Category Archives: Thoughts

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Discerning His Body

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I Corinthians 11:27-32 (NIV), “So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.”

We already discussed discerning the blood of Christ and how important that is in our walk with God. Equally important, but not as widely accepted is understanding the broken body of Christ.

At the last supper, Jesus is talking to His disciples and He hands them the cup of wine. Their Lord tells them that it is His blood and to drink every drop. Then He hands them some flatbread and rips off a chunk, passing it around and says that it is His body. What is Jesus telling these men? Has He changed the wine and bread into flesh and blood as He changed the water into wine at the wedding feast? No. He is using an object lesson, one of many. The wine is representing the blood that He will soon be pouring out on Calvary. The bread represents His body, soon to be ripped to shreds by a cat o’ nine tails, and pierced by thorns, spear, and spikes. When they see the blood flowing from that cross, and see His once whole skin, marred and broken, He wants them to remember His words that He shared with them that night. He wants them to remember that He did it for them.

It is easy for most of us Christians to accept that Jesus died in our place, if we hadn’t we wouldn’t call ourselves followers of Jesus. We have accepted that God loved us so much that He sent His only son and that Jesus loved us so much that He willingly laid down His life so that we can live free from sin and shame. However, for a lot of Christians it is hard to accept that there is more to Salvation than just a get out of Hell free card. Salvation isn’t “fire insurance”.

More was done on that cross than most of us realize. Salvation is a package that has many gifts inside. We have been washed clean and forgiven for all of our sins. We have received a new heart and a new spirit. Our family is now a heavenly one, and our Father is God. There are too many promises and scriptures, for one small devotion, to name them all. In a nutshell salvation means we are saved, delivered, and healed. Look the word up. It includes an abundant life.

I Peter 2:25 (Weymouth Translation), “The burden of our sins He Himself carried in His own body to the Cross and bore it there, so that we, having died so far as our sins are concerned, may live righteous lives. By His wounds yours have been healed.”

Specifically we see in I Peter that His wounds, those stripes left by the Roman whip, the nails, the thorns, that spear thrust all were for a purpose that transcends a torturous death. He submitted to those wounds so that we could be healed. I know, it doesn’t make sense with our natural mind, but not much in the Kingdom of Heaven does, but it is Truth. God said it and He never lies. Reading I Corinthians 11 in the light of I Peter 2 reveals much about discerning the blood of Christ.

Read this again, “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.” Why are we sick and why do so many of us die before our time? Because we don’t understand that our healing has already been purchased. We aren’t waiting to be healed, begging to be healed, just suffering through until God decides to do something. No, He already did! We believe it, tell the Devil, command our bodies to line up with it, and stand in faith; we walk out the promise of God. It is easier said than done. I know. Over fourteen years I suffered with anxiety and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Praise God, I don’t anymore. In fact I hardly ever even think about it or remember those hard times anymore. We have to get this into our hearts. How can we take ground when we are spending all our time trying to defend our own little area? God’s people need to walk in their authority. Us. Me. You.

It takes practice. It takes courage, but don’t fret, the Joy of the Lord is your strength. When we start to get this and we see results, talk about faith rising up in you. And suddenly you have another testimony, another opportunity to share how good God is. At the risk of sounding redundant, read your Bible. Do a search healing, health, and the Body of Christ. We are His body. How can the body of Jesus be sick? How can His body be weak?

God does not send sickness; He doesn’t cause birth defects, mental defects, or mental illness. All disease (the state of being not at ease) is from the enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. God gives us life and life more abundantly. Stand on that. Rebuke the Devil soundly and remind Him that you have been blood bought.

He took those stripes, He poured out His blood, and He did it all willingly. Don’t ever let it be for nothing. Take hold of that love and hang on with all you’ve got. Live from Heaven!

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Discerning His Blood

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I Corinthians 11:23-30 (NIV), “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.”

Paul is teaching the Church at Corinth about the Communion. He points out that they needed to “discern” the body of Christ. When we fail to do that we eat and drink judgment on ourselves. What does that mean?

Jesus called it eating His body and drinking His blood. So many people found that offensive that they left and didn’t continue on with Jesus. Once again they didn’t understand. He wasn’t asking them to become cannibals. Peter may not have understood, but he knew Jesus, so he answered, “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68, KJB).

Over my years of walking with the Lord, and it has been about 44 years now (several of those in a backslidden state, and several as a “carnal Christian.”) I have heard this preached in several different ways. None of them bad and all had good points, but recently the senior Pastor at our Church explained it in a way that finally clicked in. When we think of Salvation, we know that Jesus purchased us with His blood. We who were slaves to sin were totally set free by the sacrificial blood of the only One who could legally do it. All we have to do is confess that sin, and turn our hearts and lives over to Him. When we do that we are His. We know that when we die we will go to Heaven to be with Him and that He isn’t holding our sins against us. We are welcomed in the family of God.

What most of us have trouble with is all the other stuff that comes with Salvation. Salvation means much more than going to Heaven one day. It means accepting all the good things God has in store for us here. It includes healing and deliverance. It gives us the authority over everything. We have the same authority Jesus did, the same power available to us, (the Holy Spirit), and we are made just as righteous as God. Now, that is a little harder to wrap our minds around. I finally had to bypass the head and just get it into my heart. That’s the best way to think and meditate on spiritual things anyway. Still having some trouble with that? Let’s take a look at just a few scriptures.

Hebrews10:19-24 (NIV), “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Ephesians 1:7 (KJB), “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:”

Romans 3:25-26 (NIV), “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood–to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished–he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
Mark 14:24 (Weymouth New Testament), “This is my blood,” He said, “which is to be poured out on behalf of many–the blood which makes the Covenant sure.”

1 John 1:7 (NIV), “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”

So what did Paul mean when he said that we need to discern His body and His blood?

As Dr. Hohman taught us, it means that we need to understand and apply what His shed blood accomplished for us! If we don’t understand that we are right with God, that we are accepted in the Beloved, we won’t even try to enter the throne room let alone do it boldly. If we don’t use our authority, the enemy and our own flesh, ride rough shod over our lives. A covenant, which is so much stronger than a promise, had to include the shedding of blood. Jesus shed His so that we no longer have to live under the law, but we now live under grace, the Law of Love. His plan for us isn’t just to get by, or to tread water. We are supposed to take ground! We aren’t waiting to one day get to Heaven, we are His ambassadors and we are bringing Heaven to earth!

It is so important that we understand who He is, who we are, and what His shed blood has purchased for us, when we don’t we still live in bondage. The prison doors are opened but we sit shivering in the corner and refuse to leave.

Do a word search in your bible concordance and if you have access to the internet, use it for good and do a scripture search on the blood of Christ. There are some good blogs and commentaries out there (like mine), but first and foremost, see what God has to say about it. All of our other writings should line up with and encourage understanding with what is written in His word. We can never substitute good writing, good teaching, and good preaching with God’s word. The work of men can never do the job that His word can, after all His word is alive, and sharper than any double edged sword. Mine are not.

When we try and do it without remembering and discerning His blood, we make a mess of our lives. I did. However, when we do it His way, it is so much better. Notice I didn’t say easier, just better. He himself told us we would have trouble, but not to worry because He had already overcome.

Live for Him! He already did all the hard stuff. We just need to stand on His word, keep our part of the covenant, and walk in our authority.

Jesus, thank You for Your shed blood. Holy Spirit help me to understand with my spirit and to apply the blood rightly to my life. I choose to accept all that it purchased for me. I will not allow Your sacrifice to be in vain in my life.

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Be An Example

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Ephesians 5:1-2 (NASB), “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

When we get saved God doesn’t snatch us out of here and bring us straight to Heaven. Why? Because we are here to set an example, to imitate Him. Jesus is in Heaven sitting at the right hand of God, so now we are the only “Jesus” they will ever see. He came to show the Father. (John 14:9). Now that is our job.

We are supposed to live from Heaven, walk in our authority as believers, and accept all the good things God has given us so that we can make others want what we have. They may shy away from our boldness, or want to hide in the darkness because of the brightness of our life, but like a stray dog who finds a dish of food and some clean water, they will come out of the shadows to take what we have to offer. God explained that to His people when He was telling them that they would return out of captivity and go back to Jeruselem.

Ezekiel 20:41 (AMP), “I will accept you [graciously] as a pleasant odor when I lead you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries in which you have been scattered, and I will manifest My holiness among you in the sight of the nations [who will seek Me because of My power displayed in you].”

Romans 2:4 clearly tells us that God’s kindness, His goodness leads hearts to repent. How else will they see the goodness of God if not through us? We don’t have to plan some huge outreach, though God may ask us to, Andrew Murray makes it clear in his book “Working for God”, that it is in the smallest things that we consistently show God’s love, holding the door for someone, a kind word or a friendly smile, an offer to babysit, a plate of cookies for an invalid, all of these things are big in God’s Kingdom. Yes, we have to speak, pray, and encourage others, we can’t leave these things undone, but we have to be led by His Spirit. He will tell us when to preach with words, or when to just give a hug and a smile. His way wins souls, not our great plans and our way with words.

We can’t be barely scraping by, worried and anxious, crabby and depressed, and show God’s goodness. We have to freely receive so that we can freely give. This isn’t just about money! It’s about God’s provision. Depending on Him and expecting Him to come through for us. We will get a raise, He will give us favor with the bill collectors, He will rebuke the devourer. We have to read His word, find those promises, and stand in them. Set your face like flint! Keep your eyes on Him. When we consistently show that no matter what comes our way, we will praise and honor Him, we are setting an example.

The Bible is full of examples. Some good and others not so good. We can read through the books of Chronicles and Kings and see what we are not supposed to do. Or take a look at the children as the wondered in the wilderness. Not examples of great faith. Even some of our hero’s made mistakes along the way. God has added their shortcomings to their witness so that we can have hope. We know that even if we mess up, God can turn it around for our good. Our witness isn’t ruined. If we admit our wrong, if we repent. Otherwise, how are we representing Heaven? We are ambassadors for Christ. We need to live from Heaven, not conform to this world, and love on people. Loving someone doesn’t mean accepting their sin. God loved us while we were in our sin, but He didn’t leave us there, He compelled us by His love, and goodness, to let the Blood of Jesus cleanse us of all our wrongdoings.
There are a lot of people out there who haven’t come to the saving knowledge of His grace, more of those than the ones who know Him. This ought not to be!

Let’s live for Him.

Isn’t that what being a Christian is all about?

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Our Testimony

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Revelations 12:11 (Weymouth New Testament), “But they have gained the victory over him because of the blood of the Lamb and of the testimony which they have borne, and because they held their lives cheap and did not shrink even from death.”

It is clear in Revelations that two of our weapons against the enemy are the blood of the lamb and our testimony. The blood washes away our sin, protects us from evil, and made us as right as God, so now we can boldly come into the throne of Grace and we have authority over every power of the evil one.

Why would our testimony be a weapon?

Romans 2:4 (NIV) “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

When we share all the good things that God has done for us, what He has brought us through, we are showing His kindness, some translations say “goodness.” This leads hearts to repent, taking them out of the enemy’s camp and bringing them home to the Father.

Psalm 8:2 (Darby Bible Translation), “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established praise because of thine adversaries, to still the enemy and the avenger.”

Other versions say “silence”, “destroy”, and “put an end” to the enemy and the avenger. Our testimony is praise to God. Our only form of praise isn’t song. Whenever we share God’s goodness, we are glorifying and praising who He is.
Satan is trying to keep people ignorant of WHO God is.

Hosea 4:6 (ISV), “My people are destroyed because they lack knowledge of me. Because you rejected that knowledge, I will reject you as a priest for me. Since you forget the Law of your God, I will also forget your children.”

Our testimony tells people who God is! They may have heard that God is vengeful, that He makes us sick, that He sends disaster to judge people, but our testimonies of His mercy, His healing power, of His forgiveness shows who He really is.

We all have a testimony. If you have accepted Jesus as your savior, you have something to say.

We just need to remind ourselves of all He has done for us, for all that He is going to do, in fact He already did it all, we just have to accept it and stand on His promise.

Then, tell someone. In fact tell everyone!

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Wisdom From Heaven

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James 3:17 (NIV), “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

The world has a totally different idea of wisdom than God. The world see’s wisdom as intelligence and knowledge. In fact the Encarta Dictionary uses these definitions: good sense, wise decision, accumulated learning, opinion widely held, ancient teachings or sayings. I can right away see problems with all of those definitions! Good sense, we all need some of this, but if it isn’t based on the Bible, it isn’t good. The same can be said for a wise decision, if a decision is based on the world’s view of what is wise, the motivation will be greed, or lust, or it will be based on flawed thinking. The Bible tells us that knowledge puffs up, or gives us a “big head” so accumulated learning will only fill our heads with knowledge that we won’t be able to apply to our lives in any meaningful way. Even knowledge of the Scriptures without Godly wisdom will not profit us. Any opinion widely held is changeable. For example at one time people thought that eating the potato would kill you, and that the world was flat, need I say more? Lastly, ancient teachings can be wise, if they line up with God’s word, otherwise they are still opinions of man that happened to be spouted off years ago.

God tells us that wisdom from heaven is first of all pure. Godly wisdom isn’t motivated by anything other than love. Next, from our verse in James, we see that it is peace-loving and considerate. This kind of wisdom isn’t putting “self” first. It doesn’t have to have its own way, or demand its rights. It thinks “more highly on the things of others.” Wisdom from Heaven is submissive. I know we Americans tend to hate that word, but only because we don’t understand what it means. Submission simply means being “under a mission.” I am under the mission of God. His mission is to bring everyone to the saving knowledge of His grace. I submit to that mission. If we are using Godly wisdom there will be fruit, we will show mercy to others. God is merciful. He never gave us what we deserved, but only what would bring us to a place of fellowship with Him. Finally, this kind of wisdom is impartial and sincere. It can’t be faked. The world is full of people who see themselves as wise. They spout off information, statistics, and opinions and expect us all to be wowed by their greatness, which is neither impartial nor sincere. You can’t fake Godly wisdom, ever. Godly wisdom’s purpose isn’t to impress anyone. It’s purpose is to further God’s Kingdom here on earth.
How do we do that?

By showing God’s love, His goodness, His mercy, and forgiveness. We “make peace.”

Matthew 5:9 (ISV), “How blessed are those who make peace, because it is they who will be called God’s children!”
Luke 6:35-36 (NIV), “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. ”

So, maybe you aren’t feeling too wise right at this moment. Thankfully, God has an answer for that as well.

James 1:5 (NIV), “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Proverbs 2:6 (KJB), “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”

Ecclesiastes 2:26 (Holman Christian Standard Bible), “For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.”

I think it is safe to say that the way the world thinks to acquire wisdom is through learning, and through osmosis. We, on the other hand, as Children of the Almighty, receive wisdom from God. It is a gift. We can’t earn it, but that doesn’t mean that we just sit and wait for God to deposit wisdom into us either. God always has a part for us to play. One of the ways that God imparts wisdom into us is through His word. A great place to obtain Godly wisdom is in the Proverbs. He also uses sound teaching. We need to know God’s word and how to apply it to our own lives. This is wisdom.

Why do we need wisdom? And what do we do with it?

Proverbs 11:30 (KJB), “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”
Daniel 12:3 (NIV), “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

Proverbs 3:35 (NIV), “The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame.”

It takes true wisdom just to get saved. Human wisdom won’t allow our hearts to accept salvation, it stops the whole message at our head and because it simply doesn’t make any human sense, we reject it as impossible. “God would die for me? No way! I don’t have to earn it, there has got to be something wrong with this way.”

I Corinthians 1:21 (NLT), “Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.”

Godly wisdom loves, it saves souls, inherits honor, shines like the brightness of heaven.

So, get wisdom! It’s important, but make sure it is the wisdom from Heaven.

Proverbs 4:5 (NASB), “Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.”

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Prayer For This Day

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Dear Father,
Thank You for the opportunity to show Your love today. Holy Spirit, direct my path, bring me to divine appointments, to people who need Your love. I will speak of Your goodness and I will represent Your love and care. As I go about my day, I will constantly be in fellowship with You, so I will radiate Your love to everyone I come in contact with. It will be Your love, so I will not be phony or fake. I will work hard at my job, honestly earning my wage and blessing the person I work for. I will not be lazy or apathetic. I will not disregard the authority You have placed over me. I will live and work in such a way as to glorify Your Holy name and I will do it all in Your strength today.
So bet it. Amen.

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The Hall of Faith

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Hebrews 11 is known as the “Hall of Faith” where Paul goes through a long list of those who walked in and lived by faith. Forget the Red Carpet, the Packer Hall of Fame, and Forbes 500, I want my name on that list.

Hebrews 11:39- 12:2 (ESV), “And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

They lived in such a way as to get their name in the Hall of Faith, but never saw the manifestation of those promises during their lives here on earth! Yet all were faithful until the end, they finished the race, crossed that line. I love the part where Paul tells us that God has provided something better for us. We have the shed blood of Christ, the restoration of our relationship with the Father, we have His wonderful grace, and we have the Holy Spirit. We will cross that line seeing the promises fulfilled, or we will be raptured out of here while moving towards the prize with everything we have, if we hook up with Him, if we allow the Spirit to work in us and through us.

Those Old Testament saints weren’t perfect. They messed up. For some of them, that is what disqualified them from obtaining. Moses didn’t get to walk into the Promised Land because he allowed his anger to take over at the rock. So why does he still get his name listed among the others? Because Moses, like the others, was consistently faithful, sure they had their moments, Sara laughed instead of believing, but God says that faith pleases Him. He is not looking at those few times when our faith is shaky, He is looking at the times when our faith held strong.

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV), “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

God knows our human weaknesses. That’s why He sent His Son. Moses didn’t live under grace, but under the law. Thank God, we live in grace. But, just like each and every one of those listed, we all have a choice. Grace doesn’t mean that we sit back on a padded chair and wait for God to hand us everything on a silver platter. We have a responsibility to “run the race”, for some of us it will be a full out sprint, for some a persistent plodding ahead, and for others it may be both. This race isn’t won by going the fastest, or by crossing the finish line first, Jesus already won that prize. Our race is won by simply getting to the end. Persevering, enduring, until the end. Our race can’t be won by sitting, stopping, or God forbid, turning around.

Hebrews 10:36 (NIV), “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

Romans 2:7 (NIV), “To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.”

Our persistence in doing good gets us to the finish line and God is encouraging us to seek the glory and honor in this. Some seek fame and fortune here in this life; we need to seek the immortal fame and fortune only found in the Kingdom of Heaven. We can’t lose heart.

Galatians 6:9-10 (NASB), “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”

We are promised a harvest if we don’t give up or give in, if we don’t back down or sit down. I learned the hard way that when I start to feel “burnt out” it’s not because I have worked so hard, but because I haven’t pressed in. I let my work get ahead of my relationship. If we are working and listening to the Holy Spirit, He gives us rest and peace. He tells us when to speed up and when to slow down, when to give it all we’ve got and when to be still and quiet. He is faithful. We never have to do any of it in our own strength. In fact that is where “burn out” comes from, trying to do it on our own, and just like some of those Old Testament saints, we won’t see the promise, it’s not possible. Their stories are put there for our example. Every time they did their own thing, things fell apart. We have Ishmael because of that very thing. Israel consistently sinned by trying to do their own thing, or what seemed right to them, and even worse by copying what the pagan people around them were doing.

This race isn’t for the week of heart. Take courage in the promises of God! In Hebrews 12, right after the Hall of Faith, Paul encourages us to do just that.

Hebrews 12:12-15 (ESV), “Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;”

Lift up those hands! What a promise. I love that God doesn’t tell us to wait for the lame parts of our body to be healed. He tells us to straighten our path so that the lame parts will be healed on the way. How do we straighten the path?

Picture a race in the natural, some are short, some are marathons, but they all have one thing in common, there is a designated path, or track. Now, think about the runners on that path. Those runners have the finish line on their minds and in their hearts and as soon as that whistle blows they are headed straight for it. How ridiculous would it be for one runner to spot the handsomest brown eyed baby sitting in his stroller and stop to do some baby talking with the handsome little man? Or another runner to notice all the garbage strewn about the side of the track and stop to pick it up? Picture a marathon in your mind and think about how foolish it would be if a runner noticed how far ahead some of the runners were in the first minute of the race and gave up?

We cannot let ourselves get distracted! And I promise the devil will throw every distraction in front of you, every stumbling block in his arsenal. So we need to make our path straight. Put on those blinders. Set your faces like flint, Paul says. (Flint is a type of stone, it is used to start fires by causing sparks to fly). We need to allow God’s word to light our path so that we can see any obstacle on the track. When you are running, even the smallest pebble can cause you to turn your ankle. Or think for a minute of all those cartoons as a kid with the slippery slide on the banana skin. We need to see what’s in the path so we can hurdle over or go around, or if the object is too big, we do what Jesus said and command the mountain to be moved.

Paul also warns about the root of bitterness. There are many ways that bitterness takes root, but one root comes from trying to do things in our own strength or getting the cart before the horse. If what we are doing isn’t really what God has called us to do, or He has called and we took off without preparing the way with prayer and talking to Him, we can get disappointed and even bitter by the lack of results, or what we may see as a lack of appreciation. We tend to look at those others in the race as I mentioned before, and they may look like they have lapped us four or five times, and we get jealous and bitter. We each have our own race. We are not racing against each other! Ever. It isn’t a competition. In fact you get farther ahead when you help others along the way. When we see another runner stopped or slowing down, we encourage them, remind them of the prize.

The greatest part about this race is that we already know the outcome. We win. We get the gold medal; we stand on the podium and hear our national anthem, the Song of Heaven. Our victory is sure. I hear stories from my husband’s sisters that he never wanted to play unless he knew he could win. In the natural we call that poor sportsmanship, but in the Kingdom of God, it’s called FAITH!

So I want to be on that list. I want someone to say of me, what John said to these believers,

3 John 1:3-4 (NIV), “It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are WALKING in the truth.”

Even better, I want to hear this from the Father.

Matthew 25:21 (NLT), “The master was full of praise. “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”

Luke 19:17 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English), “He said to him, “Excellent, good servant! Because you are found faithful with a little, you shall be a ruler over ten fortress cities.”

So run, walk, or crawl, keep moving forward. Keep pressing in. Grow that relationship with God. Listen to the Holy Spirit and accept the Grace that God has given us all to abound in good works.