Way of The Warrior- A Daily Devotional

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:3-4 ESV

Warrior;
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? If you are NOT a follower of the God of the Bible this can be a tricky question. We need a chicken to produce an egg, but a chicken comes from an egg, so you need the egg to get the chicken…? However if you are a believer in the Bible and a believer in the God of the Bible, then you know that God created the chicken, who then laid an egg….In order to properly answer this question you need to believe What the Bible says, and BELIEVE in the Author of that Bible. God wrote the Bible through the guided hands, hearts, and minds of the writers. It was human writers that were putting the pen to the papyrus, but it was God who was dictating. Might I suggest that in order for this Symbiotic relationship to take place these men had to have the MIND OF CHRIST, the desire and the will to be a vessel for the Holy spirit, to be ONE WITH GOD, so as to be used, to the maximum outcome by God. There had to be a desire to be a SPIRITUAL man verses a NATURAL MAN.

Leader, whether we are to be a SPIRITUAL person, or a NATURAL person is a MINDSET, a way of thinking. Paul tells us about these 2 MINDSETS. The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14-16) By allowing the Spirit to guide us, we then have the MIND OF CHRIST. If we are to LOVE like Jesus, then we must put on the MIND OF CHRIST. We must access our Heart, through our MIND and we must access our MIND through our HEART. It is the chicken and the egg. The heart and mind are the ultimate double helix, as a true follower of Christ. We must think like Him, to be able to LOVE LIKE HIM, and we must LOVE like HIM, in order to think like Him! In order to BE THAT PERSON, we must let that PERSON reside in us. It is a conscious choice of the MIND and it is a DESIRE of the heart. The Bible uses the heart and the mind very interchangeable throughout scripture. It is like they are conjoined, linked at the hip. You cannot have the mind of CHRIST, without having the HEART OF CHRIST. According to Vine’s Dictionary: The Hebrew word Lebab, rendered “heart”- is the seat of desire, inclination, or will and can be the seat of the emotions. The “heart” could be regarded as the seat of knowledge and wisdom and as a synonym of “mind.”

Conduit, by allowing the HOLY SPIRIT to come in and RUN THE SHOW, this gets our MIND and our HEART synced with Christ. As a Christian Jesus is our advocate: But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. (John 1:12-13) When Jesus’ incarnate mission was ending, He told the disciples He was leaving, but would send another to advocate, to guide, to teach and to help- the Holy Spirit. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7) Again, according to Vine’s, the Greek word kardia, rendered “heart” (cardiac), is the chief organ of physical life (“for the life of the flesh is in the blood,” Lev. 17:11), occupies the most important place in the human system. By an easy transition, the word came to stand for man’s entire mental and moral activity, both the rational and the emotional elements. Jesus, our first Advocate, is speaking to God for you, but the Holy Spirit, our second Advocate is speaking to you for God. In other words, the Holy Spirit was sent to remind us about Christ and empower us to live in light of the gospel. He is to be our MIND and OUR HEART. This is why if we are to have the HEART OF CHRIST, we must have the MIND OF CHRIST. Just like we must be born again, to take on the Spirit and the heart of Christ, we must THINK differently to have the MIND OF CHRIST. John told us how to prepare the way for CHRIST; REPENT and CONFESS. Repent is to turn away, to think differently and CONFESS is to agree with God. When the Bible speak about the heart, it never means merely human feelings (emotions). The Biblical word “heart,” is the inner aspect of a man, made of three parts all together, 1) Mental Process, which is the major part (where action & reaction take place), which is to lead a person in their life. 2) Emotions (which only process as reaction), as icing to enrich our lives.3) Will, the seat of the will (discretionary, volitional, decision-making) where decisions are made between the rational and the emotive. Today give it ALL over to the LORD, and start with getting your THINKING RIGHT! Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2) And Remember: Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4:23)

“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. – Revelation 2:2-4 ESV

Warrior;

We must have a HEIRACHY of relationships. If we don’t know what relationships, belong where on our hierarchy, then how do we know where to spend our time? Relationships TAKE TIME, intimate relationships take an emotional investment, they require UNCTION; an excessive, affected, sometimes cloying earnestness or fervor in manner- the manifestation of SPIRITUAL INSPIRATION! Do you feel this daily for JESUS and HIS WORD and TIME with HIM?

Leader, the term “hierarchy” comes from the Greek hieros, meaning “powerful, supernatural, or sacred,” and arche, which means “beginning” or “rule.” The implication is that the levels of a hierarchy get closer and closer to the source or beginning of that which is most sacred or powerful. This implication has also led to the use of the term hierarchy to refer to any graded or ranked series, such as a person’s “hierarchy of values,” or a machine’s “hierarchy of responses.”

Conduit, the connotation of hierarchy is that those elements at the top of the hierarchy “come first,” or are “more important” than those at the lower levels. Years ago, there was a slogan, “I AM SECOND”. I found that put me way TOO HIGH on the list! God commands an order; GOD 1st, Spouse 2nd, kids 3rd, 4th, 5th and maybe 6th, our purpose and reason for service to God is 7th and then we come in 8th? To LIVE is Christ to DIE is gain! If God isn’t NUMBER 1 and at the top of your list- then it doesn’t matter the ORDER! Today, RE-MEMBER your first love and spend time, and emotion getting to KNOW HIM better and MAKE HIM known! For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14:11-12)

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. -Matthew 5:13-16 ESV

Warrior;
One of the strange seemingly dichotomies of a believer is to be IN the world, but NOT BE, OF the world. John 15:19; If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. John 17:14-16; I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “In” the World: It’s Our Point of Location. “Of” the World: It’s Our Source of Information

Leader, Salt and Light are used as metaphors by Jesus because the world is CORRUPT, and the world is DARK! And if we are going to be IN this corrupt and dark world we are to CHANGE IT, instead of IT, CHANGING US! Based on scripture as bad as things are- they are getting worse! Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:12-13) This is a warning to us to not LOSE our SALTINESS or to NOT LOSE our LIGHT! The darker things get in life, the brighter light shines. And the less seasoning and preservation the more IMPACT the salt!

Conduit, the Holy Spirit works through us and we can PRESERVE people and bring FLAVOR to a bland world. Salt can be used as a preservative- to slow down the corruption. Salt can also be used to MELT ICE- or a cold heart- and SALT ads flavor and SALT makes us THIRST! Are you making others THIRST for WHO you follow, for what you BELIEVE? First you are salt then you are light. Salt works from within, light from without. Light allows for others to see what is hidden, light allows others to walk safely in an unsafe environment and light allows for people to walk sure-footedly and with confidence. When light shows up, darkness goes away! Today, add some HEAVENLY FLAVOR to others lives, and add some confidence and clarity to their journey! Help others hunger and thirst for our LORD and help them have eyes to see so they may walk confidently on the narrow path that most people can’t FIND, because it is so dark in this world! Light and Salt- BE SOME and GIVE SOME!

Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, “Go up into the Negeb and go up into the hill country, and see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes. – Numbers 13:17-20 ESV

Warrior,
The Bible is given to us for many reasons. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) The Message Bible paraphrase puts it this way; Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. When we read the Bible we need to ask: Who was this said to, what did it mean back then (in context to the culture and the day), and what does that mean to me today? There are many lessons to be learned from the 12 spies, as a leader, as a Christian, as a Child of God in a World going to Hell and hating our God and those that are bold enough to share Christ in a world that wants to hear nothing about Jesus! We must know our MISSION, just like the 12 spies needed to remember their mission. They got off mission and they messed things up, and that cost them THE PROMISES OF GOD! What was the purpose of Moses sending the Spies into Canaan? What is God’s purpose for saving you and keeping you on this planet? Once you were saved, why did HE LEAVE YOU HERE?

Leader, Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, God commanded Moses, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them” (Numbers 13:2). By sending these twelve men into Canaan on a reconnaissance mission, Moses was obeying the Lord. God gave them an agenda, for them to accomplish several goals. He asked the spies to gather information about the following: whether the people who lived there were strong or weak, few or many (v18),whether the land was good or bad- whether the cities were like camps or strongholds (v19), whether the land was rich or poor, whether or not there were forests there, and to bring back some fruit of the land(v20). As a leader, and a WARRIOR for GOD we must know what our outcome is. We are not to PLAY GOD we are to OBEY GOD. God didn’t ask them to decide if it was a good or bad thing, God didn’t ask for them to decide if they could take it or not take it. God told them to GO SEE the land “which I am giving to the children of Israel”. This is mistake NUMBER 1: STAY ON MISSION! Just like today, we are NOT CALLED to change the world. The World system is against God and it will always be against God, we are called to be on a RESCUE MISSION. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation”. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound” (Mark 16:15,Isaiah 61:1) THIS IS THE MISSION OF EVERY BELIEVER!

Conduit, God had commanded Moses to send the twelve spies so the Israelites would be equipped to do battle in the land—thus Moses’ goals of finding out about the people, the cities, and the landscape. God would ultimately fight the battles for them, but they had to do their part, which was to HAVE FAITH. Long before, God had promised to give the Israelites the land of Canaan as their own (Exodus 6:4, 8). GOD had PROMISED them total victory, if they would trust Him: “My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out” (Exodus 23:23). Every place where the sole of your foot treads will be yours. Your territory will extend from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Western Sea. No man will be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the fear and dread of you upon all the land, wherever you set foot, as He has promised you. (Deuteronomy 11:24-25) The difference between the 10 spies who gave a BAD REPORT and the 2- Caleb and Joshua, who gave a GOOD REPORT was ATTITUDE, and that attitude affected their FAITH! Faith is believing what GOD SAYS, even when our eyes, our ears, our feelings- our FLESH, tells us something different! The outlook of the ten spies was not very bright. Their report was one of gloom. They could only see the problems instead of the possibilities, the giants instead of God and defeat instead of victory. The inspired writer called it “an evil report” (13:32). On the other hand, Caleb and Joshua, were very optimistic. Their report was one of hope. They saw the possibilities instead of the problems, God instead of giants, and victory instead of defeat. This is the biggest lesson, of many, to learn from this story. When we have FEAR instead of FAITH, we MISS GOD’S BLESSINGS! “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the LORD your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28) CHOOSE WELL WARRIOR- millions of people could be depending on it!

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”- Revelation 1:1,8 ESV

Warrior;
The self-described purpose of Revelation is to reveal Jesus Christ (1:1): His person, His power and His plan for the future. The book opens and closes with similar ideas and phrases, among them are the words of Jesus, “I am coming soon” (1:1-8; 22:12-21). In between, the book deals with vivid descriptions of God’s judgments on sin. In a way it is a “I AM COMING SOON” book designed to bring HOPE to the BELIEVER! The book of Revelation is designed to assure us that what God has said is TRUE. What He promised- He will do!

Leader, In the first chapter Jesus alludes to the three places on the timeline; the Past, the Present and the Future- He is putting the WHOLE thing in plain view! This is included in the way he referenced Himself in v8 as the one, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” John is told to write down the same THREE things in v19; Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. Even though a majority of the book deals with WHAT IS TO COME- we can’t truly understand the book of Revelation without knowing some of the OLD TESTAMENT! There are no formal quotations from the Old Testament, however there are many allusions. Scholars have found between 250-550 Old Testament allusions in this FUTURE focused book!

Conduit, if we are going to be ready for the FUTURE, we need to know the PAST! “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” demonstrates CHRIST’s glory, wisdom and power and portrays His authority over the church and His power and right to judge the world. This BLESSED book describes Jesus Christ as: The faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler over the kings of the earth (1:5), Son of Man (1:13), the First and the Last (1:17), the Living One (1:18), He who is holy, who is true (3:7), the Amen (3:14), the Beginning of the creation of God (3:14), the Root of David (5:5), The WORD OF GOD (19:13), King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the END! Who is Jesus to you? What do you call HIM today? When He comes back soon, what will you call HIM? What will that be like when we see HIM for the first time? I can only IMAGINE! The TIME IS NOW for CHRIST to be REVEALED IN YOU and in the WORLD! Amen!

Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” – Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV

Warrior;
To boast is to brag, to be puffed up with Pride. The Bible defines pride as arrogance, haughtiness, and conceit. Pride emphasizes the self over others, and it rejects God’s greatness. Pride occurs when sinful human beings subconsciously aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him. Pride contends for supremacy with Him. So as we can see, boasting comes from a basis of PRIDE. What do you PRIDE YOURSELF with and about in this world? If we have PRIDE in anything, then we are not aligned with our God, because it is written: Every one who is arrogant is an abomination to the Lord, Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. (Proverbs 16:5,18-19) If you are prideful, God is not your ally. “The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the pride of men shall be humbled; and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.” (Isaiah 2:11) in Acts 12:23 it says that an angel of the Lord struck Herod so that he was eaten with worms and died because when he received applause from the people, he did not give God the glory but took it for himself.

Leader, the Holman Study Bible defines pride as: undue confidence in and attention to one’s own skills, accomplishments, state, possessions, or position. Pride is easier to recognize than to define, easier to recognize in others than in oneself. Many biblical words describe this concept, each with its own emphasis. Some of the synonyms for pride include arrogance, presumption, conceit, self-satisfaction, boasting, and high-mindedness. James writes that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). The Greek word James uses for “opposed” is “antitassō” – “to range in battle against”, in other words it means to BE AT WAR with. So consider God is at war against all who are proud. Peter says the same thing in 1Peter 5:5 “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” and the same Greek word is used. God resists the proud AND His grace goes to those who are humble. Pride was the cause of Satan’s fall from heaven as he said in his heart “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). Pride is a problem for all of humanity. It comes from a wicked mindset: It is NOT GOD who is doing it, it is ME! The mindset of PRIDE is offensive to God. The Bible clearly teaches that God is a jealous God. Exodus 20:5 states, “You shall not bow down to them [other gods] or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God.”

Conduit, pride is an inwardly directed emotion that can easily offend others and carries with it a connotation that displays an inflated sense of one’s own worth or personal status. Pride can create a sense of superiority over others and can be condescending. Pride in one’s nation or in one’s own children is somewhat different from that of having pride in themselves (Prov 17:6) but even that can self-attribute a sense of worth that is easily overvalued, overinflated, and unrealistic. The book of wisdom makes it clear: There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. He begins the list with PRIDE. Paul is clear; that to have PRIDE, is FOOLISH. I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! (2 Corinthians 11:16-19) Paul was saying to have pride in self is foolish, healthy PRIDE is reserved for our LORD, OUR GOD, our SAVIOR! Brothers consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast in His presence. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”(1 Corinthians 26-31) Paul is making it clear that if we boast in ourselves, since GOD DID ALL THE WORK, we are stealing God’s glory. Paul goes on to tell us, it is ok to have PRIDE, to BOAST, however we are to give GLORY where GLORY is DUE! If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. (2 Corinthians 11:30-31) Today, get your focus OFF OF YOU, and get it on the LORD, our God! Today, commit to LOVING THE LORD our GOD, with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength and with ALL YOUR PRIDE! Be proud that The God of the universe loves you, BELIEVES in you, and is IN YOU- working and willing! “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh.” (Jeremiah 9:25)

When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:6-7 ESV

Warrior;
What is going on in our families, our communities, our country, and the world is a HEART ISSUE. Jesus was always interested in the heart. The heart is the place of our fears, desires, our hatred, and our hope. We are called to be in this world, NOT ‘OF THIS WORLD’. We are strangers in a foreign land, and as such things get attached to us. If you had a boat in the water for an extended period of time you would need to pull the boat out of the water and ‘scrape the hull’. Critters, unwanted passengers attach themselves and then are transported out of the water onto the boat and then carried into other bodies of water. How can we interact with lost people without being influenced by the unbelief and hostility towards God so prevalent in our culture? In John 17:14 Jesus says, “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” Again keeping with the analogy of a boat in the water. The boat is designed to float in the water – to be in the water, surrounded by it on all sides. But there should not be any water in the boat. Our goal as followers of Christ is to actively engage our culture with the Gospel without allowing the culture’s ungodly morals, values, attitudes, and behaviors to infiltrate our lives. Unfortunately, many sincere Christians struggle to get it right. For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope. (1 Corinthians 29:15)

Leader, Circumcision is the REMOVAL of the foreskin from the tip of the penis. Yet, this cutting away of the foreskin of a male’s penis was symbolic of God’s covenant with Abraham when he had already been declared righteous by faith. This is an outward physical act, but God is more interested in the internal act of the heart, and CUTTING AWAY all that keeps it dark, hard and at-war with God. In the Bible, circumcision almost always refers to a physical act. And this is true of Paul’s writings as well. But in at least three passages he alludes to a circumcision of the heart, a spiritual circumcision. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3) This circumcision, rather than cutting off a small part of the flesh, is a cutting off of the fleshly nature. It has a spiritual meaning. It signifies purification of the heart, inward circumcision affected by the Spirit ( Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Ezekiel 44:7; Acts 7:51) In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ. A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. (Colossians 2:11, Romans 2:28) Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Romans 1:24,25) God has turned some people over to a mindset that does not allow them to understand the times. He may have given some people you care about over to a reprobate mind Four of the most terrifying words in the Bible are “God gave them over.” The obsession with social justice has replaced the good news that the King is coming. It has also replaced the Great Commission and the gospel of salvation. Many would rather save the planet, march for Black Lives Matter, or protest against the leader protecting Christians and babies in America- than save souls or talk about the Lord’s return. We need to CUT THIS AWAY, and refocus on God’s purpose for us.

Conduit, gotquestions.org put it succinctly. God has always wanted more from His people than just external conformity to a set of rules. He has always wanted them to possess a heart to love, know, and follow Him. That is why God is not concerned with a circumcision of the flesh. Even in the Old Testament, God’s priority was a spiritual circumcision of the heart: “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done” (Jeremiah 4:4). Both the NEW and OLD Testaments focus on the need for repentance and inward change in order to be right with God. In Jesus, the Law has been fulfilled (Matthew 5:17). Through Him, a person can be made right with God and receive eternal life (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). As Paul said, true circumcision is a matter of the heart, performed by the Spirit of God. The opposite would be to have a VEIL over your heart. Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. (2 Corinthians 3:12-16) This is one of those times that subtraction beats addition. A ‘veil’ adds things, blocks things- but circumcision is the cutting away, the removal of something that is IN THE WAY. Jesus said, I AM THE WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE- nobody comes to God the Father except through the Son, Jesus. In order to get to JESUS we must remove the FLESH from our HEART. Our flesh is weak, but our SPIRIT IS WILLING! Today be willing to remove those things that KEEP US FROM JESUS. Lord please search our hearts and remove anything that is keeping us from loving you more, conforming to your will MORE and DESIRING YOUR WILL, MORE! Lord Jesus, please TAKE IT AWAY! Amen!

And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:2-4 ESV

Warrior;
This goes back to the very beginning of this Prophets Cry, HOW LONG O LORD? How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save? (Habakkuk 1:2) The bible says that God also has an appointed time for everything. “For everything, there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) God is always on time and there are many examples of people in the Bible, who patiently waited for God to move in their life. There is a space between when God promises something and the delivery of that blessing, or curse. That space between the promise and the delivery of the promise is called FAITH. Two of the greatest of the Christian Faith; David and Abraham know about the SPACE BETWEEN God’s promise and the delivery of the promise. In 1 Samuel 16:1-13, the Lord had instructed Samuel to go to the house of Jesse to anoint Israel’s next king. As the youngest boy in Jesse’s family, David was regarded as irrelevant. His father did not even bother to call him to meet Samuel. But when Samuel considered Jesse’s seven older sons, God rejected them all. The prophet asked if Jesse had any other sons, and then David, who was out tending sheep, was called and Samuel anointed him. As is often the case, God chose the least likely candidate). We are not told precisely how old David was at this time, but we know he was just a boy, probably between 10–15 years of age. “David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years” (2 Samuel 5:4). About 19 years, THE SPACE BETWEEN- it took much FAITH for David to honor God in the SPACE BETWEEN.

Leader, If you study the Bible you will see God make a promise to someone and then there is a space in between that Promise and the delivery- and what really makes the person who they are, is what they do in that space. Do they demonstrate FAITH or do they start to doubt God and start playing God. Are you wanting to HELP GOD and figure things out? Putting things on your TIMELINE, instead of Gods? O YE OF LITTLE FAITH. “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.” Sarai was 90, when God promised Abram that He would be the Father of many nations. So Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years for the fulfillment of God’s promise. In that 25 years between the time that Abram was promised a son and the birth of Isaac, Abram and Sarah had certain ideas of how they might facilitate the keeping of the promise. One was that Abraham’s steward, Eliezer, would become the heir of Abraham’s household (Genesis 15:2–3). And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:4-6) The other was to play God and take things into their own “hands”, and do the work that God was not doing, could not do, or maybe never would do. Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. (Genesis 16:1-2)

Conduit, do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. (2 Peter 3:8-10) God’s timing is PERFECT. God sits above TIME, God is NOT controlled by the constraints of time and GOD IS ALWAYS ON TIME! They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them. (Revelation 6:10-11) God is looking for people OF GREAT FAITH. What demonstrates that FAITH, is how we manage the TIME BETWEEN the promise and the delivery of THE PROMISE. Our job is to ACT AS IF, the promise has been fulfilled and NOT LOSE HOPE. We must remember 2 things. 1: God said HE IS WITH US, no matter where we are in the SPACE BETWEEN; For God promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 2: God’s timing is PERFECT and PURPOSEFUL. When we function on God’s timing, it does two things: It grows our faith as we are forced to wait and trust in God and it makes certain that He alone gets the glory and praise for pulling us through. But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! O LORD let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame. (Psalm 31:14-17) Amen. Today ACT AS IF, and have FAITH in this SPACE BETWEEN!

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. – Colossians 2:8 ESV

Warrior;
There are 2 teams, only 2 teams. There is God’s Team and there is the other team, let’s call it the WORLD. There are 2 different MINDSETS, 2 different God’s, 2 different ways to do things. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. (Proverbs 14:12) We can have the best of intentions, but we are NOT GOD and we don’t see the BIGGER SPIRITUAL picture of God. The flesh wants what the FLESH WANTS. What is going on in America today is a war. It is not between Blacks and Whites, it is not between Conservative vs Liberal, or between Republican or Democrat, it is between the DESIRES OF THE FLESH and the DESIRES OF THE SPIRIT. So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. (Galatians 5:16-17)

Leader, even what looks like RIGHTEOUSNESS, if it is from the FLESH, it is NOT from God! The ROAD TO PERDITION IS PAVED, with Good intentions. Someone can be SOOO WRONG, with the best of intentions because of the weakness of our heart, our desires and wanting “OUR WAY”, that is the flesh! It is like a child who WANTS WHAT THEY WANT, feeling they are justified and carrying on. A good parent says NO, a bad parent gives in. It is not that the child is a “BAD CHILD”, they are just being CHILDISH. I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. (Galatians 4:1-3) The Devil makes us believe our flesh is right and GOD IS UNJUST. David did what seemed right to him when He took a census in 1 Chronicles 21, but it was of the devil and it cost many lives. Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel. So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and 70,000 people died as a result. (1 Chronicles 21:1,14) Peter thought He was doing the RIGHT THING when he chastised Jesus for talking about His death. Jesus explained that He had not come to establish an earthly Messianic kingdom at that time. The disciples were not prepared for this new revelation of the Messiah’s purpose. Though Peter understood His words, he simply could not reconcile his view of the conquering Messiah with the suffering and death Jesus spoke of. So Peter “began to rebuke Him” for having such a fatalistic mindset. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Mark 8:33)

Conduit, three times in the Bible, this term is used; ELEMENTAL SPIRITS OF THE WORLD. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations, (Colossians 2:20) WE are either under a GOD OPERATING SYSTEM (GOS) or we are operating under a FLESH OPERATING SYSTEM (FOS). The people marching in the streets are wanting justice and disturbing the PEACE. They say NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE. God says, NO JESUS- NO PEACE! God says, GET OFF THE WORLDS AGENDA and get about my Father’s business, get on with the FATHERS AGENDA! If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:1-2) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9) IT IS TIME TO GET ON GOD’S agenda, and stop being used by the world! God clearly says, ““No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” If you are going to MARCH in the streets, MARCH FOR JESUS and HIS WAY, not the world’s way. There is NO PEACE apart from JESUS! If you are marching for the world’s justice, then you are just marching people to HELL. No Jesus, no heaven, no redemption, no peace. KNOW JESUS, KNOW PEACE! Get off the FOS and get on the GOS!

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth … From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (Jn 1:14, 16-17)

Warrior;
The gospel of grace is the gospel and there is no other. This gospel is built, not on a doctrine or a theology, but on Jesus Christ himself! Deuteronomy 27:26 makes it clear; “‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ Moses law could NOT be kept by anyone other than JESUS. Moses Law was a THREAT; You will, and you SHALL NOT- or else! It is a Religion dependent on Mans duty, man’s obedience, man’s work- it is grounded in the WORKS OF MAN!

Leader, whenever you read the word “grace” in the Bible, you can substitute the name “Jesus.” Jesus is grace personified. What does the grace of God look like? It looks like Jesus. What does the grace of God sound like? It sounds like Jesus. How do we know that God is gracious? He gave us Jesus who is full of grace and truth. So, when Paul refers to the ‘Gospel of Grace’ in Acts 20:24, he means exactly the same thing as when he and others refer to the gospel of Christ or the gospel of God or the gospel of His Son or the gospel of peace. All of these gospels reveal the One who is called Grace, who was given to us out of the fullness of the Father’s grace, and through whom we have received GRACE UPON GRACE.

Conduit, what are the four most important bits of the gospel message according to the MAN who was taught by CHRIST for 3 years in Arabia? They are: 1-Christ died for our sins as foretold in the Scriptures, 2- He was buried, 3- He was raised as the prophets foretold, 4-He appeared in bodily resurrection to many. On the cross Jesus became our sin offering, taking our punishment and securing our eternal forgiveness. He died so that we might live, he was wounded that we might be healed, and he was cursed so that we might be blessed. Jesus forged a new covenant in his blood, exchanging our sinfulness for his righteousness. His miraculous return from death confirmed that Jesus was God’s Son, just as he said he was. It also showed that the demands of justice had been fully satisfied and that no further payment was necessary. As Derek Prince famously preached in The Divine Exchange, Jesus’ death on the cross was “perfectly perfect and completely complete.” There is nothing more that needs to be done! Will you be HIS witness, telling people about JESUS, everywhere–in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth? The time of the Gentiles is coming to a close- share the GOOD NEWS that real justice, real peace is only found in Jesus Christ!