been fatally wounded and his time is short. I have been commissioned to take the plunder (Luke 11:21-22; Matthew 28:18-20).” 

I love this message. Today let’s be engaged. Let’s look and listen for what the Father is doing around us. His kingdom has come. 

Together on the journey,Craig

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05.02.08

40 days of faith, week 5 day 5

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 6:11 am by Admin

Freedom, what a great word. Today we read several stories of people experiencing freedom from the oppression of Satan and his demons. Some stories were of quick deliverance and at least one was the telling of a process of deliverance that took 5 and a half years. What the stories had in common was to remind us that Jesus came to bring freedom from the enemy’s grip and that people like us get to minister that freedom to others. In 1 John 3:8 we read, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” In James 4:6-8 it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” Today I want to encourage you to draw near to God. Ask God to give you eyes to see and ears to hear what he is doing today. He just might use you, or me, to bring freedom to someone in bondage. In Jesus we are set free. In him we have also been chosen to bring that freedom to the oppressed.  Together on he journey,Craig

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05.01.08

40 days of faith, week 5 day 4

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 6:02 am by Admin

Wow, truth is powerful. Didn’t you enjoy reading the 2 stories of men who were miraculously set free by God’s truth? Today I want highlight a couple concepts. First, in the very first paragraph of today’s reading Gary shares the key to really knowing the truth. “If we are to bring Good News of the kingdom to the oppressed effectively, we must understand the power of the truth, base our lives and thinking on it and be able to speak it with authority. This means cultivating an ever-deepening relationship with Jesus, who is truth embodied. It also means faithfully studying and meditating on the scriptures, the soil of truth out of which the Holy Spirit speaks and guides (2 Timothy 3:16).” I also love the sentence “The truth of God is a profound invitation into who we are in his image and who can become.” Finally the last paragraph in the reading for today is especially encouraging, “What do these two stories tell us about the power of God’s truth? Simply this: Just as Satan sows seeds of doubt to begin his process of destruction, the truth that comes from God begins to crack the seemingly secure walls of spiritual dungeons so that the captives can be released.” Let’s be people of the truth. May we know Jesus better, study his word and live it. May the truth flow through us and set captives free.  Together on the journey,Craig

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04.30.08

40 days of faith, week 5 day 3

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 6:00 am by Admin

The assigned reading in Naturally Supernatural for today is on the restoration of Jesus. What an encouragement the whole reading was to me. Jesus has countered every attack and scheme of the enemy, praise God! His, God’s kingdom has come. On page 170 the 3 bullets at the bottom of the page summarize some hugely important truths.

 -         Satan came with doubt and deception: Jesus invariably spoke the truth.

-         Satan’s goal was always separation from God through these lies; like a shepherd, Jesus’ goal was to find the lost sheep and bring them home.

-         Satan’s ultimate intention was disintegration and destruction; Jesus came to bring freedom.

All 3 of these points are very scriptural. In John 8:32 Jesus said “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” In Ephesians 2:14 we read, “He has broken down the wall of hostility that used to separate us.” In Acts 10:38 it says, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” Be blessed to go through your day today filled with hope and faith. May God use us to bring truth, reconciliation and freedom to others today.  Together on the journey,Craig

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04.29.08

40 days of faith, week 5 day 2

Posted in 40 Days of Faith at 5:57 am by Admin

Wow, what a sobering reading today. Gary reminds us that we are at war. He describes the ancient conflict between the kingdoms of darkness and light. Gary points out that Satan’s strategy usually starts with deception, proceeds by appealing to independence from God, then finally to bondage. In the garden the serpent started with the question, “did God really say…?” to plant doubt in Adam’s and Eve’s mind. Today we still hear that. “Did God really say…?” still works. I want to encourage all of us to take seriously the plain things we know that God has said. A foundation of knowing the scriptures is critical in our ability to stand up to Satan’s deception. Knowing the Word must be accompanied by doing the Word. Jesus said that the man who built his house on the rock represented those who hear and obey his, Jesus’, teaching. I do find tremendous encouragement from something Gary mentions on page 163, “The scriptures clearly portray one central fact: God is King over all. His supremacy is never in doubt.” Remember today that our God reigns! 

Together on the journey,Craig

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