To Be Worthy of Consideration

There are a few ideas about warfare worth examining. Then we will look at whether we might also be worth considering, or would even want to be.

There is an old concept, supposed attributed to the Plains Indians, that the strength of a man could be measured by the might of his enemies. Your importance could be gauged by the significance of those who considered you to be a threat.

In one of the creepier incidents in the scriptures, in Acts, Chapter 19, seven sons of a chief priest named Sciva took it upon themselves to cast out evil spirits possessing a man. They commanded the spirits to come out, calling on the name of the Lord Jesus that Paul preached. In a more than discouraging moment, one of the spirits responded, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” Then the possessed man leaped on all seven of them, overcame them, and all seven fled from the house, naked and wounded. It is never a good idea to declare ourselves an enemy of what wields far more power than we do.

An old principle of warfare is dividing your adversaries to conquer them. For this reason, back when armies lined up and attacked each another in … Continue Reading

The Jubilee Principle

Jesus came to the Earth for a number of reasons, but one of the main ones is found in His name. The angel said in Matthew 1:21 to call Him “Jesus,” for He would “save His people from their sins. “ His disciple reiterated this in Luke 19:10, telling us, “the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Even the way Jesus died, according to John 12:28-33, was designed to cause us to look up to Him and toward Him for our redemption.

We are neither powerless nor victims of circumstances either. That concept is a sales pitch from a capitalistic society. Unless someone can convince us we are broken, we will not buy the cure they are selling. No one sells insurance till they first convince us we might get sick or die. Till they make us paranoid, we see no need for their product. Money changes hands when a society or person becomes convinced they are victims. But God created a place, called His church, where we can come and freely have our lives changed. We do not have to be victims of … Continue Reading

Infirmities Are Not Identities

An infirmity does not need to be a life-long sentence. Too often, one weakness, one mistake, one bad moment becomes how we are identified the rest of our lives. Until we get sick of it.

One bad snapshot of us, used by too many to identify us, is not a complete picture. Proverbs 18:14 says the spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity. That word, “sustain,” means to keep in, hold, nourish, maintain, and contain. Something within our spirits wallows in, glories in, and strengthens our weaknesses. We nourish and sustain them till they become the central fabric of our lives. Paul tells us in Romans 6:19 that yielding to the infirmity of our flesh results in our becoming slaves to unrighteousness. Eventually our weaknesses control our very identity. They are what people see when they view us. One bad moment categorizes us in peoples’ minds. “Be careful of him, he’s violent.” “That’s the thief.” “That’s the loser.” “He’s got a gambling problem.” “He can’t keep a wife.” “He’s a predator.” “He’s a liar.” The list goes on and on, but God does not intend our mistakes to be permanent. … Continue Reading

Statues of Liberty

In a message delivered in His home town synagogue, Jesus irritated those who thought they knew Him. He claimed to be the anointed messenger of God, the Messiah. He claimed to have come to set not one, but many kinds of captives free. That is good news indeed to those of us in prisons. That promise and prophecy can be found in Luke 4:17-21, which also describes the captives.

America’s promise to the world is found at the Statue of Liberty. It goes like this: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

God’s similar promise to those of us seeking a better life is found in Matthew 11:28. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

He came for those who are bound. The first captives are the poor, and we are in a prison all our own. Extreme poverty locks the sum total of our existence into a search for ways to meet our basic needs. Those seeking their next meal will have little interest in the bread of life. Those looking for a safe place to sleep overlook the … Continue Reading

Master, Don’t You Care?

Sometimes, our problems are so severe it seems no one has ever been in the same boat. The disciples in Mark 4:35-41 would understand. But Jesus had said, “Let us pass over unto the other side.” Then, as He does with us, He got in the same boat they were in. They took Him just as He was, not expecting Him to change before allowing Him in their lives. We change, not God. But in the storm of that day, their ship had taken all it could without actually going under. That is when they woke their sleeping Lord and asked for us all, “Master, we are about to die here. Don’t you care?”

A Wounded Spirit from Letters to Prisoners

A WOUNDED SPIRIT

God never shames or embarrasses us when we come to Him. His house is always a safe place, where we are protected.

The same is not true of our world. In this world, we will get our feelings hurt. Jesus spoke of these offenses in Matthew 18:1-10. This was in response to His disciples’ questions about greatness in His kingdom. He set up a child’s humility as an example of what to strive for in order to excel with God. Then he warned His disciples not to offend a little believer in Him. He basically said we would be offended, but we don’t want to be the one who offends. He warned those who despise children in God’s kingdom, that these little ones have angels who report directly to God.

We know offenses will happen. It is impossible to go through life without people hurting us at some point. Solomon spoke of it in Proverbs 18:14, telling us physical sickness is easier to deal with than emotional damage. .We can handle problems caused by disease, but when offended, our spirits are wounded. Who can bear that? These inner wounds carry unseen scars and unanswered questions. How could this happen to me? Why did God allow it? Did my parents even care about me? Am I unlovable? Will I ever feel self worth again? Many times, healing will not begin until … Continue Reading