As Christians we are told in the Bible that we will be a happy people, a joyful people. The Bible really makes no distinction between happiness and joy. We should find our happiness and joy in places that the world does not. The world places their joy in their possessions and in their careers or in a stable home life. Certainly all these things can bring happiness but when God is center stage in our lives, we look to Him as our ultimate source of joy and happiness. In Him we find eternal happiness. Joy is Good Medicine In Galatians 5:22 Paul tells us that joy is a fruit of the spirit working in our lives. Proverbs 17:22 speaks of joy as "good medicine". A happy person is often a healthier person both mentally and physically. Joy can lower stress hormones, ease depression and anxiety, and improve your immune system. Paul says in Romans 14:17 that "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." What Brings Happiness? According to the Bible many things can bring us happiness and joy: the Holy Spirit by giving us hope (Romans 15:13) being in God's presence (Psalm 16:11) the words of Jesus to us (John 15:11) the Lord's strength (Nehemiah 8:10) believing in Jesus (I Peter 1: 8-9) trials, because when our faith is tested, we grow in our loyalty and dedication to God (James 1:2-4) the promised return of the Lord (John 16:22) asking and receiving in Jesus's name (John 16:24) the hope of the righteous (Proverbs 10:28) the consolations and comforts of God when we are worried (Psalm 94:19) Where Does Your Joy Come From I Thessalonians 5:16 commands us to "Rejoice always," Again, though, where our joy comes from is the important thing. Does it come from God or does it come from the world? Are we happy because of "the fleeting pleasures of sin" as Hebrews 11:25 puts it, or the eternal happiness that only living our lives for God can bring? Isaiah 61:10 says to rejoice in the Lord because we have been clothed in salvation and wear robes of righteousness. When We Are Sad But you may ask, what about when truly sad things happen to me? When we face the difficulties of life, we often forget Who we belong to. We forget Who it is that is the source of our hope, strength, comfort and happiness. Psalm 126:5 speaks of sowing in tears and reaping in joy. We must persevere in our hope in God when things are very difficult with prayer and study, knowing that eventually there will be a harvest (a reaping) of joy in our lives for not giving up. As David tells us in Psalm 30, his sorrow was turned into joy. For more on finding refuge in God when we are sad click here. Serving Others Brings Joy One way to have joy in times of sorrow is to serve others. The focus of our lives should be outward looking. We need to have our energy turned towards others, not inward. We often spend too much time worried about ourselves and not enough asking God what can we do for others. Joy and happiness are often found in serving others for God. Jesus says, according to Acts 20:35, that more blessings are gained from giving than receiving. Proverbs 22:9 tells us that generous people are happier people. This Joy is for All When the angels came to announce the birth of Jesus, they said their "good news of great joy" would be for everyone. Have we kept this good news of great joy to ourselves? Have we shared the reason for the hope that is in us (I Peter 3:15)? Are we generous, not just with our money, but with our faith? In the U.S. we tend to believe that everyone knows about Jesus, but this isn't true and it is becoming less true with each passing year. Do We Hide Our Joy? Our Creator has promised us a life not like the world. In Him we can have joy and happiness, and a peace that passes understanding. When people are around us is this what they see? Does your soul rejoice in the Lord (Psalm 35:9)? Or have we forgotten our first love (Revelation 2:4)? Pray that we labor in love for others and that our joy is not hidden. Dear Father, Thank you for promising us joy and happiness in You. We pray that we would show this to the world and that we would not forget the price that was paid for our salvation and our hope. In Your Son's Name, Amen

Jesus speaks often of serving others but never talks about helping them. Have you ever wondered why he chose to use the word "serve" and not "help"? I never thought much of it until several years ago when I was on a mission trip in the U.S. Our sponsor made sure that we knew the difference. He Served So We Serve Jesus himself "came to serve and not to be served" according to Matthew 20: 28. When we help someone, we provide them assistance or support. We usually help someone who we think is worse off than we are. We come from a position of power and reach out to someone who is less powerful. But when we serve someone, that is different. Serving others, views the person who is served as equals. We serve because He served. We serve because we serve Christ. Service is out of love, not expecting to gain favor with someone or accolades. Service expects nothing in return. Do We Want to Be Appreciated? Many times in the Bible when Jesus did miraculous things for people, they did not even thank him. He didn't stop doing miracles because he wasn't thanked. He didn't stop performing miracles because he didn't feel appreciated. He continued serving others and He expects us too as well. It is difficult to serve others and not receive thanks. Did you pick up that random sock today on the floor for the hundredth time? I bet no one said thanks. Did you give money to the random homeless person? Maybe they said thanks, but maybe they didn't. Will you still pick up that sock or give money to the homeless? Our responsibility is to serve others, not to feel important or somehow better than someone else because we helped them, but to show them love. The kind of love Jesus showed us and still shows us - an undeserved love. "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5: 13-14 Charity Isn't Pity As Mother Teresa said once, "Charity isn't about pity, it is about love." Do we serve others with everything we have? Jack London once said, “A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.” It is easy to help others when we are in a position of strength, but when we serve, we should do it no matter our position. Why? Again, because our motivation is love. Service That is Love There is a story of a hungry Christian family in India that was once given food. Immediately the mother divided the food and took half to the Muslim family next door that was also starving. That was service. That was love. Jesus Strengthens Us Do we serve out of our own strength? No. Only in so much as we are connected to Jesus and long to serve Him can we truly serve others with love. As I Peter 4: 10-11 (ESV) tells us "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." As Peter explains above, it is not that we serve in our own strength, it is God that gives us our strength. Service can be hard at times, unrewarding and thankless, but we do it, according to Peter, so that "in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ". Love In Action When we serve others, don't forget that ultimately we are serving Christ. Jesus reminds us of this in Matthew 25: 35-40. In these verses we see what service really is - love in action. " for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’" Enjoy the beautiful song, A Living Prayer, by Alison Krauss here.

The Feast of Tabernacles (also called the Feast of Booths), today known as Sukkot, is a Jewish feast that God commanded to be celebrated forever in Leviticus 23: 39-43. For Jewish people it is a time of looking back and a time of looking forward. God commanded them to construct temporary shelters to remember God's provision for them when they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. This Feast also looks forward to a time when all nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. God Provides Just as God provided for the Israelites so also does He provide for us today. He provides for our needs, but most importantly he provides a way of escape from the punishment of sin by the cross and resurrection of His Son. Every day should be a day of celebration, of feasting, when we realize how God watches over and cares for us, His children. Flocking to Jerusalem During this feast men were commanded to go to Jerusalem to celebrate. Many thousands of people would attend this celebration in Jerusalem. This feast is highly symbolic, for just as people flocked to Jerusalem for this feast, so to at the end of the age, will the nations come to Jerusalem when God establishes His kingdom. The Tabernacle - the Center of Everything Tabernacle literally means dwelling. The Tabernacle of the Lord was constructed by the Israelites according to God's instructions. This holy tabernacle went with the Israelites on their wilderness journey. It was instructed to be placed in the center of their group. This was symbolic in that it meant that God should be the center of our lives. Everything should move around Him. Everything depends on Him. As Paul reminds us in Acts 17:28, "for in Him we live and move and have our being" Jesus Our High Priest This feast takes place five days after the Day of Atonement for the people. When the tabernacle was constructed it had three parts. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year to pour out the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat for the sins of the people. Now, because Jesus is our high priest, we have no need for animal sacrifice. His blood, shed for the atonement of our sins, was shed once for all. Living Waters In John 1:14 John tells us that "the word became flesh and dwelt among us". The word translated dwelt means tabernacle, literally, to dwell in a tent. In John chapter 7, Jesus teaches in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. On the last day of the feast, in John 7:37-39, Jesus promises that living waters will flow from the hearts of those who believe in Him. These living waters are symbolic of the Holy Spirit which lives in those who call Him Savior. With the advent of the Holy Spirit we are now quite literally the dwelling place of the Spirit of God. God's Kingdom In Revelation 21:3 we read that God, when His kingdom is established, will dwell among His people and that we will be His and He will be our God. In Zechariah 14: 16-21 Zechariah says that in that day all the nations will come to Jerusalem to worship and keep the Feast of Tabernacles. In Zechariah 14: 8 the prophet says in that day that living waters will flow from Jerusalem and the Lord will be King over all the Earth (Zechariah 14:9). This kingdom of God on Earth is described in Revelation 20:4-6. (Please note that some people believe that this Earthly kingdom is purely symbolic, while others believe it to be literal.) God Dwells In Us “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” 2 Corinthians 6:16 (b) We thank you Father that you sent your Son to walk with us. We praise you Father that you are our God and that we are Your people. We praise you for the Holy Spirit that lives in us. We praise you for your provisions for us. We praise you God for dwelling with us. In your Son's name, Amen Enjoy the hymn, All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name, here.

We live in disturbing, turbulent times. It is good to be reminded that we have the love of God promised to us and that this love will keep us and hold us even when we doubt, even when it is hard to remember His love towards us. God does not forget His promises. Hebrews 6: 17-19 tells us that God is unchanging, that He does not lie, that He is a consoler and an anchor for our soul. What God has said He has done and what He has promised He will do. Hebrews tells us that God swears by an oath that He swore on Himself to do what He has promised. He does this to make clear the fact that His purpose is unchanging. He certainly did not have to swear an oath but He did so to show His love to us. "Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 6: 17-19 God Consoles Us God offers us consolation. Consolation means comfort after a loss or a disappointment. Why do we need consoling? Because our experience as humans tells us that people often don't keep their promises, that they often lie. Because the Devil attacks us and makes us doubt the love of God. But God and his Word can always be trusted. They are immutable, unchanging. God's promise is a promise of a future with Him because of the gift of his Son. What better consolation for the trials and troubles of this life can there be than to know that He has prepared a place for us with Him. (For more on God's peace click here.) God is Our Refuge We flee to God for refuge looking towards the hope set before us. What is our hope? In Psalm 71: 5 the Psalmist says that "you O Lord are my hope and my trust.". In the Old Testament people would flee to refuge cities to escape death by an "avenger of blood" (Numbers 35: 19) for an accidental death they may have caused. Our Savior offers a safe refuge. Christ conquered death, and as believers, we too, have been given victory over death. Our refuge is our hope. We will never die and His gift of life is eternal. (For more about God as our Refuge click here.) Our Comforter the Holy Spirit In Romans 15: 13 Paul tells us "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." So our ability to hope, to have joy and peace, comes from the power of the Holy Spirit filling our lives. The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our consoler. An Anchor of the Soul Our hope that we have is "an anchor of the soul". What does an anchor do? In this sense it means that when life batters us like a storm, God and His word provide security. God's anchor keeps us from drifting away from our one true love. God's anchor reminds us of His promises and faithfulness to us. An Anchor to Heaven Unlike a real anchor that is cast into the depths of the sea, our anchor reaches into the Heavens. Jesus has become our Great High Priest. Jesus can approach God's throne and intercede for us. Our Savior - Our Hope As Paul reminds us in Titus 1: 2 "in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began," Our hope lives in the fact that eternal life was promised before time began by the God of the universe who is unchanging. John tells us in Revelation 13: 8 (b) "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world". Before the world was formed our Savior was promised to us. God provides us with an anchor for our soul, a firm foundation on which to rest our hope! Blessings to all reading this. If you don't have an anchor reach out to the Savior. He is waiting for you. Hallelujah!! How Firm a Foundation How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word What more can He say than to you He hath said To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled Fear not, I am with thee; oh be not dismayed For I am thy God and will still give thee aid I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand When through the deep waters I call thee to go The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie My grace all sufficient shall be thy supply The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose I will not, I will not desert to its foes That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake I’ll never, no never, no never forsake Please enjoy this beautiful version of the great old hymn, How Firm a Foundation here.

Galatians 6:7 gives a stark warning to all of us, "Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap." As Christians, the Lord has been gracious to forgive us of our sins but sadly there is still a reaping that happens from the bad seeds we have sown. Was anger your great sin, if you repented then God forgives you, but that anger has consequences (what we reap). Was pornography your sin, adultery, fornication, or lying? Whatever you have done it can be forgiven, but there are still consequences. The consequences of our decisions are usually not immediate. It may be decades till we see them. King David In 2 Samuel 12 David is told by Nathan that God has forgiven his great sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband however there will be consequences to those sins. The sword will never depart from David's house, adversity will be against him from his own home, his wives will be with other men and his child born with Bathsheba will die. David lived his whole life facing these exact consequences. David saw the death of four of his sons. Two of those sons tried to gain the throne for themselves. One of his sons, Amnon raped his own half-sister. David's son Absalom slept with David's concubines in broad daylight. War was a part of David's life almost constantly. David Praises God in his Psalms What is so wonderful about David and his relationship to God was the fact that David, in the midst of facing the consequences of his sin, did not forget to praise and give glory to God. The great book of Psalm that is such an encouragement to us today was written by the very man who lived this life full of consequences. How could David be so optimistic while going through so many tragedies? Because he knew His sins were forgiven, he knew God was faithful to his promises, he knew that God loved Him, he knew that God was greater than the circumstances he found himself in. When David was discouraged, He cried out to God and God answered him. When David was filled with praises for the blessings in his life, he sang those praises. When David didn't know where to turn, he ultimately always turned to God. The writer of Psalm 23 had seen much evil, even in his own family, and yet he wrote, "I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." This is why the book of Psalm speaks to us so well. David was a forgiven man, like us, but he still faced the consequences of his sin and he still loved God with all his heart. Consequences for Bad Decisions Sometimes we think that forgiven means there will be no consequences. But there always are. Sometimes our consequences are spiritual and sometimes physical. We are not the ones who decide what the consequences of that sin are, it is God who decides. Our bad choices could keep us from having opportunities to serve God that may be lost. Our bad choices may have health consequences years later. Our bad choices may cause us to struggle with certain temptations more than we should have to. Our bad choices affect others. Consequences for Good Decisions But what happens when the seeds we sow are for God? What happens when our choices and decisions are guided by God? It is then that we see the fruits of the Spirit. These fruits come from seeds that are sown by us for God. These are listed in Galatians 5: 22-23 - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. How much easier, happier, and simpler our lives would be if we would reap this kind of harvest. But our greatest reward for a Spirit filled, Spirit led life is Heaven. As Dr. John Barnett has said, "What really counts in life-actions that lead to positive consequences-are the works Jesus does in and through us when we make ourselves available to God." Pray that God will help you to become more like David and praise Him in the midst of trying times, in the midst of your consequences, and pray that we will, every day, allow Jesus to work through us so the positive consequences of the fruits of the Spirit will be ours.

What Does God Expect? What does God expect for us as Christians to do? According to our Lord we should be loving God first and then those around us (Matthew 22: 37-39). We should be working towards being more like Christ and less like the world. What does that practically mean though? We are told in Micah 6: 6-8 that God's expectations are for us to treat others justly, to love mercy and to be a humble people. The People Fail to Obey In the book of Haggai we read about the failure of the Jewish people to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem as they had been told by God to do. Returning to Jerusalem they had been busy rebuilding their own homes and lives but had failed to rebuild the temple. Haggai tells the people that even though they had planted much they reaped little. He says their food and water did not meet their needs and even though they worked hard their money never went far enough (Haggai 1:6). Why? Because they had been disobedient, God's judgment was on them. The Temple Rebuilt God had ordered a drought - not just of water but of food and livestock and "all the labor of your hands" (Haggai 1:11). The people could no longer put off the will of God. They couldn't delay out of fear for what other nations might do to them; they couldn't place their own needs ahead of God's commands. They could not continue in their fear. And so, they built, once again, a great temple to the Lord as they were instructed to do. This temple was the very same temple that our Lord entered as a baby. The same temple that Jesus taught in as a young boy. The same temple where He threw over the money changer's tables. Had the people of Haggai's time not listened to God there would not have been a second temple. How Are We Doing? When we look at our own lives how are we doing? Are we obeying God? Do we treat others justly? Are we merciful as mercy was shown to us? Are we humble? Do we love God with all our might? Do we love others as He has loved us? How Can We Be Obedient? We show justice when we are honest with others, when we show others respect and when we stand up for what is right. We can show mercy in a multitude of ways. We can show mercy by being kind to those who are unkind; by sharing what we have with others and by being forgiving and compassionate. We show humility by serving others, by admitting our mistakes, by truly listening to people, by not desiring to be the center of attention. One of the best ways to show humility is not to brag on ourselves. We don't have to trumpet our accomplishments to people. God is With Us There may be specific things that the Lord wants us to do. Maybe we haven't done them because we thought we should do other things first. Like the people of Haggai's time, maybe we are building our own house first. Maybe we haven't been obedient because we were afraid to do what we know God wants us to do. Many times God expects us to move out of our comfort zone. He expects us to do this because He is always with us. There is nothing we have to fear because He is by our side. We shouldn't question why God asks us to do something, we should just do it. God blesses the obedient. Obedience and the way of truth brings us closer to Him. Who Do We Love? It is easy sometimes to believe that we are loving. But who do we love? Is it those who love us? Is it those who are always grateful for our love? Jesus says in Matthew 5: 46-47 that anyone does that - even the hated tax collectors. We are to love our enemies. We are to love the neighbor who gossips about us, the coworker who tells lies to the boss about us, the young person who treats us disrespectfully or the old person who disregards anything we have to say. Our Purpose We may not be called to build a great temple to the Lord, but each of us has a purpose; each of us has a calling. But what is our purpose? The Lord's expectations are high. The reason is because we have Him to be with us to help us to be just, merciful, humble and above all, loving. Before we blame the world, the non-Christian, for all the bad things we see around us we should look inside ourselves. Are we doing all we can to show Christ to a lost and dying world? Thy Will Be Done The Lord taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven." (Matthew 6:10). Our prayer each day should be to seek His will and do it. We can start by showing love whenever we have the opportunity. We don't have to fear, even when persecution comes, because doing His will is why we are here. Be blessed with the song "God's Will" by Martina McBride here. What God Expects

"For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death." 2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly Sorrow Produces Change 2 Corinthians 7:10 talks about a godly sorrow that isn't regretted. This is compared to a worldly sorrow; one that leads to death. What does Paul mean? This godly sorrow Paul talks about comes from realizing what our sin has done to ourselves and to others. Godly sorrow enables us to see how we have failed Christ. Godly sorrow produces change. It produces repentance. Grieve Your Sin In James 4:9 James says to grieve, mourn and wail over our sin. When Peter realized that he had betrayed Christ just as Jesus told him he would, he weeps with bitterness (Matthew 26: 74-75). David tells us in Psalms 6:6 that he "flooded my bed with weeping" over his sin. Paul himself, in Romans 7:24, says he is a wretched man and asks who will rescue him "from this body of death". Paul knows the answer to his question. It is Jesus and Jesus alone who rescues us. Worldly Sorrow - Oops I Got Caught! Worldly sorrow is different from godly sorrow. I may grieve over what I have done that has hurt someone but more likely I am grieving because I got caught in my sin. I grieve for the personal embarrassment that that sin caused me. I grieve because I can't continue doing that sin. Worldly sorrow doesn't lead to change. When a person only has worldly sorrow, they continue making the same mistakes, the same poor decisions, the same sins. Their sorrow is temporary and most likely selfish. Worldly sorrow leads to death. A Changed Life Without true repentance there is no true salvation. Salvation leads to change. We aren't just sorry because we got caught, we are sorry and want to change the course of our life because we have sinned against God. When we realize that we have offended the God who has given us His only Son for our sins, we can do nothing but sorrow. But we don't stop at sorrow. We don't stay there. The next verse, 2 Corinthians 7:11 says this, "For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. " Sorrow Produces Something Good This great sorrow, verse 11 says, has produced something in the Corinthian Christians. It has produced diligence (consistent persistence in following God), it has caused them to eagerly and earnestly try to make things right, it has caused indignation (anger) towards the opponents of Paul, it has produced a godly fear that respects God and respects His judgment. They now have a zeal, a great desire, to do what is right in the sight of God. The sorrow that is worldly only leads to more sorrow. Godly sorrow however leads to something good. A transformed life, a life that determines that by the grace of God and His forgiveness we can move forward. We can stop being fornicators or adulterers or liars or proud or selfish or anger filled people with God's help. We may not be a perfect people but we are a forgiven people who have a heart to learn to "sin no more" (John 8:11). Blessed to Be Forgiven When we have godly sorrow we can join David when he says in Psalm 32:1-2 (NIV), "Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit." Doesn't it feel wonderful to know that we are blessed in such a way by God? Our sins are covered, the Lord does not count them against us! There is no regret for that old life, that old way of sin, when we turn our faces toward Jesus and accept His forgiveness. Giving up those sins we used to be guilty of doesn't cause us regret. We don't long for that life that was lived that led to death. We look forward to our hope - our Savior - Jesus Christ. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! Let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.

Many of us have heard the story of the Israelite spies who went in to the Promised Land to scout it out. The Israelites had been promised this land by God since the time of Abraham. And yet when the spies came back to report to the people, all but two said it was impossible for them to defeat the many strong tribes that lived in the land. (Numbers 13) What promises has God made to us today as Christians? There are so many promises so I will only mention a few: God promises to never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13: 5) He promises to provide a way out of temptation. (I Corinthians 10:13) He promises to return. (Luke 12: 40) God promises, if we ask, to give us wisdom. (James 1: 5) He promises comfort in our trials (I Corinthians 1: 3-4) The God we serve today is as faithful as He was in the days of Moses and Joshua. In I Thessalonians 5:24 Paul tells us: "He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." We serve the same God today that the Israelites served. God made these marvelous promises to them of a promised land that flowed with milk and honey. He had shown Himself as a miracle worker. He had parted the Red Sea and provided food for them in the desert. He was faithful. And yet the majority of the spies said the task of gaining the Promised Land was impossible. They saw only the obstacles. And even sadder, the majority of the Israelites listened to them and did not remember the faithfulness of their God. Why then today do we doubt, like the Israelites did, that He will fulfill His promises? We doubt because we listen to the doubters. We listen to those who point out the impossibility of God being able to fulfill His promises. Or we listen to the thoughts in our own head that doubt. We think that God's promises are for others but surely not for me. We see all the obstacles but we forget who is on our side. We forget God's faithfulness. Paul reminds us in Romans 8: 31: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" The answer to this question is a resounding, "No one!". Can't we look back in our lives and see God working in our lives just like the Israelites could have done? His most wonderous miracle is our salvation. Christ paid the penalty for our sins, by sacrificing His life on the cross, and forgives us when we accept His gift of grace. We are renewed by His everlasting love, freed from the bondage of our sins, and given the opportunity to follow Him in a life forever changed by His Holy Spirit. Yes, the Cross is where lives get changed! If you do not have the love of Jesus in your life. If you are broken, sad, lonely, hopeless, in need of forgiveness, in need of a purpose and a promise, in need of something so much bigger than yourself, there is a promise made by God that is secure. In Him we find our rest. In Him we find our true life. Not the life that the world promises, but the truth of God and the love of God. We find a life that fills us with " joy inexpressible and full of glory" (I Peter 1:8b). God promises us that when we repent of our sins "He is faithful and just to forgive" (I John 1:9). That is a promise that gives hope. We stand on the promises of God. Let us pray that we would not be like so many of the Israelites who doubted God even in the face of so many miracles. Let's pray that we trust God and not those who would make us doubt Him. Let's pray that God would remind us of His love and care, and for those who don't know God, let's remind them of His greatest promise - salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Enjoy this newer version of the old hymn, Standing on the Promises, by Candi Staton.

Do You Really Know God? God is holy. God saves us. God cares for us. God judges us. What God do you worship? Do we worship the God of the Bible or the God we have created in our mind? This is why it is so important to try to know God. In Psalm 145:8-9 and 13-14, the Lord is described as being gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, loving, good to all, faithful to His promises, upholding those who fall and lifting up the oppressed. Is this the God you know? Moralistic Therapeutic Deism - what is it? I heard a phrase recently that attempted to describe the way many people understand God. It is called moralistic therapeutic deism. This term was first coined in a 2005 book called, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (Oxford University Press). People who believe this way usually have five main beliefs - 1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth. 2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions. 3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. 4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem. 5. Good people go to heaven when they die. I know many people, including professing Christians, who believe this way. They will accept that God created the world. They believe that as Christians their main responsibility is to be nice. They often think other religions teach 'niceness' as well. They believe that happiness is the most important goal in life; happiness the way the world defines it. They don't see God active in their life except when they need help: like healing, finding a job, dealing with marital problems or making a hard decision. Finally, they think that being good is what determines your fate when you die. What God Do You Worship? Doesn't this sound like the message that many "feel good" modern preachers teach? They teach that we should be nice, they teach that worldly happiness is our main goal, they teach God is there to solve your problems and they many times teach that your goodness indicates your destination after death. What a comforting God that sounds like. Sort of sounds like a lucky rabbit's foot, or a Santa Claus version of God. What God do you worship: this one, or the God of the Bible? The God of the Bible Do we really know the God of the Bible or is He just a comforting creation of our imagination? Certainly God created the world, certainly God wants us to be nice; but His goodness is not like the goodness found in other religions. What brings us happiness? Happiness for a Christian, according to Psalm 144:15, belongs to people whose God is the Lord. God promises joy - in Him (Romans 15:13). Certainly God is there for us when we have problems, but He is also there when times are good. Certainly He cares for our needs, but God has expectations - obedience, repentance, a changed life, a life of love. Cultural Goodness When the culture we live in determines what is good then calling something a sin might be considered not nice, while tolerating sin may be viewed as nice. Our culture wants us to put ourselves first and then be nice to others. God says put others first and humbly submit to Him (Philippians 2:3-4; 1 Peter 5:6-7). What is Love? Love is not just being nice. True love may express itself in ways that actually might make us unhappy, as the world defines it. True love means giving more than we want to of ourselves to others, maybe even dying for them. True love means putting others above ourselves, dying to self and speaking truth. Who do we really love? Do All the Nice People Go to Heaven? How many funerals have we gone to where the pastor speaks of the loved one being in Heaven? Nearly all of the ones that I can remember attending. It is a comforting thought for those left behind, but is it true? Does Aunt Ethel really go to Heaven because she donated $5/month to the food bank or because she baked me cookies every time I went to her house? Aunt Ethel goes to Heaven only because she had faith in God. She showed her faith by expressing her love for others. No one is good enough to go to Heaven. As the Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."(Romans 3:23) This is why Christ's sacrifice on the cross is so important because "He himself bore our sins." (1 Peter 2:24). Fear Falling into the Hands of God Have you read the Bible? God is slow to anger but there is a just punishment for us when we sin repeatedly and do not repent. The God of the Bible is not this feel good, Santa Claus in the sky who provides for our every need just so we can be happy. The God of the Bible says that without love for others the things we do are meaningless. The God of the Bible is long suffering and patient with us but only up to a point. As the author of Hebrews reminds us in Hebrews 10:31, " It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Defining Moralistic Therapeutic Deism One More Time Going back to the phrase, moralistic therapeutic deism, who determines your morality? Who says what is right or wrong? Is your goodness defined by the culture around you? Do you determine what is moral yourself or does God alone say what is right and just? Therapeutic - is God there just to be your therapist when you're down? Deism - is a term that means that God exists but in some sort of far off, not involved sort of way. One of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, was a famous Deist. He owned a Bible and in it he marked out all of the miraculous events that occurred. Why? Because in his belief, God did not work in the world personally. It's as though God created the world and then left for vacation. True Deists don't believe God ever intervenes in His creation. American Churches and Moralistic Therapeutic Deism This belief system permeates American society and American churches. It isn't taught so plainly but the essence of it is there. Talk to your children. What do they believe about God? What are they, and we, learning at church? Many of our churches fail to share the true God of the Bible. How many times do we go to church and hear sermons on repentance? How many times do we go to church and hear about sacrificial love, or suffering or sin? Yes, God is a God of love but loving God may require sacrifice, it may require suffering and it always requires repentance. We must repent and turn from sin. Get to Know God Be careful how you view God. Think about what you truly believe about Him. Open your Bible and get to know Him, every aspect of Him. Make sure the God you believe in is the one in the Bible, and not the one you see in the mirror. What God Do You Worship?

Hope in a Fearful World The world today is consumed with fear. Headlines in the news are designed to make us be afraid. Fear sells. Many people seem to want to promote dread about the end of the world and the return of Christ. Yet it is meant to bring hope. People may not realize how much they need hope, love, and faith. These are the very things Jesus offers. We can share these things with them. They might be surprised that we don't face the future with hopelessness and fear. Believers are called to live with confidence and hope in spite of what terrible things may be happening around them. Peter urged persecuted believers to be ready to give a defense for their hope that remained strong even in suffering. That same challenge is ours today. When others see calm assurance instead of anxiety, or faith instead of fear, they begin to wonder what makes the difference. Our lives become a witness that points to the reality of Christ and the hope He gives to all who trust in Him. Facing the world with courage may be the simplest of acts. In our small town, students and adults gather publicly around the school flag pole at the beginning of the year to pray for students and teachers. Some of those who come have faced the fear of public ridicule for standing up openly for their faith. Be Ready To Give A Defense Peter’s message to persecuted believers speaks directly to this kind of fear. In 1 Peter 3:15, he says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” Instead of fear, hopelessness and despair they were showing those around them that they had enduring hope. Those who didn't know Christ saw this and wondered about it. Why weren't these Christians afraid? What were they hoping in? Peter tells us to be able to answer this question. The Bible tells us over and over not to fear, but how? We don't have to fear because our God is with us. Because of this, sharing our hope should come naturally to us. Sharing Hope When we share the reason for our hope, some people will hear what we have to say to them about Jesus and what He has done for us. Some will listen to us tell about His sacrifice, His forgiveness, His great love, and some will come to Him from hearing this. But others may have to experience great despair and hopelessness before they recognize the awful guilt of sin. At that moment, they will recognize the truth of what they have needed their entire lives. In Romans 5:13, Paul also talks about hope, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Paul tells us to abound in hope and that the Holy Spirit will give us the power to do this. He says that God is our hope and God wants us to be filled with joy, peace, and His abounding hope. Hope-Confident Expectation One misunderstanding we have today is understanding what hope meant to the writers of the Bible. For us today the word 'hope' implies an element of doubt but to writers in the Hebrew and Greek there was no element of doubt to that word. To them hope meant a confident expectation or assurance that something would happen. When we say our hope is in the Lord, we are not expressing doubt we are telling a fact. The Evidence In the beginning of the great chapter in Hebrews on faith, chapter 11, we find this in verse 1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith makes our hope a reality. Faith is our evidence, our proof, and our facts for the things that we cannot see. When we give reasons for our hope, as Peter tells us to in I Peter 3:15, the idea here is to respond in much the same way a lawyer would in explaining a case to a jury. A lawyer uses facts. We are to present our case in a kind, respectful manner, not angrily or in a shaming way. What is the evidence for our case? We read in the gospels the true accounts of eyewitnesses to the words and actions of Jesus. We don't divorce our faith from the facts of what was recorded by these men with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Even our very lives, changed by the Holy Spirit, are also evidence of the truth of God. Faith and Hope Faith is trust in God, not in ourselves. We rely on God, not on ourselves. It is God who gives faith, God who grows our faith and God who saves us. We rejoice in our hope in Him. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says that faith, hope and love abide but love is the greatest of these. Faith, hope and love abide—eternally. Without the love of Christ we can't experience faith, and without faith, we can't experience hope. Faith and hope surrounded by love are the great foundations of Christianity. We have faith; therefore we hope. But what do we hope in? We hope in the promises of Christ. Our God is faithful and true. Our God is just. In Deuteronomy 31:6, He tells the Jewish people that He will never fail them or forsake them. He repeats this promise in Joshua 1:5. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus says He will be with us even to the end of the world. And in Hebrews 13:5, we are reminded again that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. In Colossians 1, Paul gives thanks for the faith of the saints at Colossae noting that their hope was in Heaven. They knew this because of the truth of the Gospel. As Christians today, we too, hope for Heaven with faith, and our faith is our evidence of it. Whether we have little faith or great faith, it is enough. Heaven doesn't depend on us, but on the One who is faithful and true. In a fearful world, may we live in such a way that our hope in Christ becomes the clearest testimony of our faith. Be Ready to Give a Defense

In Ephesians 6: 10-13 Paul tells us several times to stand against the devil. However in Ephesians 6:12 Paul says, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." It might seem strange that Paul uses the metaphor of wrestling against evil. Today, you and I, envision wrestling as something done on the floor with one person trying to pin down the other. However, back in Roman times wrestling was done standing up. The winner was the person who threw the other to the ground preventing them from standing. Wrestling Against Evil Not Flesh and Blood Paul explains in this verse that our struggle is not against flesh and blood men. We may war against one other, we may struggle against other humans, other humans we think of as the enemy, but that is not where the real struggle lies. The real struggle is not with the humans but with the forces that hold sway over them. These people may be violent or angry toward us, but if we treat them the same way they treat us then all that proves is that our true enemy has defeated us as well. What Should We Really Fear? The Lord says in Matthew 10:28, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." The true thing to fear in this struggle, this wrestling match, is the one who destroys the soul. Jesus says not to worry or be fearful of someone who can kill you, what you need to be concerned about is the one who can drag you to hell. The Devil's Influence We can read in the Bible about the influences of the Devil on people who were demon possessed. We read of demon possessed people who were blinded, had symptoms similar to epilepsy, or were unable to talk. Sometimes they caused people, like Judas, to do evil. They may be troubled by an evil spirit like Saul. They may have super human strength like the Gadarene demoniac. Obviously a person does not have to be demon possessed to be influenced by the Devil or demons. The Three Temptations of Satan I John 2:16 describes the 3 main areas that Satan uses to tempt people; lusting in our flesh, with our eyes and in the pride of life. Lusting is an intense desire for something - sex, food, power, money, etc. Lusting in our flesh, Satan takes our physical weaknesses and tries to convince us to meet our needs our own way, ignoring God. Lusting with our eyes is pretty obvious. We often see things that we want. We don't ask God should I have this thing or person. We just know it looks like what we think will satisfy us. Lusting in the pride of life we want to place ourselves at the center of our life instead of God. What we want becomes more important than what God wants. We Walk According to the Spirit In Romans 8:4 Paul tells us that Christians walk according to the Spirit, not the flesh. God's desires should be our desires. Satan attempts to make evil things look good. He makes us feel guilty over things we shouldn't. Things that God has forgiven us of. The Devil manipulates scripture in our mind to mean things that it doesn't. He convinces us to believe lies. The Devil tries to make us doubt God's love. When we walk in the Spirit we can see through Satan's deceptions. In all things we should humble ourselves before God to resist the Devil's temptations. Our Adversary Satan, the Devil, is our accuser before God, our adversary, the one who slanders us. Slander is a lie that hurts a person's reputation. In Revelation 12 we are told that the Devil is the "accuser of our brethern". He goes before our Lord and points out our every failing. I Peter 5: 8 says that the Devil is an adversary that wants to devour us. He is patient, waiting for just the right moment to attack. Satan is clever, wily, full of trickery. He is the "father of lies" (John 8:44). Thank God for Jesus who is our wonderful advocate. Our Strength Comes from God Humanly we have no ability to defeat Satan, only God can do that. Like David before Goliath, we must know that our strength comes only from God. I John 4:4 reminds us that the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us is greater than the evil one of this world. Colossians 2:15 tells us that the cross has triumphed over principalities and powers. Romans 8:38 tells us that the principalities and powers mentioned in Ephesians 6:12 can NOT separate us from the love of God. Unseen Evil These principalities, powers and rulers of darkness are the evil spirits influencing humanity to strive against God. Principalities are demons that control huge areas of the world, cities or even countries. Satan is called the "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2). These unseen evil forces are around us and at this moment they control the world. Satan, who is described as a prince, cannot however be king because there is only one King Jesus. The Devil's time will soon be over. As R.C. Sproul explains, The devil's "power is restricted, limited, and temporal. What has happened briefly is this: The power and authority of Satan has been dealt a fatal blow by Christ. The Cross, the Incarnation, the Resurrection, and the Ascension tremendously weakened any power or authority that Satan enjoyed, but it didn’t annihilate him. That will come later, when Christ completes his work of redemption with the consummation of his kingdom. All things will be brought into captivity to him, and every knee will bow to him, including the fallen angels, who will bow in submission to his authority." Jesus Strengthens Us for Battle As Ephesians 6 continues, Paul describes the armor that we must put on to defeat Satan, to literally throw him down. If we don't put on this armor we will be defeated. Satan attacks us at the weakest place in our armor. He is always looking for a way in. Every part of our armor is necessary for our successful defense. Our armor is created and fashioned by our Father. He knew that we would need a strong defense to protect us from the Devil. To wrestle successfully you must be very physically fit. To wrestle spiritually you must be spiritually fit. You should feed your soul on the Word - the bread of life - on Jesus who strengthens us for the battle.

How Has Israel Sinned? In Ezekiel chapter 22, the prophet explains that the punishment of God must fall on the Israelites because of their sin. He tells them in verse 15 that He will "scatter them among the nations". Ezekiel goes into much detail to describe the many sins of the people. All manner of society, from corrupt leaders only interested in gain, to prophets who dared to say, "Thus sayeth the Lord," as they lied; to priests who did not treat what was holy as holy; all the way down to the people, each group is called out with their sins. In verse 12, we read the root cause of all their sin. "You have forgotten me," says the Lord. Because the people had forgotten their God, they fell into sin easily. They had not honored their fathers and mothers, they had mistreated orphans, widows, the poor and the needy. They hadn't taken in the stranger, they had profaned the Sabbath, and they had gotten dishonest profit by extortion, bribes, and even murder. Adultery and incest had become rampant. He found no one to "stand in the gap." God Seeks for Someone And so, for all of this, the Lord's wrath and judgment was brought to bear upon them. At this point, almost with a hint of sorrow, the Lord says in verse 30, "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." God desperately wanted to find a man who would "stand in the gap" so that this judgment could be avoided. When there is no truth, mercy, or knowledge of God judgment falls. As Ezekiel 33:11 tells us, God does not take pleasure in the deaths of wicked people. Cities with Walls In those days cities were surrounded by large defensive walls that could withstand the attacks of the enemy. If they were breached by having a gap, or a hole, put into them by the enemy, the enemy would pour through it unless the city could mount a defense to keep this from happening. Unless someone stood in the gap. Moses Stood in the Gap This expression is used in several places in the Old Testament. In Exodus 32:9-14, Moses prayed for the people that they would not be destroyed when they were found worshipping the golden calf. In Psalm 106:23, referring to this event, Moses is said to have "stood in the breach" stopping their utter destruction. When we stand in the gap, we are pleading with God to have mercy on His sinful people. In 1 Samuel 12:23 Samuel says "Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord, by failing to pray for you." Samuel prayed for the Israelites because they had made the sinful request of asking for a king. In Amos 7:5-6, Amos prayed for the sinful people and the Lord decided to withhold judgement for a time. In the book of Jonah, even though initially unwilling, Jonah delivered a word to the people of Nineveh who repented and were spared judgment. Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom, that for the sake of a few righteous souls it would not be destroyed. Only Lot and his family were spared (Genesis 18). Are We Standing in the Gap? Are we standing in the gap today with intercessory prayer for our spouse, our children, our church and our nation? According to Samuel, it is sinful not to pray for those who are potentially being judged. Looking back I know that the intercessory prayer of my mother helped to bring me back to the right path, to God. Today we know that we are blessed with the ultimate intercessor, our Savior. In John 8:34, 1 John 2:1 and Hebrews 7:25 we read that Jesus is our advocate before the Father, always interceding for us. Repair the Breach In Isaiah 58, Isaiah says that "we are the repairer of the breach" when we are obedient to the commands of God. Are we actively working to show love to others? Are we honoring our fathers and our mothers? Are we defending the widow and the orphan? Are we sharing food and bringing into our homes those who are cast out? Are we honest in our financial dealings? You are Needed Sin is what breaches the wall, sin is what tears down the wall. It is the destroyer of our soul. As our Savior stands in the gap for us, so we should for others. Through our actions and our intercessions we can affect the world around us, from our families to the halls of government. Now more than ever there is a need for someone who could be found standing in the gap. Stand in the Gap