Way of The Warrior- A Daily Devotional

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. – Ephesians 1:3 ESV

Warriors;

Are you blessed? The word ‘blessed’ is from the Greek word makarios, which means to be happy or blissful, but it also means a self-contained happiness. The Greeks called the Island of Cyprus “the happy isle.” They believed that because of its geographical location, perfect climate, and fertile soil that anyone who lived on Cyprus had it made in the shade. And the term they associated with the island was makarios. They believed everything you needed to be happy was right there on Cyprus. We must ask ourselves is EVERYTHING we need to be happy, JESUS?

Leader, are you blessed? “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:9–11) If you have GOD’s LOVE and you are a CHILD OF GOD, then you are blessed! And if you are blessed, you can no longer claim to be a VICTIM of anything. We are not on this earth for SOCIAL JUSTICE, or to be HAPPY or to create a name for us or our family, we are here to GLORIFY GOD. As with the President of the United States- we serve at the PLEASURE of the Father because He chose us, because HE LOVED US, because HE BLESSED US! This is why we must know WHY WE ARE HERE- to serve the LORD; His way, His WILL, HIS WORD! That is why we are told in 1 Chronicles 16:11, Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Conduit, as a BLESSED child of the KING, we are called to THREE PURPOSES. First, we are created and called to GLORIFY GOD! This is our primary function- our MAIN purpose! to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:21) The HOW is different for each person. We are to use our gifts, talents, trauma, drama- our unique mixture to bring HIM GLORY. Second, we are to EDIFY the SAINTS. This world is NOT our home, and if you are one of HIS- it will NOT BE FRIENDLY to you! This heavy laden, sin-soaked world WILL press down upon a TRUE follower, a WARRIOR for GOD, until we feel we’ve been beaten all the way down to the ground. The Apostle Paul writes to the church to “encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) and as Jude writes, “you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 1:20 ). Paul writes to the Corinthians, “It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved”. (2 Cor 12:19) And our THIRD activity is to EVANGELIZE the world- Healthy sheep reproduce! Therefore, go 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 I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20a) The church seems to have lost her focus. To quote author Andrew Woods, “Our primary focus is NOT to make this world a better place- but to reach, teach and evangelize the Lost” Today, be BLESSED and be doing what HIS BLESSED are to be doing!

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” -Matt 3:11

Warrior;

Does the WORD cause you to BURN? Are you on fire for the LORD? Are you stirred up? Stirred up because of the WAY THINGS ARE or ‘ON FIRE’ because of how thing can be in CHRIST? Augustine put it like this: “Hope has two daughters, Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to make things other than they are.” The adage is true, you will get some attention if you are on fire; “Set yourself on fire with enthusiasm and people will come from miles to watch you burn!” We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. (2 Cor 4:8-9)

Leader, see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” (Exodus 3:2-3) Who wants what you have? Who is turning aside to see HIS FIRE in your EYES? When we are ON FIRE for our LORD, others can warm themselves by HIS FIRE, that comes from our HEART and HIS WORD- our TESTIMONY and HIS GRACE! God’s grace is a cleansing stream-God’s grace is a consuming fire! Jesus calls us to a WATER-FIRE discipleship, so burn, baby, BURN! No shared Glory! We are called to BURN without burning up- to burn without being consumed by the fire. Myles Horton said, “I had to turn my anger into a slow – burning fire, instead of a consuming fire. You don’t want the fire to go out – you never let it go out – and if it ever gets weak, you stoke it. But you don’t want it to burn you up. It keeps you going, but you subdue it because you don’t want to be destroyed by it.” People are not going to be emotionally involved with rote, religious, pious acts that lack emotional spark and support. In other words, if you are NOT emotionally involved with your GOD, why would they be? In sales we learn that when people get excited, they BUY STUFF! If you are NOT a soul-winner- If nobody is buying what you are selling- you need some FIRE! See Proverbs 11:30

Conduit, selling is nothing more than gaining agreement from someone to buy your product, your service, your hand in marriage, or your belief in God- whatever you are selling! God used FIRE to get MOSES attention for the BIG PLANS God had for HIS PEOPLE and HIS SERVANT. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see why the bush, burns- but does not burn up!” Are you living for God in a way that makes people wonder why you burn without burning out! Are you bringing more people closer to the God you serve, then you are causing to look away?

But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. -Exodus 9:16 ESV

Warrior;

We humans are driven by a sense of meaning. Logo Therapy, developed conceptually, in the hell that was Auschwitz, and explained in the book, “Mans search for Meaning”- it is about man’s innate desire to WILL TO MEANING. Logo-therapy is a term derived from “logos,” a Greek word that translates as “meaning,” In the Gospel of John, IN THE BEGINNING, Jesus is also called the LOGOS. Developed by Viktor Frankl, LOGO-THERAPY is founded on the belief that human nature is motivated by the search for a life purpose; logo-therapy is the pursuit of that meaning for one’s life. The most basic question everyone faces in life is Why am I here? What is my purpose? To TRUTHFULLY answer this question, ONE must start with God and His eternal purposes for each life. Real meaning and significance comes from understanding and fulfilling God’s purposes for putting us on earth. See Ephesians 2:10.

Leader, 10 years ago Pastor Rick Warren fed this desire with a book called, “The Purpose driven life.” It has sold over 50 million copies in all it’s available formats. People looking for their purpose, however, most people are looking to Rick Warren, or some self-help guru instead of our creator and HIS PURPOSE for our existence. “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21). Warren laid out 5 PURPOSES for each creature: We were planned for God’s pleasure, so your first purpose is to offer real worship. We were formed for God’s family, so your second purpose is to enjoy real fellowship. We were created to become like Christ, so your third purpose is to learn real discipleship. We were shaped for serving God, so your fourth purpose is to practice real ministry. We were made for a mission, so your fifth purpose is to live out real evangelism. God told Jeremiah and He tells us daily: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Conduit, “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out” (Proverbs 20:5). If the devil can’t make you bad, he will make you busy! Sometimes we can be so busy about our lives that we forget the purpose behind them. We are driven by the demands of life and not realizing that God always has a greater purpose. His purposes not only encompass our lives, but the lives of those around us—at home, school, work, and community. It’s important to know and live out God’s purpose for our being, not our search for meaning in this world! We must remember WHO we are, WHY WE ARE HERE, and WHOSE we are! Every creature has a PURPOSE it is to GLORIFY OUR GOD! Your only decision is how much of your life will you give to GOD’S PURPOSE and how much will you throw away on this temporal path of finding your purpose In the system called the WORLD? The TIME IS NOW TO BE ON GODS PURPOSE! BE LIKE JESUS and BE ABOUT THE FATHERS BUSINESS! And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49). Amen!

“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 5:14-16 ESV

Warrior;

We fulfill our purpose of glorifying God by living our lives in relationship and faithful service to Him. Jesus who spoke more about God and the KINGDOM of GOD, more than He spoke about anything else combined said in the LORD’s PRAYER in John 17:4: I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. The prophet Samuel, on his way out the door left his followers with this simple advice: Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. (1 Samuel 12:24) God created man in His image, therefore, man’s purpose cannot be fulfilled apart from Him. We can see from Jesus and Samuel the goal of our lives should be to ACT, to LIVE, to behave in a way that GOD GETS THE GLORY!

Leader, the wisest man who ever lived and the richest man to ever live- King Solomon, had every opportunity to LIVE for his own pleasure- yet at the end of his life he concluded that the only worthwhile life is one of honor and obedience to God; That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14). In order for God to get glory from the way we live, we must be engaged in good deeds. Our life should be about doing daily, God honoring deeds, acts of generosity, works of kindness, actions of love. The Bible to tell us that God’s goal in redeeming a people is that they might do good deeds. Paul says in Titus 2:14 that Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.” HE IS OUR WAY, our example!

Conduit, we bring GOD glory through our GOD-driven deeds, says the Lord Jesus. The apostle Paul told us, God created us for good deeds. See Ephesians 2:10: We were created for His glory, and created for HIS good deeds, because it is by our good deeds that HE- God, gets glory. We must remember, it is possible to be a ‘do-gooder’ that brings NO GLORY TO GOD- it’s about credit, glory. There are philanthropists and benefactors and others who for one reason or another spend time and money to alleviate suffering, but who may not even believe in God let alone do it all for His glory- they GET THE GLORY! Our light must include more than the mere action of the good deed. It must come from our DESIRE TO HONOR GOD; our attitude and our motivation must be HOLY and pure and to glorify GOD! For God to get the glory we have to do good as one does, who is depending on God. Not mere good deeds, but good deeds done in a spirit that comes from a joyful dependence on God’s help and directing the FOCUS to God’s glory—this is what glorifies God. NO SHARED GLORY! Amen!

So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. – John 19:13-16 ESV

Warrior;

1 Cor 2:7 says: But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. According to Humphreys and Waddington, the lunar Jewish calendar leaves only two plausible dates within the reign of Pontius Pilate for Jesus’ death, and both of these would have been a 14 Nisan as specified in the Gospel of John: Friday 7 April AD 30, and Friday 3 April AD 33.

Leader, Matthew 12:40 tells us; For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 14+3=17; Nissan 17 is the day that Jesus Rose from the grave. When Jesus ROSE we RISE with HIM, we are NEW, a NEW HEART, a NEW kingdom, a NEW BEGINNING! Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Cor 5:17) God has a PATTERN, a WAY! God has used this day of the year to represent HIS GRACE and MERCY- NEW BEGINNINGS!

Conduit, The Bible records many NEW BEGINNINGS occurring on Nisan 17. No other day except Passover is mentioned as many times in the Bible. According to the Torah and traditional Jewish interpretation, other events that occurred on Nisan 17 include the following: Noah’s Ark safely rested on Mt. Ararat (Gen 8:4), Hebrews entered Egypt (Ex 12:40-41) 430 years before deliverance. Moses led the Israelites through the Parting of the Red Sea. (Ex 3:18, 5:3) Israel entered and ate the first fruit of the Promised Land (Josh 5:10-12) The cleansing of the Temple by Hezekiah (eight hundred years after entering the promised land. (2 Chron 29:1-28) Queen Esther saved the Jews from Elimination (Es 3:12, 5:1). The odds of just two of these events both happening accidentally on the same day of the Hebrew year (360 days) are one in 129,000. The odds of these events all happening coincidentally on the same day of the Hebrew year are one in 783 quadrillion, 864 trillion, 876 Billion, 960 Million (783,864,876,960,000,000). God has this, TRUST IN HIM- Jehovah Sabaoth; the LORD OF HOSTS!

I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel. – Ezekiel 36:24-32 ESV

Warrior;

Sinclair Ferguson said, “The pulse beat of God’s heart has an evangelistic rhythm”. Can you see God SPREADING THE GOOD NEWS, the GOSPEL even in the OLD AGREEMENT, the OLD TESTAMENT? The OLD points to the NEW. The 10 commandments were given to us to show us SIN and to show us our NEED for a SAVIOR, JESUS. Ezekiel got a vision, a FORERUNNER of what the MESSIAH would do for those who call on HIS NAME! The NEW agreement, the better agreement is the SUBSTANCE- it is about a RELATIONSHIP to JESUS and what that relationship will do for your life today, and the ETERNAL ONE to come! Go tell somebody what JESUS has done in your life!

Leader, the OLD COVENANT is a SHADOW of what is to come. Hebrews 10:1 says; The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. This is what JESUS does for us, he takes our UNCLEANNESS and He makes us CLEAN. He is the PROPITIATION for our SIN and when we accept HIM, HE gives us a NEW HEART, a NEW HOPE, a NEW SPIRIT! And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Phil 1:6)

Conduit, For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. (Hebrews 7:26-28) God is doing all the work! He has put everything in motion for you to walk in the HIS GLORY and HIS WILL all you need to do is to trust in the name of JESUS and know HE IS the REASON for your SEASON! To HIM be the glory, for all you have and do in your life! Amen!

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.- Hebrews 2:14-15 ESV

Warrior;

Jesus spoke 7 times when He was hung on The Tree of LIE: If we truly want to LIVE like CHRIST, we might want to consider HOW HE DIED- and follow that example toward EVERLASTING LIFE! He started with FORGIVENESS and HE ENDED BY COMMITTING HBS- everything He had! This is OUR EXAMPLE! Jesus told us He is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. He was incarnated so He could become a curse, so that those who BELIEVE IN HIM, shall have HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS before God the Father. (Gal 3:13) He became sin, who KNEW NO SIN, so that we can become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of CHRIST! (2 Cor 5:21)

Leader; It always starts with FORGIVENESS! Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” We are never more like Christ than when we forgive! Any great relationship has 2 GREAT FORGIVERS! Let’s start with FORGIVENESS! Luke 23:43, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” No matter how screwed up our life, our past our UP UNTIL NOW, HE is the MASTER OF NEW BEGINNINGS! If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD and believe in your heart that He is risen, YOU SHALL BE SAVED! (Romans 10:9) Also see 2 Cor 5:17. John 19:26-27, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” He HONORED His Mother- the only commandment with a blessing tied to it- and He put others concerns and needs above HIS own! The First is last and the last first! (Matthew 20:15-16)

Conduit, Matt. 27:46, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” He showed He had fears and doubts and showed us, we can CRY OUT to God with our concerns. John 19:28, “I am thirsty.” He wanted more than this WORLD had to offer, he thirsted for something that was NOT of this world! John 19:30, “It is finished!” He lived HIS life and DEATH with His Mission before Him at all times- He never got distracted. Luke 23:46, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” This is what is lacking from MOST who call themselves FOLLOWERS of the Christ: ALL IN! Have you committed your LIFE into the HANDS of your GOD? Today, COMMIT to LAYING IT ALL DOWN- everything you have, everything you want and need and everything you DESIRE into the hands of GOD! When someone asks, “How are you doing?” Your response, “In the Hands of God!” Then you LIVE YOUR LIFE, like you are in the HANDS of THE sovereign GOD- El Elyon! Amen! When we learn how He died, we learn how WE ARE TO LIVE! Amen!