Cling to hope in the Good News that God gives us.  One attribute of God that I find most encouraging is that God is omnipresent.  He’s always there.  Doesn’t always feel like it, but He is.

Scripture says, “Psalm 139:1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.  2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.  5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.”

When we’re hard-pressed, God is there sheltering us with His presence, and He will wipe away every tear.  I’m reminded of a scene in the Israelite exodus from slavery in Egypt.  It’s recounted in Exodus 14.  When doubt and panic ensued on the part of the Israelites, Moses tried to be enough assurance, summoning his own faith. 

“Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to move on.’ (Exodus 14:13-15). 

Do you read Moses’ crying out to God? But God saw it. He knew it because He is both Omniscient and Omnipresent. Moses was reaching out with all he had. God increased his faith. God would now give the Israelites a profound lesson in the Omnipresence of God which Moses could not rouse the Israelites to believe in his human capacity. 

God was about to glorify Himself in the battle. Twice stated. Rock solid.

God told Moses, “16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

I love this next section.  God’s got their back.
But it may only have looked that way initially through the eyes of faith.

“19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army,
withdrew and went behind them.
The pillar of cloud also moved from in front
and stood behind them,”

To some it must have looked like God was deserting them.  He left the leadership and withdrew.  But then, the Omnipresence of God planted Himself visibly behind (for protection), spiritually in front (driving the waters apart), around (as light in the darkness), and in wisdom over them (looking down upon their enemies) to thwart disaster coming to God’s chosen people. Omnipresent!

20 Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; (Exodus 14:20)

Are you afraid that God has deserted you
or has deserted America on account of our societal sins? 
Do you wonder where God has gone?  Are you confident in His Omnipresence? 
He knows exactly where you are, where our nation is,
and the process necessary for Him to receive glory in deliverance!! 
Pray.  Believe!  He’s got this!
Be part of the great harvest of human souls by sharing the Gospel that saves eternally. 

Lord Jesus, thank You for being our living hope, for being our shelter, and for leading us to living water.  Thank You for Your omnipresence that knows and guards us when we go to sleep, and Your hand is upon us when we rise.  You know our every thought, every word that we have yet to speak, yet You hold us firmly in Your hand.  Lord, instill in us a profound faith in You that trusts You in the darkest of circumstances. You are there. That trusts You when times are good because You are there too. May we experience gratitude for all You do as our Omnipresent and Omniscient God.  Because You are with us, Lord, may we give thanks when things are uncertain because it builds our faith and helps us to see with spiritual eyes the events at this juncture of history.  Thank You, Father, that Jesus went before us at the Cross.  And His Cross stands behind us and is our very foundation as protection from death’s grip.  Thank You, Lord, for Your mercy that is around us and before us and behind us and over us.  Thank You that no one can snatch us out of Your hands, and we ask Lord that in the days to come, You will receive glory through what You alone can do.  We ask Lord for courage and boldness, to come to Your throne to ask for a miracle for our nation and for this world.  We are so desperately in need of Your intervention.  We know that You see.  We know that You know both our good deeds and our sins.  We confess our good deeds are not enough and our sins are way too numerous and horrific to hide. We know that You are righteous and holy.  We know that You will not fail to act on behalf of those who love You and have been called according to Your purpose.  We don’t know what that will look like or when You will cause it to happen, Lord, but we trust You.  We believe.  We press on in faith and give glory to You alone.  Amen.

I resist the tin foil hat.  I really do mainly because there are certain “tin foil things” that make me go “Hmmmm…”

I look at the world and agree with a few radio hosts who say, “There are no conspiracies, but there are also no coincidences.”  Just because all things line up a certain way and I notice it, doesn’t make me a candidate for the tin foil hat. 

Shouldn’t it make any discerning person pause and ask why events all line up? 
Discernment is imperative these days.

The idea that someone actually wants depopulation falls into that “Hmmmm…” category. 

But consider these cultural happenings that are depopulation-oriented: 

• COVID, a bioweapon designed to kill certain population groups? I don’t know but it looks like Death…and perhaps intended as a weapon to do that very thing.
• A pandemic killer as some want to portray it. An automatic death sentence if you get it. Which really isn’t true at all, or science, but the legend lives on. It did kill many elderly and vulnerable people which–unthinkably—hints to a purposeful sending of infected people into nursing homes or assisted living centers. Death.
• Indirect effects of COVID—lockdown suicides, opioid overdose, death by depression. How could those demanding lockdowns not see it coming? Why do they continue to push it, knowing this is happening even to teens? Seriously.
• Prophylactics/treatments like Ivermectin. Is it a killer or is it helpful? Everyone has an opinion…and it’s not “settled science” in the eyes of all physicians, so many refuse to prescribe it. Resulting in…you’ve guessed it. Death, preventable death. Not exactly the Hippocratic Oath.
• Worse, prohibiting communication of home remedies and prophylactics which could keep hospitals from being overrun. And what do we get? Other illness in need of treatment never got it because there was no room at the hospitals and a publicized risk of going there. Death.
• The vaccine. To some you need it to keep from dying, so they’ll mandate a passport, and you can’t buy groceries or keep your job. Doesn’t that starve out or economically ruin people? Destruction to death. Why are businesses and institutions so ready to embrace this self-destruction?
• To others, it’s a killer vax and the truth is that plenty have died from it. Death. (Shhhh, we’re told. Don’t tell anyone.) Seriously?
• And vaccine side effects include miscarriage and infertility among young women. Limit of population growth and Death.

We could look at all that death, depopulation, and see it as mere coincidence.  Or we could see it as a plan.  Satan’s plan. 
And why?  Because he seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).  He hates God’s Image being replicated over the face of the earth.  He hates God’s blessing humanity, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:26-28).

Satan hates God.  He hates God’s Image.  He hates life.  Satan desires three things: (1) to engage in depopulation through death of those who survived the womb, (2) to engage in depopulation through infertility, miscarriage, and abortion, and (3) to take as many people with him to hell as he possibly can. 

Fine, that’s Satan, you say. 
But why would any rational person want what Satan wants?  It doesn’t compute. 

Then it occurred to me.  Of course, it makes no sense to me as a Christian!  I follow the Lord of Life.  The One who blesses.  The One who wants all His Image-bearers to be multiplying, fulfilling that blessing throughout the whole earth, and everyone coming to true life in Christ. 

Such good news that Jesus is the Lord of Life!

Stick with me.  Does it mean I wear a tin foil hat because I see that everything Satan wants is at odds with God’s will?  No. Satan likes death. 

Does it mean that people can’t be carried away thinking they’re do-gooders when they’re really against God? 
(Get ready, Yikes…)
Jesus told us to expect that very thing.

“In fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them.”  (John 16:2-4)

They don’t know God.  So deluded that they don’t know that their aims are furthering the plan of Satan…and they think perhaps that depopulation will help food supplies, limit overcrowding, or save the planet.  They plan their trips to Mars because they don’t believe in our God who can save the planet without their help. 

Step back from the chaos and noise and make sure you’re aligned with the Lord of Life!  He came that we may have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

Lord Jesus, thank You for being the Lord of Life!  Thank You for the breath of life each day and for the new life You give us as Your followers.  Help us to see matters of life and death as You see them. Embolden us, encourage us, and make us fearless proclaimers of Your truth as we see the Day approaching.  Help us to communicate the Gospel clearly and to thwart the work, the will, and the plan of our adversary.  He’s a defeated enemy, and we praise You for Your victory on the Cross!  We praise You for eternal life that comes by Your shed blood! We stand amazed at Your victory over death and the grave!  Give us a powerful renewed urgency to speak life into our world through proclamation of Your Word as the Lord of Life.  Amen! 

Let’s see some more good news in our Good News series to combat the bad news streaming from all forms of media 24/7.  Perhaps you need it like I do.  My heart has felt heavy, water-logged with constant saturation of bad news.

My heart is breaking for this world and for the good people in it,
and all persecuted Christians, both those who belong to God already
and those who are learning their allegiance to Christ through fire.

Our adversary Satan (also known as the prince of this world) has no hold on Jesus and is a defeated enemy.  He has no hold on Christians either as we are protected by the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Praise God!

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome [the spirit of the antichrist/false prophets], because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”  (1 John 4:4)

If evil is so defeated, then why are we seeing this worldwide horror show unfolding before our eyes daily? 

It’s hard to say except for a few things.  First, we were told to expect it (Matthew 24:4-21).  But the Bible goes beyond simply saying to expect it.  Oddly, it also says that suffering and death are how the world learns about Jesus (and in our day, similarly, suffering and death cause people to seek Him when all earthly solutions give way).

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave. (John 14:27-31)

We thank You Father for the sacrifice of Your Son Jesus Christ and for His willingness to lay down His life to reclaim humanity which bears Your Image.  We thank You that by faith we can enjoy eternal life with You and have Your peace that transcends all understanding.  Thank You that Jesus leaves His peace with us and that He doesn’t give as the world does. Thank You that You are greater than anything the world has to offer, even what it sells as good for us. You, Lord, are greater and will sustain our faith through any evil that false teachers, demons, or man may design to harm us.  No one can snatch us out of Your hands, and we praise You for that confidence! We ask Father that whatever suffering and death and distress that seems so unequaled in the timeline of man that You would use it for Your glory. That it would cause people to look for answers and find them in Jesus. Lord help us to remain confident and strong and to be willing to proclaim our allegiance to Christ, though it may be a huge sacrifice to do so.  We thank You for Your protection upon Christians. Thank You for the blood of Christ. Thank You for the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank You for the immensity of Your love for us. Strengthen us in these last days, Lord, and give us great power and wisdom so that we may proclaim Your word more boldly. We ask Father that You will not only thwart any evil that our adversary has planned, but You will cast him into his own pit, dug for us but destined for him.  Use the very things that our adversary crafts to instill fear, and turn it around, Lord, using it for good, to enlarge Your Kingdom, to make it greater, and that You would receive all the glory at the splendor of Your coming harvest!  We praise You! Amen.

Are you finding the world a confusing place right now?  Chaotic?  Disorderly? A train wreck? A dumpster fire?  I can think of a lot of images to describe our world at present, but idyllic, peaceful, tranquil, decent, orderly, righteous, and Edenic are not among them.

We are at war in the spiritual realm.
We are in chaos in the earthly realm.
And when, I do not know, the two shall meet for a final battle on the earth.

In the words of Grant Osborne in his Baker Exegetical commentary on Revelation, “There are no neutralities in this war; not to belong to Christ is to belong to the beast.”

Please take a moment to consider your relationship to Jesus.  Do you belong to Him?  Then you have no fear … because nothing, we’re told twice, can snatch us out of His hands.  (John 10:28-29)

Stand firm because our God is a God of peace, order, and righteousness. 

For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. … all things should be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:33,40 ESV)

Our enemy is the antithesis of that.  Discord, chaos, evil describes a world seemingly under control of the devil.  He has no authority over Christians. 

God will repay the years the locusts take away and He will reward those who have given up everything to follow Him.  The kind of service and sacrifice that displays our values, our principles, and our allegiance to the God or god we serve.

I am reminded of the final movie scene from The King’s Speech, the real speech oddly edited to remove some very important words.

Reflect on the dramatic differences in meaning and significance as you read the missing words (in blue in the photo, in bold below). “It is the principle which permits a state, in the selfish pursuit of power, to disregard its treaties and its solemn pledges; which sanctions the use of force, or threat of force, against the sovereignty and independence of other states.

Such a principle, stripped of all disguise, is surely the mere primitive doctrine that might is right; and if this principle were established throughout the world, the freedom of our own country and of the whole British Commonwealth of Nations would be in danger. But far more than this – the peoples of the world would be kept in the bondage of fear, and all hopes of settled peace and of the security of justice and liberty among nations would be ended.

This is the ultimate issue which confronts us. For the sake of all that we ourselves hold dear, and of the world’s order and peace, it is unthinkable that we should refuse to meet the challenge.

…ready for whatever service or sacrifice it may demand, then, with God’s help, we shall prevail.”

Father God please help us to see the spiritual battle in the heavenly realms and the earthly battle for the allegiance of human hearts and minds as one of good vs evil, order vs chaos, faith vs fear, and freedom vs slavery. We lift to You those who are hurting, at risk of being a hostage, those at risk of execution, those who are at risk of being imprisoned for Bible apps on their phones, and those who are living with health risks in this time of crisis. Please Lord, protect those whom You have called, marked with that seal of the Holy Spirit.  May we be protected from evil in the days that come, and You would prevent wolves from entering the flock to devour those who follow You. May we be willing to sacrifice earthly comforts, to preach the Gospel more boldly and urgently as we see Your Day approaching, and to serve You with whole hearts full of reassurance that You will reward those who faithfully follow You.  We praise You that You are a God of order and peace, and we ask, Lord, that just as Jesus calmed the waves by simple words, “Be still!,” that He would still the chaos of this world and restore order and peace.  Lord Jesus, we take Your yoke upon ourselves and thank You of Your promise to give rest and reassurance to those who look to You as our only Savior.  We praise You for the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus, we thank You for His victory over death.  We thank You that no one can snatch us out of Your hands. We love You Lord. We love You so much.  We pray all of this for Your glory. Amen.

“You want me to do WHAT???”  I’ve been there.  I’ve stared at myself in the mirror, but arguing with God, saying “Wait a minute.  I did that already.  Remember the firestorm I walked through just a little while ago?  I did that because You told me to.  Now You want me to do it … again?”  Then deciding to repent of my unspoken “Are You nuts???” that I knew God heard in my heart anyway, I said, “Okay.  Just don’t leave me.  It’s very scary out there. I really am. Very. Scared.” 

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’” (2 Corinthians 12:9). He didn’t actually say it to me.  He just had me remember that He’d said it in His word which means I can take it to the bank.

The truth is the spiritual battle is often very lonely and incredibly frightening. 

Our adversary is beyond despicable.  If he can’t get to us directly, he pulls a Job on us and goes after our possessions, our work, our families, our children, our spouse, our friends, and own bodies.  He assaults us with betrayal after betrayal, injury upon injury … often equally against those whom God has NOT called to the battlefield because our adversary knows the pain that he will inflict on us by hurting those who matter to us.  Those innocents who didn’t have the direct call from God, but whom our adversary designs they become side-casualties to create a double mind and stop the work of the one who was called.

Nobody warned me about that in seminary.

I’ve seen a quote attributed to Billy Graham, “The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.”  It’s on a million plaques at Christian trinket shops along with a convention of Precious Moments figurines.  It’s not a quote you’ll find in the Bible.  But it’s semantically similar enough to the 2 Corinthians 12:9 verse above that I reflect on the quality of truth in it. 

I think I’m still bothered by the word “cannot.”  It’s not as much of a forceful, reliable promise as the earlier “will not.”  Maybe like it implies there’s something up to me instead of the 100% God-will-do-it grace of an omnipresent God.  Like His will could be thwarted if I mess it up and the grace of God could have sustained me but for… me.  I think that’s why it’s not in the Bible. True, our job is to see none outside miss out on the grace of God…by dissention and petty disagreement, but for those following Christ, the good news is that God gives Grace Enough.

Good news that I can’t mess it up because I need grace enough for the battle.  That His power will be perfect for protecting my loved ones.  For giving them the courage and deep abiding faith to support my call even if I don’t fully understand it myself.  To bravely soldier beside me and behind me in prayer. I never asked for any sort of leadership.  It came and with it, a legion of arrows, each leaving deep wounds, kind of like Paul’s thorn in the flesh.  I soldier on…praying,

Lord Jesus, we thank You that Your grace is enough for the battle– enough to sustain us, enough when we’re frightened, enough when we’re confused, and it’s enough when we feel the pain of war.  When we know insults of being taken out, sidelined, or passed over (or our families are) Your grace is enough… enough for today, enough for tomorrow, just as it was enough yesterday. We praise You and thank You that Your mercies are new every morning because every morning we need new ones as each day has enough troubles of its own.  We need Your mercy and grace enough to cover, challenge, and conquer all our troubles.  Thank You Lord for the depth of Your love. Thank You for the call on our lives and that nothing bad happens to us that hasn’t first passed through Your hands as being for our good and Your glory.  We don’t understand but ask for faith to believe this.  We ask, Lord, that You would be glorified in the battle as we stand firm in faith with that whole armor of God around us and upon us. We thank You, Lord, for faith in Your Son Jesus Christ who endured all things, even the Cross. We thank You that He is the author and perfecter of our faith and that He’s gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us.  Lord, as You look over the earth, grieving no doubt at what You see, Lord, let us be found faithful… walking in obedience to Your word, rushing into Your will with faces like flint, soft hearts full of love for You and our fellow man, and a wholehearted perseverance to the very end.  We ask Lord that You would be glorified in all of this. We thank You for Lord Jesus, for His sacrifice, for His saying “Not my will but Yours be done” all the way to “It is finished.”  May we have the courage of conviction to follow Him wherever He calls, and we pray this in His mighty Name to Your eternal glory. Amen.

I hear in your voices your genuine concern for your loved ones.  A concern that is quite different than one rooted in fear.  It is one rooted in genuine love for them. I sense this is a burden many Christians carry.  It has taken me a long time to find words to put to this.

People we love have received the vaccine. 
People we love are refusing it. 
All are professing Christians,
those receiving the jab believing it to be a gift of God
and others concerned about it becoming the mark of the beast. 

We do not want Christians to worry, “Oh no!  I received the mark of the beast and there’s no hope for me!  I made a mistake and believed the science, was worried about dying from COVID and got the jab.  I don’t want to go to hell.  I didn’t mean to get the mark of the beast!” 

Please don’t worry.  God knows your heart and GOD IS GREATER! WHAT GOOD NEWS!

So here we have the outcome of closing churches and stripping people of Christian community due to COVID, of watering down theology to be non-offensive for a WOKE culture and dismissing evangelical Christians due to politics, impugning them as “conspiracy theorists” and “science deniers.”  Christian vs. Christian.  It’s pretty ugly out there.

The bad news is that we have just received global homework on fear vs faith that many people failed.  The test is yet to come.

Is the vax the mark of the beast?  Probably not the actual mark, but not for the reasons so many Christians are offering. (e.g. It’s not a 666, it’s not on the right hand or forehead, the church hasn’t been raptured yet, we don’t know who the beast is right now but according to a guru’s magic decoder ring, the antichrist is probably the Pope…)  AAAIEEEEE. Don’t get me started.

I believe God is greater than COVID.  He is greater than the vaccine.  Perfect love casts out fear.  I firmly believe that Christians NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT THAT. 

The vaccine is not the unforgivable sin, nor is failure to get it. 

It’s a wakeup call to your heart’s loyalties, your willing submission to which authority, your fear threshold, and a call to follow Jesus Who is the only true cure out there when this life ends… which is 100% certain.  

Equip yourself with knowledge, especially knowledge of God’s Word.  God is greater. 

I know the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The LORD does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from His storehouses….Your Name, LORD, endures forever, Your renown, LORD, through all generations. For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants. (Psalm 135:5-7, 13-14)

Pray over your loved ones and if they are not people of faith, that’s the real healing needed.  For God so loved the world…

Lord Jesus, help!  For our loved ones who got the vaccine, we are praying You will stand in the way of any negative side effects.  May the hope of believers that it was a gift from God in the form of medical science and their love for You make it true in their lives.  You are greater than a vaccine.  If You can wake a “sleeping” Tabitha, Jairus’ daughter, a woman’s only son, Lazarus, and cure a woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years and a demoniac with a legion, make us rock-solid in knowledge that You are sovereign over the bloodstream of our loved ones to prevent side effects.  Give us opportunity to talk about the end times while there is still time, give us words to convey the coming mark of the beast and how we see before us the dangerous pathway carved out by capitulating to fear, and about submission to the government/global powers instead of submitting ourselves to You, O God. Teach us Your Word about submitting to You and resisting the devil who will flee from us, by Your power.  Strengthen our resolve to follow You.  Help us to stick together in these dark and uncertain times.  May we bless You as we fight the good fight, run the course, and finish the race with fullness of faith in the finished work of Your Son Jesus Christ.  Give us confidence that no one can snatch us out of Your hand.  The good news is that You are greater.  We love You, Lord.  We love You so much! Amen.

That God watches over us is good news!  That He never falls asleep on the job is good news, too!  I, for one, am glad that God doesn’t just need a CPAP machine or a My Pillow in order to finally get needed sleep.  I, for one, am rather jealous that He can keep going without sleep.  But most of all, I am grateful that His watch is constant and His care for us is without end.

Psalm 121:1 A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the mountains– where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip– he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD watches over you– the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm– he will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

There are way too many people who think God has totally given up on the Jewish people.  I am distressed that (on some social media platforms) antisemitism, outright hatred aimed straight at the heart of “the Jews” is not only tolerated, but some self-proclaimed Christians do it.

Have they forgotten that Jesus was Jewish? 
His parents were Jewish. 
He was sent first to the Jews.

I remain grateful that there has been a season of grafting Gentiles like me into the tree of faith and that a time will come when the full number is in and the Jewish people who love God will have their eyes opened and be grafted back in.  Reread Psalm 121 above. What does it say?  Now and forevermore. 

That’s good news.

Father God, I thank You that You neither slumber nor sleep. That Your watchful eye is over Your people– both the Gentiles who have come in by faith in Jesus Christ and those Jewish people who love You. I thank You that they will soon see and acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, too. I thank You Lord for the promise being “now and forevermore”. How I praise You that You don’t just give up on us when we fail You. But You are consistent, faithful, and true. I praise You Lord for my Jewish brothers and sisters who have been faithful throughout the generations, the very ones who made it possible for Jesus to come from the Jews as was foretold in Your word. Salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22) spoken from the lips of Jesus Christ Himself. I thank You for that Lord, and I pray for revival in our nation and our world. I praise You that You are working all of this in Your will, Your plan, and Your timing. It’s all headed toward Your return so I ask that we would turn our eyes upon Jesus and any who do not yet believe will hear Your voice and see Your movement in our days. Let there be true and powerful revival that none can deny is happening throughout this world. Please Lord, bring a great and beautiful harvest for Your glory! I pray all of this in the mighty Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Who does God forsake?  None of His own, that’s for sure.

God may forsake peoples and nations which have turned against Him.  Sinners and rebels and those who forsake Him, who deny Him, who rebel against Him.  They sow to the wind and reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7).

Psalm 94:1 The LORD is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth.

Are you ready?  I am.

2 Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.  3 How long, LORD, will the wicked, how long will the wicked be jubilant?  4 They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting.  5 They crush your people, LORD; they oppress your inheritance. 6 They slay the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless.

Tired of it?  I am.

Proud and ignorant, they act like there is no God.

7 They say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice.” 8 Take notice, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? 9 Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? 10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?

Fear of the Lord
is the beginning of wisdom. 
He’s real,
He knows everything,
and He’s watching.

11 The LORD knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile. 12 Blessed is the one you discipline, LORD, the one you teach from your law; 13 you grant them relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. 14 For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance. (Psalm 94: 1-14 NIV)

Good news worth sharing!

Thank You, Lord that “Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.”.  When I do not see “who will take a stand for me against evildoers?” remind me, Lord of “your unfailing love, [and You] LORD, supported me.  When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”  Bring me to the confident assertion, Lord, that even though “the wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.”  I will follow You and never be forsaken.  I have this confidence in the Last Day, that You, O Lord, “will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the LORD our God will destroy them” (praying Psalm 94:15-23 NIV).  I know You desire none to perish, but You know better than I: some will never repent.  Some will never admit You are God and turn to You for salvation.  Thank You, Lord, for forgiveness made possible by the shed blood of Christ… salvation, deliverance found only in Him, and no one can snatch Your faithful ones out of Your hands.  Amen.

No Condemnation.  No Condemnation.  Not a bit.  Not a smidgen. 
Not 99.9% Condemnation-Free.  No Condemnation.  None.  Zero.  Zip. 
In Christ.

That’s good news worth sharing.

How many of us have an inner negative voice reminding us of our failures, stripping us of our courage and reinforcing what we can’t do and why we can’t do it?  That voice tells lies –always suggesting maybe Jesus would reserve just a little condemnation for any of us.  Lies!  That voice is perpetually self-limiting, always pointing an accusatory finger, always reminding us of bondage to our limitations and slavery to the memory of our imperfections.

Even the Apostle Paul had his moments, needing to Biblically correct that voice.

“I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”  But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.  For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.  (Romans 7:7-11)

Sin has deep roots dating all the way back to Eden and the first man and the first sin.  The consequences have been with us ever since.  It cries that we deserve condemnation.  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

There you go, good news!  Which is why Paul continues in a rather confusing (but totally transparent and relatable) stream of consciousness as he presses on to his need (our need) of rescue.

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do– this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.  So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?”  Romans 7:15-24

Jesus is the answer.  Paul knows it.  Good news indeed!

“Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 7:25-8:4).

This good news of no condemnation is beyond encouraging. 
Do you know it? Do you own it for your life and apply it?

Thank You Father for delivering me through Jesus Christ my Lord. I praise You that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  I praise You that the law of the Spirit who gives me life has set me free. I thank You that whoever Jesus sets free is free indeed. I praise You Lord that You hold no condemnation in reserve for those who love You.  I thank You and praise You, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Coming up short isn’t my favorite pastime.  Finding out that I’m not good enough is either a major motivator or total downer. 

Scripture doesn’t mince words about our shortcomings.

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”  Romans 3:10-12

Not content to leave it as a summary, God gives grim details.

“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”  “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” Romans 3:13-14

Got it.  We are lying trolls and accusatory shills on the Internet.  We are protestors in the streets.  We write op-eds to slice and dice our fellow man.  We write comments on Twitter that speak death and cursing upon our brothers and sisters in the family of man.  Hello 2021. Epic fail.  Bad news.

But wait, there’s more. Verse 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.”

We commit arson, homicide, and road-rage; we teach anti-peace in the forms of Critical Race Theory, angry protests, and defunding peacekeepers; and for those of us not actually committing these acts in the “royal we” of inclusion, yeah, we do it in other ways.  Our thoughts, our failures to stand up for others, our looking the other way out of fear of retribution, or not pursuing criminal prosecution when our evidence would assist with accountability.

What’s the root cause of all this unrest, illegality, and deception?  Romans 3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Short and to the point.  Bad news can be that way.

Scripture continues, however, with good news.  Far from its being a total downer or motivation to try harder, the good news is a third alternative. Once we acknowledge (and repent) who we are and what we have done, and simply ask for forgiveness… Jesus paid it all.

It doesn’t matter what your skin color is, or what Zip code outlines your residence, or what church denomination you attend, or what is your net worth.  We’re all silenced in our shame, held to account by God Almighty. We all have opportunities to admit our sin and to receive good news (the righteousness of Christ by faith).

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.  Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.  But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans. 3:19-24)

In a world that seems to be freefalling, this is good news indeed.  We can’t do anything about our sin nature, but God did it for us in Christ Jesus.

Thank You, Lord, for salvation made possible by the shed blood of Christ.  Thank You that You did this for a world of sinners, when we could not earn it or buy it.  Your grace is immeasurable.  My gratitude will never approach what You deserve for this act of love, Lord Jesus.  Amen.