Focus
Focus. It’s a simple word really. Focus. We all know what it means but as you may know, definitions are kinda my jam. Focus, when peeled back and defined is “a center of activity or attention; directed attention.” Does the definition resonate a little more than the word itself? One morning not too long ago, I was awake at 1:30 a.m. My activity was centered on praying and petitioning over people I love. Praying that God would pursue them. Relentlessly. That they would surrender and focus on Jesus as the only One that can fill any void they keep desperately trying to fill with other things or people. Have you ever been there? In the middle of the night praying hard for those you love. Praying that God would make a big move in their lives and get their attention. There is a constant battle for our focus to be off Jesus, to grab our attention on all that’s wrong in our own lives and the lives of those we love. How we participate in the battle is key. We must be intentional about where we place our focus and what we give our attention to. It’s ultimately up to us, no one can make us dedicate our focus or give our attention unless we allow it. And as much as we would love to control where our loved ones place their focus and direct their attention, we can’t. There are numerous stories throughout the bible of battles, distracted focus, and paying attention to the wrong things. So, how do we keep our focus where battles are won? We focus on the One who does have control, we focus on praying, unceasingly. We fight for what matters, the truth of the gospel. We focus on surrendering ourselves to trust God and his Word. We focus on remembering He loves those we pray for even more than we do. This picture is one I scrolled across in my middle of the night ponderings. It immediately clicked. Think of an army. Think about the focus they must have… They focus on a battle plan. They focus on the mission. They focus on how to accomplish it. They focus as a unit. The battle plan- pray and petition. The mission- believe God, His strength, and His Word as true and applicable. The how- trust God knows exactly the how and when to accomplish all that needs to be in their lives. The unit- ask those in our inner circle to link arms with us to pray with us and for our families. As we readjust our focus and redirect our attention, let’s take just a minute and give praise that we know who is in charge of our army, who the ultimate victor is, that we know the author of scripture is alive and who has an unwavering focus of the eternal kingdom…Glory be to God!! 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing” Deuteronomy 20:4 “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory” Psalm 62:8 “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” Ephesians 6:10-12 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” Lord, thank You for never losing focus, for always having the ultimate battle plan. Thank you for the gift of prayer. There is comfort Lord in knowing you want to hear from me. May my focus be on You Jesus. Help me keep my focus and attention on only the battles You call me to. May Your will be done in the lives of those I love, we both want them to choose you. May I focus on your word and let the truth of it help fight the battles. And if my focus falters and my attention becomes distracted gently call me back to Your truth. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen. This week’s playlist: Rescue Lauren Daigle Yes He Can CAIN Weapon Vertical Worship Written September 19, 2019 Updated August 23, 2021
United
United and it feels so good… Ok, ok, that’s not the lyrics. If you don’t know the song reference, I’ve just totally dated myself. That was my feeble attempt to start this devotional with humor. As it’s true, when we feel connected, joined together, being united does feel good. There’s not much of that feel-good going on in the world. Turn on any news station or scroll on any social media platform and the lack of unity is almost a daily topic. However, as believers, we should be asking ourselves what and who exactly are we united with? This is a critical question to continually take our pulse on as the world has a plethora of all the ways it calls for “unity”. We should be looking to the One, the constant unchanging source of truth for what and who we are to be united with. To be frank, it is not the world. We are called to be united as the body of Christ. We cannot be united with Jesus and represent His truth if we are united with worldly views and behavior. With that in mind, I went to the two most used apps on my phone. The Bible and the dictionary. For those of you that aren’t familiar with me, I am a lover of definitions. So naturally, I looked up the word “united” to get a better sense of the word. Here’s what I found. Webster’s Dictionary: “made one: combined; relating to or produced by joint action; being in agreement” NIV Bible: “to bring together, forming one body; agreement, harmony Strongs Greek Concordance: “congenital, united with” Then I decided to see how the worldwide web defined the word. Duck Duck Go: “combined into a single entity” Google: “joined together politically, for a common purpose or by common feelings” Interesting, huh? As believers we shouldn’t be focused on being united with anything more than Christ and his word. A cause, political party, or person should never hold more importance or passion than being united with Jesus. We’re warned throughout the Bible of the lack of unity we see happening. Luke 12:52-53 “From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” Romans 16:17-18 “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the minds of naive people.” This next one is a showstopper. In John 17, Jesus is praying for his disciples and future believers. (I encourage you to read this entire chapter!) v14- “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” We can’t be united with something that hates us. Jesus is clear the world will hate true believers because we won’t or shouldn’t be cooperating with the world by joining in rebelling against God’s word. Believers take to heart, we represent Christ and should try to live a life pleasing to him, remembering Who we are united with, that we are ultimately serving an audience of One. Let’s remember this especially when we disagree about world events, politics, medical practices or any of the other multitude of topics that arise. There really is only one form of unity Jesus calls us too. 1 Corinthians 1:10 “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” Acts 20:28 “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” Ephesians 4:3-4 “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called in one hope of your calling.” May we remember being united with Jesus and His word is most important. May we remember who the real enemy is. May we remember Jesus is still King, sovereign, in control, and should be trusted. May we remember we serve and answer to an audience of One. May we remember we should be more concerned with which side someone is on, as it relates to heaven or hell, ultimately being disciples for the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Lord, may my actions match my words. May I stand united with You and Your truth. Help me be more focused on sharing your gospel, your grace, your offer to be with you. May I seek your wisdom and be open to your gift of discernment Lord, especially in the days ahead to know false unity when presented with it, help me recognize the enemy’s lies and stand against them. In Jesus Name. Amen. This week’s playlist: Citizen of Heaven Tauren Wells Give Me Jesus Jeremy Camp Make Us One Jesus Culture Written November 4, 2018 Updated August 18, 2021
Bowl Judgments of Revelation
We have seen God’s wrath unleashed on earth in a series of two sets of judgments, each set progressively worse and more devastating as time goes on. Here, we will explore the third set of judgments, the bowl judgments, and their worldwide effects. Finally, we will take a look at the fall of commercial and political Babylon. Three Angels and a Voice from Heaven In Revelation 14:6-13, John sees three angels, each bringing a different message from Heaven relating to what is in store for the earth’s inhabitants. The first angel’s message is one of Good News; this angel preaches “an eternal gospel to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people” (Revelation 14:6). This message is another attempt by God to convince those left behind to repent and accept His Son. It also fulfills Jesus’ prophecy of Matthew 24:14 that “this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” The second angel announces the fall of Babylon. Babylon, generally, represents man’s rebellion against God stemming from the incident at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). “Prophetically, ‘Babylon’ sometimes refers to a literal city, sometimes to a religious system, sometimes to a political system, all stemming from the evil character of historic Babylon.” (Walvoord) We saw in Revelation 17 that Babylon referred in that chapter to a one-world apostate religious system and also to a city. The third angel’s message concerns those who are following the beast (the Antichrist). This angel warns that if anyone “worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or hand” he will drink the cup of God’s wrath for eternity. It is evident that there is a connection between worshiping the beast and receiving a mark. No one will casually take the mark. If someone gets the mark, they have rejected God and chosen to follow Satan. The mark will be an eternal choice. Revelation 14:10-11 leaves no doubt that there will be suffering in hell, and it will be eternal. John then contrasts those who worship the beast and take his mark with those saints who persevered during this time through keeping the commandments and their faith in Jesus Christ. A voice from Heaven says of these Tribulation saints who are martyred, “they may rest from their labors, for the deeds follow with them.” (Revelation 14:13). This eternal rest is very different from Satan’s followers, who receive eternal torment. Final Reaping on Earth; Three More Angels God’s final wrath is pictured through a grain harvest and then a grape harvest. The grain harvest represents the bowl judgments, and the grape harvest represents the Battle of Armageddon. In the parable of the tares, Jesus also uses the idea of a harvest to explain His Second Coming and the final wrath of God (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43). In Revelation 14:14, John sees someone like a son of man sitting on a white cloud. This is a picture of Jesus that we first saw in Daniel 7:13-14. In John’s vision, he has a victor’s crown on his head and carries a sharp sickle representing quick judgment. God gave Jesus authority to execute all judgment (John 5:22, 27) because He is the Son of Man. An angel then comes out of the temple and appears to Jesus, appealing to Him to reap because the earth’s harvest is ripe. The reaping is of the ungodly people of the world; they will be gathered and judged. Jesus then begins to swing His sickle and reap the earth. John then describes another harvest, but this time an angel swings the sickle, not Jesus (Revelation 14:17-18). A second angel comes from the temple with a sharp sickle and then is joined by another angel from the altar calling to the angel with the sickle, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” (Revelation 14:18). Then the angel swings the sickle, gathers the clusters, and throws them into the great winepress of the wrath of God. The grapes are trodden, causing blood to flow from the winepress all the way up to the horses’ bridle for a distance of 200 miles. This vivid description represents the final Battle of Armageddon outside of Jerusalem. The Seven Bowl Judgments Revelation 14 generally describes the end of all things, but Revelation 16 goes back and describes them in more detail. John sees seven angels with seven plagues which are the last of the judgments. Before we are told the details of these judgments, we are given another description of Heaven in Revelation 15. John sees “something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name” holding harps and singing the song of Moses, the victory song of Israel after their deliverance at the Red Sea from the Egyptian army (Revelation 15:2-4). Here, this song also represents the delivery of the saints by Christ from sin and death. Next, out of the temple come the seven angels with the seven plagues who are given seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God (Revelation 16:2-21). These bowls of judgment are the third woe of Revelation 11:14. See the illustration below. There are similarities between some of these judgments and the judgments on Egypt during the time of Moses. The first bowl is similar to the plague of boils in Exodus 9:8-12; the second bowl to water turning to blood in Exodus 7:14-25, and the fifth bowl to the darkness of Exodus 10:21-29. Also, like the Egyptians in Exodus, the judgments cause the inhabitants of the earth to harden their hearts; they still refuse to repent. We see too that where the second and third trumpet judgments of Revelation 8 cause partial contamination of the seas and freshwater, the second and third bowl judgments
Fear
Fear. I don’t know one person that hasn’t experienced fear at some point in their life. There’s fear that is generally deemed as small or silly like the fear of spiders or clowns. There’s fear that is generally understood by most of us like fear for our family or a loved one health or safety. There’s fear that is sometimes deemed irrational like the fear of being in large crowds or of flying. Then there’s the fear of not being liked, of being rejected, or failure. The list of areas we find fear is long and extensive, yet despite all the reasons we find to fear God tells us “do not fear” over 365 times. So, this led me to a question…How does reverent fear of God, where no fear can live in His perfect love, take away my fears? An article I once read, ‘Fearing God’ by William D. Eisenhower, does a beautiful job of explaining it. “Scripture is full of examples of how fearing God is a positive rather than a negative thing. For example, in Genesis 42:18, Joseph wins his brothers’ trust when he declares he is a God-fearing man. It was because the midwives feared God that they obeyed him instead of the authorities by sparing the Hebrew babies (Exodus 1:17). Pharaoh brought disaster on his nation because he did not fear God (Exodus 9:29-31). Moses chose leaders to help him on the basis that they feared God and wouldn’t take bribes (Exodus 18:21) and told the Hebrews that God met with them in a terrifying display of his power so that they wouldn’t sin (Exodus 20:20). The Mosaic Law cites fear of God as a reason to treat the disabled and elderly well (Leviticus 19:14, 32). And lest you think this is only an Old Testament idea, note that Jesus states this stronger than anyone when he says, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). And Paul says to work toward complete holiness because we fear God (2 Corinthians 7:1). Unfortunately, many of us presume that the world is the ultimate threat and that God’s function is to offset it. How different this is from the biblical position that God is far scarier than the world …. When we assume that the world is the ultimate threat, we give it unwarranted power, for in truth, the world’s threats are temporary. (emphasis added). When we expect God to balance the stress of the world, we reduce him to the world’s equal …. As I walk with the Lord, I discover that God poses an ominous threat to my ego, but not to me. He rescues me from my delusions, so he may reveal the truth that sets me free. He casts me down, only to lift me up again. He sits in judgment of my sin, but forgives me nevertheless. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom but love from the Lord is its completion. And, of course, the ultimate example of fear and perfect love working together is Jesus Christ. He warned us at every turn to fear God, not men—and he confirmed that in everything about his life and death. He spoke lovingly but frankly to all and didn’t mince words when people needed to face their sin and repent. (emphasis added) But he also demonstrated love beyond human understanding when he lived out his words, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13). With love like that, what is left to fear but God?” In light of today’s world with so much fear, division and falsehood, I pray that last question is part of my daily prayer and praise… “What is left to fear but God?” Here’s what we need to be reminded of despite how loud the world shouts with fear. Any fear not intertwined with the greatness of God is a lie. Fear is a liar. Let’s also pay attention to who is the father of lies is. John 8:44 tells us without question, Satan. “…he was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” 1 John 4:18 says, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear”, gives us wisdom about fear and should give us comfort knowing that this promise guards us from people, situations or things that appear with fear. I’m not saying fear isn’t real, but I am saying we shouldn’t let it stick. We shouldn’t let fear guide us or our decisions. I’ve struggled during different chapters of life with fear even knowing this truth. See being in relationship with the Lord, studying His word, and believing His life and death as truth is not a magical wand that prevents fear or the enemy’s lies from trying to invade our hearts, minds or lives. But being in relationship with Jesus is a beautiful gift that helps us apply His Word as a living resource: It helps us put on the armor of God and fight against the fear and lies from the conniving enemy of our souls. It’s also a reminder to fear nothing and no one more that Christ himself – reverent fear for my King, my Savior. Gods Word is truth. Period, no question mark. For true believers, this is a statement of fact. Don’t forget one of Satan’s greatest lies is to try and have us believe we are the only ones, that others won’t understand, will judge us or reject us. He wants to isolate us. Divide us. Look at the world today and remember where the whole world lies. 1 John 5:19 tells us very clearly “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies
The Seven Signs of Revelation Explained: Prophecy, Symbols, and Meaning
Revelation 12 and 13 unveil seven prophetic signs that reveal the cosmic battle between good and evil. From the woman clothed with the sun to the terrifying beasts of the end times, each sign carries profound meaning for understanding the Tribulation, the Antichrist, and God’s ultimate victory. Who are these figures, and what role do they play in biblical prophecy? Explore the meaning of these seven signs and their significance in the unfolding of God’s divine plan.
A Little Fib
A little fib? Is there really such a thing? Like most folks I know I would say “I’m honest” and I do think that’s true. But I want, no I need, to be a truth speaker because of who I am in Christ.