Delivered!

(God) has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

(Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Colossians 1:13-20 (ESV)

The Need for Anchors

We need anchors. Anchors are critically important. A ship without an anchor can not only damage itself, but can do great harm to other things as well.

Our nation needs anchors. We need the anchors of freedom and fundamental faith in God. We also need anchors like our Constitution, interpreted as intended by our Founding Fathers. We need the anchors of capitalism and the free market system. Without these kinds of anchors, we drift. We drift toward moral decay. We drift toward socialism and worse. It seems we're no longer "drifting" in these directions, it's full steam ahead.

Ultimately of much greater importance, we need anchors as human beings. One foundational anchor we need is the Bible, God's holy word. When we get away from the Bible and begin to make decisions based on what we think is best, we're headed for destruction. Proverbs 16:25 (ESV) says, There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. God's word is our anchor. It is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. It is truth without any mixture of error. It is God's living and active word, speaking to every situation directly or in principle.

May we keep ourselves bound to the anchor of God's word. Read it. Study it. Live by it.

Why so hard?

Last week I came to a pause in my sermon preparation and began to wonder why things have seemed so hard for me lately. Not that any really "bad" things are going on -- no health problems, family life is good, etc. But the normal day in and day out stuff that I deal with has seemed abnormally hard, unusually difficult. Things like dealing with people, church administration issues, and even basic sermon prep. It just seems like those kinds of things have taken much extra effort and have been frustrating and exhausting.

While contemplating the difficulty of the past several weeks if not months and beginning to get tired just thinking about it, a voice inside me, which I can only attribute to the Holy Spirit, gave me the answer to things seeming so hard. He said, "It's the Enemy." While many or all of you reading this may have already known the source of the problem (you're saying, "Well, duh, of course that's the source!"), I had just missed it. Of course spiritual warfare is real and something that pastors (and everyone else as well) deal with on a daily basis, but it's as if I forgot I was in a war. It took the unmistakable voice of the Lord to remind me. I am so thankful for the Reminder from heaven.

Maybe you are where I am. The pressure from Satan seems especially strong right about now. What do we need to do? Pray, of course. And make a conscious effort to daily put on our spiritual armor. Here's what the Scripture tells us:

Ephesians 6:10-18 (ESV)

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints...

Entering an Unknown Realm

Wow! Never thought I would be out in the blogosphere. Hopefully this venture will be in some way helpful, thought provoking, uplifting, challenging, or even at times entertaining. (Not that I have the ability to say anything that would produce any of those things in readers.) The ultimate purpose is to bring glory to God and point to the Savior who saved me through His marvelous grace. May I be ever decreasing and Christ ever increasing!