Tag: Learning

“Cover Me!”

Ephesians 4:25

During times of war, the most important person a soldier can rely on is, the man fighting beside him wearing the same uniform. It’s absolutely important for those fighting alongside each other to always remain focused on their enemy, while at the same time, covering each other in battle. One of the most horrifying and disappointing moments of a battle is when “friendly fire” occurs, and a fellow soldier is either wounded, or permanently taken out of the fight. This action can either be the cause of losing a battle, or prolonging it longer than anticipated. What’s worse than friendly fire is, when a soldier deliberately turns against his own unit, and begins to open fire on his own people. This is simply unacceptable, and can literally shift the tide of any battle. It’s always good to know who you’re fighting with, but also to keep a keen eye on everyone who claims to be on your team, because you never know who will turn against you when the battle begins.

Fighting the “Good fight of faith” will always come with its usual contention against our adversary the devil, but when the children of God are unified, they’ll usually progress through each battle and grow accordingly in faith, patience, wisdom, and experience. Unfortunately, many who walk with God have taken the unexpected bullet from another who claimed to be “saved”. Not everyone who says “Lord Lord” will enter the kingdom of Heaven, and many who seem to be believers in Christ, are far from doing the will of the Lord. A great number of men and women are simply tares, growing amongst the wheat. They look like “church folk”, act godly, walk the walk, and talk the talk, but secretly, they have a plan to pull you away from righteousness. For this reason, it’s vital for all who claim the name of the Lord to pray always, without ceasing. The devil never takes a day off, so the Saints shouldn’t either. We should always keep our guard up, even with friends and family members (I’m just saying… we’re in the last and evil days, and trust is earned).

To all my Christian soldiers, stand firm, stay on guard, and be vigilant. Let’s strive to keep our brothers and sisters covered, while aiming our artillery in the right direction.

The Pharisees And Sadducees

Matthew 3

During the time when Jesus walked among men, two of the major religious groups in Israel were the Pharisees and Sadducees. Unlike the Sadducees who were more politically minded, the Pharisees focused more on religious beliefs. Opposing groups rarely joined in union, unless they shared a common hatred for a person or cause. This was the case with these two groups. Both groups had a shared hatred for Jesus, so they became allies to work together against Him. Although the Pharisees and Sadducees had some good qualities, their bad characteristics far outweighed the good.

Pharisees Positive Characteristics:
– Were committed to obeying all of God’s word
– Were admired by the common people for their apparent piety
– Believed in a bodily resurrection and eternal life
– Believed in angels and demons

Pharisees Negative Characteristics:
– Behaved as though their own religious rules were just as important as God’s rules for living
– Their piety was often hypocritical and their efforts often forced others to try to live up to standards they themselves could not live up to
– Believed that salvation came from perfect obedience to the law and was not based on forgiveness of sins
– Were more concerned with appearing to be good than obeying God

Sadducees Positive Characteristics:
– Believed God’s word was limited to the first five books of the Bible
– Were more practically minded than the Pharisees

Sadducees Negative Characteristics:
– Relied on logic while placing little importance on faith
– Did not believe all the Old Testament was God’s word
– Did not believe in a bodily resurrection or eternal life
– Did not believe in angels or demons
– Were often willing to compromise their values with the Romans and others in order to maintain their status and influential positions

Inseparable

Romans 8:31-39

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Is there anything in your life, that is causing separation between you and God the Father? If so, what is it? Could it possibly be money, pride, suffering, or even fame that’s keeping you from walking in unity with God? Take a moment to examine your life, as we near the end of 2021. If there is anything, or anyone holding you back from giving your all to God, remove it, or them from your life, ASAP! Don’t take anything from this year into the next, that has been unprofitable, unfavorable, and unholy. Start your new year in right standing with the Father, and allow your love for Him to grow stronger, daily.

A Stranger’s Love

Luke 10:30-37

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to an exciting episode of, “A Stranger’s Love” starring, a Certain Man, the Priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan! I’m your host, “HolyEll”, and I’ll be bringing you all the details of tonight’s most fascinating scenes!

(Most of Jesus’s adult life was lived enduring countless attempts by others to tempt Him, or set traps so that He could be accused of doing something illegal. Unfortunately for all those ignorant folk, the Son of God had a unique way of turning their traps onto themselves. In our text, a certain lawyer stood up to tempt Jesus, but was was actually motivated by Him instead.)

(Jesus begins to tell the parable of the “Good Samaritan”.)

Men at Jerusalem: It was great having you in our company again. Don’t be a stranger.

Certain Man: (Laughs) I promise not to stay away too long next time. Be safe my friends, and continue to fight the good fight!

(Certain Man leaves Jerusalem, and heads to Jericho, where he’s met by thieves.)

Thief 1: Hey buddy, where ya going?

Thief 2: What’s in that bag of yours? Do you want to share with your new friends?

Certain Man: Gentlemen, please. Let’s all be civilized here. I’m on my way to Jericho to handle some business. Please, allow me to go. I want no quarrel with you.

Thief 1: Quarrel? We’re not here to quarrel.

Thief 2: Yeah, we’re not here to quarrel.

Thief 1: Hand over your goods, and we’ll let you go, without any harm.

Thief 2: Yeah, we won’t hurt you, if you give us the goods!

Certain Man: Sigh… okay, take my things but please don’t harm me.

(The thieves strip the man of his clothes, beat him unmercifully, then leave him half dead on the roadside.)

(Jericho was a city where nearly 12,000 priests lived, who would frequently pass that way to minister in the temple.)

(A priest walks by and sees the wounded man.)

Certain Man: Sir… sir… pl… please help… help me…

Priest: My word! That man looks nearly dead…I would help him, but I have to uphold my traditions. I can’t be seen polluting myself with the filth of that dying man.

Certain Man: Pl.. please don’t… go… don’t leave…

(The priest passes by on the other side.)

(Along comes a Levite. Another who held a position of importance among the religious ranks.)

Certain Man: Hello… is anyone… sir…

Levite: Woah, you’re in very bad shape. I don’t think you’re gonna make it. I hope you’ve made peace with the Father.

Certain Man: Sigh… don’t leave…pl…. please sir…

(The Levite looks on him, and passes by on the other side.)

(According to history, the Jews hated the Samaritans, and considered them half-breeds.)

(Samaritan sees the man, and hurries to where he is.)

Samaritan: Hey, are you… no you’re not ok. I’m going to treat your wounds, place you on my horse, then take you somewhere to be attend to.

Certain Man: Tha… than…thank..

Samaritan: Save your strength. You’ll need all of it.

(The men arrive at the nearest inn.)

Samaritan: Excuse me, I need a room please.

(The Samaritan took care of the brutally battered man, and treated all his wounds.)

Samaritan: Innkeeper, I must be on my way, but I left the injured man in my room. If possible, could you have someone check on him occasionally, and make sure he’s recovering well?

Innkeeper: Yes sir. We will attend to him accordingly.

Samaritan: That’s great! Thank you. By the way, if his recovery requires more than what I paid for, I will return at a later date and repay you in full.

Innkeeper: I understand, but aren’t you a Samaritan? Why are you showing such a great deed of mercy to the very person who despises you?

Samaritan: (Smiles, then walks away.)

*Isn’t it ironic, how those who’ve be rejected and despised often come to the rescue, showing compassion and mercy to the needy, while the religious and respected community would simply ignore them? My my my…

This concludes the exciting episode of, “A Stranger’s Love”. Thanks for tuning in, and have a fantabulous journey!

Don’t Forget…

Deuteronomy 8

Can you remember a time, when you were guilty of being ungrateful for the good someone had done for you? Maybe you had a single mother who sacrificed all she desired, so that you could have a good life. Unfortunately, you never really appreciated her, and acted as if her good wasn’t good enough. Or, maybe you were the product of the ideal family, where dad and mom raised you in the fear of God, never lacking anything good. But, you took advantage of their kindness and chose to live without healthy restraints. In our text, God had worked miraculous wonders in the lives of the children of Israel. When they were bound to serve as slaves to the Egyptians, and oppressed beyond measure, God delivered them, then set them on a path to the land of promise. God had a given the people a number of commandments and admonitions, to prepare them before they entered the land of plenty, but despite all God had already done for Israel, they seemingly forgot, and found themselves murmuring and complaining more often than not. God knew, if the hearts of the people were not properly conditioned before entering Canaan, then all their increase would spoil them rotten, and cause their hearts to become filled with pride. Oftentimes, when God blesses us, we allow those same blessings to cause us to forget the One who gave them to us in the first place. Unlike the children of Israel, who failed to appreciate the awesome works of God in their lives, we should also be mindful not to forget how merciful God has been to us. In addition, we must be very careful not to allow our increase to cause our hearts to become prideful, for this is when we will easily forget God. When we forget God, we align ourselves on the path that leads to destruction.

To Will… And To Perform

Romans 7

Oftentimes, it seems hard to live a holy life on a consistent basis. The inevitable battle between good and evil shapes every aspect of our lives, and the path our lives take, is determined by which side we submit to. When a person is newly converted into the family of God, they have an insatiable desire to do good. Their mind has been renewed, thoughts refreshed, and intentions set on doing only good. Unfortunately, the season of newness tends to wear down, when the desires of the past gradually creep back into their lives. The more time an individual spends studying, learning, and growing in the way of holiness, the more likely they’ll become properly equipped to walk in the Spirit, while avoiding the lusts of the flesh. On the other hand, the less time spent in God’s word can cause a person to become influenced by unrighteousness, and it’s harmful effects. We all may have a strong desire, or will to do as God commanded us to do, but if we aren’t diligent in our commitment to serve, and refuse to study to show ourselves approved unto God, then our will and desires will only reside in our minds, and not our actions.